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GRAND DESIGNS: TRADE SECRETS
Guide to Authentic Modernist Interiors
Interior design can be a very fickle business. Trends vanish only to re-emerge decades later and right now everyone’s loving Modernism, a look which inspired the Bath Grand Designer’s very contemporary home.
With its open plan living spaces, pared down decoration and whitewashed walls, the Modernist interior was avant garde in the extreme in the 1930s. Today it’s still packing a punch as a design statement. So what do you need to create the perfect pad? First up, wood.
When you’re after inspiration there’s nothing like checking out an original, like this home in Hampstead. Designed in 1937 by the daddy of the Modernist movement, Erno Goldfinger, it’s a design classic where wood is the main attraction. It’s used here to panel the walls and ceilings, to create platforms and to zone off distinct areas.
There is a danger you can use too much wood. So how do you get the balance right? It’s probably best to start at the bottom with flooring.
A common feature of a Modernist interior is wood block flooring. It’s a great way of creating depth and definition. And given the use of a natural material, each floor is as individual as a fingerprint. The key to success however is using the right combination of pattern and timber. Herringbone, chevrons or basket weave are generally winners. Just keep it simple and avoid the over-complicated patterns.
Wood block flooring is all about creating warmth and rhythm and to achieve this you really need to use hardwoods with a very distinct grain, like oak, walnut, cherry or even rubber wood. You can either go the bespoke route where each block is fitted individually, or nowadays parquet also comes in easy to fit tongue-and-groove. Expect to pay between £30 and £80 per square metre, though fitting costs can double that.
