Blog Assignment 3

Owen Jones' theory that 'construction should be decorated and decoration should never be purposely constructed' was a comment on the prior design movement, Rococo. He was essentially saying that a designer should have the functionality and purpose of the object in mind before they start decorating its design. In essence the Rococo design era was one that pushed embellishment and over the top decoration to the edge. Owen wanted it to change, he wanted design to be less about over-exuberance and more about designing for the masses. Industrialisation had changed the way in which production of furniture, fittings and literally every other house hold item could be made. He wanted designers to worry less about making individual and complex design and more about simplicity and functionality.

The console table above was created in the mid 18th century, at the height of the Rococo era. It is a perfect example of everything Owen Jone's hated about Rococo. It is complete "decoration constructed". The table legs are thin and over fancified, especially when the table itself is made of marble. It can be seen very obviously that the functionality of this table was not taken into account when it was designed. The marble table slab would have weighed a huge amount and to think the designer though it would be fitting to put it on top of four thin gold legs is not a smart construction design. This table speaks of the Rococo essentials, where it is more important to make an object beautiful and senuous then to focus on the functionality and essential requirements of the object.

Owen Jone's theory is not one which can really be agreed to or disagreed to either for some simple reasons. First of all his theory came from the industrial revolution, a time when consumerism and mass production came into fruition. Creating objects that are decorated after construction is another way of asking them to be mass produced easier. The problem with his theory is that design should not be muffled and stunted just to increase profits and production. Although the Rococo period broke many design rules it was still a hugely expressive and natural design sense and expressive, unique and evocative design should never be belittled.