Design Ideas Inspired by Ken Burns' 'Prohibition'

The timing of Ken Burns' latest PBS documentary, Prohibition, could not have been more perfect; the latest season of Boardwalk Empire had just started on HBO and I was missing half the references (George Remus referring to himself in the third person, for example) before my Burns education. The most powerful era in terms of design influence within Prohibition times was by far was the Roaring Twenties, a decade of wild fun wedged between the horror of World War I and that total bummer, The Great Depression.

We tend to reference mid-century modernism often here on Houzz, but it's fun to look at what proceeded the zeitgeist of the Machine Age and its influence on design. Cultural influences that emerged during Prohibition included flappers, speakeasies, jazz, lots of dancing (some of it burlesque), the automobile, women declaring their equality, and conspicuous consumption. All of these movements influenced design, and what emerged in architecture and interiors then provides inspiration for designers today.