Architecture
Modern Architecture
Modern or Contemporary Architecture? The Interiors Edition
See how one expert distinguishes between two popular camps of interior architecture. Do you agree with his choices?
A while ago I took a crack at defining the differences between modern and contemporary architecture by looking at the exteriors of 10 homes. In my view modern architecture is rooted in the early- and mid-20th-century architecture that broke with traditional architecture by "embodying the ideals of the machine age: an absence of ornament, structures of steel or concrete, large expanses of glass, a whitewash (usually stucco over brick) or another minimal exterior expression, and open floor plans," as I wrote in that ideabook. To me contemporary architecture is what is being produced now, but that which does not follow a particular stylistic strain — even the strain of modernism. Therefore contemporary is pluralistic but generally forward-looking.
But how does that distinction hold with interiors? And how does one make a distinction between modern and contemporary when the stylistic cues of exterior form aren't present? This ideabook will tackle those questions in terms of interior architecture rather than interior design. This means I'll focus on the spaces, surfaces and assemblies that are integral to the interiors, instead of the furnishings, colors and other elements that are added by designers or homeowners. This take is based on my experience as an architect but also the fact that a house's interior design can work with or against the architecture, depending on the client's wishes, therefore complicating matters.
One thing you may notice is that my categorization of each space is sometimes at odds with the architect's. This points to the subjectivity of these definitions and the fact that some photos may reveal contemporary traits while the overall project is modern, and vice versa. Any mismatch between my definition and the architect's also makes it clear that some discussion on the topic is needed; at the very least, this ideabook is a start.
But how does that distinction hold with interiors? And how does one make a distinction between modern and contemporary when the stylistic cues of exterior form aren't present? This ideabook will tackle those questions in terms of interior architecture rather than interior design. This means I'll focus on the spaces, surfaces and assemblies that are integral to the interiors, instead of the furnishings, colors and other elements that are added by designers or homeowners. This take is based on my experience as an architect but also the fact that a house's interior design can work with or against the architecture, depending on the client's wishes, therefore complicating matters.
One thing you may notice is that my categorization of each space is sometimes at odds with the architect's. This points to the subjectivity of these definitions and the fact that some photos may reveal contemporary traits while the overall project is modern, and vice versa. Any mismatch between my definition and the architect's also makes it clear that some discussion on the topic is needed; at the very least, this ideabook is a start.
Modern. One outcome of modernism is the glass box, which is used today in office buildings, apartment buildings and even houses. Certainly the full-height glazing for this house makes it fit the modern bill, but one detail made me a tad doubtful: the wood columns are quite different than the steel predominantly used with glass-box houses. Nevertheless, the wood is exposed structure, just like in modern houses by Mies van der Rohe and others with exposed steel, so I'm keeping it in the modern category.
Contemporary. Here is a house that also has full-height glazing and some wood structure (beams, joist and decking), but I define it as contemporary because of the hybrid nature of the structure and the concrete hearth. (The firebox is on the other side, facing the living room.) If structure is exposed in a modernist house, it has a clarity and order to it, but the white steel beams below the wood joists are a disjunction that points to a different way of thinking. This departure from order is also found in the way the concrete hearth punctures the ceiling; its form does not follow the structure, so the wood joists have some unusual intersections to accommodate it.
Modern. By comparison, the order in the steel structure of this house is clear. The steel columns and beams are accompanied by steel joists and decking at the roof, where the skylights also fit between the structure's regular grid.
Modern. Here is one more look at how structure helps determine if a house is modern or contemporary. I'd call this project modern, considering the way the steel structure and wood beams of the skylight work together on a regular grid, something that extends to the exterior glass walls.
Modern. But distinctions between modern and contemporary are not just about structure. Surface and solid versus void are also very important. This living room has a simple-looking yet hard-to-build detail at the baseboard, such that a small reveal distinguishes the wall and base, which are both on the same plane. This minimalism extends to the rest of the space: the ceiling, the flooring, the windows.
Contemporary. A similarly simple but complex baseboard detail is found in this house (the wall extends out farther than the baseboard), but the angled and overlapping ceiling planes are much too playful to be modern, the way I consider the term. Their surfaces may be flat and white, but the overall effect is sculptural; the ceiling seems to give way from the insertion of the round column and rectangular skylight.
Contemporary. Simple surfaces are again found in this kitchen area, but the swoop of the ceiling is a contemporary flourish that overrides the modern finishes. I'm also intrigued by the island, which is sculptural in an angular way, and the way the table extension is propped upon a steel "column," a piece unlike anything else in the space.
Modern. This kitchen, on the other hand, is superslick and designed in a way in which each piece is dependent upon the rest. To put it another way, there is an order to it all — the way the uppers sit between columns, where the peninsulas are located; the way the opening in the wood wall on the right aligns with the window opposite; and the way the handleless cabinets fit perfectly with their locations (peninsula, uppers and notch).
Contemporary. I'm opting for contemporary here because of two details: the wine storage and, to a lesser degree, the glass inset flooring in front of it. The glass-walled wine storage aligns with the wood cabinets, but it is so much unlike the rest of the kitchen that it is clearly a contemporary touch.
Contemporary. What looks like a glass floor can also be found in this apartment in Hong Kong. Minimalist finishes are found throughout, but the variation in surfaces (illuminated floor, red glow in portal, lots of shiny materials) makes it contemporary, although sometimes that's a bit confusing in the photos.
Modern. The last two projects show how modern and contemporary can overlap in a single project. The minimalist surfaces and pitched ceiling of this living room exude a midcentury modern vibe, certainly aided by the Nelsoni bench by the fireplace.
Contemporary. But move to the kitchen in the same house, and the light fixture confuses a modern reading. (I see this as built in, or at least designed specifically for the space, not as a furnishing.) This fixture certainly departs from the simple finishes of the rest of the house, pointing to this space being contemporary.
Modern. This condo renovation is very modern in its raw ceiling and its flooring finish; these are about the only things happening besides some built-in millwork. The emphasis is clearly on the view through the full-height glazing.
Contemporary. Elsewhere in the unit, something different happens. A curved soffit defines a study space that can be separated from the adjacent space by curtains. Buildings by modern architects like Le Corbusier and Richard Meier have the occasional piano curve, but this one adds a playful touch that intentionally departs from the modern simplicity found near the exterior wall.
These last two examples reinforce that the distinction between modern and contemporary often comes down to order. Modernism uses the grid to locate and align things, but contemporary buildings depart from it to be more playful and freer with expression.
Tell us: How do you define modern versus contemporary interiors? Or should we bother with those distinctions at all?
More: 10 Must-Know Modern Homes
These last two examples reinforce that the distinction between modern and contemporary often comes down to order. Modernism uses the grid to locate and align things, but contemporary buildings depart from it to be more playful and freer with expression.
Tell us: How do you define modern versus contemporary interiors? Or should we bother with those distinctions at all?
More: 10 Must-Know Modern Homes