EnglishDiscover the 19th century in design: from neoclassicism to Art Nouveau, a period of invention, ornament and industrial transformation.
Introduction The Biedermeier style embodies the refined bourgeois elegance of Central Europe in the early nineteenth century. Between 1815 and 1848, across German-speaking regions (Austria, Southern Germany, and Bohemia) a distinctive aesthetic emerged, reflecting the aspirations of a cultivated middle class seeking domestic comfort and accessible beauty. This style is defined by its elegant restraint and…
Did you know that the color mauve was considered revolutionary in 1856? That a simple Colgate toothpaste tube forever changed our relationship to hygiene? That Steve Jobs drew inspiration from a calligraphy course to create computer typography? Why are Louis XIV furniture pieces so gilded? Why are our smartphones all rectangular? Design is never innocent….
Post-Revolutionary style, the Directoire marks a break with the aristocratic elegance of Louis XVI and lays the severe foundations for the future Empire style. Do You Know the Directoire Style? Do you know the Directoire style? This period of stylistic transition is historically situated between the French Revolution and the Consulate. It marks the renaissance…
Between the Directoire and the Empire, the Consulate style (1799–1804) established a tempered neoclassical sobriety: forms became purer, lines straightened, but without yet tipping into imperial monumentality. The furniture favored clarity of volumes, function, and discreet ornamentation inspired by antiquity (stylized palmettes, rosettes, fillets). Light woods and mahogany dominated, often enlivened by fine gilt bronzes….
Do you know the Napoleon III style? Do you know the Second Empire style, also known as Napoleon III? This French decorative style is historically positioned after the Louis-Philippe style and before the Art Nouveau style. It should not be confused with the Empire style, which dates to the very beginning of the 19th century…
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