The seventeenth century of interior style

The elegance and comfort of French interiors, primarily intended for the aristocracy, were universally admired and influenced other European countries such as Sweden. In Holland, a more modest version of French style developed that was acceptable to the emergent middle-classes, and Dutch imported goods were very mach in demand.

When the Stuarts were restored to the throne of England towards the end of the seventeenth century, Charles Ti and his courtiers favoured the continental baroque style, and the later rule of William and Mary of Orange resulted in further continental influence on English styles. Princesses of the House of Orange spread their enthusiasm for decorative derails such as mirrors, massed porcelain and lacquerwork through their royal marriages.

William and Mary commissioned the highly talented Daniel March, who as a result of religious persecution had fled the French court, where he had been working, to design the interiors of parts of Hampton. Court Palace.There, Marot successfully combined the skills of designer and decorator, as Le Brun had done, and his cohesive interiors can still be seen today. Huguenot refugees played an important part in English interior design development since many of them were highly skilled craftsmen. Inigo Jones, who was widely regarded as the founder of English classical architecture, also treated the interiors of his buildings as part of the whole.

The Thirty Years  War took a considerable toll on Spain and Germany and little architectural development rook place in these countries during that time. Once both economies had recovered sufficiently for building to _take place, tastes had changed considerably. Early versions of German baroque showed Italian influence, but gradually an indigenous rich and complex style emerged in south Germany and Austria. Highly ornate surface decoration was a feature of seventeenth-century Spanish architecture as in the facade of Santiago de Compostela or the Dos Aguas Palace at Valencia, but the more restrained Royal Palace in Madrid and the Royal Palace of La Granja by Filippo Juvarra were influenced by the more severe French baroque style