History of Interior Design 1: The American Period

History

This is the time when the United States was still a young country, who had a lot to prove to their peers, especially England. The United States wanted democracy and independence from the mother country. So in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed, and so began a new way of life for Americans.

Extra Credit: This video gives more historical information about that time in our history, as well as shows some reproductions of what interiors and furniture would have looked like at that time.
http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/declaration-of-independence/videos/declaration-of-independence

Neoclassical design represented the United States' desires for political rights. This design style included very masculine elements, and was referred to as the Federal style in America.

Furniture

Federal style has some defining characteristics, including; arm chairs had curved armrests and straight legs, daybeds were popular, and motifs including the lyre, harps, crowns of laurel leaves and most importantly the American Eagle.

Federal Style chair

Federal period drawing room side table with the beginning motifs of an American Empire period

Daybed

Architecture

Architecture of this time was modeled after the mother country. One of the more popular architecture styles is the American Victorian style. This included various forms of the style, but overall it was focused on elaborate, romantic and emotional designs. The homes were very large with many smaller rooms inside and each of those rooms had a particular function. The interiors were dark with heavy drapery, dark wood and wood floors. While the exteriors on the other hand, were often painted bright colors. This period was all about advertising the amount of wealth that the owners had.