Prehistoric Periods

Because I have never studied the history of Interior Design, I learned a lot in this chapter. Something that I found extremely interesting was how the environment or climate really influenced how these people lived. It seems obvious  now that I think of it, but prior to this lecture I never really thought about how much this would have impacted how and where one would live.

Favorite Architecture, Furniture, and Interior Design

There were many things from this period that I enjoyed, but the two things that really caught my eye were Skara Brae and the Matmata House. Skara Brae interested me because it had the same type of set up as today's homes. As you can see (below left), the area is set up with a very open concept., which is popular in many homes today. The Matmata House (below right) also intrigued me because the entire concept of the house was based on the climate that the people were living in. Because the temperature and conditions were so extreme, the people in this time period thought to put the house somewhat underground; this is a brilliant idea.

Current Applications

Trends from the Prehistoric Period are seen in today's world more than one would expect. A great example of Skara Brae's open concept is seen today in kitchens and homes everywhere. Using the home, or specifically kitchen, as a meeting place or center of the home is seen in modern homes (below left). Post and Lintel construction (below right) is also seen in today's construction. It was first introduced at Stonehenge and is still used today on a more than regular basis.  

Extra Resources

Stonehenge is something that has always interested me. If you are interested in it, watch the video below! 

Stonehenge Secrets

 

Student Response

After looking at Emily's post on Chapter 1, I became interested in the lifestyles of those in the Prehistoric Periods. Emily stated that, "the people creating their homes focused on rituals and religion" and "the nomadic lifestyle was based off of hunting for food to survive." The reason that these two quotes interested me was because their homes were focused on rituals and religions, but they were struggling to survive. Although they did not have stable lives, because they were always on the move, they still put a huge emphasis on religion and rituals. Another thing that I found interesting from Emily's post was her example of the influences in today's world. The corbel or false arch is an excellent example and we truly see them everywhere.

I also looked at Ali's blog. I really liked how she brought up a few of the rules of Egypt. This was important because his famous child's chair was still intact even after hundreds of years. Because these artifacts lasted so long we were able to use them as inspiration in design today.