Rise of the Interior Decorator

In the past, interiors were put together by the architect. Throughout time though, home owners were wanting more of a professional to focus on good use of space and the user's well being. It was mainly just the upper class that would use Interior Decorators. There are 3 people that really founded the career and made it what it is today from their expertise and style. 

The House in Good Taste - 1913

Elsie de Wolfe was one of the first Interior Decorators. She was educated in New York and Edinburgh. She originally wanted to be an actresses and then pursued Interior Design. Her speciality was restoring Victorian interiors into light and bright spaces using French furniture. The picture above is from one of her most famous homes, "The House in Good Taste"

The Braziliance Commode - 1939

Dorothy Draper styled traditional furniture in non-traditional ways. Her style was very fun and appealing, she was known for her dramatic use of black and white on walls, flooring and upholstered pieces. Her friends encouraged her to design other homes after she had styled her own. She used clear vivid colors and designed like the modern baroque movement. The above home was designed for The Quitandinha, a resort near Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Garden in Hell - 1955

Another famous designer that helped start the career was Billy Baldwin. He used a restricted color scheme and used more of a clean-cut, hard-edged look. He mostly designed for the middle class but he did have some famous clients. The above home is Diana Vreeland's Park Avenue home where he paired with Diana to find bold furniture to match the apartment.

Peer Discussions: 

I read through Ali's blog and I really liked how she focused on Dorothy Draper. It really showed me
Dorothy's sense of style throughout her different designs.

I also liked how Paige showed a chair from this time and current applications of the chair.