Democratic in intention and approach, the book will
argue that the home interior, as independently created by the ‘amateur’
householder, offers a continuous informal critique of shifting architectural
styles (most notably with the advent of Modernism) and the design mainstream. Indeed,
it will suggest that the popular increasingly exerts an influence on the
professional.
Underpinned by academic rigour, but not in thrall to
it, above all this book is an engaging attempt to identify the cultural drivers
of aesthetic change in the home, extrapolating the wider influence of ‘taste’
to a broad audience – both professional and ‘trade’. In so doing, it will explore
enthralling territory – money, class, power and influence.
Illustrated with contemporary drawings and cartoons as well as photos, the
book is not only an absorbing read, but an enticing and attractive object
in itself.
Table of Contents:
Prologue
Chapter 1 New Money, Old Ideas
Chapter 2 Disapproving Dilletantes
Chapter 3 New Century, New Style
Chapter 4 The People Decorate
Chapter 5 Post War Populism
Chapter 6 1951 And All That
Chapter 7 The Empire Strikes Back
Chapter 8 Carrying On Regardless
Chapter 9 Back To The Future
Chapter 10 Having It And Having It More Abundantly
Epilogue
About the Author :
Drew Plunkett qualified as an architect in 1970 and graduated from the Royal College of Art in Environmental Design in 1981 at a time when interior design offered a particularly exciting testing ground for new ideas. He went on to teach the subject in Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow. Throughout his academic career he has been a close observer of the emergence of a distinctive interior design profession while continuing to practice, principally as a designer of restaurants and exhibitions.
