Louis Comfort Tiffany: Creator of Art in Design

Louis Comfort Tiffany’s eclectic sense of design incorporated the styles of the Arts and Crafts, Aesthetic, and Art Nouveau movements (Johnson 8). He had an eye for ornamentation in which he transformed every piece in a room into a humanly functional work of art (Johnson 27). Light and color were strong for forces in the design of his spaces to create a sense of exoticism and romance (Johnson 33). Though his designs were lavish, he strived to make his spaces livable and enjoyable by the user, not just museum-like rooms that marveled wealth or status (Johnson 28). He grew inspiration from the artistic values of other cultures giving him a fascinating image of design where he sought to create harmony by integrating these principles with aspects of nature in order to make striking yet livable interiors. As a designer, Tiffany wanted to be able to incorporate art in the average household (Johnson 11). His main inspirations were from works of the Near East and Japan. He adored the intricate patterns in Indian art and was fascinated with the love for nature in Japanese paintings. Every piece of furniture not only had a function but usually possessed an artistic quality. Tiffany created a unique stained glass shade for lamps that not only served as a colorful accent to a room but also reduced the glare problem of the incandescent light bulb (Johnson 45). Every piece in a room was subject to an ornate design that transformed it into an art form and not just a typical piece of furniture. In example, Tiffany designed Eastern influenced stenciled motifs in which he painted on the drawing room doors of the house of Samuel Clemens (Johnson 32). He also used ornate wallpaper to adorn walls that usually depicted an organic scene of leafy vines or Japanese bamboo. The incorporation of nature is one of the key signatures of Tiffany’s room designs. Most of the paintings that he used in his spaces depicted different types of fruits, plants, and vegetables. He

Cited: Johnson, Marilynn A. Louis Comfort Tiffany: Artist for the Ages. London: Scala, 2005. 8-46.