Product Description

Often associated in the public′s imagination with the excesses of Punk and Glam, the 70s was, in fact, an important watershed for interior domestic design. It marked an essential transition from the Modernist–dominated design culture of the 60s to an era in which style and the individualistic ethos of fashion design became the guiding principles. It can perhaps best be characterised by the idiosyncratic and inventive designs of Vernon Panton and Ettore Sottsass.

In his book, David Heathcote provides a new and fundamentally positive interpretation of the period. He explains how the decade brought forward a plethora of highly diverse styles –– Brutalism, Ad Hocism, Eco/Craft Design, Revivalism/Reclaimism and Postmodernism. With the interest in all things futuristic being as much a part of the period as the Victorian Revival and the self–sufficiency/craft craze. Organised by individual style, this book, with its combination of newly commissioned photography and archive images, will be an essential text and visual resource for anyone interested in the 70s.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #333067 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 240 pages

Review
"...Heathcote′s new book...makes a good case for looking back in enthusiasm [at the 1970s]" (The Guardian Weekend magazine, 14th Jan 06)

"The houses are wonderful and often little known. Barr has photographed them beautifully." (Architects′ Journal, April 2006)

"…an essential resource…a new and fundamentally positive interpretation of the 70’s." (Interior Design, August 2006)

Review
"...Heathcote′s new book...makes a good case for looking back in enthusiasm [at the 1970s]" (The Guardian Weekend magazine, 14th Jan 06)

"endlessly inspirational" (Agalinks.com, March 2006)

"The houses are wonderful and often little known. Barr has photographed them beautifully." (Architects′ Journal, April 2006)

"…an essential resource…a new and fundamentally positive interpretation of the 70’s." (Interior Design, August 2006)

From the Inside Flap
Though described in the 90s as the decade that style forgot, the 70s has since gained a renewed kudos and magnetism in the new millennium. For anyone who grew up during the decade, the era has an obvious nostalgic pull. It is, however, its aesthetic diversity that has made it such a rich seam to mine for style and design ideas. In the 1970s, architecture and interior design was at an important turning point: the certainties and rigours of postwar Modernism were giving way to a sense of adventure and pluralism. While excitement and indulgence in new technologies and gadgetry was being pursued, so was a greater awareness of historical style and the ecological. The dynamism and variety of the decade has much in common with the Art Nouveau. Both periods share not only a desire to represent a new age and a preoccupation in local contexts, but also took place at a time that technological possibilities were running ahead of the design aesthetics of the day.

In order to encapsulate the pure range and scope of the age, David Heathcote and Sue Barr have travelled extensively in Europe and America photographing and researching afresh a unique set of houses. These have largely been unphotographed since their debut in architectural journals in the 70s. The book thus brings together for the first time, not only a representative but also atypical selection of domestic architecture. This is lusciously illustrated in a state of lived-in maturity that shows a very current diversity of ageless living spaces.

Customer Reviews

Awestruck by the stylish spaces
This really took me by surprise, as the collection of houses in this book are trully stunning - and not a shag-pile carpet in sight! It's a very beautiful book to just look through, or if it's design ideas you're after you can't go wrong.