History of Interior Design II 09 Eclecticism
Tutor : Amal Shah Spring 2021 Faculty of Design, CEPT University
Eclecticism: Drawing from multiple ideas Eclecticism is an architectural style that flourished in the 19th and 20th-centuries. It refers to any design that incorporates elements of traditional motifs and styles, decorative aesthetics and ornaments, structural features, and so on, that originated from other cultures or architectural periods. As a movement, eclecticism first emerged in Europe, particularly coming out of France’s Beaux Arts style and Britain’s Victorian architecture, when architects were encouraged to explore their expressive and creative freedom, rather than simply following the requests of their clients. During the 1930s, Modernism and Art Deco became more prevalent as a result of the wide availability of new technology and materials and access to new design schools. Consequently, eclecticism declined in favour. Modernism was seen as entirely new and innovative, and moved away from historical imitation, however, eclecticism would later be revived in a newer form with the advent of postmodernism.
The church of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona designed by Antoni Gaudi is a notable example of eclecticism. Elements of the Gothic style were merged with Oriental motifs and forms found in the natural world, resulting in a structure that was distinctive and original
Eclecticism- Georgian Style Georgian architecture is a popular style named for the reigns of the first four King Georges of England. These graciously proportioned classical buildings are marked by an understated elegance. Their pleasing symmetry, in part achieved by applying the golden ratio, is the key feature.
Characteristics of Georgian Architecture: ● ●
● Georgian-style homes were built to provide a more generous sense of space and natural light that had been missing from earlier architectural styles.
● ● ●
●
The buildings are highly variable, but marked by symmetry and proportion based on the classical architecture of Greece and Rome, along with their characteristic architectural features.
Gracious classical proportions and symmetry Originally constructed from brick or stone, with stucco rendering later in the period. Simple façades for early examples with more decoration in later periods. Symmetrical chimneys Often two rooms deep and two stories high. For detached Georgian homes and buildings, grand entrances with decorative features such as arches, columns, pediments, and fanlight windows over a central front door to let light into the front hallway. Interiors featuring boxy room volumes, high ceilings, crown moldings, ceiling roses, cornices
Eclecticism- Georgian Style Georgian style, the various styles in the architecture, interior design, and decorative arts of Britain during the reigns of the first four members of the house of Hanover, between the accession of George I in 1714 and the death of George IV in 1830. There was such diversification and oscillation in artistic style during this period that it is perhaps more accurate to speak of “Georgian styles.”
Brunswick House
Entrance hall of Syon House (1762–69), in the London borough of Hounslow, designed by Robert Adam in the Neoclassical Georgian style
Golden ratio proportions, symmetry were primarily used in designing goergian style facades.
Eclecticism- Regency Style Reflecting classical Greek architecture, many regent architecture was symmetrical, built of brick and covered in stucco or painted plaster to resemble marble. Features like friezes, decorative horizontal architectural bands near a ceiling or roof line, and fluted Greek columns, were popular architectural elements. Some Regency structures also had elements like balconies and bay windows, that projected beyond the surface of a first floor wall. Regency style is also applied to interior design and decorative arts of the period, typified by elegant furniture and vertically striped wallpaper, and to styles of clothing. There was also a resurgence of chinese theme and new interest of Egyptian Motifs.
Typical regency individual house where the central staircase divides the house symmetrically.
Typical regency town row house plan.
Eclecticism- Victorian Style Victorian-era architecture is marked by its unapologetic devotion to ornament and flourish and its ornate maximalist interior design. Victorian house plans are ornate with towers, turrets, verandas and multiple rooms for different functions often in expressively worked wood or stone or a combination of both. Key features: ● Steeply pitched roofs ● Plain or colorfully painted brick ● Ornate gables ● Churchlike rooftop finials ● Sliding sash and canted bay windows ● Octagonal or round towers and turrets to draw the eye upward ● Generous wraparound porches ● Asymmetry ● Grand Staircases ● High ceilings ● Ornate carved wooden panelling ● Interconnected layouts with multiple rooms including formal dining rooms, libraries, and parlors
Typical organization of spaces in a victorian house
Eclecticism- Colonial Style Colonial architecture is an architectural style from a mother country that has been incorporated into the buildings of settlements or colonies in distant locations. Colonists frequently built settlements that synthesized the architecture of their countries of origin with the design characteristics of their new lands, creating hybrid designs. Key features: ● Colonial architecture characteristics include: ● Symmetrical front and rectangular shape ● Two stories ● A lean-to addition with a saltbox roof (basically where the roof in the back of the house extends almost all the way down to the ground- the shape of saltboxes in the time) ● Side gabled, steep roof with narrow eaves ● Little exterior ornamentation ● Casement windows ● Massive central chimney ● Made of wood and covered with clapboard or shingles
Eclecticism- Federal Style The Federal, or Adam, style dominated the American architectural landscape from roughly 1780 to 1840, having evolved from Georgian, the principal design language of the colonial period. Typically, a Federal-style house is a simple square or rectangular box, two or three stories high and two rooms deep. Some structures have been made larger, modified with projecting wings or attached dependencies, or even both. In some instances, one finds an elaborate curved or polygonal floor plan. Key Features: ● Front facade. The entrance of a Federal-style house screams wealth. The door is simple, but the ornamentation around it is grand. ● Columns. Tall, slender columns or pilasters frame the entrance. ● Windows. An elliptical fanlight, or fan-shaped window, tops the door, with long, rectangular windows on either side. For a final touch, a Palladian window is placed directly over the door for a symmetrical look. All other windows are symmetrically aligned as well. ● Steps. Curved steps with iron railings often lead to the entry. ● Brick. The homes are often made of brick.
The rotunda, University of Virginia, Charlottesville,
Typical house plan of federal house
Eclecticism- Gothic Revival Style Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. Its momentum grew in the early 19th century, when increasingly serious and learned admirers of neo-Gothic styles sought to revive medieval Gothic architecture, in contrast to the neoclassical styles prevalent at the time. The most commonly identifiable feature of the Gothic Revival style is the pointed arch, used for windows, doors, and decorative elements like porches, dormers, or roof gables.
St. Thomas Cathedral Basilica, Chennai
Other characteristic details include steeply pitched roofs and front facing gables with delicate wooden trim called vergeboards or bargeboards. This distinctive incised wooden trim is often referred to as "gingerbread" and is the feature most associated with this style. Gothic Revival style buildings often have porches with decorative turned posts or slender columns, with flattened arches or side brackets connecting the posts
Gothic Revival homes feature asymmetrical and unpredictable floor plans. Easily identified by the pointed arch shape which is repeated in windows, doorways, and other decorative features,
All Saints' Cathedral, Prayagraj
Eclecticism- Neoclassicism Neoclassical architecture, revival of Classical architecture during the 18th and early 19th centuries. The movement concerned itself with the logic of entire Classical volumes, unlike Classical revivalism. Neoclassical architecture is characterized by grandeur of scale, simplicity of geometric forms, Greek—especially Doric or Roman detail, dramatic use of columns, and a preference for blank walls. The new taste for antique simplicity represented a general reaction to the excesses of the Rococo style. Key features: ● Massive scale ● Symmetrical floor plans ● Simplicity of form ● Built to achieve classical perfection (from Greeks and Romans) ● Uncluttered appearance (minimum decorations) ● Roofs are flat and often domed ● Supported with tall columns (Doric or Ionic) ● Gardens around buildings follow geometric patterns ● Built in 1800s
Typical house plan of a villa neoclassicism style
Palatial scale
Eclecticism- Art and crafts movement The Arts and Crafts movement originated in England in the mid-19th century as an antidote to the dehumanizing effects of the industrial revolution. It looked back to a time before craftspeople were replaced by machines. British Arts and Crafts also featured references to medieval and Gothic styles, which were seen as England’s design heritage. Key features: ● Structural “authenticity”: exposed beams, strong posts, rafters that extend past the roof line ● Simplicity: open floor plans with built-ins, smooth surfaces, lack of intricate carving ● Native materials: wood (especially oak), locally sourced stone, stucco, brick ● Natural influences: earth tones, attention to wood grain, decorative items made of shell or bone ● The hand of the artist: hand hammered metals, handmade tile, embracing of imperfections ● Emphasis on home life: dim, homey, glowing interiors, prominent fireplaces, art glass to soften light
The red house by William Morris
Eclecticism- Idea of Romanticism - in Literature
Romanticism in literature covers books, stories and poetry. The primary concepts explored during the Romantic Period included nature, myth, emotion, symbols, and ideas about the self and individualism. Romanticism came in as a topic of disagreement or confusion of the principles. The Romantics writers were more concerned about the individual than society in their writing.
Eclecticism- Idea of Romanticism - in Art
The art of Romanticism focused on emotions, spirituality and imagination. It typically included landscapes covering nature, rebellion and childhood. Another common theme included peaceful beauty. Examples of art in Romanticism include:
Eclecticism- Idea of Romanticism - in Music Like with literature and art, musical romanticism sought to explore emotional expression. However, it also experimented with musical forms to enhance the originality of the pieces. Some of the great musicians of the time period include Beethoven, Chopin and Schubert.
Form, Space, and Organisation: Analytical Point of view
Horizontal Elements Defining Space Base Plane
A perceptible change in color, tone, or texture between its surface and that of the surrounding area makes the horizontal plane to be seen as a figure
The surface articulation of the ground or floor plane is often used in architecture to define a zone of space within a larger context
Parterre de Broderie, Palace of Versailles, France, 17th century,
Even if there is a continuous flow of space across it, the field nevertheless generates a spatial zone or realm within its boundaries.
The lowering of a space below its surroundings might allude to its introverted nature or to its sheltering and protective qualities.
Horizontal Elements Defining Space Overhead Plane An overhead plane defines a field of space between itself and the ground plane
Elevated Base Plane Elevating a portion of the base plane creates a specific domain within a larger spatial context
St Peter's Basilica (old), Vatican City
The ceiling plane of an interior space can reflect the form of the structural system supporting the overhead floor or roof plane.
Villa Medici, Florence
Vertical Elements Defining Space Vertical forms have a greater presence in our visual field than horizontal planes and are therefore more instrumental in defining a discrete volume of space and providing a sense of enclosure and privacy for those within it. In addition, they serve to separate one space from another and establish a common boundary between the interior and exterior environments. Vertical elements of form also play important roles in the construction of architectural forms and spaces. They serve as structural supports for floor and roof planes. They provide shelter and protection from the climatic elements and aid in controlling the flow of air, heat, and sound into and through the interior spaces of a building
Vertical Elements Defining Space: Columns and Piers Vertical Elements defining space Vertical forms have a greater presence in our visual field than horizontal planes and are therefore more instrumental in defining a discrete volume of space and providing a sense of enclosure and privacy for those within it. In addition, they serve to separate one space from another and establish a common boundary between the interior and exterior environments.
Vertical Elements Defining Space: Columns and Piers Vertical Elements defining space A vertical linear element, such as a column, obelisk, or tower, establishes a point on the ground plane and makes it visible in space. Standing upright and alone, a slender linear element is nondirectional except for the path that would lead us to its position in space. Any number of horizontal axes can be made to pass through it. The edges of the volume of space can be visually reinforced by articulating its base plane and establishing its upper limits with beams spanning between the columns or with an overhead plane. A repetitive series of column elements along its perimeter would further strengthen the definition of the volume.
Vertical Elements Defining Space: Single Vertical Plane A single vertical plane, standing alone in space, has visual qualities uniquely different from those of a freestanding column. A round column has no preferred direction except for its vertical axis. A square column has two equivalent sets of faces and therefore two identical axes. A rectangular column also has two axes, but they differ in their effect. As the rectangular column becomes more like a wall, it can appear to be merely a fragment of an infinitely larger or longer plane, slicing through and dividing a volume of space.
A single vertical plane can define the principal facade of a building fronting a public space, establish a gateway through which one passes, as well as articulate spatial zones within a larger volume.
Opening Elements Defining Space: Doors, Portals, and Windows
Openings No spatial or visual continuity is possible with adjacent spaces without openings in the enclosing planes of a spatial field. Doors offer entry into a room and influence the patterns of movement and use within it. Windows allow light to penetrate the space and illuminate the surfaces of a room, offer views from the room to the exterior, establish visual relationships between the room and adjacent spaces, and provide for the natural ventilation of the space.
Opening Elements Defining Space: Doors, Portals, and Windows Interior space, every opening, whether door or window, means the violation of the wall. These violations, however, give the room its direction and its appropriate meaning. Doors play a decisive role in this context because they prepare the visitor for the spatial event to come. The significance of the door should therefore be considered from different standpoints. A crucial precondition for our reflection is to recognize the door as being an important symbol. This banal statement makes sense if one examines the many versions of door formats available at present. We are used to a door having the form of an upright rectangle. Here the most popular sizes lie in the proportions 1 : 2 to 1 : 3. A low door for instance, which gives access to the parlour of an old farmhouse, clearly communicates that the private area is to be penetrated into. Doors of the same kind can be emphasised individually by way of additional openings on the sides or above. This kind of articulation also facilitates orientation. It is not always the scale of the human body which determines the size of a door. Especially in monumental buildings, the dimensions of the openings derive from the proportions of the receptive space. Quite often for everyday purposes, a door within a door was conceived, which could be used easily by people just wanting to go through.
Opening Elements Defining Space: Doors, Portals, and Windows With respect to the relationship between window and interior space . first of all the window's function as the source of light is of great importance . To be more specific, We should talk about the effect penetrating light has on the interior space. To the same extent that a room is created by its wall surfaces. It is enlivened by light. One may think of a sunbeam striking upon a white wall or producing reflections somewhere in the room. The play of light and shade creating bright and dark zones in a room. It motivates our awareness of the space - whereby not only the source of the light. the window remains in our consciousness but also the illuminated surfaces of the room: the texture of the walls a sparkling floor furniture or other objects which are given prominence by the light. The excessive amount of light is exhausting for the eyes and oddly enough after having torn up the wall one has to counteract the implications of excessive light by way of special sun protection equipment. If the room itself is completely open only on one side, its geometry is destroyed and the tension between inside and outside is diluted. But if for functional or design reasons one wall of a room has to be left open, it i s much better to apply an architecturally effective method such as a row of piers or well-ordered bars which would not destroy but enrich the interior space.
Opening Elements Defining Space: Doors, Portals, and Windows Openings at corners A corner opening visually erodes the edges of the plane in which it is located and articulates the edge of the plane adjacent and perpendicular to it. The larger the opening, the weaker will be the definition of the corner. If the opening were to turn the corner, the angle of the space would be implied rather than real and the spatial field would extend beyond its enclosing planes.
Degree of Enclosure The degree of enclosure of a space, as determined by the configuration of its defining elements and the pattern of its openings, has a significant impact on our perception of its form and orientation. From within a space, we see only the surface of a wall. It is this thin layer of material that forms the vertical boundary of the space. The actual thickness of a wall plane can be revealed only along the edges of door and window openings.
Organization of Form and Space Space within a Space
Organization of Form and Space Architecture is normally composed of a number of spaces which are related to one another by function, proximity, or a path of movement. The basic ways the spaces of a building can be related to one another and can be organized into coherent patterns of form and space.
Interlocking Spaces Organization of Form and Space
An interlocking spatial relationship results from the overlapping of two spatial fields and the emergence of a zone of shared space. When two spaces interlock their volumes in this manner, each retains its identity and definition as a space. But the resulting configuration of the two interlocking spaces is subject to a number of interpretations. The interlocking portion of the two volumes can be shared equally by each space. The interlocking portion can merge with one of the spaces and become an integral part of its volume. The interlocking portion can develop its own integrity as a space that serves to link the two original spaces.
Plan for St. Peter, Rome (Second Edition) 1506 -1520
Pilgrimage Church, Germany, 1744
Adjacent Spaces Organization of Form and Space
Adjacency is the most common type of spatial relationship. It allows each space to be clearly defined and to respond, each in its own way, to specific functional or symbolic requirements. The degree of visual and spatial continuity that occurs between two adjacent spaces depends on the nature of the plane that both separates and binds them together.
Villa Rotunda
The separating plane/ space may limit access between adjacent spaces, reinforce the individuality of each space, and accommodate their differences.
St Peter's Basilica (Old)
The adjacent spaces can be defined with a row of columns that allows a high degree of visual and spatial continuity between the two spaces.
Raised Choir at Speyers Cathedral causing segregation of spaces
It can be implied with a change in level or contrast in surface material or texture between the two spaces. It can be read as single volumes of space which are divided into two related zones.
Spaces Linked by a Common Space Organization of Form and Space
Two spaces that are separated by distance can be linked or related to each other by a third, intermediate, space. The visual and spatial relationship between the two spaces depends on the nature of the third space with which they share a common bond. The intermediate space can differ in form and orientation from the two spaces to express its linking function.
Queens House, Greenwich
The separating plane/ space may limit access between adjacent spaces, reinforce the individuality of each space, and accommodate their differences.
Vierzehnheiligen
The intermediate space can, if large enough, become the dominant space in the relationship, and be capable of organizing a number of spaces about itself.
Spatial Organisations Organization of Form and Space Symbolically important space at the end three linear sequences
Linear Organizations
The manner in which spaces are arranged can clarify their relative importance and functional or symbolic role in the organization of a building. The decision as to what type of organization to use in a specific situation will depend on demands of the program such as functional proximities, dimensional requirements, hierarchical classification of spaces, and requirements for access, light, or view
A linear organization consists essentially of a series of spaces. These spaces can either be directly related to one another or be linked through a separate and distinct linear space. A linear organization usually consists of repetitive spaces which are alike in size, form, and function. It may also consist of a single linear space that organizes along its length a series of spaces that differ in size, form, or function.
Speyer Cathedral
Linear Sequences of Spaces : Lord Derby’s House, London, 1777 Robert Adam
Centralized Organisations Organization of Form and Space A centralized organization is a stable, concentrated composition that consists of a number of secondary spaces grouped around a large, dominant, central space.
The central, unifying space of the organization is generally regular in form and large enough in size to gather a number of secondary spaces about its perimeter.
Since the form of a centralized organization is inherently nondirectional, conditions of approach and entry must be specified by the site and the articulation of one of the secondary spaces as an entrance or gateway.
Ideal Church by Leonardo da Vinci The secondary spaces of the organization may be equivalent to one another in function, form, and size, and create an overall configuration that is geometrically regular and symmetrical about two or more axes.
The secondary spaces may differ from one another in form or size in order to respond to individual requirements of function. This differentiation among the secondary spaces also allows the form of a centralized organization to respond to the environmental conditions of its site.
Plan for St. Peter’s (First Version), Rome, c. 1503, Donato Bramante
Villa Farnese, Caprarola, 1547–1549
Radial Organisations Organization of Form and Space
Maison de Force (Prison), Belgium, 1772–1775
A radial organization of space combines elements of both centralized and linear organizations. It consists of a dominant central space from which a number of linear organizations extend in a radial manner. Vertical element (obelisk) in space as centre
Whereas a centralized organization is an introverted scheme that focuses inward on its central space, a radial organization is an extroverted plan that reaches out to its context. With its linear arms, it can extend and attach itself to specific elements or features of its site.
Fountains placed at centre of radial point
Villa Rotunda by Palladio
St. Peter’s Square Merge of linear and radial organisations in space
Clustered Organisations Organization of Form and Space A clustered organization relies on physical proximity to relate its spaces to one another. It often consists of repetitive, cellular spaces that have similar functions and share a common visual trait such as shape or orientation
St. Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Rome, 1633–1641
Fatehpur Sikri, Palace Complex of Akbar the Great Mogul Emperor of India, 1569–1574
Grid Organisations Organization of Form and Space A grid organization consists of forms and spaces whose positions in space and relationships with one another are regulated by a three-dimensional grid pattern or field. Skeletal structural system
The organizing power of a grid results from the regularity and continuity of its pattern that pervades the elements it organizes. Its pattern establishes a stable set or field of reference points and lines in space with which the spaces of a grid organization, although dissimilar in size, form, or function, can share a common relationship.
A three-dimensional grid - ability to organise spaces
A dimensional transformation would create a hierarchical set of modules
Crystal Palace, London, England, Great Exhibition of 1851 Transformations for visual and spatial continuity