The bourgeois home, symbol of a societal ideal

The modernist bourgeois home is a symbol of the ideal of the new industrial society, full of contradictions. This new class acquires other habits present in the organization of everyday life. The dwellings di¤erentiate between representation space, a reflection of social prestige, and that of family life, where the prevailing criterion is comfort, a characteristic of modernity. Light and air, as the urban planner Cerdà had defended, but also comfort and luxury. Decorative objects imported from Europe or locally produced, a¤ordable to a larger audience, are examples of Art Nouveau decorativism or fin de siècle. Art objects filled with flowers and symbolistic nymphs were advertised and sold in specialized stores. Also, “Viennese furniture” or curved wood, imported or local, was very popular and integrated into the most intimate areas of the home. But Modernisme went from being a regenerationist movement to being a “modern” style, reaching wider layers of society. Anonymous objects of everyday use filled the display cases of homes while Modernisme was already rejected by the noucentists.