Taste A cultural history of the home interior

Democratic in intention and approach, the book will argue that the home interior, as independently created by the ‘amateur’ householder, offers a continuous informal critique of shifting architectural styles (most notably with the advent of Modernism) and the design mainstream. Indeed, it will suggest that the popular increasingly exerts an influence on the professional. Underpinned by academic rigour, but not in thrall to it, above all this book is an engaging attempt to identify the cultural drivers of aesthetic change in the home, extrapolating the wider influence of ‘taste’ to a broad audience – both professional and ‘trade’. In so doing, it will explore enthralling territory – money, class, power and influence. Illustrated with contemporary drawings and cartoons as well as photos, the book will not only be an absorbing read, but an enticing and attractive object in itself.

1. New Money, Old Ideas 2. Disapproving Dilletantes 3. New Century, New Style 4. The People Decorate 5. Post War Populism 6. 1951 And All That 7. The Empire Strikes Back 8. Carrying On Regardless 9. Back To The Future 10. Having It And Having It More Abundantly

Drew Plunkett qualified as an architect in 1970 and graduated from the Royal College of Art in Environmental Design in 1981 at a time when interior design offered a particularly exciting testing ground for new ideas. He went on to teach the subject in Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow. Throughout his academic career he has been a close observer of the emergence of a distinctive interior design profession while continuing to practice, principally as a designer of restaurants and exhibitions.