Ornament is not a crime: Contemporary interiors with a postmodern twist
From Ornament Is Not A Crime, Polychrome House by YSG Studio.
Ornament Is Not A Crime by Rebecca Gross, a Thames & Hudson Australia publication. The cover design features ‘Adventures in Space’ by Owl Design.
From Ornament Is Not A Crime, Too Much Ball Pot and Rocking Chair by Mas Creations.
From Ornament Is Not A Crime, Pony by WOWOWA.
From Ornament Is Not A Crime, The Design House by 2LG Studio.
From Ornament Is Not A Crime, Rolf’s Apartment (of Victor & Rolf) by Job Smeets of Studio Job.
From Ornament Is Not A Crime, Slavyansky Bulvar by Lake and Walls.
From Ornament Is Not A Crime, Graphic House by Office S&M.
Ornament Is Not A Crime by Rebecca Gross. Introduction page featuring Elementary Abacus by Marta Figueirido.
The new book by Rebecca Gross looks at how the themes underlying Postmodernism and Memphis are making a comeback in interiors.
Hailing from Auckland but now based in Sydney, Gross has a master’s degree in the history of decorative arts and design from Parsons School of Design in New York. Widely published, she has contributed to such publications as Urbis, habitus, Artichoke, ART/EDIT and Houses (AU), and has authored multiple books on architecture and design.
Her latest book Ornament is not a crime: Contemporary interiors with a postmodern twist looks at how the themes underlying Postmodernism and Memphis – expression, richness and meaning, seen in bright colours, bold materials, historical references, experimentation with shape and scale — are making a comeback in interiors.
After years of Minimalism, Mid-century Modern and Scandinavian design taking the fore, the maximalist design approach of 80s Postmodernism is experiencing a renaissance. Much in the way Postmodernism followed Modernism, a new generation of designers are revitalising the trend by adding their own unique twist to its daring and bold aesthetic.
Playing with the themes of Postmodernism, sometimes knowingly, sometimes incidentally, these creatives are once again demonstrating that form doesn’t have to follow function, less is not more and ornament is not a crime.
“I’m really interested in how stories and concepts are brought to life through colour, materials, forms and references. Postmodernism is known for these elements, and because it’s personal and expressive, the stories behind the homes are more personal and expressive too.”
For the writer Rebecca Gross, the themes within Postmodernism offered a variety of interpretations, something that appealed to her greatly as a design writer and historian:
“I’m really interested in how stories and concepts are brought to life through colour, materials, forms and references. Postmodernism is known for these elements, and because it’s personal and expressive, the stories behind the homes are more personal and expressive too. You can tell from a quick glance that these homes have interesting stories to tell, which is what I got to do.”
The book features 21 houses from internationally renowned furniture designers from around the world including YSG and WOWOWA from across the ditch in Australia, Jassy (USA) and Studio Sam Buckley (UK), to some very well-known studios, such as Marcante Testa in Italy and Studio Job in the Netherlands.
“There is room for fun and expression in contemporary interior and furniture design, and it can be brought to life in so many creative and imaginative ways.”
The aesthetic movement of Postmodernism Gross says, “is often misunderstood, even controversial. She hopes that her book “inspires people to look at Postmodernism in a new way.” Adding, “Once you have a better understanding of how it came about and why, it’s really fun and interesting and allows for greater expression and variety in design. There is room for fun and expression in contemporary interior and furniture design, and it can be brought to life in so many creative and imaginative ways.”
Ornament is not a crime: Contemporary interiors with a postmodern twist is a 272-page hardcover book perfect for the coffee table at 28.1(l) x 22.2(w) x 2.8cm(d) and is available to purchase in New Zealand and Australia. Purchase from the UK and USA from March 2024.
You can find Ornament is not a crime: Contemporary interiors with a postmodern twist from the following retailers:
Whitcoulls | Unity Books | The Nile | Booktopia | Fishpond
*WIN* a signed copy of Ornament is not a crime: Contemporary interiors with a postmodern twist. Simply follow @architecture.nz on Instagram and comment on our Instagram post answering ‘What’s your favourite postmodernist building or interior?’ by 27 October 2023 (cut-off 11:59pm NZDT), and you’re in the draw. The winner will be notified by direct message.
If you need a bit of a refesher of postmodernist architecture in New Zealand, check out our itinerary PoMo in New Zealand.
