Book Description
Because it provides efficient, functional, and safe environments as well as shapes people's experiences, few professions are more consequential than interior design. Yet little research has been done on the history of its professional and educational systems. This thesis will attempt to examine important issues in interior design, including the historical evolution of interior design's educational system. In examining these issues, it became apparent that significant character and curricular differences are perceived among programs of interior design. They vary with "departmental home" or the branch within which a program is housed in the university setting-architecture, art, and home economics. This study examines the motivations for this situation and elaborates on the influential historical issues contributing to these differences. The study begins with analysis of the historical development of the three branches of concern in interior design a) the history of architectural education in the United States, based on the early American apprenticeship-style education, the Ecole des Beaux-Arts tradition and Gropius's Bauhaus system; b) the development of interior design education from fine and applied arts through various types of art schools in the nineteenth century including schools of art and design for women; and c) the development of home economics education through individuals such as Catherine Beecher and others. Secondly, the thesis utilizes eight case studies of programs of interior design to support ideas in the historical study. Two programs are outlined for each of the three main branches, and an additional two programs from within the same university are also investigated. Finally, the implications of these educational issues on the profession of interior design will be considered, suggesting changes and improvements in the educational system. The findings indicate the profession could improve in terms of production, quality, status, financial strength, intellect, marketability, media exposure, and political influence. However, most importantly the goal of the thesis is to serve as a catalyst for continued research in these areas of interior design and interior design education.