Who is the founder of interior design?
Emma Horne
Published Apr 05, 2026
Who is the founder of interior design?
Elsie de Wolfe
“Interior design as a profession was invented by Elsie de Wolfe,” The New Yorker once proclaimed. Indeed, in the early 1900s, Wolfe was the first creative to receive a commission for decorating a home, making her, technically, the first professional interior designer—though that term wasn’t yet in use.
What is the history behind interior design?
The practice of interior design harkens back to the Ancient Egyptians, who decorated their naive mud homes with basic furnishings enhanced by animal skins, simple textiles, graphic biographical and spiritual murals, sculptures, and painted urns.
What inspired interior designers?
Social media, of course, is the source of much inspiration for designers and others through sites like Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and others.
Who is the most successful interior designer?
The 20 Most Famous Interior Designers Working Today
- Joanna Gaines. In just six years, Joanna Gaines—with help from her contractor husband, Chip—has created a design empire.
- Nate Berkus.
- Kelly Wearstler.
- Martyn Lawrence Bullard.
- Bobby Berk.
- Peter Marino.
- Justina Blakeney.
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How do interior designers find inspiration?
Moving Outside Normal Boundaries The best way to find inspiration for interior design is to step outside your normal boundaries of creating and designing. Delve into a new expression through nature, art, or other medium and discover a renewal of excitement to create beautiful home designs.
Who was the first interior designer in America?
Dorothy Draper was the first documented commercial Interior Decorator, establishing her design firm in 1923. The term “Interior Designer” was coined in the 1930’s, by a magazine called “Interior Design and Decoration.”
How old is the profession of Interior Design?
A Brief History of Interior Design The profession of interior design is just over 100 years old. In these hundred years, what began as the art of decorating, embracing form and function, has evolved by leaps and bounds into today’s world of highly specialized areas of interior design that require years of study and experience.
What kind of work does an interior designer do?
An interior designer might specialize in working with private residences or with commercial interiors such as hotels, hospitals, retail stores, offices, and dozens of other private and public facilities. In many ways, the interior design profession benefits society by focusing on how space—and interior environ- ment—should look and function.
Who are some famous people in interior design?
These seven interiors icons are the most influential masters of the 20th century—the true founders of the profession today—and they’re the names every lover of design should know. Known as “America’s first decorator,” De Wolfe boasted a lifestyle as glamorous as her decor.
Who was the first person to invent interior design?
According to The New Yorker, “Interior design as a profession was invented by Elsie de Wolfe”.
An interior designer might specialize in working with private residences or with commercial interiors such as hotels, hospitals, retail stores, offices, and dozens of other private and public facilities. In many ways, the interior design profession benefits society by focusing on how space—and interior environ- ment—should look and function.
When did Elsie De Wolfe become a famous interior designer?
She was certainly the most famous name in the field until the 1930s, but the profession of interior decorator/designer was recognized as a promising one as early as 1900, five years before she received her first official commission, the Colony Club in New York.
What did architects do before they became interior decorators?
Architects, arti- sans, and craftspeople completed interi- ors before interior decorators began offering their services. Architects created the design of a building’s structure and often the interiors. They would engage craftspeople to create and produce the furnishings needed to complete the inte- rior.