History of Interior Design : Emergence of Modernism: International Style

The International Style emerged in the 1920's and 1930's. The name of the style came from a book that was written that identified, categorized, and expanded on the common characteristics of Modernism across the globe. The three main points that the authors outlined were, "the expression of volume rather than mass, the emphasis on balance rather than preconceived symmetry, and the expulsion of applied ornament". International Style spread across Western Europe in the 20's and some of the key characteristics of the style were:

-radical simplification of form-rejection of ornamentation-adoption of glass, steel and concrete as preferred materials.-the transparency of buildings-construction (called the honest expression of structure)-acceptance of industrialized mass-production techniques

One of the key architects of this period of Mies van der Rohe. He was a German-American architect who created many pieces of furniture that are iconic to this day as well as some amazing architectural designs. Some of his work is included in the images below.