In honor of Father’s Day, we don’t want the fellows to feel left out in our love for design! Dads do all types of things, but can they design? Can they decorate? Can they make a house feel like a home or elevate a space to its highest potential? Of course they can! Men have been making waves in the design field for just as long as the women have. In fact, some of the earliest and most influential designers were men, and this month we’re going to give them the credit they deserve!
From a timeline perspective, one could say that Jean-Michel Frank is one of the earliest known male interior designers. A French designer with a juxtaposed but well combined style of minimalism and maximalism, Jean-Michel’s artistic balance resulted in some of the most iconic pieces in history such as the Hermes Club Chair, the Parsons Table, the Block Lamp and the X Lamp. All staples in modern day design and timeless classics.
Next up, we have William Haines. After a career as one of America’s most popular movie stars, Haines (1900-1973) became a leading decorator, with clients such as actress Joan Crawford and Walter Annenberg, U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James’s. Haines’s style was glamourous and unconventional, he mixed vintage with modern pieces, low to the ground furniture, he did not follow specific or preferred colorways and insisted on quality. He was inspired by a balance of formal and casual and worked closely with notable architects such as James E. Dolena, Roland E. Coate and, A. Quincy Jones.
Valerian Rybar & Daigre Design were a dynamic male duo in the design world. Valerian was once coined “the world’s most expensive decorator”. The use of mirrors and steel were regarded as part of his "signature" style. The French-born Mr. Daigre was looking forward to a career in art when, at the age of 19, he was hired to work for Christian Dior. Mr. Dior recognized his talent for decor and had him design window displays as well as textiles and packaging. Rybar and Daigre started their partnership in 1968 and went on to design for wealthy and remarkable clients such as Elizabeth Arden and members of the DuPont, Rothschild and Onassis families. Lavish residential and commercial design earned the pair a spot in the ranks as top male designers in history!
James Mont brought a new flair to design with his beefy brand of Asian style, replete with flamboyant finishes and lashings of gold. He catered to the likes of mafia and Hollywood royalty and was known for his perfectionism and willingness to push the boundaries of design. He mastered and mixed varying styles of design and implemented them with precision. Mont’s designs found new life in the 1990s, as auction houses and dealers rediscovered their potential. Current day designers still use his pieces to balance out modern aesthetics.
And lastly, we have the Father of Interior Design, Elsie de Wolfe. Yes, that’s right, the Father of Interior Design is in fact a woman! She is known as the world's first interior designer and the inventor of the profession. In the early 1900s, she became the first person to receive a commission to decorate a home, and in 1913 she published the first interior design book, The House in Good Taste. While Elsie is certainly not a historical male figure in the world of design, she was the springboard for all the men who would lead in interior design. Without her, there could be no history of interior design and decorating at all. And for that we honor her right alongside all the great men of the industry.
You don’t have to be one gender or another to have the ability to decorate or design, it’s a skill that’s open to everyone. Even so, it’s a skill not everyone has, and so, if you’re in need of a skilled designer and decorator for your home, you can call or go to our website to schedule your consultation today. www.bellahomeinteriors.com
Happy Father’s Day!
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