William Morris
Archibald Knox, Liberty of London and Modernism
Archibald Knox and Liberty of London are names inextricably linked, especially when we consider the up swell of indigenous British design at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Modernism – Innovating Design Styles in the 20th Century
Modernism is a term the art and design community of our contemporary western world has adopted to describe a diverse range of architectural and interior decorative styles, as well as applied and graphic arts created between approximately 1880 and 1940 on an international scale.
The Bed – Sleeping Stylishly in the Chamber of Love
We spend at least one third of our lives in bed. Every culture is steeped in customs superstitions and folklore surrounding this unique piece of furniture. But what about the bedroom? When did the bed gain a room of its own? How was it decorated? Where can we begin to relate its story?
Tapestry Tales, heavy with meaning and intention
A commission of six tapestries for William Knox D’arcy’s Dining Room at Stanmore Hall in Middlesex illustrates the story of the Holy Grail quest, as told in Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte d’Arthur. They took five years to weave and are considered among the most significant works made during the nineteenth century when romanticism was at its height and they paint a beguiling picture of lovely maidens and dashing knights in a style that was very appealing.
Arts & Crafts Movement – William Morris the Art that is Life
In England, during the second half of the nineteenth century, painter, writer, textile designer and social activist William Morris (1834-1896) became the spiritual leader of a revival in arts and crafts that encompassed all the visual arts, including architecture and interiors.
Art Living
If I were asked…what is at once the most important product of Art, and the thing most to be longed for I should answer a beautiful House said William Morris spiritual leader of the arts and crafts revival of the twentieth century in England. He set out to prove the high standards of the past [...]
Poetry of Drawing – Capturing Society and holding it Captive
At the Art Gallery of NSW until the 4th September 2011, The Poetry of Drawing is an Exhibition of the designs, studies and watercolours of the British Pre-Raphealite Brotherhood.
Celtic Modernity
Modernism in the United Kingdom was born out of reaction to high Victorian overstuffed interiors. There was a desire to return to a simpler time with honest methods of design and production, akin to those of medieval and religious guilds. William Morris and his colleagues Phillip Webb, Walter Crane, William de Morgan, together with the [...]
English Country Style – Understated Georgian Grace
After World War II English Interior Designer John Fowler extracted the very essence of elegance out of eighteenth century interior style, added nineteenth century concepts of comfort, convenience and associations with home, hearth and family, to create an all new ‘eclectic’ English Country Style. It found favour the world over because of its comfortable connotations and understated Georgian grace.
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