Colour in interior is as old as man. Surprisingly perhaps, given the white walled minimalism we associate with Scandinavian design the tradition was especially strong in Norway, with Viking houses being strongly decorated, as can be seen in these examples from the Norwegian Museum of Building in Oslo ( more of these images are in our Gallery section of the DesignClub).

The invention of aniline dyes in the 19th century along with roller printing ushered in a new era of decoration epitomised by the William Morris patterns. Many of the designs and interiors survive – notoriously with the Speakers quarters being decorated with $700 a roll reproduction Victorian wallpapers. However they also survive in many hotel interiors such as those in the Noma Residences in Poland, which date back to the 1880’s.

Artists still experiment with the relationships of two dimensional imagery to three dimensional space. This can both raise questions about, and move the spectator through, the nature of interior spaces.

There is a wealth of stimulus to be found, much of it recorded in our DesignClub gallery from which all the images in these articles can be downloaded. The job of the designer is to initiate and develop new interiors now to copy the old. What impresses me about German interiors (which are where I started) is their Bauhaus concern with functionality yet their inventive use of colour and light.

Maybe it is from Germany that we should look for the new design leaders?

(The artwork is by Felice Verini)


Patrick Goff

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