Research On The Path Of Modernity In 1930's Shanghai Domestic Decoration Design

The 1930 s was the time when modern civilization rapidly began to appear in Shanghai families.Thus,analyzing the domestic interior history in this period is helpful to understand the material culture and living conditions of the society.This article,which started from paper media,focuses on exploring the modernization pathway of Shanghai domestic interiors.First,it paid attention to mass media,which reported Shanghai domestic interior contents,while trying to figure out how they disseminated and expressed modern domestic interior based on the classification of relevant historical documents.Secondly,it explored the basic concept and mode of modernity in domestic design through analyzing images and texts.Thirdly,based on specific case studies at multiple levels,the article summarized design practices and their promotion methods.Then,it tried to find out the underlying technical and material factors that supported modern domestic interior.Finally,it discussed the historical significance of modernity on Shanghai's domestic interior.The research found that the modernity of Shanghai domestic decoration design depended on media construction,concept guidance,life practice,technology and material guarantee through the excavation and analysis of historical documents.First,Shanghai paper media affected people's understanding of modernity in domestic design.Because on the one hand,Shanghai paper media frequently paid attention to the fashionable design by reprinting European,American,and local trendy domestic interior images,forming case references for Shanghai families.On the other hand,Shanghai paper media published many texts supporting home decoration concepts and knowledge.Second,people generally admired the domestic design concept and mode suitable for modern life.People regarded family evolution as the cornerstone of national development and advocated the new ideas of "artistic","simple",and "economic" life on this basis,as well as the aesthetic view of home decoration,which changed from "complicated beauty" to "simple beauty".As for the expression mode,people thought that the renovation of decorative style,the improvement of space function,and the upgrade of the physical environment are the concrete appearance of modernity on domestic design.To this end,Shanghai newspapers and periodicals spread support to realize the modernity of domestic decoration design.Third,modernity realized in Shanghai's domestic interiors depended on multidimensional design practices and promotion.This article conducted many specific case studies from three perspectives: the elite class as consumers,home decoration exhibitions that connected design and consumption,and design practitioners who worked on the domestic plan.The study found that Shanghai urban elite families presented a leading decorative fashion;home decoration exhibitions guided the decoration trend with "model home";Chinese and Western designers and amateur practitioners showed multiple design approaches based on their backgrounds.Fourthly,the article discussed the technology and material factors guaranteed to realize the modernity of domestic decoration design.The residential buildings of the new lane houses,city apartments,and garden houses provided a foundation for the functional family space arrangements.Diversified housewares guaranteed the beautification of domestic decoration:modern furniture marked by Chrome technology,soft furnishings characterized with simple patterns,and household appliances featured with streamlined products.The interior building materials and bathroom sets assisted modern domestic design with necessary conditions.The occurrence of modernity in Shanghai domestic design had considerable historical significance.On the one hand,the systematic elements with multidimensional practice and promotion as the core jointly promoted the realization of the modernity of Shanghai domestic decoration design.On the other hand,with the perspective of historical comparison,the article pointed out that it promoted the modernity of “Shanghai Design” from rationalization,wholeness,and reasonableness.Also,it enriched the connotation of Shanghai-style aesthetics through a new lifestyle,new interior order,and new interior forms.