Peer Review

This week in History of Interior Design, we learned about the architectural advances made by the ancient Greece and Rome.

Greece:

Lisa- This week on Lisa's blog, she talked about the Greeks and the way they revolutionized modern design. I really appreciated that she went in depth in her explanations of Greek interior.

Krista- Krista did a really good job explaining the past and beliefs of Ancient Greece. I liked that she talked about the Gods and the ways they celebrated them.

Rome:

Kiera- Kiera's post about the Ancient Roman culture was a really good recap of the evolutionary designs that the Roman's created, and I really enjoyed her images of modern day application of Roman designs.

Katie- What stuck out to me the most in Katie's post about Roman architecture was her video that accompanied it. It was really interesting and covered a variety of examples, and even featured a demonstration on how some of their structures worked.

Rome

As we go into Roman history, we begin to see many architecture advances being made. While they do use various techniques from other ages, such as the post and lintel technique and columns, they also make their own techniques up as well. For example, the Romans were the first civilization to create concrete, which alone is a huge revelation in the architectural world. But with this, they are able to create stronger, sturdier buildings that will last thousands of years.
They also made a huge development of the arch, barrel vault and domes.

 Like many other people that we've seen in the past, most of their structures were dedicated to religions and memorials. But for the first time we see a designated place for entertainment. One of the most well known examples of ancient architecture is the coliseum, which was developed by the Romans. This massive arena holds at least 50,000 people and uses a variety of architectural techniques, such as the arch and several different columns.

Another major development from the Romans is their creation of an apartment-like structure. Which of course had a major impact on modern day styles.


Modern day inspirations:
-Modern stadium inspired from the Coliseum
 -Modern apartment building inspired by insulas

Greece

As we enter into the Golden Age of history (480-400 B.C.) our focus is turned to ancient Greece. This civilization is known for their temples dedicated to the gods, as well as several architectural pieces such as columns.
The most important surviving building of Greece is the Parthenon, which is an ancient temple dedicated to the goddess, Athena.

Ancient Greece is also known for the Classic Orders of Architecture. This being the column styles they used throughout their buildings. This system was composed of several parts, being: the base, shaft, capital, and entablature.

Although Greece has many influential structures that have made an impact on the modern day, their domestic homes were far less impressive. Being built of mud-brick with a stone foundations, these homes were plain and simple. Though they did consist of modern day techniques such as having separate rooms for various purposes. We also know that the Greeks used paint on walls and had furniture similar to our own.



Modern day inspirations:
-Modern use of Greek columns
 - A couch that is similar to a Greek bedstead

Peer Reviews

This week in class, we discussed the ancient civilizations and their role in influencing modern day interior design.

Rachael- In Rachael's blog, she discussed the evolution of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Nubia. She has a clear grasp on how interior design has been influenced by this era. I liked that she added information on how religion influenced the Egyptian's design and she had nice pictures to show examples from the past. Her modern day representations of ancient civilization's influence on today's architecture and design were also very clear.

Madelyn- I really enjoyed Madelyn's blog post this week. She thought out of the box and discussed King Tut and how Egyptian chairs influence some of our modern day designs. She also made an additional post about Nubia and their use of various materials and architecture, which was also a good read.

Ancient Civilization

Around 4,000 BC, we begin to see cities and towns appear. Mostly located around Egypt, Mesopotamia and Nubia, these civilizations start to form secured shelters. They were able to interact with each other, which led to the ability to gain various material and build large structures.
 
 Not only did they build large buildings, but they to define styles of architecture. Many places used architecture to distinguish classes of people, intimidate the viewers, and store artifacts (mostly in tombs and pyramids). Using trade, they were also able to import a variety of materials, such as wood, which was scarce in most parts of the desert.
We also begin to see material representation in their carvings or decorations. Some of these include: lotus blossoms, open papyrus flowers, palm.

Religion also had a major influence on ancient civilizations. They had representative objects, tombs, temples, and even a specific town or region for the gods. We can also see religion have an influence in their art and furniture designs.
This era begins to form designated areas for certain things. Individuals' homes have main halls, kitchens, and shrines.

And eventually, these people began to form what we know as interior design. they begin to have finished floors with stone or mud, decorations on the walls (such as mats, rugs, or paintings), furniture, windows, and even a decorative ceiling. All of which is a huge jump forward from the prehistoric era.

Modern day inspiration from ancient civilizations:
 -Lotus blossom painting
-Modern day designated rooms
-Modern stone floors