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Over use of fabric and materials as an example of decoration, not practicality appeared in publications, resulting in a tangent from the previous decade, so staring a partial severing of decoration from other areas such as building. Thus a gap appeared which had on one side decoration as a luxury for the few, and commercially manufactured furnishing for most households. During the latter part of the 1950's fitted furniture form Sweden came to the attention of the furnishing trade, as well as the emergence of Milan as a centre of styled furniture.
One of the key points of the 1960's and 70's was the search for individual style. A sense of individuality was created along with an image that one would want to portray to others. By creating their own image, it was used to promote themselves or products associated with them. The styling and design of interiors was heavily influenced by this stance of individuality, leading to 'personal spaces' and environments. These personal spaces were very important for those who were considered to be visually aware, which included people working in fashion and media. A major factor in the further acceptance of interior design was the large quantities of magazines, newspaper articles and television programs that promoted the subject, which helped to make the subject more accessible.
The media allowed for the lifestyles of the famous and influential to be far more exposed than in the past, which resulted in the houses of these people getting close attention. The glamour of these people's lifestyles was mimicked and used by others. With the power of film, more outrageous or unusual styles were created giving a multitude of designs and styles for people to digest. Traditional design work was still available, though at an increasing cost, mainly from small highly skilled firms. By the mid 1960's some forefront designers were working with bright colours and materials such as plastic, to place with the abstract art that had become popular. Other popular ideas to immerge were leaving the floorboards showing instead of being covered, low large sofa's also were often used, and the use of spotlights to highlight objects, such as pictures, with up and down lighters. Designs that were deliberately "space aged" were produced in the late 60's and were expected to be the norm in the future.
However in the early 70's nostalgic sentiment brought back old ideas, including a re-emergence of Art Deco style as well as the use of stripped pine for the country house look. Some British television programs such as "Upstairs Downstairs" were very popular in other countries, and commercial designs incorporated looks from these programs for the general public. Thus firms that had done traditional design since the early part of the 20th century were in demand. Many movements, such as minimalism were started in the 70's and continued to have influence in the 1980's. Another outcome of the 70's was the influential field of conservation architecture, where the maintenance of a building was done using only materials and styles that would have been available at the time. An important figure at the forefront of this change was John Fowler, who did much work with the national trust, and helped to set up guidelines. Originally the maintenance would be done by instinct, but later scientific analysis was used to accurately determine the nature of materials used. Rather then just maintain the state of a room, some went further, by restoration, for example regilding pieces to restore their original brilliance.
The rate of change of styles increased during the 1980's, helped by an economic boom that allowed the luxury market to flourish. The 80's can be associated with the demise of Modernism as the dominant, influence in architecture and design. The era of Post-Modernism identified as a coherent movement had started. The re-merging and cooperation of interior architecture and decoration took place. Design was freed from some of the attitudes that had started to afflict the interiors in the latter part of the 70's, and designers were free to implement past ideas in a modern manner such as the grandeur of the baroque period.
Many designers of who we know were born out of this era, such as Laura Ashley and Jocasta Innes. Individualism still thrived during the 80's, with the continuing use of interiors as a statement about ones self. This allowed a renewal of ornamental design (Ornamentalism), which was concerned with patterns and colours, and was brought about with the help of young art school trained designers. Technology to help the design process in the form of CAD gained popularity and helped the visualisation of new concepts. This was the decade that the real DIY ethos started, with the opening of DIY stores in the late 70's and with the wealth of literature and television programs. Manufactures exploited this new market quickly with consumer products, which were designed for the average and untrained person. Examples of these are the growth of consumer paints, fabrics and wallpapers that has continued unabated right up until today.
This has meant that the 90's were a decade of great change and progression made possible mainly by the growth in the DIY market, which in turn has shaped the way in which the designers at the forefront of interior styling have been able to express themselves. In recent years trends have started, which are based on classical styles. For example Greek styled columns and corbels have become popular as well as the re-emergence of murals. Antiquing in the form of gilding and aging of furniture (processes suck as crackling to simulate the effect of aged or worn furniture) has also come into fashion, with classic skills such as marbling and graining in demand. However great strides have been made by manufactures to allow effects such as these to be accomplished by the average person, and are popular for transforming interiors, and surfaces such as melamine which was popular in the 80's.
Over the course of the 20th century interior design and styling has moved from the vanguard of the elite forerunners to the masses. This has been done with the social changes that have swept most of the world, from the commercial production of furniture, to the upheaval of lifestyles and the effects of two world wars. Those who could afford to have always moved with changes in fashion, but nowadays much of the population can afford to, and this has altered the average house from being a simple abode to virtually anything our hearts desire.
