Point: Reflections

With increasing exposure to foreign cultures, the design period between the Renaissance and the modern era flourished, encapsulating the idea of rapid change marred with the signs of assimilation. This rapid succession of design revolutions, however, distorted established forms of local design and brought about an identity crises that jeopardized the face of many cultures. Burdened with the task of maintaining tradition and pursuing new, innovative ideas, drawing design aspects from foreign influences became an attractive option. Concerning Europe, Eastern influences found solace within the form of chinoiserie, permeating throughout universal styles as mimicry. With the rise of industry and its various applications, design continued to evolve, pushing the boundaries that once limited the styles of past. In contrast to the past limitation of the availability of certain staple resources and the structural integrity of materials, new-found resources, techniques, and tools helped mold the iconic face of the modern era.

With the stagnation of design taking silent foothold throughout Europe, merging with Eastern design styles became an excitingly popular idea. The decorative excesses of Eastern cultures were universally appreciated and seen to represent wealth, status, and worldly knowledge. The Royal Pavilion at Brighton, England was designed with this template in mind, having internal and external faces feature Western impressions of Eastern styles. Utilizing Oriental, Islamic, and Indian design, elaborate, colorful interiors and a mosque-like exterior came to represent the building as a whole. Rivaling the Eastern movement, the Victorian era came to emphasize similar design elements that focused on excessive aesthetics, featuring surfaces riddled with ornamentation and art. This era spawned various styles spanning from the Jacobethan style of the early 19th century to the British Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20th century.

Unlike the design assimilation that occurred throughout Europe, the American colonies focused on developing its own design style that deviated from its European roots. Concerning the English colonies after the Revolutionary War, design was altered intentionally to create an independent, localized style. Articles of furniture, like chairs and tables, were subtly manipulated to break from the traditional norm of English designs, producing simplified versions of ancestral pieces. Gradually with time, however, America would come to revive these traditional styles, defining them as symbols of prosperity and wealth.

With the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, the assimilation of design across the faces of many cultures came to fruition. With machines replacing craftsman, many critics, like William Morris, compiled arguments that questioned the capabilities of machines to preserve inherent qualities found in hand-made objects. Not only were machines beneficial to the development of goods and growth of cities, they helped spur the use of new materials that forever changed design. The mass production of iron and glass allowed large, open structures to exist. The Crystal Palace, which drew influences from English greenhouses, came to spearhead iron and glass framing, capturing traditional design elements in the form of spacious, transparent interiors. This new avenue of design ultimately expanded the possibilities and options of designers, withdrawing from it the beginnings of Modernism.

Source