Interior Design Evolution
Interior design and decoration dates all the way back to the Upper Paleolithic era (30,000-10,000 B.C.). Stone-age paintings found in caves at Lascaux, France, Spain and elsewhere show evidence of wall decorations, grouping and spacing concepts, as well as limited understanding of perspective. Sculptured figures of stone, ivory, and clay depicted the humane form. These paintings and artifacts represent the important concepts that creative expression is instinctive and that the art of interior design dates from early humankind which serves as an integral part of the human psyche.
Design evolved quite rapidaly through the last serveral millenia. The Egyptians (circa 3000 B.C.), with their sophisticated art and architecture, made a lasting impression and contribution to the interior design field.
Throughout history, the diversity of cultures has found expression in many ways, including the diections by which people have chosen to designed and furnished their built environment.
Design is influenced by many factors, including environmental, religious, and political circumstances. As these factors change, design refects theses changes while building on previous designs theories and philosophies. Styles of design, therfore, reflect social surroundings and their foundations. The term Style generally refers to a segment of history that is typical to individuals, particular periods, cultures and/or regions, or simply by a philosophy of design.
Styles are usualy categoriezed by historians in an attempt to organize history. In reality, however, styles do not necessarily have a starting and stopping line. History is often vague and designs from one region may have influenced many others, and therefore styles have probably intermingled on eachother quite a bit. Today, designers study styles of the past and present to enrich current interior environments.
