American Style

The shaker style  of the American period really interested me. Values were very important and i think that is displayed in some of the designs. There were two of everything; one for men and one for women. They had separate entrances, stairways, dining tables, as well as sleeping quarters. the interiors were very clean and minimal.  the best known architecture from this time was the round barns. craftsmanship was also very important and can be seen in the furniture, like the ladder back chairs. This style is very simple and displayed the values and beliefs of the people.

round barn architecture

ladder back chair

current application

current application

current application

English Renaissance responses

Sammy's blog was one of the blogs I reviewed. She also discusses the Queen Anne style and goes more in depth about the furniture of that time. She gave multiple current examples that really showcase the characteristics of this style. Another blog i enjoyed viewing was Ali's. She discusses the mid renaissance period. Her main focus was on Sir Christopher Wren, who designed the St. Paul Cathedral. she gave good visual examples of his work. She also shares some great current applications of the Queen Anne style furniture.

English Renaissance

My favorite style from this period was the Queen Anne style. This style was popular during a prosperous time for England. Drinking tea and coffee as well as playing games in the parlor were favorite activities during this time. These activities brought new pieces of furniture, like the tea tables. The interiors were very simple with oriental influence. William Kent, a painter, designer, and architect, had a huge influence on this style. mahogany was the wood of choice, mainly because of how easy it was to carve. The style was very feminine and incorporated the Cabriole leg to furniture pieces. The most popular piece of furniture from this time was the Queen Anne Chair, which had a very distinctive back and little carving.

the Queen Anne Chair

example of an Queen Anne interior designed by William Kent

current example of  the Queen Anne chairs and style

A more Contemporary version of the Cabriole Leg

Current example of the Queen Anne Style

French Style Responses

I reviewed Dana's Blog on the Regency Style. She covered some of the history and gave great current example of furniture and of how this style is used today. This post relates to my post on Rococo, because this style led up to the Rococo style. I also reviewed Megan's blog. She covered different aspects of the French Renaissance, primarily the Palais de Versailles. She also added this really cool video about the history of Palais de Versailles which was very helpful when understanding this design style.

French Style

The french period spans over the time period of 1484 through the late 1800's. There are many different styles from this period; some include early, middle, and late renaissance, neoclassical, baroque, rococo, revolution, and restoration styles. The style that I found most appealing was Rococo style. This style was popular during the 1730's through the 1760's. During this time, Louis XV was in power, and the country was going through a war. During this time, the common folk raised the standards by questioning the power and becoming philosophers, economist, and scientists. The Rococo style was inspired by Louis XV's mistresses. The style was very dainty and feminine. The interiors has low ceilings with the use of curvilinear lines. The rooms were rounded instead of rectangular.   The interiors incorporated scrolls and cockleshells. Waves, roses, and daisies were all common motifs during this time. The design was primarily symmetrical. the use of boisieries, which are carved wood wall panels, was also a common theme during the Rococo style. The colors were very light and clean; such as blue, rose, sea green, and lilac. White was also used along with a gold accent. Fireplaces were also common in rooms. The mantel typically sat low and was created out of marble. It was also very common for mirrors to hang above. 

example of Rococo Style

example of hanging a mirror above the fireplace

use of white with gold accent

 

 

 

current application

current application

current application

Spanish Renaissance Responses

I reviewed Melanie's blog on the Spanish Renaissance. She discusses the different styles we learned in class, desornamentato and plateresque. I loved the picture examples she gave, they really help distingush the two styles. The second blog I reviewed was Leslie's post. She started off introducing the Spanish Renaissance with some historical facts, which is very important to be familiar with when studying the styles of design and the influence the culture had at this time. She gave great examples of the castles and cathedrals of this time. Her blog would be great to review to get all overall understanding of the Spanish Renaissance design.

Spanish Renaissance

The residential designs from this time period is very noteworthy. Residential design was influenced by the Moorish design. These designs included elaborately decorated patios, galleries, doorways and windows. Iron grilles were incorporated into many of the residential designs. these grilles were incorporated into windows, openings, and some handrails. colored tiles were also another element that was very common in the designs of this period. Leather was also incorporated into many of the decorative details of the residential interiors. other details incorporated tassels, fringe, braids, and decorative nail heads.

Iron Grille example

courtyard during the Spanish Renaissance

current application of Spanish courtyard

current application of iron grilles

current application of Spanish furniture and design