This course develops an understanding of the historical development of interiors through selected examples from prehistory to the eighteenth century. Students examine relationships between spatial organization, everyday life, culture, materials, furniture and ornament. Beyond identifying styles, they learn to interpret and compare historical interiors using visual and written evidence and to develop a design perspective sensitive to cultural heritage.
Domestic, public, religious and ceremonial interiors are studied through examples from prehistoric Anatolia and Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Aegean and Greece, Rome, Byzantium, Islamic cultures, Romanesque and Gothic traditions, Seljuk and Ottoman contexts, the Renaissance, selected Chinese and Japanese traditions, Baroque and Rococo. Plans, sections, circulation, thresholds, scale, light, materials, furniture, ornament and inside–outside relationships are connected to use, privacy, power, ritual, climate and technology. This is a selective, comparative survey rather than an exhaustive history of all cultures. The modern period is not a separate topic in this course.
- Teacher: Buket ŞENOĞLU