Rizal Technological University

RESEARCH NO.3

Interior Design
Background
Medieval means "of the Middle Ages," from the words medi-, which means "middle," and ev-,
which means "age." The Medieval period describes Europe between the fall of Rome in 476 CE
and the beginning of the Renaissance in the 14th century. It spans roughly 1,000 years, ending
between 1400 and 1450. The Medieval period was also known as the "Dark Ages" due to lack
of economic, scientific, and cultural advancement during those times. Most Europeans
experienced poverty, a famine, plague, and superstition

The Medieval architecture developed in European countries and is a fusion of each country's
architecture, such as England, France, Rome, Italy, German, and others.

3 developed architectural styles

PRE-ROMANESQUE STYLE 500 - 1000 a.d.

Pre-Romanesque architecture covers early Middle Ages, also known as the Dark
Ages, building monuments from southern and western Europe. The Germanic tribes
established, adopted Christianity, and absorbed Roman civilization during this
time. Architecture transitioned from timber to stone structures, mostly Christian
churches. The standard for the lower classes' home were simple one room
structures built with sticks, wattle, and thatched roof. Reeds or thrushes would
have covered the dirt floor. While, only the rich could afford bricks or a tiled roof.

ROMANESQUE STYLE 1000 – 1250 A.D

Romanesque style is the fusion of Roman, Carolingian and Ottonian, Byzantine,

and local Germanic traditions. The main characteristics of Romanesque
interior design are its use of bold geometric shapes like arches, curves, and
circles; its use of warm colors such as red, yellow, and blue; and its focus on
simple forms with minimal ornamentation. It has a large interior space with
furniture typically made from wood, with decorative carvings and painted or
gilded in vibrant colors.

GOTHIC STYLE 1250 – 1450 A.D.

The Gothic style originated in France and was originally called "the French Style,"
but was changed to "Gothic" because it abandoned classical lines and
proportion. For Renaissance critics, it demonstrated a lack of imagination common
among barbarian tribes such as the Goths, who destroyed Rome before it fell. It
began in England in the 12th century. It is characterized by long pointed arches,
flying exterior buttresses, stained-glass windows that were longer than before,
ribbed vaults, spires, gargoyles, and ornate decoration stone.
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 Interior Designers

HAGIA SOPHIA ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Isidorus of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles are credited with designing

the enormous Hagia Sophia church in Constantinople, which was rebuilt
after it was destroyed by fire in 532 C.E. The two architects, who had
advanced degrees in mathematics and mechanics and were working for
the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, managed the church's construction in a
matter of six years (532 - 537 C.E.)

Hagia Sophia is known for its enormous dome and for housing artifacts that were looted by Crusaders
during the Middle Ages, including the Shroud of Mary and nails from Jesus' True Cross. It features a
massive main dome supported on pendentives and two semi-domes, combining a longitudinal basilica and
a centrally located building in a distinctive Byzantine style. When it is daylight, the windows in the walls
above the galleries and the base of the dome cover the supports and give the canopy the appearance
that it is floating on air. The inside walls of the building are covered in gold mosaics, which also show
Byzantine influences along with the building's basic form. After the Turkish invasion of Constantinople in
1453, the church was converted into a mosque, minarets and a mihrab were built, and enormous disks
covered the walls of the structure with Islamic calligraphy.

COLOGNE, GERMANY COLOGN E CATHED RAL

Stonemason Gerhard of Reil is one of the pioneering designers of gothic

style during the medieval period. One of his notable works is the
renowned Cologne Cathedral, which is the largest church in the world
and the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. Gerhard drew
inspiration from cathedrals in Paris, Strasbourg, and other nations. He
has a goal to create a cathedral that would appear to be shaped like a
Latin Cross, which is typical of most Gothic churches, when viewed from
above. On August 15, 1248, Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden laid the
cornerstone for the Cologne Cathedral. However, it failed to be
completed. It took 300 years for the Cologne Cathedral to be completed
in 1880, during the reign of King Frederick William IV of Prussia. In 1842,
architects Ernst Friedrich Zwirner and Richard Voigtel assumed control of
the venture, respecting the original designs and making few changes to
them to complete the work that Gerhard of Reil had started.
 Jean de Chelles
Pierre de Montreuil
Pierre de Chelles

NOTRE-D AME DE PARIS PARIS, FRANCE

The first architect of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral is unknown. The
master masons or designers of the Notre Dame de Paris from the mid 13th
to the mid 14th centuries are named as Jean de Chelles, Pierre de
Montreuil, and Pierre de Chelles in the second building phase.

Jean de Chelles was in charge of the design and beginning of the south side's construction, which
was embellished with the Saint-Etienne portal, as well as the construction of the north transept.
Pierre de Montreuil is known as the "master of built stone." The falling ribs are supported by the
big circular pillars that he built in order to continue the architecture uninterruptedly from the ground
to the vaults. As well as changing the choir's vaults and nave, he also widened the aisles and nave.
Also, he installed stained glass in the triforium, the interior gallery that looks down onto the nave
from above the side aisles. Around 1296, Pierre de Chelles becomes involved with the chapels of
the apse. He worked to construct the ornate rood screen, which separates the chancel and nave, as
well as its sculpted embellishment at the end of the choir, from 1300 to 1318.

Notre-Dame de Paris, also known as Notre-Dame Cathedral, is the most famous of the Gothic
cathedrals of the Middle Ages. It features a grand nave, elaborate rib vaults, and towering columns
that create a sense of elevated space and height. The choir and high altar are embellished with
intricate carvings and artistic masterworks. Among Notre-Dame’s most noteworthy architectural
features are the flying buttresses, which allow for the installation of expansive stained-glass
windows. The Rose Windows, considered among the finest examples of Gothic stained-glass
craftsmanship, drench the cathedral’s interior in a mesmerizing array of colors and light.

PARIS , FRANCE BASILICA OF SAINT-D ENISS

Suger was a French abbot, historian, and statesman. He was one of the
earliest patrons of gothic architecture and credited with popularizing it.
He is renowned for his restoration work at Saint-Denis Abbey, the earliest
known example of Gothic architecture and provided a model for
ecclesiastical structures throughout the Middle Ages.

King Louis VII gave Suger the job of renovating Saint-Denis. He began
work in 1137 to restore and honor the king and God by renovating the
basilica. In order to open up the church, Suger employed gothic
construction methods like rib vaulting, high buttresses, and pointed
arches. Magnificent pieces of stained glass architecture, such as the
Tree of Jesse, were stored in openings. Suger's imaginative
implementation of his design concept for Saint-Denis resulted in a
radically novel architectural aesthetic that fused emerging Romanesque
and Norman characteristics.
 Mahogany In the early middle ages, Europe descended into a period in which only the most
essential pieces of furniture were chairs, tools, benches, and crude chests when
Card Table
the Roman Empire fell in the 4th and 5th centuries. These were the most popular
things at the time. Several centuries passed before the invading Teutonic peoples
developed furniture that resembled the Roman norm of home equipment.

Chintz Bedspread
Only a few pieces of medieval furniture from Europe have survived, and only a few of
and Hangings
these items date from before the end of the 13th century. One reason for this is the
perishable nature of wood, but more importantly, until the Renaissance, furniture
was created in relatively limited quantities. Much of the older history of furniture must
be reconstructed from current writing, illuminated manuscripts, Romanesque and
Walnut Gothic sculpture, and later inventory descriptions.
Armchair
Certain ancient furniture-making traditions, particularly turnery, impacted early
medieval craftsmen. Turnery was utilized in the production of chairs, stools, and
couches in Byzantium, and it appears that this method was known as far north as
French Dressing Scandinavia.
and Writing Table
On the other hand, in the later middle ages, throughout Europe throughout the 14th
and 15th centuries, there were significant advancements in both the construction and
design of furniture; a variety of new forms, including cupboards, boxes with
Empire Style compartments, and various types of desks, arose slowly. The majority of the
Sofa furniture was designed to be easily transportable.

However, because the furniture was so limited, it was rather common for a visitor to
carry his own bed and other requirements with him. These restrictions had a double
impact on medieval furniture, not only making it difficult for men to own more than
Baroque
the most basic types of furniture but also influencing the design of the furniture itself.
Cabinet
Folding chairs and stools, trestle tables with removable tops, and mattresses
with collapsible frameworks were common.

Horshoe Religious homes were a rare condition in that they had a level of security that the rest
Armchair of the world did not have. Most of the best furniture of this period was thus
manufactured for use in churches and monasteries, and many of the ideas and
improvements that would later contribute to European domestic comfort started in the
cloister. Early inventions for ecclesiastical use of various forms of reading and
writing furniture, such as lecterns and desks, demonstrate inventiveness in
Painted Oak construction.
Cabinet
Framed paneling was utilized in ancient times, as evidenced by Herculaneum; its
reappearance in the Burgundian Netherlands at the beginning of the 15th century was
an upgrade that quickly spread throughout Western Europe. Paneled construction
Cedar Chest solved the difficulty of creating vast surface surfaces, like the front of a chest or
closet, which had previously been limited by the size of individual planks. With the
ability to build greater surface spaces in modern times, a new range of storage
furniture, particularly cupboards and chests, was produced.

Bench Other 15th-century constructional advancements included the incorporation of

drawers into cupboards and similar storage furniture, as well as neater and more
efficient joints such as the mitre, mortise, and tenon. Paneling was frequently
embellished with a flat type of embellishment known as linenfold or parchment. Other
types of carved furniture decorating grew more popular in the 15th century, when
Oak
surfaces were carved with tracery and other Gothic themes. Many pieces of furniture,
Cupboards especially those with carved ornamentation, were painted and sometimes gilded
during the Middle Ages, a tradition that endured well into the Renaissance. Chairs,
tables, and various types of cupboards were usually wrapped in vibrant fabrics, and
cushions were provided for chairs, tables, and other seat furniture.
During the Medieval period, interior finishes and materials varied depending on the
region, social class, and the intended use of the space. Here are some common types
of interior finishes and materials used during the Medieval period:

Plaster was a common material used for interior finishes, especially in

castles and churches. It was used to create smooth surfaces on walls and
ceilings, which could then be painted or decorated with frescoes.
Frescoes is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid
("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder
pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster,
the painting becomes an integral part of the wall.

Stone was commonly used for flooring, especially in castles and

churches. It was also used for walls, especially in the lower levels of
buildings where it could provide strength and durability.

Wood was widely used for paneling, flooring, ceiling, and furniture.
Different types of wood were used depending on the social class of the
owner and the intended use of the space.

Tapestries were a popular way to decorate walls and add insulation to

rooms. They were often made of wool and featured intricate designs and
patterns.

Leather was used for upholstery, especially in the furniture of the

wealthy. It was also used for wall hangings and other decorative items.
 Metal was used for decorative features such as door handles, locks, and
hinges. It was also used for lighting fixtures, candle holders, and other
metal elements are becoming a key decorative motif for medieval
interiors.

Paint was used to decorate walls and ceilings, often with intricate
designs and patterns. Colors were limited to natural pigments such as
ochre, sienna, and charcoal.

OCHRE is a yellow or yellow-brown pigment that is made from

iron oxide. It was used in Medieval times to create warm,
earthy tones on walls and ceilings.

SIENNA is a reddish-brown pigment that is also made from

iron oxide. It was often used in combination with ochre to
create more complex colors, such as warm shades of orange
and brown.

CHARCOAL is a black pigment that is made from burnt wood

or bone. It was used to create dark, dramatic effects in
painting and drawing. In Medieval times, charcoal was often
used in combination with other pigments to create shades of
gray or black, or to create bold contrasts with lighter colors.

Thus, the durability, functionality, and decorative qualities of Medieval interior

finishes and materials distinguished them. They frequently reflected the social
status and cultural values of those who used them
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