FROM ACTRESS TO DECORATOR
Today I am going to talk to you about Elsie de Wolfe, one of the most outstanding women of the 20th century, considered the mother of interior design. For those of us who like interior design, she is undoubtedly a source of inspiration. She began her career as an actress however, she left the screens to dedicate herself to interior design, a field that was dominated by men at that time.
She lived through the dark and ornate Victorian era and had the vision of turning ornate brocades and dark velvets into light colours and bright spaces. She inaugurated an era of elegance, but based on practicality and comfort, her motto being: “Open the doors and windows of America and let the air and the sun penetrate.“
OPEN THE DOORS AND WINDOWS OF AMERICA AND LET THE AIR AND THE SUN PENETRATE.”
During her travels de Wolfe fell in love with the interior designs of the European 18th century, especially the French, an influence that she embraced and which achieved her unique style. Although everyone considered it old-fashioned, she considered that luminosity and upholstery was exactly what the ornate and dark Victorian decorative style lacked, the somber style of the English that prevailed.
Thanks to her partner at the time, Marbury, she was able to unleash her creativity first in her own home. After that and thanks to her friends from high society, especially JP Morgan’s daughter Anne, this enabled her to settle as a decorator.
THE HOUSE IN GOOD TASTE
In addition to her eclectic style that broke with the decoration canons of the time, Elsie de Wolfe is considered to be the mother of interior design, being one of the first women to dedicate herself to it. Her widespread recognition came with the Colony’s great interior work, Club Manhattan, New York’s first women’s social club. Following on from this work she decorated large renowned residences both in the USA and in Europe.
All her ideas and knowledge were captured in a book called “The House In Good Taste” published in 1913.
Undoubtedly an example and a source of inspiration for those who are passionate about interior design.
