1. Contemporary Interior Design
International Style – after 1940
Growth of internationalism
After World war II, air travel made movement anywhere on the globe a matter of hours
Speed of communication have increased awareness of design
Louis Kahn - First Unitarian Church, New York -1969
Louis Kahn
Cesar Pelli
Louis Kahn developed a concept of separation between serving spaces and served spaces
Expression of materials
Light reveals form and nature of materials
Light enters from mysterious sources
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

2. Contemporary Interior Design
International Style – after 1940
Louis Kahn
Cesar Pelli
Cesar Pelli maker of gigantic projects
Interiors also very large
Cesar Pelli - Winter Garden, World Financial Center – New York
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

3. Contemporary Interior Design
Hi Tech Style – after 1940
Design based on advanced technology
More than 50% of the cost of any modern project is generated by the electrical telephone, plumbing and air quality services systems
When basic structure and mechanical transport are added, technology is the dominating portion in interior – Hence Hi Tech design
Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano – Pompidou Center, Paris
Buckminster Fuller – U.S. Expo 67 Pavilion, Montreal
Norman Foster – Office complex, England, La Carree d’ Art Gallery, France
James Sterling – History Faculty, Cambridge University, England
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

4. Contemporary Interior Design
Hi Tech Style – after 1940
Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano Pompidou Centre, Paris – 1977 –
Movable wall and ceiling panels structural and mechanical system elements are exposed
Buckminster Fuller - US Expo 67 Pavilion, Montreal –
geodesic domes
Exhibits on platforms reached by pavilions
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

5. Contemporary Interior Design
Norman Foster- La Carree d’Art Gallerie, France
Glass fronted modern structure is a perfect contrast with the Roman temple
Norman Foster- Dumas office, England – 1975
Escalators connect the floors
Visible structural framing
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

6. Contemporary Interior Design
Post Modernism
Any work that post dates modernism buildings
Continuing of modernism
Simplicity leads to boredom and dullness
Complexity in design – great design
Less is bore – Robert Venturi
Ornament and references to historic precedents
Robert Venturi
Michael Graves
Philip Johnson
Robert Venturi’s design of his own house –
Surprising asymmetries in symmetry
Rooms cut off at diagonals
Angled stairway suddenly narrowed
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

7. Contemporary Interior Design
Robert Venturi – Chippendale chair – 1984
Back – cut out in a pattern
But a modern molded plywood furniture
Decorative design of traditional wall papers
Mix of modern and traditional
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

8. Contemporary Interior Design
Michael Graves – devotion to colour, strong colour, decorative details, illogical or eccentric forms
Back – cut out in a pattern
But a modern molded plywood furniture
Decorative design of traditional wall papers
Mix of modern and traditional
Built a house where the stairs are too narrow to climb
Steps too high – used only by the giants
Michael Graves – Sunar furniture showroom, Texas – 1980
Paired columns supporting blocky capitals that support indirect lighting units
Strong secondary colour used
Display of furniture
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

9. Contemporary Interior Design
Michael Graves – Public Service Building, Oregon – 1983
Post Modernism
Quite conservative interior
The colours, the capital like lighting units
Upper wall
Ceiling lighting units suggests post modernism
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

10. Contemporary Interior Design
Philip Johnson– A.T&T Building, New York – 1983
Post Modernism
Arched and Vaulted space
Romanesque columns
Patterned marble floor
Philip Johnson– Lobby, Lipstick Building, New York – 1983
Whimsical and decorative
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

11. Contemporary Interior Design
Late Modernism – after 1970
Concepts of early modernism
Not imitating the modern pioneers
Moving ahead with modernism
I.M. Pei
Richard Meier
I.M.Pei designs
Simple blocks but asymmetrical design
Balconies as an important element in design
I.M.Pei – National Gallery of Art, Washington DC – 1978
Atrium space with exhibition galleries at different levels
Plan based on triangular forms
Balconies over looking the atrium
Neutral colour enlivened by the bright red mobile
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

12. Contemporary Interior Design
I.M. Pei – Pyramid, Louvre Museum, Paris
Great winding stair that leads to the lower level entrance concourse
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

13. Contemporary Interior Design
De-constructivism – 1980s and 1990s
Frank O Gehry
Peter Eisenmann
Broken up loosely assembled parts were torn apart and reassemble in chaotic form
Intersecting cubes create a complex geometry emphasized by the all white paint
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian

14. Contemporary Interior Design
History of Interior Design Sofia Sebastian