Iconic photo "Nina + Simone" by William Klein, Louis Poulsen Lamp 20th Century Art + Antiques 4 pm vi 1st Dibs, Set of 60s Chairs at Talisman via 1st Dibs.
I've been wondering if the current economical situation will be, or perhaps already are, visible in the way we decorate our homes? Of course with less money around, many of us will have less money to spend on our decorating, but how will that manifest itself in our interiors? Will we continue splurging on our interiors "because we deserve it", but wait with expensive buys like cars and new houses, or will we be less impulsive in our decorating purchases and only buy the things necessary for a comfortable life? Will we buy more vintage and visit the flea market more frequently, or will we go for cheap massproduced goods?
I have so many questions about this, and I'd love to hear your thoughts!
With fashion its said that in economic boom times the hemline goes up, and the edges get sharper. Is it like that with interiors as well? Not exactly the hemlines...but what about the edges? The futuristic style of the 60s certainly had harder edges than the more rounded, soft style of the 70s, and the hard, modernistic lines of the 80s was a far cry from the soft, cushioned look of the early 90s. Maybe it has nothing to do with economics at all, and that it is just the image we like to see, a comfortable pattern, and a sense of order? After all, through time there has always been styles contrasting each other both in fashion and in interiors. In the 80s we had not only sleek modernism, but also a country feeling style with soft floral patterns, and delicate pastel colors... and although angular shaped furnitures, and modernistic interiors has been de rigeur since the late 90s, for maybe a majority of people the contrasting and very nostalgic, shabby chic style has been their preference.
And what about the colors we use? Looking through interior magazines I see more dark rooms with deeper color combinations than before, but is that a early result of the financial crisis, or just a seasonal contrast to the predominantly white interiors that has swept over us for several decades? Most likely its the latter, as interiors usually are long term projects, and conceived well in advance of interior photoshoots. Its interesting to see that Pantone has chosen Mimosa as the color for 2009, so I would say at least colorwise, our future looks bright.
In history the best and most innovative designs have emerged just after a recession, when designers are forced to work with what they have, and explore new techniques for creating functional and more affordable products and solutions. Certainly it will be interesting to see, in the coming year, what direction interiors will take.
I'm quite optimistic, how about you?
