LIVABLE MODERNISM: INTERIOR DECORATING AND DESIGN DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION
by Kristina Wilson

The school of modern design during the Great Depression that catered to the middle class lifestyle rather than the elite was dubbed “livable modernism” by author Kristina Wilson. This group of designers created furniture, accessories, and other products not only considered stylish and modern at the time, but also comfortable and livable. Wilson discusses the philosophy behind this type of interior design (efficiency and sophistication combined with physical and psychological comfort), as well as the marketing of modern design during the Depression in the growing print magazine industry.

“Designers in the livable modernist mode, and the companies who manufactured their work, justified modernist living room furniture with explicit assertions of practicality and efficiency,” Wilson writes. “However … they were also clearly motivated by the concerns and preoccupations current in the popular culture. These modernists created objects that catered to both (albeit stereotypical) masculine and feminine tastes, reflecting the new partnership of the companionate marriage. Their designs also responded to the insecurities and pressures of an economically unstable nation, creating living rooms that fostered a welcoming, inclusive social exchange and provided substantial physical comfort to the weary bodies of the modern age.” Livable Modernism gives its readers a detailed description on how furniture offers a glimpse into the history and future of industrial design, as well as a glimpse into the society, economy, and lifestyle of the Depression and post-Depression eras.
$45, hardcover, 154 pages, Yale University Press