INT 232 History of Interiors, Art, Furnishing II

  

INT 232
Ruth Hernandez

Heroic Modernism 

The topic for the week centered on the subject of Heroic Modernism, a prominent style of the early 20th century. This style affected architecture, interior spaces, and furniture. Heroic Modernism emerged between the 1920s and 1940s. This style represented a bold departure from the styles of the past. Architects and interior designers of the period believed that architecture and interior spaces ought to mirror the modern world of industry, rather than the past. 

Heroic Modernism introduced the concepts of functionality, simplicity, and new technologies. Architects and interior designers started to experiment with new materials, including steel, glass, and concrete. This gave way to new forms of buildings and the use of open spaces. There was a desire to create rational and universal designs to serve the needs of the modern world.

Another of the main concepts of Heroic Modernism was the belief that the basis of good design should be function. Instead of using decoration, the designers tried to think about the function of the space or the object.

The interior spaces of the Heroic Modernist style avoided the use of decorations of the past. The spaces had plain walls, simple furniture, and an emphasis on proportion and material. The designers of the time introduced new materials such as steel tubing, glass walls, and reinforced concrete. These materials helped create spaces that were lighter, more open, and more modern.

The interior spaces of the time had an open layout, where spaces could be combined rather than separated by multiple walls.

Current Applications

The furniture of this Heroic Modernism period also had the same characteristics as the architecture. The furniture was designed to be simple, functional, and efficient. The furniture had tubular steel frames, leather, or simple wood forms. This allowed for mass production because it was light in weight.

One Step Further: Le Corbusier

One of the most famous and influential designers and architects of the Heroic Modernism style, Le Corbusier, believed that houses should be like “machines for living.” This means that they should be highly functional and convenient.

Some of the ideas that Le Corbusier promoted include open floor plans, pilotis, roof gardens, and large horizontal windows. His furniture designs were also modernistic, as they had steel frames.

I found Le Corbusier’s designs interesting because they helped redefine the way that designers and architects think about space and how people interact with their environment.

From what I learned about Heroic Modernism, I realized that it helped people understand how design reacted to the technological and social changes that happened in the early 20th century, where designers started focusing on efficiency, simplicity, and innovation, not on decoration.

What I find most interesting about Heroic Modernism is that most of the ideas that were introduced in this style are still being used in modern designs, proving that the ideas of Heroic Modernism were quite effective in influencing modern designs and how people live.

Sources

• Hinchman, M. (2024). History of Interior Architecture Furniture, Design, and Global Culture (2nd ed.). Fairchild.
• Hinchman, M. (2014). The Fairchild Dictionary of Interior Design (3rd ed.). Bloomsbury.