The first archeological evidence we have of man made fabric is some dyed flax fibres dating back to 34,000 BCE. It’s not clear whether these were to wear or part of prehistoric man’s interior decorating scheme but what is clear is that our ancestors pretty early on were not just relying on cured animal skins to keep them warm and happy.
The ancient Eygyptians were definitely pioneers in the art of making fabric with royal workshops producing a surplus of gorgeous linens for export, as well as many privately owned textile workshops. Textiles were given to the temples to persuade the gods to look favourably on people requests and Eygyptian linen was in high demand in ancient Eygypt as well as today. It was not until after the time of Alexander the Great however that we can see examples of fabrics being used widely in interior decoration but images do survive of Ptolemy’s boat draped with throws and scattered with cushions. Ptolemy was the general in Alexander’s army who snapped up Eygypt after Alexander’s early death.
Back in Northern England interior decorating for pleasure died a bit of a death during the Dark Ages as life become a lot more about keeping warm and while the aristocracy were embroidering beautiful tapestries the rest of us were just trying to keep the doors shut, the fire burning and the wind out! This all changed in the early middle ages and by the 14th century York was booming with the wool trade and fabrics were being used by merchants to give their houses a sense of Eastern luxury.
This was all an unexpected benefit of Pope Urban’s call for Christians to take fire and the sword to the Holy land as a fair number of those who took part in the early crusades hung around and got a taste for the silks, cushions and curtains that Saracens used to make themselves comfortable. Interior decorating became the way merchants showed off their sophistication and wealth with each competing with each other for the most luxurious interiors. Some of this approach can still be seen in York in the medieval merchants houses that still survive.
England was the heart of a thriving textile industry through the 14th and 15th centuries importing and creating amazing wall and window treatments, however there was also quite a lot of fighting, particularly up here in the North so we had to wait for the 17th century before seeing interiors with upholstered chairs and window treatments as the norm. The 17th century also saw the first use of carpets on the floor as carpets had only ever been used as wall coverings before.
As the economy thrived so did interior design. Rococo was big in the 18th and 19th century and Rococo is all about more and more ostentation. Curtains became window coverings covered with trimming and tassels, new comfortable chairs and sofas were designed and cushions were used extensively. But Rococo was not the only design trend in this time as the Georgians like to simplify by using classical motifs on their curtains and curtain swags and drapes became super fashionable with a move away from velvets and back towards flax based materials. And lets not forget the Victorians with their vibrant colours, curtains and cushions – they were definitely focusing on creating a vibrant backdrop by mixing fabrics from the Empire with lamps and ornaments.
This century there has been an explosion in interior design with early twentieth century movements in modernism and art deco as well as McIntosh starting to engineer chairs for comfort. The 50s, 60s and 70s have their own distinctive style and we’ve seen a real resurgence in vintage fabrics to create the right look for our life today.
It’s no longer about survival or wresting fabrics from nature, now we can work with artisans and designers and give their creativity full reign as its totally up to you whether you want your interior style to be an eclectic mix of fabrics that use colour and texture to create a theatrical explosion of colour or a limited colour palette to achieve the subtlest of Scandi style