Sunday, February 18, 2007

Eclecticism

Towards the end of the nineteenth century the idea of looking to the past for inspiration became known as eclecticism. During this time people were ready for an alternative to modernism. Imitating any historical period style became the new viewpoint of design. This was the first time that people were looking to completely recreate past styles. Other eras often used historical precedents to create a style, however they always had an original twist. This new idea actually led to the need for a new profession known as interior design. A designer with the knowledge to recreate any period style as convincingly as possible was now needed. An inteior designer had to be skilled enough to revive any style needed to match the outside of buildings such as; French Renaissance, Gothic, Georgian Colonial, and anything else that was thought of as "traditional style."Architects were also being taught design through historial precedents. Style was now chosen by whatever seemed most appropriate for a particular project. It's evident that without the rise of eclectism the interior design profession would not have been demanded by the late nineteenth century. Where do you feel the interior design profession would be without the rise of eclecticism?

This blog is intended for the interior design students in the college of design at the University of Kentucky. It was created with the intent to present students with information, providing them with a channel for contemplation and discussion.