“A nice apartment is where happiness resides”: Belgrade interiors as form of public space in interwar period

Abstract

The residential architecture is an important source for the study of the development of modern society and architecture in interwar Belgrade. A specific way of spatial organization of the apartments and their interior design in the third and fourth decades of the 20th century essentially reflect the everyday life. The central room was the lounge where guests were received, serving as a representative public space within the private living one. The lounge, together with the dining room, was often equipped with luxurious furniture and items intended to display the intellectual and social status of the owner. In these lounges Belgrade’s intellectual elite gathered; numerous cultural events were organized there, like literary and music evenings. Research on turning private space into a public one represents a contribution to the understanding of the development of residential architecture, interior and furniture in Belgrade during the interwar period.