History of Interior Design

The study of interior design, its development, and change through history is a useful way both to explore the past and to make sense of the space in which modern life is built. Professional interior designers are expected to study design history, to know the practices of the past in terms of “styles” and to know the names and the nature of the contributions in those eras who generated the most interesting and influential approaches to design. The periods /examples chosen in this study depict the vernacular design of historic periods. Building and their interiors are planned to serve the purpose and styles of the times of their origins, but they exert their influence on the activities and lives that they house as long as they continue in use. The challenges of this study was to identify the overall design practices in different eras and comparisons were drawn in respect of design considerations. The choice made here is to emphasize Western i.e. European and American design practice and its prehistoric origins.