"Underground Interiors: Decorating For Alternate Life Styles" 1972 (SOLD)

"Underground Interiors: Decorating For Alternate Life Styles" 1972 (SOLD)[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

[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.