How trends have changed across the decades? What are the biggest interior trends in the history? Discover more in our trend guide!
If you are a passionate for interior design and decor, I am sure you have you noticed how quickly styles and tastes evolve. Every year (if not every season!) there is a new trend popping up and imposing a specific look to your interiors: a certain set of materials, lines, palettes, textures and lighting. Together, we have been through some of the latest and loveliest ones, from the eclectic Boho to the rustic-chic Modern Tuscan, do you remember?
What is also nice to appreciate is that often, despite their originality and novelty, each new interior trend incorporates more or less explicitly signature statements from past trends, especially from the XX century’s which has been an incredibly rich, diverse, productive and influential period in the history of design.
Would you like to know more? Let’s take a quick look at the past decades and recap the biggest interior trends in the history, that still have a say over the actual aesthetics.
Ready to dive together in the most amazing and original XX century’s interior atmospheres?
The biggest Interior trends history decade by decade
/
1910’s INTERIOR TRENDS
Art Nouveau, floral patterns and elegant silhouettes
This elaborated and beautiful aesthetic flourished between about 1890 and 1910 throughout Europe and in the USA (taking on other names such as Liberty in England, Vienna Secession in Austria, Modernista in Spain, Stile Floreale in Italy, Tiffany in the USA), becoming dominant in architecture, furniture, jewellery, textiles, glass design and illustration.
Rejecting straight and clear geometric patterns, Art Nouveau embraced long, sinuous and organic lines; its characteristic patterns and ornaments typically took the form of flower stalks and buds, vine tendrils, women’s silhouettes, insect wings, and other delicate and sinuous natural objects. Mosaics ad Japanese motifs were also abundant.
/
1920’s INTERIOR TRENDS
Art Deco – bold colors and elaborate ornaments
After the dark years of World War I, people had a desire to escape reality and enjoy life again! This is the mindset that originated the opulent and glamorous Art Deco (short for arts decoratifs). Emphasising modernity and machines, this style privileged bold and contrasting colors stainless steel, chrome, glass, lacquer, inlaid wood, exotic skins, ebony, jade and marble.
Most furniture was symmetric and streamlined, often lavishly decorated and sometimes featuring the iconic sunburst. There was a craze for shiny surfaces and beautiful female figures either dancing or playing sports. Influences from ancient Egyptians elements are also clearly visible (in 1922, Tutankhamen tombs was discovered!) .
BTW, did you know that Twenties Art Deco in the last year became on trend again?
/
1930’s INTERIOR TRENDS
The Bauhaus – when forms follow the function
This hugely influential German school of art and architecture (the term derives from inverting the German word Hausbau – building of a house so that it could be translated with The House of buidlin) focused on reducing designs down to their most basic elements to result in clean, minimalist spaces and streamlined forms with no ornamentation.
Animated by the principle that any object should privilege the function rather than the form, Bauhaus has made design more democratic and accessible to all, introducing elements that are still incredibly actual such as open plan living and fitted kitchens, folding chairs and flat-pack furniture.
Simple colors’ scheme and basic industrial materials like concrete, steel, and glass have also been a signature of this style.
/
1940’s INTERIOR TRENDS
Streamline Moderne – sleek and aerodynamic forms.
The age of large scale transportation and big industrial machines, ocean liners and ships strongly influenced Streamline Moderne, a subset of Art Deco very popular especially in the USA, which brings in smooth and polished surfaces full of curves, clean and strong lines.
Concrete, steel, and glass were prevalent in architecture while in the house each piece of furniture had characteristic teardrops or torpedoes shapes, no or few ornaments and w typically made in modern metals, leather or wood.
/
1950’s INTERIOR TRENDS
The Modernism, functional and ergonomic
As production picked back after World War II and following the major advancements in technology, designers continued privileging functional objects and appliances whose purpose was more important than its appearance. The Kitchen, for example, central to the domestic life, became more and more user friendly and technological; materials mostly in use were tubular steel, linoleoum, glass, and concrete.
A milestone within this decade has been the introduction of the Scandinavian design, which emerged from an exhibition with the same name that travelled through the United States, Canada and later to Europe. It promoted simplistic ways of living and emphasised clean lines and simple designs that were inspired by the surrounding environment and Nordic climate; colors’ schemes replicated natural patterns, furniture that was generally soft-edged and made from low-cost, durable materials, such as timber.
|| Be inspired:
- 8 Scandinavian furniture and design brands to know now
- The Scandinavian interior style trend now
- 10 ideas to steal from Scandinavian style interiors
/
1960’s INTERIOR TRENDS
A space-inspired trend
First space travels and flights influenced enormously the design of this decade: materials and shapes, everything communicated a technological path toward innovation and the future. Plastic was everywhere and became a distinctive mark of this style.
Some other characteristics of a typical home in the ‘60s included bright colors, textured rugs, open-shelving, and Scandinavian-inspired wood pieces.
/
1970’s INTERIOR TRENDS
The “technicolor” vs hippie decade
Take the sleek 50s, add a bit of the modernism of the 60’s and some high-tech futurism and psychedelic excess: voilà the 70s! Often regarded as a completely tasteless and cheesy period, today architects and interior designers look at them more and more as an influential decade.
Joyful colors, patterns, macramé and bizarre shag carpets were a prominent characteristic of this style. Wooden walls were also a common sight, along with accents like stone fireplaces, wicker coffee tables and conversation pits. Add a touch of the hippie culture and the Seventies style is done!
|| Did you know that the Boho interior style trend comes straight from the Seventies decade?
/
1980’s INTERIOR TRENDS
Less is a bore, more is more!
Interior design in the ’80s marked the beginning of post modernism; it inherited the excesses of the previous decade keeping the direction toward colors (ALL sort of colors, bold as well as pastel), floral accents, clashing patterns, oversized scale, and excessive decoration. Any environment in the house was a statement, playful and cool.
One of the most influential trends of this decade is for sure the Memphis style, a trend very relevant also nowadays!
/
1990’s INTERIOR TRENDS
A transitional decade
The 90s have a been a sort of transitional and chaotic phase : the excesses and the fearless colors of the 80’s are clearly visible but the road is preparing for the minimalism and sobriety of the new millennium.
Some landmarks of this decade include: Kitchen wooden cabinets, canopy beds, puddles of curtains, neon signs, wood beams, and patterns (yes, again!)
By the end of this unforgettable decade however, new trends emerged -such as the Shabby Chic and the Zen-inspired – while soo many other were already in the pipeline, ready to spring up!
|| Be inspired: How to get the perfect Zen style interior design
By the end of this unforgettable decade however, new trends emerged -such as the Shabby Chic and the Zen-inspired – while soo many other were already in the pipeline, ready to spring up!
/
So many inspirations, right?
If you love interior design and decor, do not miss the latest trend and news: subscribe to ITALIANBARK newsletter and receive updates, special contents!
