Design 101 - The Fathers of Modern Design

Le Corbusier - Villa Savoye in Poissy

There are volumes written about the modern art, architecture and design movement so I'll leave it to you to go as in-depth as you wish on your own.  The basics of the movement are this: there were three major schools of modern thinking - De Stijl, Bauhaus and International Style.

Each of these schools of thought is represented by a handful of notable artists and architects.  Out of De Stijl came the architects Gerrit Rietveld, J.J.P Oud and Robert Van 't Off.  From Bauhaus came Le Corbusier, Mies Van der Rohe, Walter Gropius, and Marcel Breuer.  The International Style set out to define modern architecture and was represented by the architects mentioned above and many more.  The three principles of the International Style were: the expression of volume rather than mass, balance rather than preconceived symmetry and the expulsion of applied ornament. 

As the week progresses we will address these principles and how they apply to modern design in your outdoor space.  Before we get there however I think it is important to get at the root of a design style so you can design with confidence.  I think the International Style principles are easy to see when the homes and furniture are laid out side by side.  Notice the lack of ornamentation, the flat planes, the sparing use of color and the use of color fields when color is used as well as the blocks of space or volume.  All of these principles are apparent in both the homes and the furniture.

Gerrit Rietveld - Rietveld Schröder House

Rietveld - Red and Blue Chair

J.J.P. Oud - Weissenhof Estate

Robert Van 't Hoff - Villa Henny

Le Corbusier - Villa Savoye

Le Corbusier - LC2 Chair

Mies Van der Rohe - Farnsworth House

Mies Van der Rohe - Barcelona Chair

Walter Gropius - Gropius House

Breuer - Wassily Chair