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

Italian Renaissance Responses

Dana's blog post really stood out to me, because she discusses the importance of the collaborations going on at this time. artists were working with architects, designers, and so on. I think this is really important to share, because these collaborations are still going on today. The other blog I reviewed was Katie's post. She also shares what Italy was going through at this time culturally, and how this ignited the collaborations and the styles from this time period.

Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance incorporated portable furniture into their designs. The interiors were lavish and well ornamented. the walls were covered in paintings that were very realistic. The Dante chair, also referred to as the x chair, is one of the popular dining chairs from this time period.

Dante Chair

  

Current application of the Dante Chair

Another interesting piece of furniture from this time is the Cassapanca, which was an earlier version of today's sofa. the piece consisted of a seat that doubled as storage, and had arms and a back. 

Italian Renaissance Cassapanca

Current application of the Cassapanca

The Trestle table is another interesting piece of furniture from this time period. These tables were typically created using wood and had large, chunky, ornamented pedestal legs. 

Trestle table of the Italian Renaissance

Current application of the Trestle table 

The Americas: The Incas

I found the Incas the most interesting group out of the four groups discussed. Religion was a huge influence on the daily life of the Incas, and was portrayed through their art and designs. The Incas were best known for the architectural works. One of the most famous sites constructed during their time was Machu Picchu. The trapezoidal doorway and window was one of the biggest architectural elements the Incas gave to design.  the doorways and windows incorporated into Machu Picchu has the trapezoidal design.

Machu Picchu

trapeziod windows in interior of Machu Picchu

The two following are examples of current examples of the stonework and artwork of the Incas.

Gothic Design Responses

I reviewed Flor's blog post on Gothic designs. I really liked the fact that discussed the furniture pieces from this time period. The current applications that she shares are really cool takes on the Gothic style. I also really enjoyed the video that she shared. The second blog post on Gothic design I reviewed was Justine's, where she discusses the architectural structures of this period. She also shared a video that distinguished the difference between the Romanesque style and the Gothic style.

Gothic Design

The cathedral design and layout is one of the major attributes the Gothic design period gave to architecture. The typical cathedral layout was the Latin cross plan.  The walls were tall with stained glass windows everywhere. The stained glass windows typically had a tracery, or an outline, surrounding the glass. The pointed arch and ribbed vault were both introduced in the design of the cathedral. another architectural feature utilized in Gothic design is the fly buttress.

INTERIOR VIEW OF WELLS CATHEDRAL

The Wells cathedral is a great example of the pointed arches, as well as the ribbed vaults. 

EXTERIOR VIEW OF NOTRE DAME DE PARIS

The Notre Dame de Paris is another good example of the use of the pointed arches. the use of stained glass windows can also be found in this cathedral. 

CURRENT APPLICATION OF STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

CURRENT APPLICATION OF THE POINTED ARCH

Islamic Design Responses

I reviewed Sammy's blog, where she discussed some of the key Mosques covered in class. She also posted a really neat video that further discusses the mosque designs of that time. The second blog I viewed was Rachael's blog. She discuss the features of the Taj Mahal. I also really liked her current application examples. She had examples of the color schemes, the geometric patterns, and the use of arches.

Islamic Design

Islamic design introduced the design of the Mosques. the features of the mosque include a perimeter wall, a covered hall with columns, and a courtyard. The Mosques provided a gathering place for people to worship and pray. The Great Mosque of Kairouan, located in Tunisia, North Africa, is a famous ancient mosque. The interior features is the horseshoe arch, as well as the classic capitols with the Islamic arch.

EXTERIOR VIEW OF THE GREAT MOSQUE OF KAIROUAN.

INTERIOR VIEW OF THE GREAT MOSQUE OF KAIROUAN.

The interiors of the Mosque of Sultan Ahmed featured a geometric design. 200 stained glass windows are featured in this mosque. 20,000 hand made tiles were also used in the interiors.

EXTERIOR VIEW OF MOSQUE OF SULTAN AHMED

INTERIOR VIEW OF MOSQUE OF SULTAN AHEMD

CURRENT APPLICATION OF ISLAMIC DESIGN.

CURRENT APPLICATION OF ISLAMIC DESIGN.

Romanesque Responses

I reviewed Jessica's blog. she shared great pictures of the church designs from the Romanesque period. I also liked her examples of the current applications. They gave examples of all the important architectural elements. I also reviewed Hannah's blog. She covered all aspects of the Romanesque design period, such as the background of the culture, the architecture, and art work.

Romanesque

The Romanesque period is best known for their church designs. Similar to the early christian basilica plan, the Romanesque churches modified the nave, transept, and apse making it more spacious. Chapels were also added to the transepts. Another architectural feature added to the Romanesque churches was the semicircular arches and vaults. The churches were larger than previous churches and contained multiple aisles and a choir area. More natural lighting was added to help make the churches appear bigger. The interiors were full of rich tapestries and colors, such as purple, blue, green, and gold. gilded sculptures also filled the churches interiors.

FLOOR PLAN OF ROMANESQUE CHURCH 

CLUNY ABBEY

CURRENT APPLICATION OF THE SEMICIRCULAR ARCHES

CURRENT COMMERCIAL APPLICATION OF THE SEMICIRCULAR ARCHES

Byzantine Responses

Lindsay's post on Byzantine was one of the blogs I read. She posted about the Hagia Sophia, explaining how the Hagia Sophia best displays the Byzantine style. She also gave three different examples of current applications of the Byzantine style. The second post on Byzantine that I reviewed was Hannah's post. She had a lot of good examples of the byzantine style; early, middle, and late, as well as a video that was interesting.

Byzantine

My favorite attribute Byzantine had on design was the interior style. The flooring was typically composed of marble tiles. The walls were highly ornamented. Either mosaic or fresco detailing covered the walls. The interiors were full of textures because of the use of mosaic tiling. Gold was a very popular color during this time as well. The interior spaces contained rounded arches as well as domes. They used pendentive construction to create the domes on a square base. The Hagia Sophia is one Byzantine structure that uses the pendentive construction.

An example of the mosaic tiling on the floor from Byzantine.

Exterior view of the Hagia Sophia. 

A current application of the Byzantine style.

current application of the round arches 

A 2013 Byzantine inspired dress designed by Dolce & Gabbana.