Because this movement spanned almost sixty years, it embraces different architectural styles including Arts & Crafts, ranch, and Art Deco. The movement also produced giants in the pantheon of architecture, including Frank Lloyd Wright in America, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Germany, and Le Corbusier in Switzerland.
The key elements which distinguish modern architecture are open living spaces, which is largely Frank Lloyd Wright’s contribution. Wright thought that separate rooms tended to impede the flow of living. Thus, modernist home plans are characterized by open floor plans which combine spaces for entertaining, relaxing, and dining. Modern country houseplans feature large plate-glass windows and outdoor patio areas to increase the living space and to bring the sense of the outdoors inside.
Another key element of the modernistic style is its clean geometric lines and lack of adornment, instead of the embellished columns and arches characteristic of the classical style. Modernism also adopted technologically-advanced materials such as steel, glass, and concrete instead of the traditional stone, wood, and plaster. Another key element of modernism is the “form follows function” ideal, which is largely the contribution of Mies van der Rohe and his Bauhaus followers, whom you can thank for the office cubicle. Mies’ view was that homes and other buildings should be large and wide-open in order to accommodate various functions, and then be subdivided as needed with movable screens and walls. Mies believed that the open space would create a feeling of community.