The Modern Age
Here lies a confusing mix of sub styles and house types that includes Art Deco, Art Moderne (seen above), International and Mid-Century Modern. It all started in the 1920's with Deco and spilled all the way into the 1950's but the style is still very much in play today in commercial buildings and private homes. Interior renditions of the style are usually summed up with the phrase, "clean simple lines." The father of Deco is generally considered to be a Finnish architect named Eliel Saarinen, whose design for the headquarters of the Chicago Tribune building took second in an international competition. The design didn't get built in Chicago but it opened the world's eyes to a new way to design buildings. Saarrinen's legacy was carried on by his son Eero who designed the iconographic TWA building at JFK Airport in New York, the Dulles Airport Terminal in Northern Virginia and the still very groovy, "tulip chair." Telling the various sub sets apart isn't that difficult if you know what to look for and as always, the age of the building will point you in the right direction. Although Deco was the leader very few private homes were built in the style. Skyscrapers and public buildings are left to show us where the style began, with New York City having an especially high concentration. True Deco was built between 1920-1940, features zig zags and other geometrical motifs with major massing appearing as vertical forms - a look that works great on skyscrapers. On private homes, facades are usually stucco with hard angles. The streamlined, rounded buildings constructed in the same time period are actually Art Moderne. The period in between the wars also spawned the "International" style characterized by blocky, rectangular forms and simple casement windows often laid in "ribbons." International influence is usually traced to the Bauhaus School in Germany which was run by architectural visionaries including Walter Gropius, and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Although the International style has European roots many were built in the states including the example below located in Washington state. Another off-shoot is often referred to as
"Industrial."
Think about all those loft spaces in the big city with cargo elevators, huge windows, steel doors and no interior walls and you'll start to get the picture.
Some types of modern houses built in the 1950's and 60's resemble "squared off" wood construction ranchers built on slabs. They usually feature radiant heating systems, limited storage, fixed glass panes as opposed to operating windows, and small rooms - as compared to the houses of today. There's a well known enclave of these in Hollin Hills, Virginia, an area outside of Alexandria. Here's a story of how modern can benefit from a makeover. For more ramblings on Art Deco, links to some Deco sites and a pretty cool shot of the Chrysler Building, check out the blog about, ummmm... Art Deco. Love it or hate it, modern architecture and interior design will always be part of our point of view. |
