99 Fun Facts About Interior Design

What term in color theory describes the lightness or darkness of a color?

Value refers to how light or dark a color appears, often described as shades (adding black) or tints (adding white).

Which design style, popularised by Eames and Saarinen, favoured clean lines and organic shapes?

Mid-Century Modern design emphasized simplicity, natural forms, and often incorporated new materials and technologies, becoming popular in the mid-20th century.

Which wood is prized in high-end furniture for its durability and distinctive dark grain?

Black walnut heartwood is prized for its dark color and straight grain, and has historically gone into gun stocks, flooring, paddles and coffins as well as fine furniture.

Which layer of a lighting plan provides the overall background illumination for a room?

Ambient light is the base layer of a lighting plan, usually supplied by ceiling fixtures such as flush mounts, recessed cans or a chandelier, with task and accent light added on top.

Which furniture piece, with a back and armrests, seats more than one person?

The word sofa comes to English via Turkish from the Arabic 'suffah', meaning a ledge or bench; 'couch' is the everyday term in North America while 'sofa' and 'settee' dominate in Britain.

Which interior design principle concerns the size of objects relative to each other and the space?

Scale in interior design concerns the size of an object in relation to other objects in the room, the room itself, and the human body.

Which 'organic architecture' pioneer designed the Fallingwater house?

Wright called his philosophy of designing in harmony with people and environment 'organic architecture'; at Fallingwater he designed most of the built-in furniture himself.

Which natural fibre, harvested from a plant's seed bolls, is widely used in bedding?

Cotton fibre grows around the seeds of the cotton plant inside bolls; it is soft, breathable and easily dyed, making it the most common natural fibre in sheets and upholstery.

Which 1920s-30s decorative style features geometric patterns, streamlined forms and materials like chrome and glass?

Art Deco, an influential style of the 1920s and 30s, embraced modernity with its opulent and geometric aesthetic, often seen in architecture, furniture, and fashion.

What unit describes the color temperature of light, whether it appears warm or cool?

Color temperature, measured in Kelvin (K), describes the warmth or coolness of a light source, with lower Kelvin values indicating warmer light and higher values indicating cooler light.

Which durable, water-resistant flooring, sold in sheets or planks, is often used in kitchens and bathrooms?

Vinyl does not let water through, which is what makes sheet vinyl suitable for kitchens and bathrooms.

In design, which element is defined as the path of a moving point, or the connection between two points?

Lines can be actual or implied, and their direction matters: horizontals read as calm, verticals as formal, and diagonals as dynamic.

Which furniture style stresses simplicity, clean lines, neutral colours and little ornamentation?

Minimalist furniture keeps to essential forms and functions; the style took off in late-1980s London and New York boutiques, with white elements, cold lighting and large, sparsely furnished spaces.

What design principle repurposes discarded items into new products of higher value?

Upcycling transforms waste materials or unwanted products into new items with increased quality or environmental value, contributing to sustainable design.

What window treatment has adjustable slats that tilt to control light and privacy?

Blinds are a versatile window treatment with slats that can be rotated to manage incoming light and maintain privacy.

Which black-and-white check pattern was found on Bronze Age textiles in an Austrian salt mine?

The pattern alternates solid checks with diagonally striped ones, and is also called dogstooth; the oldest surviving examples came from the Hallstatt salt mine and date to 1500-1200 BC.

Which interior design era is known for ornate heavy furniture, dark wood and rich, often somber colours?

Victorian interior design, prevalent during Queen Victoria's reign, was characterized by elaborate ornamentation, dark colors, and a maximalist approach to decor.

Which pioneering interior designer won fame for the 1905 interiors of New York's Colony Club?

De Wolfe rejected the heavy Victorian look she grew up with in favor of light, fresh colors and delicate chinoiserie, setting the template for the professional decorator.

What kitchen concept arranges fridge, sink and stove to minimize movement?

The concept grew out of 1940s efficiency studies; Lillian Gilbreth's 'circular routing' for L-shaped kitchens is what later became known as the work triangle.

Whose 1856 book The Grammar of Ornament set out 37 principles of interior design and decoration?

Owen Jones, one of the most influential design theorists of the 19th century, helped bring interior design theory to the middle classes with his lavishly illustrated book.

Which paint finish has the highest sheen and is generally the most durable for high-traffic areas?

Gloss paint finishes are highly reflective and durable, making them ideal for surfaces that require frequent cleaning and protection, such as doors, trim, and cabinets.

Which designer created the 'Barcelona Chair' and advocated 'less is more'?

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, a pioneer of modernist architecture and design, is renowned for his minimalist aesthetic and iconic furniture pieces like the Barcelona Chair.

What natural flooring material is known for durability and a cool-to-the-touch surface?

Stone flooring, such as marble, granite, or slate, is highly durable and brings a natural, cool aesthetic to interiors.

Which design style features exposed brick, visible ductwork and a raw, unfinished look?

Industrial style borrows the raw look of factories and warehouses: weathered wood, exposed brick, visible building systems, industrial light fixtures and concrete.

What colour scheme uses two colours directly opposite each other on the colour wheel?

A complementary scheme pairs two colours from opposite sides of the wheel, such as blue and orange, which combine to form grey and create strong visual contrast.

What term describes a home layout that removes the walls between the kitchen, dining and living areas?

An open concept (open plan) layout drops the walls between kitchen, dining and living space; it took off in American homes in the 1970s, though critics note it leaves kitchen clutter in view.

In interior design, what element refers to the perceived smoothness, roughness, or hardness of a surface?

Texture refers to the tactile quality of a surface, which can be real (how it feels) or visual (how it appears to feel), influencing the sensory experience of a space.

Which furniture material is an iron alloy whose chromium content makes it resistant to rust?

Stainless steel is also known as inox, from the French 'inoxydable' (non-oxidizable), and its luster and corrosion resistance make it a staple of modern and outdoor furniture.

What decorative trim is installed where an interior wall meets the ceiling?

Crown molding is set at an angle across the wall-ceiling joint, leaving a hidden triangular void behind it; wainscoting and chair rails sit lower on the wall.

Which design style of light colours, natural materials and cosiness is associated with 'hygge'?

Scandinavian design married Bauhaus-influenced functionalism to light woods and pale colours; Danish hygge, the culture of cosiness, is its lifestyle counterpart, and Arne Jacobsen's 1958 Egg chair is a landmark piece.

Which category of light is mainly decorative, highlighting a picture, plant or feature?

Accent lighting is mainly decorative, meant to draw the eye to a picture, a plant or a feature and create a focal point, while ambient and task lighting do the everyday work.

What wall covering comes in rolls, is applied with adhesive and offers patterns beyond paint?

Wallpaper is a decorative material applied to walls using adhesive, available in countless patterns, textures, and colors to enhance a room's aesthetic.

Which novelist co-wrote the 1897 manual The Decoration of Houses with architect Ogden Codman?

The book's success helped create the profession of the interior decorator; Wharton went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for The Age of Innocence in 1921.

What textile printing method applies wax resist to fabric before dyeing?

Batik is an ancient art form and textile dyeing technique that uses wax as a resist to create patterns on fabric, often characterized by its distinctive cracked appearance.

Which freestanding piece with open horizontal shelves holds a home library and display pieces?

A bookshelf (or bookcase) is a piece of furniture with horizontal shelves, designed to store and display books, as well as other decorative objects.

Which design style mixes elements from different periods, cultures and styles into a personalised look?

Eclectic design embraces a diverse mix of styles, textures, and periods, allowing for a highly personalized and visually rich interior.

What window treatment consists of soft fabric panels hanging from a rod or track, often pleated?

Curtains are fabric panels hung from a rod or track, often with pleated headings; unlike Roman shades, which fold up in horizontal bands, they draw sideways to open and close.

Which Japanese aesthetic prizes imperfection, asymmetry and the patina of age in interiors?

Wabi-sabi, rooted in Zen Buddhism and the tea ceremony, finds beauty in the imperfect, impermanent and incomplete; in interiors it favours handmade ceramics, raw wood and weathered finishes over polished perfection.

In design, what term refers to arranging elements so visual weight is equally distributed, formally or informally?

Balance is a fundamental principle of design that refers to the distribution of visual weight in a composition, ensuring stability and equilibrium, whether symmetrically or asymmetrically.

Which trailing houseplant is nicknamed devil's ivy because it is so hard to kill?

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum) earned the nickname devil's ivy because it survives low light and neglect; its heart-shaped, often gold-variegated leaves trail from shelves and hanging baskets.

Which design style of around 1900 features curved lines, organic forms and natural motifs?

Art Nouveau, an international style, embraced natural forms, flowing lines, and intricate ornamentation, influencing architecture, furniture, and decorative arts around the turn of the 20th century.

What are the translucent paper-and-wood sliding panels that partition traditional Japanese rooms called?

Shoji are sliding panels of translucent washi paper on a wooden lattice; they filter daylight into traditional Japanese rooms, while the opaque fusuma panels divide interior space.

Which engineered-stone countertop material is durable, non-porous and comes in many colors?

Quartz countertops are engineered from natural quartz crystals and resins, offering exceptional durability, stain resistance, and a wide array of aesthetic options.

What is light called when it is bounced off the ceiling or walls to give a soft, glare-free glow?

Indirect lighting illuminates a space by reflecting light off surfaces like ceilings or walls, creating a soft, ambient glow that minimizes shadows and glare.

What is the small piece of furniture placed beside a sofa or armchair to hold a lamp or a drink called?

An end table, also often called a side table, is a compact piece of furniture placed at the end of a sofa or next to an armchair to hold items like lamps, drinks, or books.

Which design movement, founded in 1917, used only primary colours and geometric forms?

De Stijl, a Dutch art movement, advocated for pure abstraction and universality by reducing art to basic elements like geometric forms and primary colors.

What fitted floor covering runs edge to edge across a room's entire floor?

Wall-to-wall carpet covers the entire floor of a room, providing warmth, sound absorption, and a unified aesthetic.

In design, what element refers to an object's three-dimensional outline or shape in space?

Form in design refers to the three-dimensional aspect of an object, encompassing its shape, volume, and depth.

Which ornate, dramatic period of art and architecture is exemplified by Louis XIV's Palace of Versailles?

Baroque, spanning the 17th and early 18th centuries, reached its royal peak in the expansion of Versailles, begun in 1661 by Le Vau with decoration by the painter Charles Le Brun.

What woven plant-fiber material is commonly used for lightweight outdoor or conservatory furniture?

Wicker refers to a technique of weaving natural or synthetic fibers to create furniture, often associated with lightweight, durable pieces for outdoor or casual indoor settings.

Eileen Gray's modernist villa E-1027 stands on the coast of which country?

E-1027 stands at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the French Riviera, in France; Le Corbusier, a frequent guest, painted murals on its walls in 1938-39 without Gray's consent.

What veneer covered the plywood shells of the original Eames Lounge Chair from 1956?

The original 1956 Eames Lounge Chair used Brazilian rosewood veneer over moulded plywood; the species was dropped in the early 1990s as it became endangered, replaced by walnut, cherry and santos palisander.

Marcel Breuer's tubular-steel Wassily chair was inspired by the frame of what?

Breuer took the idea from the bent tubular-steel frame of his Adler bicycle; he designed the chair in 1925-26 while heading the Bauhaus cabinet-making workshop in Dessau.

Eero Saarinen said his single-stem Tulip chair was meant to clear up the 'slum of' what?

Saarinen wanted to 'clear up the slum of legs' under chairs and tables; he hoped the 1955-56 Tulip chair could be one piece of fibreglass, but the stem had to be cast aluminium, finished to match.

Verner Panton's S-shaped 1960s chair was the first chair moulded in one piece of what?

The Panton Chair was the first chair moulded from a single piece of plastic; Panton said a neat stack of plastic buckets inspired its cantilevered, legless form, and Vitra began serial production in 1968.

William Morris: own nothing you don't know to be useful or believe to be what?

Morris's 1880 lecture 'The Beauty of Life' gave the rule: have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.

Thomas Chippendale's 1754 pattern book was The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's what?

The Gentleman and Cabinet-Maker's Director (1754) catalogued Chippendale's rococo, Chinese and Gothic designs in engraved plates; Catherine the Great and Louis XVI both owned the French edition.

Who designed the 1917 Red and Blue Chair, later placed in the Schröder House in Utrecht?

Gerrit Rietveld built the chair in 1917 from plain wood and painted it red, blue, yellow and black around 1923; a version stands in his 1924 Schröder House in Utrecht.

Which US furniture maker introduced the glass-topped Noguchi table in 1947?

Herman Miller introduced the Noguchi table in 1947; its base is two identical curved wood pieces under a plate-glass top originally issued seven-eighths of an inch thick.

Hans Wegner's Round Chair was chosen as seating for which televised event in 1960?

Wegner's 1949 Round Chair, nicknamed 'The Chair', seated Nixon and Kennedy in their first televised debate in 1960 after US magazine Interiors had called it the world's most beautiful chair.

Decorator Syrie Maugham popularised 1920s-30s rooms done entirely in which colour?

Syrie Maugham unveiled her all-white drawing room at her King's Road, Chelsea house in 1927, with white walls, white upholstery and bleached furniture, making the white-on-white scheme a 1930s craze.

Which first lady hired the society decorator Sister Parish to help redecorate the White House's private quarters?

Jacqueline Kennedy and Parish spent the entire $50,000 redecoration budget on the private quarters in the first two weeks; Frenchman Stéphane Boudin soon took over much of the job.

The Milan-based Memphis design group took its name from a song by which musician?

The group's founders played Bob Dylan's 'Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again' on repeat at their first meeting in December 1980, and Ettore Sottsass took the name from it.

In which German city was the Bauhaus school founded in 1919?

Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus in Weimar in 1919; it moved to Dessau in 1925 and Berlin in 1932, and closed in 1933 under Nazi pressure.

William Morris's Red House in Bexleyheath was co-designed in 1859 by which architect?

Philip Webb designed Red House with Morris in 1859; Morris called it 'very medieval in spirit' and Burne-Jones painted murals inside, but Morris sold it in 1865 after only five years.

Ladder-back chairs of which US religious community inspired a generation of postwar Danish designers?

The Shakers' ladder-back chairs deeply influenced postwar Danish design; by the 1860s the New Lebanon community's core business was making them.

The architect of the 1926 Frankfurt Kitchen, the first fitted kitchen, came from where?

Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, a Vienna-born Austrian architect, designed the Frankfurt Kitchen in 1926 for Ernst May's New Frankfurt housing estates, where some 10,000 were installed.

Which IKEA designer, the company's fourth employee, created the Billy bookcase in 1979?

Gillis Lundgren, hired by Ingvar Kamprad as IKEA's fourth employee, sketched the Billy bookcase in 1979 and is credited with IKEA's flat-pack idea after sawing the legs off a table to fit it into a car.

William Murphy reputedly invented his fold-away bed to court a singer in which city?

Murphy lived in a one-room San Francisco apartment around 1900 and, so the story goes, built a bed that folded into a closet so he could entertain an opera singer; he applied for his first patents around 1900.

Terrazzo, stone chips set in a binder, descends from a pavement style of which city?

Terrazzo descends from the Venetian pavement (pavimento alla veneziana) of Renaissance Venice, where marble workers set leftover chips in a binder and ground them smooth; the style spread worldwide in the 20th century.

Tatami mats are traditionally covered with a weave of which plant?

The tatami cover is woven soft rush (igusa, Juncus effusus) over a core of sewn rice straw; Japanese room sizes are counted in mats, with a half mat called a hanjō.

Glazed floral chintz fabric takes its name from a word in which language?

Chintz comes from the Hindi chīnt, meaning spotted or variegated; the Indian calico was so popular that France banned imports in 1686 and Britain's Parliament outlawed its use on beds and chairs in 1720.

The pastoral-scene fabric toile de Jouy is named for a town just outside which city?

Toile de Jouy is named for Jouy-en-Josas, southwest of Paris, where Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf opened his printing factory in 1760; the classic design repeats a pastoral scene in one colour on an off-white ground.

Linoleum takes its name from Latin words for oil and which plant?

Linoleum comes from Latin linum (flax) and oleum (oil), for the linseed oil pressed from flax seed; Englishman Frederick Walton got the idea in 1855 from the rubbery skin of solidified linseed oil on a paint can.

Which Tiffany Studios designer was revealed in 2007 as the maker of many 'Tiffany' lamps?

Clara Driscoll headed Tiffany's Women's Glass Cutting Department and designed the Dragonfly and Wisteria lamps; her letters, found in 2005, led Rutgers professor Martin Eidelberg to credit her in a 2007 exhibition.

Edward Craven Walker invented the lava lamp in 1963 after seeing a bubbling homemade what?

Craven Walker saw a homemade egg timer, a cocktail shaker of bubbling liquids, in a pub and developed it into the Astro lamp of 1963; his firm Crestworth became Mathmos in 1992.

The 1912 Westinghouse laminate got its trade name as a substitute 'for' which mineral?

Formica was invented at Westinghouse in 1912 as an electrical insulator to replace mica, hence 'for mica'; Daniel O'Conor and Herbert Faber left to found the Formica company in 1913, and the wipe-clean kitchen laminate came later.

Which president refused to move into the White House until Louis C. Tiffany had redone it?

Chester A. Arthur had 24 wagonloads of old furnishings auctioned and hired Louis C. Tiffany in 1882; Tiffany's opalescent glass screen and other Victorian additions were removed in the 1902 Roosevelt renovation.

Chip and Joanna Gaines's HGTV show Fixer Upper was set in which Texas city?

Fixer Upper (2013-18) renovated homes around Waco, Texas, and turned the couple's Magnolia Market at the Silos into a Waco tourist draw.

Which glamorous 1930s style of lacquer, chrome and mirror was pioneered by decorator Billy Haines?

Hollywood Regency is typified by the homes actor-turned-decorator Billy Haines created for stars such as Joan Crawford in the 1930s: lacquered surfaces, mirrored walls, chrome and bold black-and-white contrast.

Who founded the 1943 'Planning Unit' that brought modernism to American office interiors?

Florence Schust, practically adopted as a teenager by Eliel and Loja Saarinen, set up the Knoll Planning Unit in 1943; she married Hans Knoll in 1946 and became Florence Knoll.

Le Corbusier's LC4 chaise longue of 1927-28 was a collaboration with which woman designer?

Charlotte Perriand joined Le Corbusier's studio in October 1927 and co-designed the LC4 with him and Pierre Jeanneret; its original covering was pony hide, and the Grand Confort club chairs followed in 1928.

Alvar Aalto's bent-plywood Paimio chair was designed for patients with which disease?

The Paimio chair (1931-32) was designed for the Paimio tuberculosis sanatorium; its angled bent-plywood seat was meant to ease breathing for patients, and the Aaltos founded Artek in 1935 to sell their furniture.

The S-curved cabriole leg comes from a French verb for leaping like which animal?

Cabriole comes from the French cabrioler, to caper or leap like a goat (Latin capra); the leg defined Queen Anne and Chippendale furniture in England, typically ending in a pad foot or ball-and-claw.

Parquet de Versailles replaced which floor in 1684 because washing it rotted the joists?

At Versailles in 1684, parquet replaced marble floors that had to be washed constantly, rotting the joists beneath; the diagonal-squares pattern became known as parquet de Versailles.

The first mass-produced furniture, Thonet's 1859 No. 14 chair, is made of wood shaped how?

Thonet's No. 14 is made of solid beech steam-bent into curves; Gebrüder Thonet sold 50 million between 1859 and 1930, each from six pieces of wood, ten screws and two nuts.

Gustav Stickley promoted his furniture and house plans through which magazine, launched in 1901?

Stickley launched The Craftsman in October 1901, publishing Arts and Crafts essays and house plans until 1916; his fumed-oak furniture was popularly called Mission style, a label he disliked as misleading.

Which Glasgow architect designed Helensburgh's Hill House for publisher Walter Blackie?

Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed Hill House (1902-04) for publisher Walter Blackie, settling the interior arrangements with the family before submitting a single elevation drawing; his wife Margaret Macdonald contributed its textiles and panels.

Adolf Loos's 1910 lecture attacking decoration was titled 'Ornament and' what?

Loos's 'Ornament and Crime' (Ornament und Verbrechen), first delivered as a lecture in 1910, argued that decoration wasted labour; his stripped-down Looshaus of 1910-12 faces the Habsburgs' Hofburg Palace in Vienna.

Terence Conran is credited with bringing which bedding to Britain via Habitat in 1964?

Conran had seen duvets in Sweden and sold them at Habitat from 1964; Britons called them continental quilts, and Australians know them as doonas, a generic trademark from the Danish dyne.

The painted illusion known as trompe-l'œil translates from French as what?

Trompe-l'œil is French for 'deceive the eye'; the classic tale has Zeuxis painting grapes so real that birds pecked at them, only to be beaten by Parrhasius's painted curtain, which fooled Zeuxis himself.

Pre-1970s popcorn ceilings fell out of favour because they often contained what?

Popcorn ceilings sprayed before the late-1970s US ban often contained asbestos; existing stocks were exempt, so ceilings applied into the 1980s can also contain it, and later mixes used paper or Styrofoam instead.

1960s-70s shag carpets drew on Scandinavian rya rugs and which fluffy Greek rugs?

Flokati are thick, fluffy wool rugs from the Greek mountains, traditionally washed in waterfalls to fluff the pile; with Scandinavian rya, they inspired the 1960s-70s shag boom in new synthetics like nylon and acrylic.

What distinguishes a kilim rug from a typical pile carpet?

A kilim is flat-woven, with no knotted pile: the coloured wefts themselves form the pattern. Most are slit-woven, leaving a tiny slit where two colours meet along a vertical line, which sharpens the geometry.

Isamu Noguchi designed his Akari paper lamps in 1951 for lantern makers of which Japanese city?

Gifu's mayor asked Noguchi in 1951 to modernise the city's traditional chōchin lanterns, which electricity was making obsolete; the Akari (meaning 'light') were produced there by Ozeki & Co. from mulberry-bark paper and bamboo ribs.

The 1994 Aeron office chair broke with tradition by replacing upholstery with what?

The Aeron replaced foam upholstery with a breathable fabric mesh, the 'pellicle', that spreads the sitter's weight; designers Bill Stumpf and Don Chadwick took the idea from their Sarah chair, meant to prevent bedsores.

The term wainscot originally referred to high-quality riven boards of which wood?

Wainscot (from Middle Dutch wagenschot) first meant fine riven oak boards imported from the Baltic; slow-grown forest oak was knot-free and stable, so Dutch and British joiners preferred it to home-grown timber for panelling.

Which London institution bought the 1539-40 Ardabil Carpet on William Morris's advice?

The Victoria and Albert Museum (then the South Kensington Museum) bought the Ardabil Carpet in 1893 for £2,000 after Morris, its art referee, called it 'of singular perfection'; a second, cannibalised carpet is in Los Angeles.

Which American decorator was nicknamed the 'Prince of Chintz'?

Mario Buatta earned the nickname 'Prince of Chintz' for his flowered English-country-house rooms; his clients included Mariah Carey and Henry Kissinger, and he helped redecorate Blair House, the presidential guest house, in the 1980s.