Decorative Art 1970s [Paperback]

Charlotte Fiell (Editor), Peter Fiell (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Decorative Art | Publication Date: April 8, 2000

This title takes key pages from "Studio Magazine" - a magazine dedicated to fine and decorative, innovative art, and exlores the designs and styles of the 1970s. The text looks at natural materials, and designers of the decade as well as forms that captured 70s style.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

These two volumes reprint edited versions (from the Sixties and Seventies) of Decorative Art in Modern Interiors, which was originally published as the yearbook of the British journal Studio Magazine. As the editors point out, since its founding in 1893, the magazine was one of the first publications to promote good design by showcasing practitioners such as Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Charles Voysey. It continued its mission of presenting the latest in international design until the 1980s, when it folded. The two books are divided into chapters that cover the best of architecture, interior design, furniture, textiles, wallpaper, glassware, lighting, silver, and ceramics. They are illustrated with hundreds of photographs, and in some cases floor plans and elevations for buildings are included as well. While little or no information is given regarding the designers, architects, or firms responsible for the work, and indexing is not as comprehensive as it could be, for those looking for examples of how we lived in the "Swinging Sixties" (shag carpeting and all) and subsequent design trends of the 1970s, this is the place to look. For larger decorative art collections and academic libraries supporting design courses.Margarete Gross, Chicago P.L.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“The books succeed both as serious reference tools and endlessly enjoyable browsing material.” -- Register Guard, 6/11/00

“These fully illustrated reference manuals will prove to be an indispensable tool for collectors.” -- San Francisco Examiner Magazine, 8/6/00

“These irresistible surveys cover architecture, furniture, textile design and more.” -- House & Garden Magazine, July 2000

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Taschen (April 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822864064
• ISBN-13: 978-3822864067
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,947,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Decorative Art Yearbooks" Revisited, June 6, 2000

By 

Elizabeth Gordon "jesgord" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Decorative Art 1970s (Paperback)

Decorative Arts 1970's is a presentation of "[t]he fascinating history of design traced by [the] Deorative Art Yearbook (Yearbook)...printed in a somewhat revised form." Divided into 8 sections: Architecture and Interiors; Furniture; Textiles and Wallpapers; Glass; Lighting; Silver and Tableware; and Ceramics, this book offers a plethora of color and b&w images, along with somewhat limited text, which is written in English, French and German.

The book is dominated by the Architecture section, which is filled with mostly b&w (some color) photos, floor-plans and useful information about the structure, the architect and the interior design. The remaining sections, all much smaller, offer examples of the pieces, their designers, measurements, materials, distributors and countries of origin. The overall layouts of these sections, while pleasing to eye, are presented in a very confusing manner. The description of each item is numbered, but instead of numbering each photo, a "key" is offered (in a different spot on each page), which maps out the number of each photo. Furthermore, the book goes for pages at a time without page-numbers, rendering the index difficult to use.

Overall, the book presents many interesting pieces of 70's design and includes works by all the usual suspects, along with some unusual ones. I would have liked to have seen sections devoted to plastics (some of which can be found in the furniture section) and electronics (completely missing in action), but overall I am not complaining. If you are a fan of books such as "Italy: The New Domestic Landscape" and "L'utopie du Tout Plastique" you are likely to enjoy this one as well!