Title: Authentic Décor
Author: Peter Thornton
Publisher: The Viking Press, 1984
Text by Peter Thornton; 408 pages, color and black and white illustrations
Traversing a history 300 years long, with over 400 pages, and generous illustrations Authentic Décor is a chronicle of interiors collection from a range of geographies, classes, and professions. Meticulously researched and accessibly written by the long-time Keeper of the Department of Furniture and Woodwork at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Peter Thornton, this volume has been an indispensable classic in the genre of furniture history since its publication. Over 400 pages are divided into fifty-year periods spanning 1620-1920, each is introduced by a brief essay explaining the cultural tone and architectural preferences that dominated the respective eras in North America and Europe, seamlessly integrating historical accuracy with stunning illustrations.
The spaces featured in this exceptional design resource range from the generously appointed homes of aristocrats and the later the functional but refined bourgeois domiciles, to the cramped quarters of the poor, working classes, and the eclectic work/live spaces of the emerging artistic forces. Thorough illustrations and captions demonstrate interior principles such as furniture and vignette arrangements, period-specific wall coverings, window treatments, and fireplace placement. Authentic Décor is an essential book for decorators and designers both historically and contemporaneously minded, for its explanation of the evolution of the interior, and the way in which homes came to stand as an extension of families, personalities, and legacies.
