Rise of the Decorator

“Ill always put in one controversial item, it makes people talk.” ~ Dorothy Draper

Dorothy Draper was something interesting to say the least which showed in her designs. I liked this quote because she did what people didn't expect. She wanted people to talk about her designs and she accomplished that task. She was one of the “founding fathers' of decorating. Like many professions, interior design had to start at some point in which, it came about around the early 20^th century. The profession of the Decorator began during the Art Deco period in Paris. “Emsemlier” was the French term for one who created an ensemble, chose objects, combines objects and in doing so makes aesthetic choices. This idea was created by Functionalists. On of the very first Decorators of our profession was Dorothy Draper, who intrigued me through her use of color and bright patterns. She relied on social connections and used traditional furniture in non traditional ways. She was influenced by the Art Nouveau period in which she grew up in. She used Art Nouveau style in a way that it was the opposite. Art Nouveau was very dark with heavy, dark woods but she brought in a lot of light in her designs and would paint most of her wood white. One of her most famous designs were in the Greenbriar Hotel.

Like the Art Nouveau era she used a lot of detail and patterns in her designs. Some people might think her designs are a little over the top but I like her sense of style and class.

Today's Applications:

Other Student's Blogs:

Looking at Justine's blog I really liked how she provided some fun facts about Eloise Wolfe and Billy Baldwin, two of the three founders of the Decorating profession. Eloise started as an actress and restored old Victorian houses. I also liked her representations of all three of the founder's designs.

I also looked at Rachael's blog in which I really like how she expressed that these decorators told a story through their designs. I also liked her current applications, taking modern and traditional and putting them together.