Spanish Period Design

The Spanish period of design began in the 16th century and was heavily influenced by the Moorish, Early Christian, Medieval, and Italian Renaissance. The first phase of this period was the Plateresco phase. It follows the Gothic and Renaissance style and included incredibly intricate details and designs that resembled the work of a silversmith, giving it its name. This style can be seen on the exteriors, public buildings, churches, patios, furniture, and accessories from that time. One of the most famous examples of this style is the University of Salamanca.

The Desornamento phase followed the Plateresco and was a very powerful and severe style. It was mostly seen in court, church, and public buildings. It focused on defined proportions and creating an impressive appearance. One example of this is El Escorial, which was designed to imitate the Temple of Solomon. Although it was known for it's simplicity and plain style, it is still regarded as a moral and extraordinary building.

The final phase of the Spanish period was the Churrigueresque. This style focused on bringing passion to design and was headed by sculptors, wood carvers, and architects. This style used natural objects as surface decoration on doorways, interiors, and churches. The Cathedral of Toledo is a prime example of this. It features El Transparante, an ornate and beutiful altarpice build by Narciso Tome.

Interiors of this time included a great deal of ironwork in grilles, handrails, and furniture. They also had colored tiles, painted and carved pine-paneled ceilings, and plasterwork around doors and windows. Decorative items became much more lavish, with massive gold frames for paintings, cut pile carpets and rugs, and fringes, tassels, cords, and nailheads featured on furniture. This furniture was otherwise fairly simplistic in design, but had a sense of boldness and ornamentation.

 

 

Current Examples

 

A modern Spanish kitchen, with the traditional splayed leg table and tile flooring

 

 

A room featuring wrought iron work, chest, and tile flooring

 

 

A Spanish inspired kitchen that incorporates wrought iron work, simple rectangular chairs, and a bench with a rectangular back

 

 

 

 

Check out this video on the architecture of the Cathedral of Seville: