Page 75 - Maeve Whelan

Eileen Gray: Redefining gendered roles while

making a significant contribution to the modern

movement in design.

Eileen Gray, an inspiration to many today, was an Irish

self-trained architect and furniture designer, her

designs inspired many and made a significant impact on

the Modern Movement. The area I chose to analyse is how

society and social trends of the 1800s influenced Eileen

as a designer and architect. I wanted to gain an

understanding of the social standards in the 1800's and

the factors that led Eileen to rejecting it. I also looked

at Eileen's social life and the 1800's education system.

So, in order to gain a better interpretation of these

fields, I studied the social patterns and attitudes of

Ireland, England and France in the 1800s. I explored

Eileen's designs and architecture, focusing on how they

influenced the trend of modernism, and how society

influenced her designs.

I thought this topic to be an interesting while studying,

to truly see how one’s gender affected their work or

place in society in the 1800’s and to look at how the

social trends at the time influenced the designs within

the modernism movement. I also made comparisons on

gender roles today and in the 1800’s to explore what

and how much has changed over the last two centuries.