Barbara Barry’s Nostalgic Designs: An Open Discussion

Yesterday I was talking to a designer friend of mine about Barbara Barry’s furniture designs. She felt that Barry’s furniture made her feel sad. I wondered if those emotions weren’t more nostalgic. To me, the furniture evokes the post-World War II era, when the US had a booming economy and everyone was happy. Given our current economic situation, it makes sense that we’d be dreaming about a better time.

Perhaps that does translate as sadness. It’s the first time I’d really thought about furniture design and its associated emotions. When I look at Barry’s designs I think of Hollywood for some reason. Maybe that’s because I’ve only seen this look in movies. It went out of style, transplanted by mid-century modern, fairly quickly.

Her work also reminds me of designs from Grosfield House, a company that did a booming business during the 1940′s. I suppose that combines melancholy memories of the war with the ensuing post-war revelry.

Anyway, it got me thinking about how emotions and memories affect our attraction, or aversion to certain styles. I thought this would make a good discussion today. This post is also inspired by a wonderful book I’ve just finished called “The Architecture of Happiness“, about which I’ll be writing more later.

When you look at Barbara Barry’s particular style, do you feel any particular emotion? Does it evoke a certain era? Do other styles (Baroque, Victorian, Mid-century Modern make you feel happy, nervous or nostalgic? No three page essays required here. Just your thoughts.