Elsie de Wolfe, born in 1859, was a prominent American interior designer who popularized the American country aesthetic in the 1960s. Her style contrasted with her father’s heavy, dark, brown furniture and favored ticking stripe, glazed chintz, quilts, hooked rugs, and overstuffed armchairs instead. According to legend, she invented interior design in 1903. Bobby Berk, a design expert and Emmy-nominated TV host, has single-handedly proven this.
Famous American interior designers include Dorothy Draper (1889-1969), Billy Baldwin (1903–1983), and Alexa Hampton. Draper is known for her bold and bold designs, while Baldwin is America’s dean of interior decoration in the 1950s and 1960s. Richard Meier reveals how working on the renovation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum furthered his understanding of the building’s genius.
American Country is an interior design style that celebrates the simplicity, charm, and natural beauty of rural American life. It is characterized by its relaxed, comfortable atmosphere that invites one to feel at home. Historical overviews by Architectural Digest, Interior Design, and Better Homes and Gardens provide insights into the pivotal events that helped shape American interior design.
Traditional interior design marked America’s evolution into the antebellum and Civil War eras, with American country furniture emerging from the availability of materials and skills in the rural colonies and spreading west with the country. De Wolfe, known as “America’s first decorator”, boasted a glamorous lifestyle and published the first interior design book, “The House”.
Bobby Berk, a design expert and Emmy-nominated TV host, has single-handedly proven the influence of these seven influential masters of the 20th century on the profession today.
📹 Why European and American Houses Are So Different | Difference Between Europe and USA
Europeunion #europevsusa #americanhouse #europeanhouse Europe vs USA, Europe vs America, USA vs Europe & America vs …
Who is the most famous interior designers?
This article explores the lives and works of the 10 most famous interior designers who have made an indelible mark on the world of interior design. These visionaries, known for their innovative concepts and impeccable attention to detail, have transformed the way we experience our surroundings. The article is designed for those seeking inspiration for their own home or client projects, and will introduce readers to the individuals who revolutionize the industry today. The goal is to redefine the meaning of exceptional design and provide a glimpse into the lives and works of these visionaries.
What is American style interior design?
American Style Interior Design emphasizes functionality and simplicity, focusing on clean lines, practical layouts, and efficient space use to create comfortable, modern environments. The style celebrates the use of natural materials like wood, stone, brick, and natural textiles like cotton and linen. The color palette is warm and inviting, with earthy tones like rich browns, deep reds, and warm beiges as base colors. Accents in shades of blue, green, and yellow add vibrancy and balance. This style is aimed at creating livable environments that cater to modern lifestyles.
Who are the best interior designers in USA?
The top 10 American interior designers include Jeff Andrews, Michael S., Mary McDonald, Miles Redd, Steven Gambrel, Barbara Barry, Windsor Smith, and Nate Berkus. America’s interior design industry is diverse, with a mix of iconic styles from leading designers like Steven Gambrel, Barbara Barry, Windsor Smith, and Nate Berkus. The home should tell your story, and America’s leading design exports offer a wide range of inspiration.
What are three facts about the American Society of Interior Designers?
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is the largest professional organization for interior designers, representing all facets of residential and commercial design. Established in 1975, it has 48 chapters in the United States and over 450 international members. With over 30, 000 members nationally, ASID establishes a common identity for professionals and businesses in the field. The ASID Colorado Chapter represents over 500 local members.
Of the national society’s 20, 000 practicing interior designers, 6, 500 practice primarily in the commercial field, 4, 000 as residential designers, and 9, 500 in both. ASID’s national Industry Partners include over 3, 500 member firms and individual representatives, uniting professional designers with manufacturers of design-related products and services.
Who is the No 1 interior designer in the world?
Kelly Wearstler, a trailblazer in interior design, is known for her bold and eclectic designs, featuring vibrant colors, unique textures, and luxurious elements. Philippe Starck, a visionary in contemporary design, focuses on functionality and innovation, creating iconic furniture pieces and cutting-edge interiors. Nate Berkus, a familiar face in the design world, is known for his approachable and sophisticated style, with a diverse portfolio of projects from residential makeovers to collaborations with major brands.
Which country is popular for interior design?
Italy is renowned for its rich history and art, setting a high standard for design excellence. Milan, a city known for hosting major events like the Salone del Mobile, has been a hub for designers like Giorgio Armani and Paolo Navone. Italy’s passion for modernity and innovation has made it a leading force in the design industry.
Japan, on the other hand, is known for its minimalist interiors, focusing on harmony and balance. The Japanese design philosophy is centered on simplicity and respect for nature, with concepts like Ma (space) dictating living areas. Designers like Shiro Kuramata have influenced the global minimalist trend, promoting tranquility and mindfulness in their designs.
When was the US National Society of interior designers established?
ASID, founded in 1975, is the oldest and largest professional organization for interior designers, students, and suppliers. Its position statement emphasizes the importance of design as a human-centered profession that positively impacts people, communities, and the environment. ASID supports a focus on three tenets of design excellence: Climate, Health, and Equity. Climate involves reversing climate change impacts by eliminating emissions, designing for adaptability and resilience, and reducing resource consumption.
Health is crucial for a thriving society, and interior design must create spaces that support holistic health by focusing on the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of occupants, responsible material specifications, and protecting threatened ecosystems.
What is the difference between American and European interior design?
Home planning in the US and Europe differs significantly. The US floor plan promotes open living spaces, while Europeans prefer to separate rooms. In the US, the kitchen and dining room are usually connected with an open-plan, while in the old continent, they have separate rooms. Many US houses are designed to connect all rooms into one big living area, allowing for more light and interaction. This is due to the different lifestyles of Americans and Europeans. Americans prefer spending time indoors with their families, allowing them to spend time together and monitor their children from different rooms.
When did interior design become popular in America?
During the 18th and 19th centuries, interior decoration was primarily the responsibility of homemakers, with upholsterers and craftsmen playing a significant role. In wealthy families, architects hired artisans to create interior designs. By the late 19th century, interior design emerged as a separate profession, with women offering their design styles for hire. Elsie De Wolfe is considered the creator of the interior-design profession. Books promoting hiring professionals for home interior design, such as painting and furniture layout, became popular.
The industry gained momentum after World War II, as spending on homes increased. In the 1950s, interior-design courses were established, and textbooks and reference sources were published. The interior-design industry has continued to grow and evolve over time.
Who is the father of interior design?
Elsie de Wolfe, the inaugural interior decorator to receive a design commission, published “The House in Good Taste” in 1913, while Dorothy Draper, the first documented commercial interior decorator, established her design firm in 1923.
What is American country interior design?
The American Country style of interior design is relaxed and comfortable, often referencing American heritage through traditional materials and countrymotifs. MoxiWorks offers an automated platform to help agents secure more listings in a crowded housing market. The platform offers integrated solutions for marketing, lead generation, recruiting, and back-office operations, ensuring agents are in a position to win. By combining these solutions, agents can experience the power and efficiency of end-to-end automation, ensuring they stay in position to win more listings.
📹 Architect Breaks Down Why All American Diners Look Like That | Architectural Digest
Today Michael Wyetzner of Michielli + Wyetzner Architects returns to Architectural Digest to explore the design evolution of …
Comparing modern american houses vs more traditional english type of house is not really best comparison. Even in Europe houses differ much between regions. You also cant compare house in dense oldtown environment compared to single house in rural area. Where i come from house is your lifetime project and not everyone has a chance/finances to make one, but those that do usually make house for life and also for future generations.
If we are talking about a ´´regular´´ house not a regular apartment, as European my first reaction was WOW! until i realice: They have central heat all year round and air conditioning because they are high consumption houses due to the materials used, (AC and Central H are almost mandatory) even the windows are a joke, therefore, natural ventilation does not exist. The houses must be large because they have no were else to go in their neighborhoods. Also, why do you want a house so big if you’re only going to use it to sleep after spending 14 or 16 hours a day working to pay the mortgage? and What it also not mention is that, in most states, even if you sell your house, you must continue paying taxes on it. etc, etc
American houses are large, fragile plywood houses… they are poorly insulated and sold at high prices for inexpensive and unsustainable materials. With single glazing and fragile doors. Recent houses in Europe are solid, bricks, cut stones and concrete, ceramic or slate tiles and built with durable materials. In major part, we cannot build just anything in Europe and new constructions must respect standards and be very well insulated in order to consume as little heating as possible. Ventilation is also essential. Ventilated spaces under the house. Windows and bay windows with double or triple glazing… Many old houses in Europe are also renovated to meet new standards. Some houses are even passed down from generation to generation…
У меня дом из нормальных шлакоблоков, на фундаменте. Постройка дома мне обошлась в 6 миллионов рублей (цена до ковида-19). При этом у меня на участке есть баня, гараж, зона барбекю и огород. А у вас за океаном какое-то дерьмо на палочке, а не частные дома. Ещё и куча запретов – то нельзя, это нельзя на своём собственном участке делать
He should’ve mentioned Edward Hopper’s painting “Night Hawks”, which seems to encapsulate why we love diners. A handful of patrons sitting in a corner diner in some dark neighborhood, the place is an island of warm comfortable light. Anyone who’s ever been out late at night and looked for a place to eat wants to sit in that diner talking to those people.
I’m European and have never been to America, yet I’ve had a strange fascination with diners for the longest time. One of my bucket list items is to visit the Blue Moon diner located in Beaverton, Oregon. It’s a completely unremarkable diner, except for the fact that it served as the inspiration for the diner in the article game Life is Strange, which is important to me.
In Canada, where I live, diners are inextricably linked to migration waves, particularly Greek migration. So, you get souvlaki and Greek salads as part of the diner deal. When in the US, I often visited Pittsburgh, and went to Ritter’s for breakfast. Classic diner, Greek stuff but a wonderful twist: cooks were African American and we got green fried tomatoes and grits. I am a lover of diners❤️❤️
Sadly in Australia we never saw the American Diner idea take off here because we had Pubs. You may find restaurants (shop style) with an Americana theme and that’s about it. In the 1960’s there was an attempt by a company to do a American Diner in Sydney but it’s now a car dealership. I think it was called Henry’s Diner.
I’d go one step farther. The Googie style is an expression of freedom. If you think about what the train was when horse-drawn travel was the norm, or a car when travel on rails was the norm, or a spaceship when earthly travel was the norm, all of these were an expression of freedom and a spirit of adventure. It was a quintessentially American feel that these images/symbols tapped into. Great article! I enjoyed it
Can’t beat a classic Worcester diner. Built as pre-fab restaurants by the Worcester Lunch Car Co., and others. They were built for delivery by rail, but weren’t really a parked diner car. Stainless steel and bright lights were used to highlight cleanliness, not always the norm in early 1900’s. Stainless and lights worked great for Art Deco stylists and the design really took off.
I went to a diner in high school in New Jersey (arguably diner capital of the world), called the Claremont Diner. Designed just as you describe. Same menu with lots of memories. Then it was replaced by, of all things a foreign car dealership. So you can add that to the list of diners reflecting the history of the country.
Thank you for explaining it all in such understandable form ! As a former grill employee of mcdon I’m a big fan of homecooking. Meat is hot, spiced in whatever you like, veggies are in normal amount not symbolic stripes of something green with almost transparent circle of untasty tomato covered in tasteles but melty cheese…
Thank you for an excellent article! Could you please do more on 50s / 60s architecture in terms of different styles seen in public buildings vs homes? Like how different aspects of a style movement would manifest in private vs public buildings? It’s a fascinating era! (I’m sure you wouldn’t mind showing off some Saarinen designs either :D)
I think of Howard Johnson’s restaurants as being diner like. The one near me where I grew up very much had a diner design with a counter and booths and their signage and color schemes were very eye catching. Growing up on the East Coast diners were everywhere and great for a dependable, inexpensive meal. Thanks for the background!
“To eat in a diner is to experience an expression of some of the best parts of our shared history – our optimism for the future. But in reality, it skips over many of the lowlights that were also present, such as the Great Depression, WWII, segregation, and the Vietnam War.” No wonder a diner is such an American experience.
Googie is my favorite style of architecture. It pains me to hear him pronounce it like that. I’ve never heard anyone pronounce it like that. I grew up in a suburb of LA that was built in the 50s. The trend back then was space age googie, tiki, and kitchy. I grew up near a bunch of awesome space age 50s architecture. The creators of The Jetsons came up with the idea of their show by driving around LA and seeing all the space age buildings and cars that look like rockets. If youre thinking, “That sounds awesome, I’d like to see this part of LA that looks futuristic!”. It no longer exists. Most of these buildings have been torn down and replaced with boring fast food architecture. There are still some iconic googie buildings that still exist, but almost all of them are gone. This is what got me into architecture. I saw all these quirky buildings of my childhood disappear and it made me so sad. This is why architecture preservation is so important. That time in history is gone, so now no one will be able to visit a space age 50s neighborhood in LA. Googie buildings were outlandish and cost more money to maintain, so they just got torn down. 50s dingbats and tiki architecture are starting to disappear really fast too
This is such a great series! Googie architecture – who knew? (Well, you of course) Thank you for the information, history and description. I still feel nostalgic when going to a diner. My favorite is either a patty melt, a hot dog with everything, or a cheeseburger 🍔. And of course fries. Unless there are onion rings. And a shake, natch! But, most of all I love the curvature and unique designs of diners – no big box cookie cutter restaurants!!
My favorite diner food is the reuben sandwich. I might try other things at some point, but I always go with the reuben on my first visit. Fries and a pickle are a must. If they serve potato chips instead, I feel like they don’t really care about the experience. I also sometimes go with a milkshake to drink and gravy fries if they have them.
Unless I’m mistaken, LAX’s “space age” restaurant was originally the airport’s control tower before it was converted into that restaurant. (On my first trip to LA in 1978 when we landed and I looked out the plane’s window to see that structure, I knew I was actually there! (That and running to the first pay phone to see “213” on its dial.)
Forget Googie’s. If you grew up in N Jersey you know what a diner looks like, but more important who goes there and why. Food is inexpensive, fast and fresh. Tradesmen, blue collar (no collar) patrons with limited lunch time sit at the counter. In my opinion, a classic 1920’s diner is the Summit Diner.
You said at one point that diners menus were basically breakfast and hamburgers, but I saw it differently. The menus could be four pages or more. They baked their own bread, pastries and pies. I always have enjoyed eggplant parmesan with fresh bread, which I found in many east coast train shaped diners, but yes they had burgers. But lots of other dishes. Have you ever eaten at an east coast diner? Or just studied them with research? If the sign says restaurant, it’s not a diner. Sometimes it says diner, but it’s not a true east coast diner.
The American Diner took other forms, but just as utilitarian. The lunch counter diner made famous by Woolworth’s, carbon copied in every city and oddly in pharmacies. A flavored soda and a tuna melt would be typical fare. The long counter of the downtown diner, open all night made famous by Edward Hopper in Nighthawks where a dime would get you a hot cuppa Joe. But wait, the Duck House!
In 2014, I stayed in a Moscow Hotel that had an in-house dinner modeled on this same internal design concepts … and had the same menu! It was surreal. A few years later, with the Rise on Vlad Putin, it was remodeled and all sign on Americans were gone. I hope i can always find a diner here in “The States”.
There’s a diner in Florence, Mass., that embodies all of this. I originally ate there in 1983 when what was on offer was typical diner food. So for me that would be hash browns, bacon, eggs, coffee. However, the last time I was there they had “updated” their offerings to be more nutritional—i.e., not diner food. It was okay but not the Miss Florence’s that I had loved in the ’80s.
Here in Philadelphia we had a place called the Trolley Car Diner for about 20 years where the front was an actual trolley car. Sadly in 2019 it was sold and basically abandoned. It became overgrown with a chain link fence around it and graffiti all over the trolley car. I’m not sure what it looks like now but it still looks that way on Google Maps.
While the 1963 Seattle World’s Fair may have been the apex of American mid-century modernism, I would argue that although a sceptical realism set in during the late 1960s, modernism survived into the 70s with the brutalism and geo-domes of Expo 67 and Osaka 70 Sure, the optimism of the future waned after the mid 60s, but the look kept going strong until the CN tower was completed in 1975.
There was a diner in Montréal that I used to love to go to in the late ’70s/early ’80s. It was a kitschy Formica-laden environment. They made great latkes. I think I also preferred their version of smoked meat over Dunn’s, the big fancy-pants restaurant on Ste. Catherine. Alas, Ben’s is no more. But it hearkened back to a time when fluorescent lighting and Formica were de rigeur.
They drive to the nearby highway Café and they find a bus with seven passengers waiting for the reopening of a snowed in bridge. However the driver says that he had only six passengers when he parked the bus. While interrogating the travelers, weird things happen in the diner, with the lights switching on and off and the turntable turning on and off.
Weirdly, one of the places most associated with diners — New Jersey — has so many diners that are really more like restaurants. They have the archetypal greasy spoon food, but they also have a lot of fresh and elevated dishes. Many of them only look like remnants of the diner on the inside; the layout is similar (booths, open kitchen or at least a long bar), but they have been renovated out of the 20s, 50s, and 60s diner style.
Upstate New York circa 1970: I remember eating brunches in The Auburn Diner, a diner in a dining railcar, and they always had daily Blue Plate Specials that they rotated through the week. Of course, you could always get breakfast or a burger, but this place was known for its comfort-food specials, like Chili-mac with stewed vegetables and cornbread, oh and their amazing pancakes! 😊
The analyses and explanations of architectural of Mr. Wyetzner could be top notch but for his frequent use of “sorta” as an adjective for so many salient points. It makes him sound like he’s not sure he believes what he proports (soft pedaling) or he’s trying too hard to ingratiate himself with the younger generation, or at least trying not to come across as an authority figure.
My favourite is the quintessential diner like the one used in the now classic movie American Graffiti which is an actual diner. My dream is, when I win the lottery, to open up a diner with a stainless steel exterior and a big neon sign, checker board flooring, booths, a counter where you also can sit, juke box music, and rollerskate service outside…
It’s too bad that they only dedicated 2 minutes to the “that” that all American diners look like, and then 8 minutes of other stuff that most people probably don’t care about, or at very least, weren’t looking for when they clicked on the article. Don’t care about googie style architecture and have never seen a diner that looked like that.
8:27 As a Queens native, i just wanna say that that place, the New York State Pavillion, still exists, but is pretty much a relic of a bygone era. Seriously, no functional use, but it still does get maintenance. It’s still an icon of Queens, but the Unisphere, which is close by, is arguably a bigger icon.
“Unlike in trains, people in cars could stop any time they wanted.” True, but they would also be forced to stop in bumper to bumper traffic even when they didn’t want to. The car as a symbol of freedom is a myth not based in reality. Also, rail ridership was only lower than airplane ridership in the United States in 1955. In most other parts of the world it remained (and still is!) the dominant method of transportation. Regardless, fascinating history and fascinating article!
People criticize American breakfast. No, you shouldn’t eat dessert for breakfast everyday. But every once in a while, nothing puts a smile on your face like a classic American breakfast. Also shout out to the classic 50’s diner in the suburb where I grew up — the Double T diner in Catonsville, Maryland. It has been there since 1959. Never change!
My favorite as a kid was Art’s Cafe in Oregon City, Oregon (there is a fantastic establishment in the same building, called The Stillhouse, which serves Scottish faire and Scotch). My favorite item at Art’s was the Strawberry Milkshake; Made by hand. As an adult my favorite was Brint’s Diner in Wichita, KS (sadly closed forever). It was a classic pre-fab diner that had the absolute best open-faced roast beef sandwich. The building is still there if anyone wants to bring the place back into pooper use.
I’ve seen in various places of the world the diner train wagon, but it seems that other than in America they’ve never evolved past this stage to the Diner of the 1950’s that is prevalent in America, I think that it is because in America people have grown used to industrialized products in their breakfast, and specially in third world countries people still eat lots of local and folk food, that does not lend themselves for the industrialized operations of a Diner.
In a diner i haven’t been in before, I always get breakfast. It’s the safest choice! In long island I might get a pizza bagel ❤️. Also in NY, probably a black and white milkshake. Happen to disagree that the menu doesn’t change across the states (pizza bagel v local phenomenon), but agree that the common choices breakfast or burgers will be standard. Love this website, great article! Thank you!
Question – I have been in search of 10×10 or (preferably) 12×12 black and white flooring for my kitchen. The only thing we can find is sheet vinyl with a smaller pattern or cork. We went with cork, but it’s not sturdy enough for our family. Does anyone know what commercial flooring brand is generally used (or have a recommendation?) Congoleum does not come in pure white/black but more cream and gray. Please help!
I’ve always loved diners. Quick simple menus and bright, clean interiors. The waitresses came in two flavors, flirty and school marm. I lived in a town that had two 50s themed diners, “Ritchies.” They had a real simple menu, bacon and eggs or pancakes or waffles style breakfasts; burgers, meat loaf, fried chicken or some classic comfort food supper. My favorite items are bacon and eggs over easy with cottage fries, white toast and black coffee for breakfast. Lunch is the Hamburger Deluxe with fries and a coke. And dinner was whatever the daily special was. You couldn’t go wrong. I loved that place. I’ve even got coffee mugs with their logo. (BTW: The guy that built them was a crook. Did federal time for embezzling the money he built them with. The diners were great though.)