Home and Decor » Modernism http://www.amish-furniture-home.com/blog Your friendly guide to tasteful interior design Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:31:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 en hourly 1 A Brief History of 19th Century Eclectic from the Civil War to Modernism http://www.amish-furniture-home.com/blog/design-style/a-brief-history-of-19th-century-eclectic-from-the-civil-war-to-modernism/ http://www.amish-furniture-home.com/blog/design-style/a-brief-history-of-19th-century-eclectic-from-the-civil-war-to-modernism/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:01:06 +0000 admin http://www.amish-furniture-home.com/blog/design-style/a-brief-history-of-19th-century-eclectic-from-the-civil-war-to-modernism/  

The years surrounding Civil War was not just a separation of tastes politically but one in interior décor. The last part of the 19th century in North America saw the blending of many very strong interior design tastes within one home. Many consider this to be the Eclectic period in American history. This eclectic collecting may have resulted from the easier access to more thanks to the Industrial Revolution. Machine made products kept products flowing at a much less expensive rate. Large scale manufacturers in Grand Rapids, Michigan were pumping out furniture to the common man at easy to pay for levels.

BRIEF INTERESTING FACTS FROM THE LATTER 19TH CENTURY ECLECTIC ERA-

  • In rapid sequence designers birthed first Gothic then Elizabethan and finally rococo. While these co-existed in popularity in the mid-century they did not co-exist under the same roof. All three were used and admired but not blended.  
  • The latter half of this century saw even more design styles, like the Renaissance style, emerge but none truly retire.
  • This was the era of the kings; from France to England and from Louis to Henri.
  • The big English furniture designers Chippendale, Sheraton and Hepplewhite shined brightly in the Victorian days. Colonial, Centennial Revival and Empire became common by the turn of the century.
  • In large part thanks to William Morris and his Arts and Crafts philosophy and followers furniture was being influenced by far away lands like Turkey, Japan and Persia.
  • Charles Eastlake agreed with Morris and Lewis Day on their discrimination against mass produced furniture and wrote a book touting the belief that home furnishings should be made by hand or machine workers that truly took artisan pride in their work.
  • During these decades many felt a prejudice towards keeping it American and a cry went out to create a style distinctly American.
  • Very distinct designs and designers emerged during this time and many published books that became hard and fast bibles used by designers, cabinetmakers and other furniture builders.
  • Almost always if a design style became popular the wallpapers, rugs and accessories  appropriate to that style became available.
  • No matter how modest the home it was believed that there should be a library, a sort of retreat for the family.

The 20th century saw less desire for homes to be so eclectic. A yearning for something more simple in American homes was emerging. The birth of styles like Modernism had brought a sense of more efficient and less cluttered designs like the contemporary designs found from Amish-Furniture-Home.com.

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Pedestal Table

Modern furniture buyers are both savvy and sophisticated consumers. Like Mission, Shaker and Arts and Crafts the Modern furniture consumer is not just a buyer but an investor and a collector. Many of these knowledgeable furniture connoisseurs have found the Amish craftsmen of Northern Indiana have held true to the Modernist’s ideal that human beings can create a beautiful environment by improving and reshaping their surroundings with furniture in sturdy and functional designs.

Modern furniture, also known as contemporary design, began to develop as part of a series of reforming movements in the late 19th century and early 20th century. This movement affected almost every aspect of life from art to literature to home design. New and progressive ways to design using the latest technologies and philosophies were celebrated as Modernism came into vogue. Stepping free of the gilded and overly indulgent era of the Victorians, and riding on the new age of the Industrial Revolution, designers were captivated by new ideals in religion, politics and every day living – including the some of the most basic elements – like furniture.

By deviating from the norm of heavy decoration and the more-is-better philosophies that had overtaken the world in the latter half of the 1800‘s, the minimalist modern furniture designer found a sense of freedom while also empowering the home owner to play a creative role in designing their own home. A modern home dweller can indeed create a residence of timeless clean lines and light and airy open spaces.

Many modern furniture producers are still seeking out new and abstract pieces and materials. The Amish have developed their line of modern and contemporary home furnishings in native solid hardwoods. Although designers like Ferdinand Kramer believed in mass production, many of his designs were similar to the simplistic nature of the Shakers, whom many designers of contemporary furniture emulated. The Amish hold true to those designs. Hans Wegner’s solid wood pieces could stand side by side with the Amish Kenwood or Yorkshire table.

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