‘Idioms of the twentieth century’ – new materials in Polish design and interior architecture design of the interwar period

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine and describe selected new materials in the field of design and interior architecture introduced to the general public in the interwar period in Poland. The technological and civilisational advances that took place after World War I and the transformation of consumer society led to the development of industrial production and design. New forms required new materials. Bakelite, plastics, linoleum, steel and metals or new types of glass were called the materials of the machine age, with which designers achieved innovative visual and aesthetic effects. While the history of most materials began well before the inter- war years, it was not until the 20^th century that their acquisition and large-scale use was perfected.

The paper is divided into an introduction describing the ‘leap into modernity’ that took place at the beginning of the last century; a main chapter with three subsections describing the different material groups – plastics: metals; glass and neon – which, thanks to developments in science and technology, were brought into widespread use in the design arts of the twentieth century; and a conclusion. For the purposes of this article, a research method was adopted that included an analysis of professional literature, journals dealing with topics in architecture and interior design from the 1920s and 1930s, and an archival and library search.