Customer Reviews

History of Interior Design and Furniture: From Ancient Egypt to Nineteenth-Century Europe

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The text of this volume is decent and well organized but in the area that most designers are interested in, visual examples, it is sorely lacking. A very minimal section of color photographs (which jump from Roman to the Renaissance. No sign of the Gothic)and a series of low contrast black and white ones are augmented with a series of uninspired drawings. All of this might still be helpful and useful were it not for the price. There are many volumes on furniture and decor that have come on the market recently which are superior in their content and priced more reasonably.

This book is a good encyclopedia of the history of interior design going back to ancient era- it catalogues the general overview for each period chronologically, explaining the function and materiality of a space or piece of furniture. The book is particularly nice for classifying particular styles of furniture and may be more suited to an antiques dealer or furniture dealer than a professional interior designer. The major problem i have with the book is that most if not all of the photographs are black and white, and it completely skips the modern era of design, pretty much ending with the turn of the 19th century. No mention of my favorites like Mies van der Rohe or Mr. Wright. This absence somehow makes this book seem incomplete.

Well, I youre thinking between this and Piles' History of ID then this is a much better book. Each style is explained with great details, and black and white photos and sketches are really helpful, and in the middle of the book is about a dozen of color photos of interiors.
I used this book a lot for my studies of the history of id.
If you're looking for a book full of photos of interiors and fancy words then just don't bother buying it since you wont find them in this book

This is an outstanding book, with plenty of pictures - great insider material on furniture and architecture. And I already have a design MA with my own firm.

This book is very helpful for students and professionals seeking to further knowledge on the history of architecture and interior design. Very detailed information.

My History of Furnishing's to 1750 class used this textbook. I believe I speak for the entire class when I say that while it does have thoroughly researched information, the presentation is tedious. Topics were presented in a very frustrating illogical manner that circled around the point. The text is chock full of key terms, but uses no change of font to emphasize them. Worst of all, the images were pathetic. Design is visual, the textbooks NEED to be visual. I would have learned almost no applicable design history if my professor had not created supplemental visual slides identifying elements. The images that were in the text had terrible contrast, were often black and white, and pixelated. This book is all jumbled research and no follow through.

I purchased this book as a requirement for an Interior Design History class at Parsons School of Design. The Historian teaching the course highly recommends.

So far I've only had a chance to browse through, but I like that it goes through each era highlighting the significant differences and similarities. It would be helpful if they included more pictures as illustration to match their information so you can get a better idea.

There's more pictures of single furniture pieces than of a whole space- which I don't like.

Excellent volume. Arrived in only three days. Dust jacket slightly torn on one corner but otherwise in perfect shape. Very informational volume for anyone interested in the evolution of this art.

Greta price on a textbook that is needed for a college student. Book is in excellent condition!