Eclecticism Essay

With the post war baby boom of the 1940s resulting in a huge shift in age demographic, the 60s became a decade belonging to the new wave of youths. Liberated and hedonistic, this affluent generation shunned the values of their parents,

Though the Modern style continued to dominate high class business environments, designers were becoming more experimental, conforming less and less to the principles laid out by the pioneers of the Modernist movement. The free thinking masses of the new decade somewhat clashed with the rational and functional mind of dominant Modernist force Le Corbusier, who throughout his career detailed numerous guidelines, including his ‘Five Points Of Architecture’ which were to be followed in order to create a successful piece of design.

captured this eclecticism through their retrophilic decor. As the first shops to sell clothing specifically designed for young people, their outlandish interiors complemented the fun environment of the shops, where music played and young employees chatted to customers. Catering for the first generation to have disposable income since the post World War II slump in the British economy, designers ensured these boutiques appeared lavish and affluent. The Whitmore Thomas interiors of Barbara Hulanicki’s boutique, Biba, paid homage to the decadent Art Deco style of the pre war decades. The perfume counter at the heart of the store featured an oversized geometric sunburst with a mirrored surface, evoking classic Hollywood glamour . Even the Art Deco influences of Cubism and Ancient Egypt were picked up on within the space, with a geometric patterned carpet running throughout the store . The changing rooms featured many gilded Ancient Egyptian motifs, alongside leopard print surf...

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...heir work acknowledged when Terence Conran’s Habitat opened in 1964, resulting in the world of design becoming an increasingly inclusive place, no longer ruled over by a select committee of self worshipping forces. The culling of past British styles signified the return of faith in British design, which had been lost amidst the previous decade’s infatuation with Modernism. This symbolised the sealing of the wounds of World War II and its oppressive aftermath, whilst the sometimes seemingly irrelevant twists applied to these past styles, which gave 60s design that unique futuristic feel, encompassed the optimistic flare that dominated the decade. But with the realities of the Vietnam War and the home hitting, drug fuelled deaths of 60s musical icons Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison penetrating the feel good bubble, could this exuberance continue to thrive into the 70s?