Najwa Al Hariri

In order to understand what are the principles of sustainable design, it’s essential to know what sustainability means first. Basically, Sustainable design is defined as improving building performance by reducing the negative impacts on the environment, besides minimizing waste to create productive healthy environments, therefore, sustainability in design is essential.

Five essential principles of sustainable interior design which are must follow to reduce the negative environmental impact and build better and safer places, which are:

1. Energy efficiency

Due to the increased use of energy, greenhouse gas emissions are one of the major reasons for changing the climate, and it can’t be denied that buildings contribute as well, therefore it’s important to reduce and eliminate the energy used for heating, lighting, etc. That could be achieved by replacing the regular energy with renewable non-carbonic one.

2. low environmental impact

Using sustainable organic materials like wood or bamboo is also important to maintain a sustainable impact on the environment since it has a low impact on it. Having easy renewable and quickly recyclable materials plays a significant role in the environment.

3. Waste reduction

Reducing the amount of waste is an important movement to eliminate harmlessly effects on the environment, and this could be done by reducing discarding products when they are no longer needed, also by picking sustainable objects that are made from recycled materials or can be recycled.

4. longevity and flexibility

It’s important to think about longevity and flexibility like its ability to handle tearing when it comes to choosing materials. Having a long lifespan of materials and considering having durable designs help to eliminate the waste products as well.

5. Healthy environments

Lastly, building a healthy environment system inside the places such as design for quality of the air, lights, and air ventilation helps to maintain sustainable healthy places. It’s also important to consider air circulation to maintain the freshness within the space,, and that could be done by different things such as using a lot of air filter plants or using carpets since it traps the dust.

By following the previous principles, having a sustainable design is achievable.

Danish design is a design that was influenced by the German Bauhaus school and developed in mid 20th century. The characteristic of the danish design is functionality and simplicity, and it has been achieved by using new industrial technologies and applied through different aspects like architecture, furniture, and household objects.

In this blog, the most well-known Danish Designers and their designs will be highlighted.

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Bio:

Poul Henningsen Born on 9 September 1894 – Died on 31 January 1967

Danish author, critic, architect, and designer

Career: Associated the most with his design of the PH-Lam series of glare-free, shaded lamps. It was used to analyze the reflection and baffling of the light rays from the bulb to achieve illumination that was not harsh and glaring but shed warm, soft light.

Significant Works:

Gyldenholm Allé 18, Gentofte, Copenhagen (1933–34)

Henne Mølle Å Badehotel in Henne Strand, Varde Municipality, Denmark (1936)

NL Dehn’s Steam Laundry in Søborg, Denmark (1936)

Brogårdsvej 72 “PH’s House” in Gentofte, Denmark (1937)

Glass Hall (Danish: Glassalen), Tivoli, Copenhagen, Denmark (1956)

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Bio:

Born on 11 February 1902 – Died on 24 March 1971

Danish architect and furniture designer

Career: Known for his contribution to architectural functionalism and his worldwide success of simple well-designed chairs.

Significant Works:

Bellevue Beach, Klampenborg, Denmark (1932)

Bellavista residential complex, Klampenborg, Copenhagen (1931–34)

SAS Royal Hotel, Copenhagen (1958–60)

St Catherine’s College, Oxford, UK (1964–66)

Royal Danish Embassy, London, UK (1976–77)

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Bio:

Born in 1889– Died in 1965

Danish furniture designer and cabinet maker

Career:

Achieved high standards of high quality with exclusively handmade furniture pieces

Significant Works:

In 1911, He completed his cabinetmaker apprenticeship with I.P. Mørck, who was the most recognized cabinetmakers

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Bio:

Recognized as an important Danish modernist designer—working at a time when women were a rarity in the design world. Inspired by the Eameses’ and Aaltos’ organic, molded furniture, Jalk continuously experimented with new materials and production techniques. Jalk is known for her thoughtful designs that are well adapted to users’ needs and that embrace societal and technological progress.

Significant Works:

•Grete Jalk’s GJ Chair, a.k.a. the Shell Chair, originally designed in 1963

•Coffee Table for Poul Jeppesen

•Model 118 Easy Chairs for France & Søn

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Bio:

Finn Juhl began his studies in the 1930s, which was an important period in furniture design when modern design started to emerge. He designed by measuring his own body and analyzing how the individual components of the chair should carry the human body. But contrary to his modernist contemporaries, with their streamlined, scaffolding-like structures, Juhl aimed at a more organic, natural form.

Significant Works:

•45 CHAIR

•PELICAN CHAIR

•CHIEFTAIN CHAIR

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Bio:

Creating his own distinct brand, Jens pioneered a unique blend of Danish minimalism with American style that is still perennially popular. The function is a theme that Risom repeatedly turns to in discussing his design philosophy. Design is not just visual. The design needs to be used by people and the different conditions of use determine a lot of the design.’ Throughout his life, Risom stayed true to the fundamental Danish approach to modernism, with its emphasis on traditional values and the human need for warmth, beauty, and simplicity.

Significant Works:

•Jens Risom Lounge Chair  

•Risom’s ’T-539’ oak magazine table (front), from Rocket Gallery. Classic Risom bench with grey u pholstery (back),

 

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Bio:

13 April 1914 – 5 October 1972

Important Danish furniture designer, helped to make the concept of ‘Danish Modern’ known throughout the world, Created international respect for Danish furniture design, His simple and functional designs have for more than half a century enjoyed worldwide demand Studied furniture design at the Danish School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen from 1936 to 1938.

Significant Works:

•His furniture was strongly representative of his training as a traditional craftsman •Created classical designs, while subtly incorporating new ideas into his revisitation of traditional forms

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Bio:

16 September 1903 – 27 December 1985

Danish furniture designer, and one of the leading figures in the Scandinavian Design movement when Scandinavian Design achieved worldwide popularity

Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Wanscher, working with master joiner A. J. Iversen, produced dozens of designs that are now seen as modern classics. Influenced by a variety of sources, from 18th-century British design through the furniture design of Ancient Egypt

Significant Works:

One of Wanscher’s most famous pieces was his so-called “Egyptian Stool” of 1960. He was also influenced by Greek and Chinese design

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Bio:

•Born in 1914- Died in 2007

•A pioneering furniture designer of the 20th century.

•He has created more than 500 different chair designs and many became some of the most influential chairs of design history.

•Wegner wants to depict the inner soul and structure of furniture through a simple design.

Significant Works:

•Craftsmanship- deep respect for wood and its qualities.

•One of this most popular pieces was ‘CH24 Wishbone Chair’.

•Designs are organic, minimalistic and have a natural softness.

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Bio:

•Born in 1926-Died in 1998

•Since 1955 Verner Panton has been creating his own designs

•Verne’s success came to a rise after his architectural proposals such as the ‘Cardboard House’ (1957) and ‘Plastic House’ (1960)

•Verner was also a successful furniture designer and has created many inspirational lamps and chairs throughout his career

Significant Works:

•An important lamp to note is ‘Panto Lamp’ (1975)

•An important chair to note is ‘Art Chairs Chair Art series’ (1981)

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Bio:

Born in 1923 – Died in 2005

Significant works:

o Hanging Egg Chair 

o Trinidad chair oLulu cradle 

o Nanny Rocking Chair 

o Bench for two 

o Butterfly chair 

o Toad stool and table

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Bio:

• Born in 1918 – Died in 2008

 He was a Pritzker Prize winner and one of the most famous Danish architects of the 20th century

Significant Works:

•Designed the Sydney Opera House in 1959

• Designed Bagsvaerd Church in 1968

•  Landed Utzon Center in Aalborg in 2008

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Bio:

• Born in 1888- Died in 1954

•Kaare Klint is recognized as the father of modern Danish design, insisting on clean lines, the best materials, and superb craftsmanship in furniture design.

Significant Works:

• He has left his mark on the history of design with a number of exquisite pieces.

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Bio:

•Born in 1929 – Died in 1980

• One of Denmark’s most famous designers. 1952 saw Paul graduate from the Copenhagen Academy of Arts and Crafts to study furniture making, and he taught from 1952 to 1956. Designers often chose wood as their design material in those days, but Paul preferred stainless steel. He saw stainless steel as a promising structural material for his furniture designs. He also tried to use it in combination with many other materials such as leather, canvas, rope, and rattan. And he always used his initials plus a number to name his designs.

“I want to nail down reality so that it can be returned onto the nervous system more violently”

Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon, (born on 28 October 1909 and died on 28 April 1992) was an artist and interior designer from Ireland-Britain, his art known for focusing on the human body, abstracts, and geometric structures. Most of his work was capturing the action of brutality and violence, as he stated, “I want to nail down reality so that it can be returned onto the nervous system more violently”.

Bacon’s believed humans are fooling themselves trying to hide their inner violent side, he believed the truth is the opposite hence he wanted to bring out the reality to the world by unlocking those emotions through his arts. According to him, desperation, unhappiness, depression, and violence is the real source to stretch and feel the sensibility of the human mind and soul, and by applying his unique techniques, Bacon’s illustrated not only his beliefs but also his hidden secretive life and emotions.

From the violence and abuse he suffered from his family to the refusal he got about his true self from society, Bacon’s symbolized all of that through various preferable inspirations like wild animals and bullfighting books, as well as medical manuals and horrific images index from WWII.

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These three artworks are great examples of how Bacon’s illustrated both his interior design background with his thoughts. Starting with the right art ‘ Fury ‘ which was done in 1944, Bacon has always been interested in ancient Greek mythology, hence it inspired him a lot in most of his works, and ‘fury’ was one of them, is reflecting the creature of vengeance appear in the Oresteia, which is an ancient greek trilogy by Aeschylus, besides, using both red-orange colors as a background and a box shape as a cage for the creature, was a smart move to deliver the rage, frustration, and disappointment he had for a long time.

Figure Study I and II (middle and left figure respectively), as a study for the ‘ Magdalene’ bacon stated that he wanted to illustrate the story by a hidden unseen body ‘ figure study 1 ‘ covered under a coat, a sad face laid above flowers, then in ‘ figure study 2 ‘ the body detached itself from it, holding a black umbrella showing the emotions that combine with grieving like sorrow and depression.

Again, bacon successfully engaged his experience in interior design by using a few elements like furniture pieces such as tables, alongside picked colors that show the hidden emotional psychology, such as red-orange which represents fury, black-grey which represents sadness, and colorful colors like blue and pink that represents hope. Bacon was definitely a master of creating order and art from chaos, and in each work was a challenge, an epic war between his thoughts, emotions, and reputation.

Italy has been known for its significant impact in the design world through the ages and the architecture and furniture design world wasn’t excluded. In this blog, I will highlight the 10 selected pieces that captivated me personally and reflect on how they influenced the development of 20th Century Italian design.

To start with, this is the “Dixon” sofa and armchair which was designed by Nani Prina and manufactured by ABA Design, Annone Brianza, Milano, Italy in 1974.

These furniture pieces have removable cushions and they could be covered by silk or hemp, the most significant part is that the metal frame of the sofa and armchair is weather resistant.

The next piece is the “Girotondo” table lamp with a holdfast.

This piece was designed by Sergio Asti, manufactured by Bilumen, Milano, Italy. It came in two colors, either chrome-plated or painted metal. The interesting part of this table lamp is it has an adjustable arm and reflector which makes it more convenient to use for different purposes.

Another piece is the significant Culla Bambette ‘baby cot’ piece, which was designed by Vivai Del Sole, by Rosmary, Roma, Italy. This baby cot is made from bamboo wood. it was distributed as well to many countries such as U.S.A and Saudi Arabia.

This amazing chair which is called ‘London 840 model’ is another great example of Italian designs, it was designed by Silvio Coppola for Mobel Italia. it’s made from metal and wood rod to fix the chair.

This armchair is designed by De Pas, produced by Dall’Oca of Ferrara. The significant part of this chair is the ability to move it like a wheelbarrow from one place to another. Its frame is made of black metal, and both the armrests and cushions are padded with rubber and covered with either thick corduroy or leather.

The next pieces are the two series of lamps

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It was produced by Zola Presdosa’s Filab. Firstly, the series ‘ Bussola ‘ which was designed by Marcello Cuneo, and they are the floor lamp – First figure from the left – which has an innovative part that includes an adjustable and sliding reflector, also the table lamp – Second figure- and the wall and ceiling versions of it- last figure-. Besides, Studio C.R designed a series of garden lamps – the third figure- which are the Rama floor lamp and the Folia wall lamp.

Another example that showed how modernism was taking place as well in the world of furniture design, these beautiful organic arched wooden bedroom furniture pieces which called, ‘ Caravan’ the containers, ‘Rialto’ Bed, ‘Brunelleschi’ wardrobe, designed by Raimondi, A.BA.CO.

Another creative furniture piece is this modular seating which was designed by Alberto Rosselli and produced by Gustiti, Besnate ‘Varese’. An innovative system designed to be able to arrange them differently around large living spaces. It contains four components which are a square base that consists of rigid support made of reinforced resin and it includes twenty-five soft cushions that vary in their foam density.

Lastly, this modernist chair model called ‘spider 700’ design Toffoloni Palange, Mobel Italy, shows as well how modernism played a significant role during the 20th century.

Throughout the 20th century, great social and cultural development took place, resulting in a global movement, especially in the arts, to adjust modern industrial life, which is called modernism. In this movement, artists around the world, including British artists, tended to use materials in new techniques and new ways to reflect the goals of modernism.

 Like any other art movement, modernism has certain principles that define it, such as: experimenting with shapes, materials, colors, and lines, focusing on abstraction, using different techniques and processes, and British modernism wasn’t excluded, since it has a lot of outstanding arts that clarify more the characteristics of it.

An outstanding example to start with is, the outstanding artwork by Vanessa Bell, Studland Beach. Verso: Group of Male Nudes by Duncan Grant, which was done in 1912, shows exactly the principles of modernism. During 1912, leisure activities were developing, and the idea of enjoying the time in the beach was definitely included. Studland Beach -the figure above- is a famous quiet bay in dorest where Vanessa and her friends enjoyed their time there. She captured the moment by her simple design and emphasizing bold colors, shape, and line, trying to show evidence of modernity.

The cinema, by William Roberts, which was done in 1920, is another great example to modernism. During 1920s, the popularity of cinema and film industry has been increasing during the rise of Hollywood and very famous actors and actresses like Charlie Chaplin. Before 1927, movies were aligned with live music because they were silent, hence, many music halls and theaters were used. Roberts illustrated that era using bold colors as well, beside emphasizing on abstractions and shapes.

Another masterpiece that shows modernism arts is Green Tree Form: Interior of Wood which was created in 1940 by Graham Sutherland. Due to the second world war, graham was trying in his piece to reflect the anxiety, human cruelty, and violence that war escorted it out. Through using abstracts, this piece was exposing a fallen tree roots on a grassy bank, which symbolize a distorted monster or human figure specifically. Thus, modernism era wasn’t only about showing entertainment and developments but also reflecting on political and social crises.

Lastly, No. 9/68 by Jeremy moon which was accomplished in 1968. Hard edged and rigid geometry was taking a huge part during the 1960s. Therefore, Moon’s was emphasizing on using abstracts in most of his work.  No. 9/68 is a great example that shows how abstracts was taking a huge role, Moon’s intended to use two different yellow grid orientations to show geometry alongside keeping the background white, and using homogeneous colors which are pink, blue, and purple in various shades in the upper right color to achieve the abstract look. The idea behind the yellow grids was to show processes and experimentations, aiming to produce a distinctive complex shape.

To conclude, Modernism definitely was the era in which art reached its deepest potential and evolution, from society and culture to politics and geometry. An era where freedom was taking place through arts.