[Current] Additions to the Palatial Library

Furniture: A Concise History (World of Art) / Edward Lucie-Smith

‘Rich in information . . . sharp in perception’

– The Times Educational Supplement

In this illuminating history, text and illustrations combine to offer a view of furniture not as a succession of collectors’ pieces, but as a statement about the society that created it. Edward Lucie-Smith offers insights into almost every period, from the prehistoric to the postmodern – from Neolithic tables to 1960s conversation pits, and from the ceremonial chairs of Egypt in the thirteenth century BC to the designs of John Makepeace.

http://www.thameshudson.com/en/1/9780500201725.mxs?d2322ebbd2b7131596701df1bb090354&0&0&0

Interior Design of the 20th Century (World of Art) Thames & Hudson / Anne Massey

'Notes a range of important issues for the history of interior design in the 20th century'
- Journal of Design History

Every style of interior design is charted in this concise, wide-ranging and indispensable critical survey, from the nineteenth-century Arts and Crafts movement to the present day – including discussions about Art Nouveau, Bauhaus, the Modern Movement and Art Deco through to Hi-Tech and green design. Interior design in the twentieth century saw many changes in direction, all documented and discussed here, with the emergence of professional ‘interior decoration’ and its evolution into interior design. Interiors, domestic and other, are explored and placed within their social, political, economic and cultural context. This revised, expanded and updated edition illustrates recent examples and is brought right up to date with discussions about green design, the unprecedented boom in DIY and the effect of new technology both on the home and the work place.

http://www.thameshudson.com/en/1/9780500203460.mxs?d2322ebbd2b7131596701df1bb090354&0&0&0