Lithuanian interwar interiors 1918–1940 : workshop of European style

Abstract

Interior design is problematic as it is always associated with the expression of psyche and representation, and it is often designed without aligning with the external stylistics of the building. In interior spaces, we can look for the internal (or subjective) reasons for various architectural styles and discover a more diverse expression of identity than on the outside of buildings. The aim of this book is to demonstrate the diversity and origin of aesthetic concepts that existed in Lithuania during the interwar period (1918–1940), to describe the artistic (aesthetic) qualities of Lithuanian public and residential interiors that have been forgotten, and to reveal the interior trends in internal premises that prevailed in interwar Lithuania. Using the methodological tool of cultural memory, the book reviews both the public and residential interiors of interwar Lithuania (1918–1940), both professional (created by architects, painters, and decorators) and non-professionally equipped premises. For purposes of comparison, the interiors of the other countries were taken into account. The research of Lithuanian interiors reveals that the nationalities living side by side in interwar Lithuania did not avoid cultural synthesis. The theoretical formulation of the national style was maximally rational, fitting, and attractive in relation to the various aesthetic views. So, in the searches for the Lithuanian style, we can recognise the creative workshop of the European style. The interwar period was a brief but particularly significant stage in the formation of the current collective understanding of interior design. Many of the described cases are possible to visit in open public spaces or museums.