"Underground Interiors: Decorating For Alternate Life Styles" 1972 (SOLD)
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[Surrealist Interiors -- Environments -- Radical Chic -- Pop Culture -- Space Age Habitations]
SKURKA, Norma GILI, Oberto
Quadrangle Books
1972
VG/ VG
Underground Interiors: Decorating for Alternate Life Styles is a groundbreaking design book by writer Norma Skurka and photographer Oberto Gili, published in 1972. It documents the 1970s counterculture movement in interior design, capturing wild, space-age, and anti-establishment living spaces across the United States and Europe.
Book Overview
The book serves as a time capsule of "radical chic", capturing a pivotal transition period where people began rejecting traditional home decor in favor of experimental architecture and pop culture designs. It features over 100 color plates displaying outrageous environments.
Key Themes & Features
The publication is organized into five main design categories: Surrealist Interiors: Dreamy, obsessive, and whimsical spaces. Environments: Experimental and radical spatial layouts. Radical Chic: Avant-garde aesthetics embraced by the counterculture.Pop Culture: Spaces heavily influenced by modern art movements. Space Age Habitations: Futuristic, pod-like living areas outfitted with modular plastics, ball chairs, shag carpets, and ambient mood lighting.
Notable Designers & Elements
Showcasing the era's forward-thinking vision, the book highlights iconic modernist furniture by celebrated designers such as Verner Panton and Eero Aarnio, while emphasizing unique design elements like "supergraphics," mirrored walls, and geometric shapes.