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Summary:      This week's blog will focus on the French Renaissance and Baroque Periods. The French Renaissance is divided into four different periods lasting between 1484-1700. They include Early Renaissance, Middle Renaissance, Late Renaissance, and Baroque Style. Gothic Design began in France, and so it holds a strong influence even throughout the Renaissance.  Designs and Current Applications:      One piece of furniture from this time is a dressoir. A dressoir functions as a cabinet and its earliest designs included hinged doors on top. Ornamentation on this furniture was also very common. Today, this concept is seen often in bedrooms or living rooms as a functional and decorative place for storage.  Dressoir | French Renaissance Modern Example of a Decorative Dressoir Another Renaissance furniture piece is the Armoire a Deux Corps. It is a cupboard made up of two pieces with the smaller cupboard placed on the top. Ornamentation was typical o...

Summary:       This week's blog will focus on the Spanish Renaissance. As a country, Spain flourished during the 16th Century. Spanish Architecture during this period is very intriguing because it blends designs from Christian Spain with Moorish Art. The art and design was heavily influenced by Moorish, Early Christianity, Medieval time, and the Italian Renaissance.  Design and Current Day Application:      One early Spanish design that I would like to focus on is the Alhambra, Granada. This structure is one of the most well-known Spanish-Moorish pieces of architecture. It was finished in 1354 and features a number of courtyards with gardens, fountains, and reflecting pools. One of its most well known elements is the "Court of Lions." This Moorish architecture is still influencing modern designs. A current day application of Moorish design is the Powell Library on UCLA's campus. The tracery and ornamentation of the ceiling is inspired by the ...

Summary:      This week's reading for Hinchman's "History of Interior Architecture" I read about the Italian Renaissance - Neoclassic design. This period was extremely influential in the history of architecture and design. The Renaissance is known as a "rebirth" of Greek and Roman styles. The idea of religion and God shifted to cojoin was humanity and their ways of thinking.  Current Designs and Applications:      One design from this period that stuck with me is the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. This takes inspiration from older Greek structures and combines them with new needs for the people. This specific palazzo combined aspects from old watchtowers and Tuscan farmhouses to create its form. A modern day application of this typology is the guard towers seen at prisons.  Palazzo Vecchio | Florence, Italy Illinois | Modern Day Watchtower at Prison       A second design from the Italian Renaissance is the Capitoline Hill ...

       Summary:       T his week, I read Mark Hinchman's chapters of "History of Interior Architecture" that focuses on the Americas along with China and India. The Americas are special for many reasons, and I focused the majority of my blog on this section specifically. One is that while it was disconnected from the other worlds and architectural developments happening, the area and its design were still influential. Another important idea I learned is that the Americas had some of the biggest urban cities and developments in the world, even though there was a lack of trade and other communication. Furthermore, the Americas often get forgotten about in a design sense because very little artifacts remain. The materials originally used have since decayed or been destroyed, making it much harder to analyze the furniture and daily life. This also being the land we inhabit today, it is important to understand the history of the area.  Designs and...

  Notre Dame de Paris - Paris, France - Facade Details  Summary:      The focus of this week's post comes from Chapter 6 of Mark Hinchman's "History of Interior Architecture." He discusses the beginnings of the Gothic style and its impacts. Beginning in France, it quickly spread across Europe as a whole. This design type was also very influential because it was not entirely dependent on Greek and Roman architecture. Rather, the book describes it as a "Bridge between Romanesque and Renaissance." For example, Gothic design includes various arches and detailed facades. The art was different than what came before it, and it was not the same as the period that followed.  Designs & Current Applications:  One Gothic structure that stuck out to me was the abbey church of Saint Denis in France. This church was foundational in Gothic architecture and showcases many of the elements related to this design style. It was remodeled in 1137, beginning the start of...