Art Nouveau (c.1892-1905)

The life of Art Nouveau was relatively brief,yet it had a strong impact on twentieth century interiors,advancing the modern design movement and creating a truly international style.The foundations of modernism had been laid by William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement,and Art Nouveau emphasized style, uniting architecture and decoration in a way that had never been attempted before. Sparse yet sensuous decoration was applied to well -proportioned , logical and functional structures.
Charles Renneie Mackintosh (1868-1928) was the main exponent of this new style,looking to Celtic art and the Scottish baronial tradition as design sources.Most noted for his Fireplace designs were inglenooks,which included built-in furniture and were well decorated in pastel colours.His stylized ornamentation was made up of abstractions of curves and ovals, appearing at the end of straight lines or squared-off edges.
Motifs ranged from stylized fruit, flowers and other plant forms to chunky columns and festoons. Highly ornate and expressive ironwork became a feature or this period; shiny paintwork and enamled surfaces were also characteristic elements.