Taste

Democratic in intention and approach, the book willargue that the home interior, as independently created by the ‘amateur’householder, offers a continuous informal critique of shifting architecturalstyles (most notably with the advent of Modernism) and the design mainstream. Indeed,it will suggest that the popular increasingly exerts an influence on theprofessional. Underpinned by academic rigour, but not in thrall toit, above all this book is an engaging attempt to identify the cultural driversof aesthetic change in the home, extrapolating the wider influence of ‘taste’to a broad audience – both professional and ‘trade’. In so doing, it will exploreenthralling territory – money, class, power and influence.Illustrated with contemporary drawings and cartoons as well as photos, thebook is not only an absorbing read, but an enticing and attractive objectin itself.