American Period- Colonial

During this time period, people were beginning to settle and grow into the North America continent. The 1st permanent settlement was in St. Augustine, Florida 1565. The 2nd permanent settlement was in Jamestown, Virginia 1607. The main objective of colonizing all over America was silver and gold. 

Architecture during this time was very small and very simple. Different regions of America had be dominated by different European countries so each area had architecture that was styled very differently from other regions/colonies.



The Dutch dominated around the Hudson River Valley. Around that area, the architecture involves Dutch doors, steep roofs, and brickwork. Hasbrouck House in New York is an example.









The French settled around the Rivers in the New Orleans area. Around that area, the architecture involves full length porches, wrought-iron balconies, and French doors. Parlange (Louisiana plantation home) is an example of the French architectural style.




But French also had creole cottages. These had the full porches, but they were built close to the property line, and were located around the Gulf Coast.

The Germans/Swedes settled in Pennsylvania. The architecture around there were sturdier homes with really thick walls made from stone and timber. The De Turck
German Colonial Home is an example of homes in this area.








The Spanish settled all around the south, in Texas, Florida, New Mexico, etc. The architecture from this area is usually made from stucco and has a lot of tiling. The homes were one story home plans. The Gonzalez Alvarez House in St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest home in Florida and the entire US and its an example of the Spanish architecture from this design period.






Below are some current applications of Colonial American Design....

 

 

I reviewed Lindsey's blog, and she focused on colonial America as well, and from her blog I learned a little bit more about the Spanish architecture during this design period. She explained that the Spanish architecture had smooth surfaces and was heavily ornamented.

 

I also reviewed.....

English Period-Late Renaissance/Neoclassic

The late renaissance period in England is also referred to as "Georgian Period" or "Neoclassic". This design period is a reaction to the French Rococo Period and focused more on a revival of classical design. The designs had a delicate appearance and were finely detailed and ornamented.

The Chiswick House is from this design period, and it is said that it was the "birthplace of the English landscape and architecture movement ."

The Lansdowne House in London is from this period too and it is very obvious especially because of the highly ornamented ceilings.

The Syon House (also, in London) is a from this design period. The designs are always symmetrical and it introduced the use of satin wood ("blonde wood") which is very feministic. The floor pattern complemented the ceiling and the walls were usually a pale/faded pastel color.

Below are current applications of English Neoclassical Design...

I reviewed Ariana's blog, and from her blog I learned that English renaissance ended up being a "hodge-podge" of styles because they were one of the last countries to "jump on the renaissance bandwagon" because they were isolated from the other European countries. I also learned that one of the biggest contributions from this period was the Tudor House.

I also looked at Dana's blog and in her blog, I learned more about how the major players of this design period (Chippendale, Adams, Hepplewhite, and Sheraton) fit into the three "sub-categories" (Early, Mid, and Late) of the English Renaissance.

French Period-Neoclassical Style

During this time period, 1760-1789, there were strict standard for buildings and architecture. The walls were most commonly painted to look like marble. Dark green and red colors (reflect on Pompeii Design) were used a lot because the excavations of Pompeii promoted a renewed interest in antiquity. Furniture was also more distinctive than architecture was during this design period.

The Petite Trianon was a very well known building during this period. It was originally meant for Madame De Pompadour (King Louis XV's wife) who developed art and architecture in France during this period. The Petite Trianon was later given to Madame Du Barry (the King's mistress). And it was later inhabited by Marie Antoinette who received it from King Louis XVI.


The Petite Trianon was a reaction to the Rococo Style, it had three floors which had square shaped rooms with low flat ceilings. There was minimal ornamentation and the use of white or slight pastel colors. It has a simple and plain stone façade.  An important element that Marie Antoinette added to the home was the gilded iron railings had her initials going up the staircase.  


Neoclassical style is still very common in today's society, below are some picture of current applications...

I reviewed Ariana's blog and she looked at the French Renaissance Period. From her blog, I learned that during this time, design was staying away from gothic aspects and more resembling the Italian Renaissance Movement. Also, that during this design period, interior designing really flourished, and interior decorating/designed became an official profession.

I also reviewed Dana's blog and she focused on French Regency. From her blog, I learned that it was an extremely short-lived design period, only 30 years (1700-1730), but it was a huge impact to design and influenced the Rococo Period and even interior designers in the world today.

Spanish Renaissance

The Spanish design period was happening at a time where there were Christian Spain and Moorish influences on architecture and interior design.


The Alhambra was the last palace completed before the final explosion of the Moors in 1607.
The Alhambra, like most Spanish architecture, had a simple and plain exterior. But the interior was elaborate with different features like gardens, reflective pools, the Court of Lions and the Court of Pools.

This design period also was known for their castles! These castles were built and lived in by the noble Christian families. The style of these castles depended on the region of Spain 

The largest cathedral of the 15th century was also based in this time period. It was the Cathedral of Seville.

Here are current applications of Spanish Renaissance Design....












I reviewed Sammy's Blog. From her blog I learned that the Spanish renaissance was the "revival of the Greek's and Roman's designs", and also, that the castles were the important barrier between the rich and the poor.

I also reviewed Melanie's Blog. From her blog, I learned about the two phases of this design period. She did a really good job of discussing and reviewing the Plateresco and Desornamentado phases.

The Americas

There was little knowledge/contact with the Americas and its inhabitants. Asia had the first contact with the Americas via the Bering Strait (A land bridge connecting Alaska and Asia). "Pre-Columbian" civilizations were just any/ all indigenous groups that were already living in the Americas before the European explorers came to the Americas.

There were a lot of really important architectural buildings from this time period. One of them was the Teotihuacan in Mexico. Teotihuacan was the "most imposing ancient building in North America". It was a ritual center/ agricultural center/ trade and marketplace. It was one of the largest cities in the world. Teotihuacan consisted of two pyramids; Pyramid of the Sun (the largest pyramid in the Americas) and the Pyramid of the Moon.  Both these pyramids had a specific building elements; the talud, which was the sloped base and physically and visually supported the raised panels, and the tablero, which were the raised panels.

Also, they had these apartment-like complexes, which were also known as "palaces". These buildings reflected the "horizontality of the landscape" and were focused around a central courtyard. 

Below are  some current applications of this design period...

For the Americas period I reviewed Rose's blog. From her blog, I learned that there was a huge gap between the social classes. The elite would live in lavish homes that were highly ornamented, but the commoners would live in tiny houses made of sticks and mud.

I also reviewed Sam's blog. I think she did a really good job of quickly summarizing all of the different civilizations that we learned about in this design period. I learned that majority of these civilizations had the temple in the center of the community which I think so the importance of religion in these cultures.

Gothic Design

The gothic design period was a bridge between the Romanesque period and the Renaissance Period. During this period, religious expression was the heart of the design and churches were the center of city life. The Gothic world is centered in Paris.

Cathedrals were really the most important elements of this period. They were constructed to make the structures appear weightless. They had really tall walls with a lot of use of stain-glass windows, and rib vaults.
 (example of the rib vaults)  

These Cathedrals/Churches were modified from the original church plans. These cathedrals had longer isles, and an emphasis on the choir. They also had these shared chapel areas where travelers could come to worship.






Some of the most important cathedrals were....

1. St. Denis Cathedral (this cathedral was an attempt to recreate "Heaven".)
 

2. Notre Dame at Chartes

..... and Notre Dame at Paris

 

3. Wells Cathedral (in England)



 
 
 

 






























Some current applications of this design period are shown below...

 

   













I reviewed John's blog for the Gothic Period. From his blog, I learned about the gargoyles, which were an important feature from this design period. The gargoyles were more than just highly ornamented decoration, they were actually serving an important purpose. These gargoyles are actually a way for water to drain from the building.

I also reviewed Natalie's blog and from her blog I learned more about the black and white columns in the cathedral in Italy. The columns had polychrome decoration, meaning that the columns were alternating black and white stripes. The importance of the black and white colors are they are the symbolic colors of Siena, because they were the color of the horses that the founder of the city owned. 
 

Islamic Design

The first thing to know about Islamic Design is that it is based of the Islamic religion. The Islamic religion is the foundation for the design during this period.

The main purpose for the mosques were to be a place of worship and praying. Some of the features that these mosques had were perimeter walls, and covered halls of columns (hypostyle), and have a big courtyard.

The Great Mosque of Kairouan is located in North Africa and is the most ancient mosque.
This mosque really shows the horseshoe arch which was a big motif of this period.
 

Mosque of Sultan Ahmed (aka the "Blue Mosque") is located in Turkey and has one main dome and eight secondary domes. In this mosque there are over 20,000 handmade tiles, and the walls were painted to look like carpeting.
 

The Taj Mahal is obviously well known and is a stunning building with breath-taking architecture.
It was built by the emperor as a place of burial for his late wife. The whole building is made of brick with a marble veneer. The main dome is massive and stands over 10 stories tall.



Some current applications of Islamic design include the horseshow arch and the beautifully ornamented patterns.
  

I reviewed Melanie's blog and from her blog I learned about muqarnas. Muqarnas are Islamic honeycomb-like ornamentation and can be found in Alhambra (a large palace and fortress) in Spain.

I also reviewed Rachael's blog, and from her blog I learned more about the Taj Mahal. I learned that the Taj Mahal displayed intricate details indoors and outdoors. It also shows "the use of outdoors was also a great part of the overall design".