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Post Date: 10/03/2016
Mid Century modern furniture – the lifeblood of Gingko Furniture and furniture makers devoted to the simplicity and excellence of this design trend. But apart from Mid Century modern furniture and design of all kinds, there once existed a kind of design that inspired the trend that has come to simplify city homes and apartments here and across the states in places such as Los Angeles, DC, and other places.
It’s called the Art Nouveau, and it was popular in the early 1900.
Art Nouveau –what it’s all about
So what is this movement that changed so much of what we see not just in cities but in homes and furnitures today?
It was born out of a reaction against traditionalism in interior design and architecture, and a desire to rethink the beauty of nature, forms and their incorporation into design. Beyond this, Art Nouveau sought to establish the art of design as an equal with other forms of art, such as painting and sculpting.
How Art Nouveau has changed the landscape of design
What is more important, function or beauty in your furniture and architecture? Art Nouveau is important to the custom made works of art we produce here at Ginkgo, because it sought to find the equilibrium between function and design.
How did it do this? By boldly stating that the form of an object should take shape after its use. It was a movement away from the overly ornate look of the eighteenth century and sought to eliminate these excesses by giving decorative objects a simple look
Art Deco and the end of Art Nouveau
We find a great divide here in the history of art and interior design where Art Nouveau parted ways with the modern perception and Art Deco emerged as the mainstay and passage into modern design.
Art Deco was different than Art Nouveau because of its desire to create geometric shapes, like the patterns a computer would make, instead of the natural curves and ornaments of nature.
Reemergence of Art Nouveau today
Today, however, we find a reemergence of the themes present in Art Nouveau, and find that more and more young and old alike are opting out of the purely functional pieces of design and purely ceramic and metallic look that had become popular and choosing instead the simplicity and back-to-eartheshness that materials like solid walnut wood can provide.
At Gingko, we embrace the trend that leads back to nature. We literally bring nature indoors the way that Mid Century design, born out of The Art Nouveau movement, sought to do, through our solid walnut wood furniture.
