Influential Interiors : Shaping 20th-Century Style Through Key Interior Designers

The first book that reveals the history and development of 20th-century interior design through the key designers and decorators who have shaped--and continue to shape today's tastes.

The art of interior design as we know it today emerged in the early 1900s. And Influential Interiors chronicles the most significant people, styles, and moments of the past century, showing how these factors have shaped--and continue to shape--current tastes.

International in scope, it celebrates not only the great designers from earlier days, such as Elsie de Wolfe, Jean Michel Frank, John Fowler, and Sister Parish, but also the present-day legends, including Jacques Garcia, Philippe Starck, Albert Hadley, Nina Campbell, Andrée Putman, Peter Marino, Alberto Pinto, and Mario Buatta. In their own words and in the words of their close associates, the text profiles 24 of these key designers, defining their individual decorating styles and discussing their sources of inspiration, whether it be another decorator or a favorite color, shape, or piece of furniture.

Chapters in Influential Interiors include "Classic," which examines how traditional styles have been reworked for the 20th century, as in Nancy Lancaster's updated English Country House look; "Elegant," which features the sophisticated, muted palettes of designers such as Albert Hadley and Yves Gastou; and "Organic," which continues the theme of natural inspiration that began with the Art Noveau and Arts and Crafts movements, showcasing fabrics and furniture in smooth, organic shapes from designers such as Philippe Starck and Charles Eames. Other styles examined in-depth are "Eclectic," "Opulent," and "Contemporary."

Lavishly illustrated and written in an authoritative and absorbing tone, Influential Interiors is both an indispensible design resource and an inspiration for the home.