Rise of the Decorator

Rise of the Decorator

It is safe to say that many people, not of the architecture and design world, assume that interior designers are a profession that formed as a branch of architecture. In reality, that is not how it happened and unfortunately, no one makes the necessary contradictions to this assumption. That’s what this section of our chapter from this week clears the air on. The book, History of Furniture by Mark Hinchmann, puts it best when it explains that, “[i]nterior decorating, being a profession, proceeds from different directions from that predicted by the work of architects also involved in producing traditionally styled houses.”

Elsie de Wolfe

Elsie de Wolfe is viewed as the pioneer professional interior decorating for many reasons, one of which includes the work she did on a project with Stanford White on the interior of the Colony Club in New York. Wolfe relied heavily on her social connections, especially when she moved to France and met Van Dan Truex. She was strongly committed to 18^th century French furnishings and always used them with intent. The book describes her approach to design as “respectful but not fearful of the periods she used.” For example, when working on a project she did not hesitate to recommend painting over wood paneling. Wolfe turned interior design into a separate entity from architectural professionals and White played a big help in this notion for the way he viewed her as a valued consultant instead of a threat to his profession.

Dorothy Draper

Dorothy Draper is associated with the second generation of interior designers and also

relied on her social connections to develop her business. The majority of Draper’s clients wanted traditional pieces of furniture without using them in their traditional ways. This led to her displaying exactly how to incorporate decorative pieces and patterned textiles. She is often described as bold, mainly for her famously disfiguring original finishes of furnishings and working them together to create a new look. Draper used a lot of black and white throughout her projects, on floors, walls, and upholstered pieces. Her most famous example of this is in her cafeteria for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Along with de Wolfe and Billy Baldwin, Dorothy had not only portrayed qualities of historical styles, but took them and treated them in an off-handed way.

Taking it a step Further…

The feminine style of tiled floors, light draperies, pale walls, and wicker chairs display Elsie de Wolfe’s style to this day. A good example of this is in Amanda Lindroth’s Bahamian Loggia where a strong display of wicker furniture, pale walls, and a sense of femininity fill the space. The breezy haven pairs well with the large windows and white fabric to create a light and airy feeling within the home. French doors add a level of intimate privacy when closed and a feeling of inclusion when opened, displaying the luxuriant greenery and view of the sea. Various antiques occupy the nooks and crannies of each room and add that feeling of warmth and comfort, desired in every home.