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In the early twentieth century, designers were forced to explore new design practices due to material shortages caused by WW2.  This led designers to prioritize the function of buildings, eliminating ornamentation. Many asked the same question: “Can improvement be brought to this medium that takes it to a level beyond expectation?”

The world of architecture had remained steady for many years, often due to scarce resources and the need for form follows function in structural design and implementation. However, some refused to let their dreams remain limited to their imagination.  By pushing the boundaries of materials, new technologies and art combined with globalization grew the new “modernist” world.

Of the early pioneers of modernist design, several names are as recognized as Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier. These fathers of Modern Architecture blazed the path in creating many of the modernist themes that would quickly become synonymous with modernist architecture, and their fearless devotion to pushing boundaries still inspire designers today. This article will look at each man, shining a light on the unique contributions that each brought to this architecture movement’s birth.

The first and often most well-known was Walter Gropius, who made his mark on the world of architecture by creating an incredible home in Boston, Massachusetts, that featured glass, acoustic plaster, and chrome accents. This design style stood in stark contrast to the Colonial homes across the American landscape.

Born in Germany, Gropius grew up in a family of architects and joined Peter Behrens’ architectural firm in 1908. It was here that Gropius met and worked with fellow pioneer Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe.

The first design that Gropius offered the world was known as the Fagus-werk. The design of this factory that produced parts for creating boots not only impressed owner Carl Benscheidt but laid the foundation for a career that would see Gropius bring his impressive designs to nearly every style of residential and commercial property.

Just over a decade later, Gropius became the headmaster of Grand-Ducal Saxon School of Arts and Crafts in Weimar. Gropius soon turned the school into the famous Bauhaus, a place where aspiring artists, architects, and designers, could come to study and bring their own inspiration to life. Germany’s Third Reich regime’s continued threat led Gropius to move the Bauhaus to Dessau in 1930, and ultimately leave Germany altogether for Boston in 1936.

He built his family home, the Gropius House with typical New England materials like wood and brick but introduced Modernist features like long windows on the first floor and industrial materials like steel and glass.  The home included custom furniture to maintain the Bauhaus philosophy of total art.

Gropius was later part of the design of Harvard University’s Graduate Center which was the first Modernist Building design for any major American University and seen as a turning point in the acceptance of Modern Architecture in the US.  Here he combined modern elements of steel and glass with bricks of limestone to create courtyards and covered walkways, defining the spaces and enhancing the relationship between the building and environment.

For Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was known as a savant of modernist architecture due to the fact that he lacked any type of formal training. Yet, his incredible designs left no room for concern. Mies van der Rohe quickly rose the ranks of German architecture with his design of the famous Barcelona Pavilion of the World Exhibition in Barcelona. While still in his twenties, Mies van der Rohe also designed and brought to life homes such as Villa Tugendhat, in Brno, Czech Republic. 

Mies van der Rohe’s architecture philosophy was built on a ‘less is more’ concept. This can be seen across his designs, with clean lines and wide-open spaces present in nearly every design. For Mies van der Rohe, the basic structures that built any building could offer the same beauty and inspiration as the outside elements.

A lasting legacy of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe is the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology. A campus of gleaming glass, steel buildings, and brick gives an insight into the inspiration that drove one of modernist architecture’s earliest leaders.

Le Corbusier, who took inspiration for his buildings and urban designs from modern engineering developments such as passenger jets, cruise liners, automobiles, grain silos, and so on. In his most famous book, ‘Towards a New Architecture’, he argued that ‘a house is a machine for living in’.

The final member of the early modernist trio was Charles-Edouard Jeanneret, known in architecture design as Le Corbusier. A Swiss-French author and architect, Le Corbusier built his very first home in 1907 at the early age of 20.

Travel across Europe took Le Corbusier to the spheres of various apprenticeships – culminating in time at Peter Behrens’ architectural firm. It is here that Le Corbusier may have brushed shoulders with Gropius and Mies van der Rohe.

Le Corbusier’s work shows influence from the world of geometrical forms and spatial elements, as well as an emphasis on concrete construction and landscaping.

Found within his famous work Vers une architecture (Toward an Architecture), Le Corbusier defined five specific elements of a modernist structure:

• Elevated structure supported by columns made of concrete

• The presence of an open floor plan

• Various non-support walls (free facade) to allow open choices for wall placements

• Ribbon windows that allow natural light to fill rooms

• Roofed terraces and gardens for practical use

Not only did Le Corbusier leave an impact on the world of architecture, but he also brought his inspiration into the furniture industry. He created a line of furniture under the name “LC Collection” that utilized elements such as leather, fabric shapes, and chrome tubing to create modernist furniture that mirrored the human form.

The impact of these three pioneers of modernist architecture can still be seen and enjoyed around the world today. Any tour of famous architecture is sure to come upon a modernist design that bears the trademark look and feel of a Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, or Le Corbusier.  A large amount of high end furniture mimics the designs of Le Corbu and Bauhaus as well.  With a bit of knowledge about each man under your belt, you can begin to appreciate their gifts to the architectural world and implement them in new ways.

As humanity was collectively spending more time inside, interior design and architecture grew in artistic relevance. Sophisticated materials, design elements, and perceptions of space and light became worthwhile as men and women relied less on physical work outside in the fields. Hence it is an art that first emerged in more advanced societies. Furthermore, creative explosions in interior architecture would often coincide with golden ages. In this blog, we will present an overview of interior architecture’s evolution overtime.

The first sophisticated interior designs emerged around the Mediterranean, where Greeks and later Romans invested in interior spaces to display their culture, traditions, and way of life. Romans have left mosaics and frescoes depicting mythological scenes, historic, and family events. The architecture of a Roman citizen’s home is a reflection of the social status he and his family have, but also his rank in the political and tribal hierarchies. In some ways this is still true in today’s society, because trends in design often correlate with how much wealth an individual has.

The collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century was a set-back for all arts, including interior design and architecture. We didn’t see very much art until the 8th and 9th century, when Gothic style emerged as a mix between Germanic and Roman influences. The Medieval approach to interior design was heavily oriented towards religion. Indeed, the inside of official buildings representing an institution or a powerful lord’s authority were laid out to remind beholders of God.

Buildings sanctioned by divine authority were designed to provoke spiritual awakening or provide a comfortable environment for meditation or prayer. Patrons sponsored the best masters and craftsmen, who carved out, painted and erected the most elaborate pieces of design in human history. A rich individual would find it advantageous to associate his name and fortune with artworks that magnify human abilities for the glory of God. The ecosystem created between institutions, patrons and artists allowed countries like Italy, France and Spain (under Muslim rule) to become cradles of innovative and breathtaking architectural achievements. Materials used varied, however the proper Western European style was characterized by dark shades with materials like dark wood or stone. Marble is often used, especially for Gothic structures (Cathedral of Koln, Duomo di Milano). The spectrum of used colors varies; the north is characterized by black and white contrasts while the south integrates many secondary colors.

When The Renaissance kicked in the near the end of the 14th century, the ecosystem previously described saw an additional source of patrons: rich merchants, soldiers and politicians that derived their power and authority from the world itself rather than divine figures. While the religious angle was preserved and experienced evolution and shifts, renaissance art was characterized by a return to nature. Baroque for example reintegrates natural elements by randomizing structures and design languages.

Baroque comes from the Portuguese word “barocco” which means “irregularly-shaped pearl”. Baroque interiors often play on contrast, overwhelming the beholder with light or darkness, brightness or blurriness. Artists were experimenting with shapes, materials and volumes, coming up with new models of interior layout. The baroque style found its full expression in Mediterranean countries and in the New World; Spanish colonial baroque characterizes the historic settlements in the Americas.

The baroque style has contaminated the neo-classical overtime, especially in Britain. Robert Adam has operated this mix in the mid-18th century. While he was working with neo-classical frameworks and overall design language, his innovative integration of baroque design elements (still life images, ribbons, medallions etc.)

The profound shift the industrial revolution brought on the European real estate market shifted interior design priorities. Habitability was increasingly becoming a focus, especially with the second industrial revolution that brought to consumers new inventions (massive electrification). 19th century interior design and architecture is mainly oriented towards neo-classicism (one of the best examples being France and the neo-classical redesign of Paris in the late 19th century). Rich owners often romantically reactivate aristocratic designs, as a clear signal of identification. The materials used are also a display of wealth, as colonial expansion provides consumers with more exotic materials.

The neo-classical approach, while apparent in France and the United Kingdom, does not characterize other countries like Italy. In the industrial north, the emergence of the liberty style is a clear return to the Renaissance spirit. While remaining classical in its structure (notably for its use of horizontal symmetry), the liberty style incorporates baroque elements and the Greco-Roman fascination for floral motives and mythological depictions.

Art deco would later build on this liberty style foundation. In the beginning of 20th century, Italy is experimenting a cultural shift as it is molded for the first time by a centralized national state. Internal migrations contribute to combine regional arts and techniques. Art deco is a natural result of such a phenomenon. Rome features an entire district designed and built by the art deco architect Gino Coppedè. It is the most exhaustive use of art deco design elements in a real urban setting. It is characterized by the use of arabesques (inherited from the Neapolitan neo-bourbon style), curves and shapes that insisted on transmitting an impression of movement and fluidity. It was the artistic representation of humanity’s spirit at the time: fast-paced transformations that shaped the destinies of millions like never before, alongside unprecedented technological progress.

The rise of fascism in the 1920s introduced futurism in Italian and European interior architecture. Futurism was heavily characterized by rigidity. This is apparent when when observing the dynamics of Fascist architecture. Squares and rectangles are at the center of any fascist compositions (cf. The Italian Civilization’s Museum in Rome, the Court of Justice of Milan, etc.)

Both styles did not survive the second world war. Art deco was considered vulgar while futurism was perceived as grim. The discovery of new styles thanks to the increasing European integration and the spread of the American way of life helped shape a new conception of style in Europe. Scandinavian design (with Danish and Swedish design firms gaining worldwide recognition) set the pace for an approach focused on providing an experience, a mood, rather than a simple functionality. With the influence of pop art and the 1970s, designers started to experiment with colors, materials, shapes, volumes, textures and overall structures like never before. Plastic and the advent of consumerism provided opportunities at every level to create art and innovate.

Today the myriad of interior design and architecture schools is so diverse, that willing to identify the main trends would be challenging. However, we can notice that the use of design elements in a certain way contributes to create at least bridges between somewhat similar approaches. Indeed, modern architecture has greatly valorized natural light, functionality, space optimization and connectivity. These are defining features of recently built mega-structures (Sydney opera house, Burj El-Arab, Petronas Towers etc.) and contemporary interior design. The use of glass, aluminum, steel and increasingly carbon fiber has favored this trend, especially with the rising interest for urban solar exposition.

In conclusion, design languages have varied according to the availability of materials, technological capabilities, cultural preferences and geographic necessities. While all these criteria determine how a community will organize its way of living, the social and cultural backgrounds of the elites (who were the ones building the most durable structures) were displayed through interior design and architecture. Not only to give a concrete basis to their abstract ideas (God, nature or ancestry), but also to set the pace of the entire society, as the elites’ artistic, philosophic and ethical frameworks are effectively the entire society’s references.