History of Interior Design 1: Classical Civilization: Rome

Roman architecture possessed some qualities similar to Greek architecture such as post and lintel and decorative columns but they also used vault and dome style building. However, the Romans made their own contributions such as mastering road building and discovering concrete. They built structures to honor their values which include religious tombs and temples, basilicas, theaters, and memorial structures.

The Colosseum is one of Rome’s most famous structures. It seated up to 50,000 people and is an example of the arch and barrel vault made with stone and concrete. Arches were very prevalent in Roman culture during this time. This arena was used as a stadium for cultural events as well as fighting and entertainment. Another famous building is the Pantheon temple. It is constructed by dome technique and is the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world which is incredible. In the center of the dome is an oculus to allow natural light into the space. These were common in large structures.

There were three types of homes, insula, domus, and villas. Homes and buildings furnished with wood, metal, and stone furniture such as chairs “cathedra”, stools “sella”, tables, couches and thrones which had extravagant ornamentation. They were also decorated with patterned floors, mosaics, stucco, and frescoes because the people were obsessed with ornamentation.