The Arts and Crafts Movement

    In the early 20^th-century, the Arts and Crafts movement began as a reaction after the Victorian Period. The Victorian Era was an interesting time in the design world. After the Industrial revolution, factories gained the ability to easily and cheaply create furniture, art, fabric, and accessories that became a lot more accessible to the common person.  All individuals and families were now able to get all the objects they desired so they crammed their homes with furniture and decorative items everywhere. 

This led to cluttered rooms and interior spaces, which characterized the look of Victorian design. Some may think that the designs were awful. In the History of furniture by Mark Hinchman, they say, “Victorian” connoted the depths of bad taste, allegedly playing into the desire of unsophisticated people for efflorescent decoration, and a frenzy of decorative excess. Some of the words to describe Victorian Design are unintelligible, garish, deplorable, monstrous, ambiguous, and vulgar.” It was a period of excess. They were known for collecting many items and accessories from all different design periods, not having a cohesive style. A bare room was considered to show a lack of taste, but I feel that minimalistic interiors can go along way with the types of materials and colors that are used within that space.

   
These are a couple examples of what the interiors look liked in Victorian Design. As you see, these rooms have a lot going on within the space. You can definitely notice the "busy" look/style in these designs. The colors also influenced the design, such as having dark jewel tones like burgundy, emerald green and deep brown. The furniture is also always very decorated and detailed. One of the most popular materials used was wood. Personally, I appreciate the detail that is put into Victorian design, but I do think that it can be excessive. The spaces feel a bit overwhelming and there is so much going on that you don't know where to look.  

    After this era, came the Arts and Crafts movement.  It began in Britain with William Morris who was a designer that was against the Victorian and industrial era. He was a central figure in the Arts and Crafts movement. He created simple honest designs using real and authentic materials. He focused on the skill of hand-crafted product and designed furniture and accessories for furniture for interiors. This traveled very quickly from Britain to all over the world. This is a style that has remained throughout history that we still see today. We have a desire to go back to real authentic materials and a clean open look.

  

 These two images are examples of  Art and Craft Design. They have similar characteristics to Victorian Design such as the decorative moldings, wood materials, and built in bookcases. The space includes carved details and the decorative unique furniture but it does not feel overwhelming. This design is a lot more simplified and traditional.

I really enjoy modern Victorian Designs. They incorporate similar, if not the same colors used in the old Victorian. I think that the use of the decorative furniture and accessories is more appropriately used in the space. They are used as accent pieces that stand out in the design. Whereas the old Victorian, all of the furniture and accessories seemed to be accent pieces which is why it was difficult to focus on one area of the space. Overall, the history of interiors have definitely influenced our designs in today's world. We can learn from the past and learn how to improve/modify it without losing its original design/concept. 

Resources: 

https://stylebyemilyhenderson.com/blog/introducing-modern-victorian-home

https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/lists/victorian-interior-design---buildings-and-houses

https://www.period-homes.com/features/arts-and-crafts-interiors