OPPOSING ENDS OF A DESIGN SPECTRUM

OPPOSING ENDS OF A DESIGN SPECTRUM

Over the years I've been involved in trying to tastefully and accurately replicate certain styles of furniture that suited prevailing attitudes, mood and ambiance from a stylistic point of view.

                                                                            Gustavian

Shaker

No doubt my selection of design narratives were much influenced by the countries I used to regularly visit and in which I did a fair amount of work.

In Sweden I was there for the glass, the textiles ,fabric and the furniture and noted in the mid/late 90's that there was a developing phenomenon for the re introduction of Gustavian furniture.

King Gustav 111 (1746 - 1792) was much inspired by Louis's furniture of the 18th century and had his indigenous crafts people 'top and tail' the French version to a more Scandinavian slant - Rococo to Baroque.

IKEA introduced a Gustavian range of  'case goods'/wooden furniture in 1998 and at about the same time an American lady - Ann Millang who had married a Swede brought out a range branded Swedish Blonde.

I was forever in the United States and became involved in many home product based  marketing programmes. Some were based on Americana and others the melding of this influence with contemporary Scandinavian attitudes, all very design distinctive and always at the time in touch with the general mood of the moment.

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 A certain Ann Lee from the slums of Manchester - England set sale in her impoverished state in 1774 for New York as a member of a group of dissident Anglicans who became known as the "Shaking Quakers".

This strident lady took on the establishment with her beliefs and was jailed on numerous occasions.

However this was the birth of this strong and independently minded sect that has enthralled us all with their simple,economic design and lines of furniture and household pieces over the centuries and is immediately recognised as SHAKER.

 The Shaker stairs and staircases below are a wonder to behold and if by chance you've been viewing my blogs of late you will have seen many other stairs and stair wells from around the world