Contemporary Design : Post Modernism

By: Katie Kaywood

 

 

Post modernism made it easier for people to communicate their design strategies, it increased the speed of communication through magazines, books and television as a result design work then became more of an international profession and replaced international style. Two major influential architects in this period were Louis I Kahn and Cesar Pelli.

 

 

Louis I. Kahn graduated from the architectural school of the University of Pennsylvania in 1924 and then went on to teach at Yale and then back to the University of Pennsylvania. His work was different from anything else that we have seen,  he expressed his emotions through materials and lighting design techniques that reveal forms and creates the nature of interior spaces. Here is one of his works that I thought was pretty amazing: Jatiyo Sangshad Bhaban, National Parliament House, Bangladesh.

 

 

 

Cesar Pelli was an Argentine/American influential architect that designed some of the worlds tallest buildings. He was the Dean of University of Yale school of Architecture. Some of his major works included : U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the NNT Building in Tokyo, and the tallest building in the world the twin towers of Pelli Petronas Center, Kuala Lumpur.

 

Tallest building in the world

 

 

 



Contemporary design : Hi- Tech

New technology was one of the prime basis of modern design, steel, concrete and glass. This design stylized concept was very geometric, a major designer that influenced this was Richard Buckminister Fuller - he made a hemispherical dome structure using triangulated units.

 

U.S exhibit Pavilion at Expo 67

 

Contemporary Design/ post modernism design is become more green and more high tect, it rejects the aspect of being wholly modern to using the basic starting blocks of modernism and creating something with unique architecture through out.

 

Current applications :

 

 

 

 

After reviewing Paige's blog I like how she incorporated how this time of design involved green design, it thought about what it was doing and really made improvements for our environment and our society. I also reviewed Natalie's blog she incorporated great images with her descriptions of the three major influential designers. It really helped describe the designers style and his motives with the use of descriptive images.

Here is a video to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKomOqYU4Mw



Rise of the Decorator

Art Deco and the rise of the interior Decorator

by: Katie Kaywood

 

 

Contributors to the World's Fair fell into two distinct categories, functionalists and decorators. This rise began in Paris during the art deco period. Interior decorators were growing and in need of wealthy class people for houses that reflected status, including professionals to help with outfitting the interiors. Three prominent and influential designers helped with the rise of interior decorating.

 

Elsie de wolfe did just that, she restored Victorian interiors into light and bright spaces using French furniture and helped interior design become a separate entity from architecture.

 

Her motto is: "I want to make everything around me beautiful- that will be my life"

 

Another woman that helped with interior design is Dorothy Draper. She used traditional furniture and used it in a non-traditional way helping add a fun and appealing style. She was well known for her dramatic use of black and white on walls, floors and upholstery. You could say her style was known as "modern baroque." One of her most well known pieces of art was the Greenbrier Hotel.

 

 

 

Lastly Billy Baldwin, in the rise of decorating/decorators he was a big influential person. He designed for the middle class as well as many famous architects. He disdained the florid, baroque and rococo in favor for a more clean cut, hard edged and pared-down design.

 

Billy Baldwin's motto is: "Nothing is interesting unless it is personal."

 

Current Applications:

 

After reading Natalie and Justine's blog I was more knowledgeable about Elsie and Dorothy and what they did for the community. They wrote books and opened schools helping make interior decorating that much more important and well known today.

 

For more information On Dorothy Draper's designs you can watch this video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7_cycJBTPg