https://www.ryanartanddesign.com/writing daily 0.75 2026-03-18 https://www.ryanartanddesign.com/writing/why-art-and-design monthly 0.5 2026-03-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/42a39967-4cf9-4d81-a118-8ee5d062fac6/01a+frame.jpg Writing - Why Art and Design? - Make it stand out Stock image (Public Domain) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/54b73028-c123-40bb-a8be-549a23880f0c/01bframe.jpg Writing - Why Art and Design? - Make it stand out Interior and photo by the author https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/393b8e07-a15d-4799-a0e3-52438ba5a775/01c.png Writing - Why Art and Design? - Make it stand out Stock image (Public Domain) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/165bfc96-e0d8-4c9e-b164-902900c968b2/Image+02a+no+frame.jpg Writing - Why Art and Design? - Make it stand out Detail, Cave Painting, Lascaux. Dordogne, France. c.14,000 BCE. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/406e0c05-4ad4-426c-932a-e939329c8402/Image+02b+no+frame.png Writing - Why Art and Design? - Make it stand out Black Circle. Kazimir Malevich. 1924. Oil on canvas. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. Courtesy of Russian State Museum, St. Petersburgh https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/8481553f-fcb7-4d14-8380-f5496e52c05f/Image+02c+no+frame.jpg Writing - Why Art and Design? - Make it stand out Mr. and Mrs. William Hallett (The Morning Walk). Thomas Gainsborough . 1785. Oil on canvas. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. Courtesy of the National Gallery, London https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/29853d9c-461d-4086-a4ff-0172685c3119/03+Childhood.png Writing - Why Art and Design? - Make it stand out Stock photo (Public Domain) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/9e8f87f4-e757-4d74-9f55-1b95b90acaa6/04+Paris.png Writing - Why Art and Design? - Make it stand out Stock photo by Alexander Kagan (Public Domain) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/235e4550-634f-4952-aa39-df507ec0a602/5a.jpg Writing - Why Art and Design? - Make it stand out Far Away. Wassily Kandinsky. 1930. Oil on board. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/702a3c2c-eb38-459e-939e-516cb9ba0a8e/05b.jpg Writing - Why Art and Design? - Make it stand out Dancer in Green.” Edgar Degas. c. 1879. Pastel on paper. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/602d7ca7-5dc7-4594-af08-7e334d7dedda/05c.jpg Writing - Why Art and Design? - Make it stand out M25. Kurt Schwitters. 1920. Collage. Public Domain. Courtesy of Stiftung / Sprengel Museum, Hanover https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/a0c9be99-8fdc-4228-929c-fca7fe9faa4b/06.JPG Writing - Why Art and Design? - Make it stand out Entry Hall, Naples Florida. Ryan Art & Design. Photo courtesy of Builders Integrity Group https://www.ryanartanddesign.com/writing/the-elements-and-principles-of-design-what-are-they-and-why-are-they-important-for-interior-designersnbsp-48caj monthly 0.5 2026-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/30e46ed2-d306-41e3-bd66-3bb7c4a1083a/01+Hero+Image.jpg Writing - The Elements and Principles of Design: What are they? And why do they matter for interior designers? - Make it stand out Naples, Florida. Ryan Art & Design. Image courtesy of Builders Integrity Group, Naples, FL. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/1d414e25-6062-4b43-b4ec-0f80f68fa9b6/02+Hero+Image+Creation_of_Adam_WebOptimized.jpg Writing - The Elements and Principles of Design: What are they? And why do they matter for interior designers? - Make it stand out The Creation of Adam. Michelangelo. The Vatican. c.1510. Public Domain https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/ba14253f-3a34-4e0b-aebd-6d7830f10030/03a+schear+brothers+cabinet.jpg Writing - The Elements and Principles of Design: What are they? And why do they matter for interior designers? - Make it stand out English Mahogany Rococo Revival cabinet. c. 1830. Photo courtesy of SchearBrothers.com. An example of the elaborate furniture commonly produced by industrial manufacture or by those working in the popular revivalist genre. While such pieces are now often appreciated for their historical value, distinctive character, or period charm, they were viewed by nineteenth-century design reformers as emblematic of the excesses of industrial design. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/8285b996-17ae-4fcd-a1b4-cf2bc1ed7a52/03b+William+MOrris+cabinet.jpg Writing - The Elements and Principles of Design: What are they? And why do they matter for interior designers? - Make it stand out Backgammon Players. Philip Webb, Sir Edward Burn-Jones for Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. 1861. Public Domain. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Object no. 26.54. An example of what the “Design Reform movement” was producing, in response to the products of industry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/95eb1f66-c36d-4d25-b7aa-20aa3855ff3f/Elements+chart_Page_1.jpeg Writing - The Elements and Principles of Design: What are they? And why do they matter for interior designers? - Make it stand out The Elements of Design are the raw materials—the alphabet of visual expression. Designers use them the way writers use words. Each carry meaning on its own, but when combined, the creative possibilities are infinite. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/78f3cf7b-5bc6-4271-8c68-075f55adcbaa/Principles+Trimmed+for+article.jpg Writing - The Elements and Principles of Design: What are they? And why do they matter for interior designers? - Make it stand out Each Element is a tool, and powerful on its own. But when the Principles are applied to them, design begins to emerge https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/628455c8-66fe-4343-bc86-6bd3e58d62e6/05+Venn+complete+pddf_Page_1.png Writing - The Elements and Principles of Design: What are they? And why do they matter for interior designers? - Make it stand out AI-generated image illustrating the intersection of Elements and Principles. @Teresa Ryan, 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/6e9d23e4-30c7-404c-9a63-73976ab1ccd4/06+Tribeca+LR.jpg Writing - The Elements and Principles of Design: What are they? And why do they matter for interior designers? - Make it stand out Living Room in Tribeca, New York. Ryan Art & Design. Walter Lee Photography. Image @Teresa Ryan 2025 and Walter Lee Photography. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/e6931884-af52-40ad-b756-426c83731c3f/07..jpg Writing - The Elements and Principles of Design: What are they? And why do they matter for interior designers? - Make it stand out Design for Community Center Café. São Romão, Portugal. Ashley Massono, designer. 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/12a302ee-d3e3-4c0c-acc0-d834e27497df/08+FL+BR.jpg Writing - The Elements and Principles of Design: What are they? And why do they matter for interior designers? - Make it stand out Master Bedroom. Naples, Florida. Ryan Art & Design. Image courtesy of Builders Integrity Group, Naples, FL. https://www.ryanartanddesign.com/writing/creativity-in-design-from-inspiration-to-intention monthly 0.5 2026-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/1704a30d-409a-432b-9793-5f8e02c6af16/01.jpg Writing - CREATIVITY IN DESIGN: From Inspiration to Intention - Make it stand out 159873130 Ilyach/ Dreamstime.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/c7dccca8-8b1e-4dbc-9df5-6dea6fca0c21/02.jpg Writing - CREATIVITY IN DESIGN: From Inspiration to Intention - Make it stand out 35394550 ZhangLei/ Dreamstime.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/be47e48c-0cd4-499a-81a0-4f12fba48fa8/03.png Writing - CREATIVITY IN DESIGN: From Inspiration to Intention - Make it stand out 1163671 Photobank2/Dreamstime.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/2211073f-a83b-4b6f-95f1-a00a819b8856/04.jpg Writing - CREATIVITY IN DESIGN: From Inspiration to Intention - Make it stand out 1163671 Allexxandar/Dreamstime.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/4767ebe7-3207-4d0d-b085-c994d3b430bb/05.png Writing - CREATIVITY IN DESIGN: From Inspiration to Intention - Make it stand out 1163671Kiosea39/Dreamstime.com. Modified https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/d203435d-e7c7-48f2-bce3-a3037c3c78c2/06.png Writing - CREATIVITY IN DESIGN: From Inspiration to Intention - Make it stand out Map of the Stars. AI-generated. Teresa Ryan, 2025 https://www.ryanartanddesign.com/writing/design-concept-in-interior-design-meaning-method-and-creative-depth monthly 0.5 2026-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/0fb86f05-69f4-44ea-abb9-d9811b14acda/01+image+ChatGPT+Image+Oct+15%2C+2025%2C+05_44_42+PM.png Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth - Make it stand out Your concept is your North Star. AI-generated image. @Teresa Ryan, 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/487f0bee-ea1b-4163-9abc-c409c3058c0e/02a+LXV+chair.jpg Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth - Make it stand out A French, Louis XV, Fauteuil à la Reine. Frame by Nicolas-Quinibert Foliot, probably after a design by Pierre Contant d'Ivry. Tapestry woven by Beauvais Workshop director, after designs by Jean-Baptiste Oudry. 1754 -56. Public Domain, courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. 66.60.2. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/e6d3eb3d-3d39-42da-b9d7-64af50402e8b/02b+LXVI+chair.jpg Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth - Make it stand out A French, Louis XVI, Fauteuil à la Reine. Frame by Georges Jacob. Possibly embroidered by Joseph-François-Xavier Baudoin Date: c. 1780–85. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC. 58.75.25. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/5739458d-cff9-466d-880b-1393253ddcd8/03+FINAL+FROM+DORSAY.png Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth - Make it stand out Elevation of an Interior in a Parisian Residence. By the sculptor and ébéniste, Alexandre Charpentier. 1900-01. Musée d’Orsay. OAP 240. Image @Teresa Ryan, 2025. Every line, shape, form, and material was chosen for what it means, with the resulting whole communicating the Art Nouveau philosophy about design. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/1e116fe0-4b0f-429c-806e-15311ca84e89/04.jpg Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth - Make it stand out This stock Photo by Nastuh Abootalebi on Unsplash seems based on an “industrial” concept. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/160d5499-25d9-4e8d-927f-8f566cf61a9f/05+Robie+2.png Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth - Make it stand out Frederick C. Robie House. Chicago, Ill. Frank Lloyd Wright. 1908. Wikimedia Commons. Public Domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/6f3bfe6b-b1c3-4a33-9bac-b02ef24ff549/06.jpg Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth - Make it stand out An example of a transitional style living room. Ryan Art & Design. Naples, Florida. Image courtesy of Builders Integrity Group, Naples, FL. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/02d40f5b-d1fb-4567-b239-8ceb81a0a6d7/07+ChatGPT+Image+Oct+16%2C+2025%2C+09_08_06+AM.png Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth - Make it stand out AI-generated image @ Teresa Ryan, 2025 One of the definitions of creativity is finding connections between seemingly unrelated things. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/4d7ac0b5-4531-4bc1-91d1-838237df54c7/08a.png Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth - Make it stand out Abstract Composition, “Resilience” AI-generated image, Teresa Ryan, 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/7b807148-4eb6-4362-9656-a5c3c3eb5052/08b.png Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth - Make it stand out Abstract Composition, “Clearing” AI-generated image, Teresa Ryan, 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/eadafcbf-5b5d-49a0-a171-1e0c12d7f636/09a.png Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth - Make it stand out Cake. AI-generated image, Teresa Ryan, 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/d405626a-58fd-4df9-b8a2-9c25f647c7aa/09b.png Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth - Make it stand out Cake. AI-generated image, Teresa Ryan, 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/3f9ccf61-a7a1-482d-a199-d5fb1f191035/10.png Writing - Design Concept in Interior Design: Meaning, Method, and Creative Depth https://www.ryanartanddesign.com/writing/intro-to-design-reformnbspwhat-is-design-reform-and-how-did-it-start monthly 0.5 2026-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/fdad5f39-1be2-4610-90f1-195b97c0ebb2/17+Talber.jpg Writing - INTRO TO DESIGN REFORM: What is Design Reform and How Did It Start? - Make it stand out A Study of Decorations and Furniture. Bruce James Talbert. Illustration published in The Architect (magazine), July 24, 1869. Public Domain. PDM1.0 via Wiki Commons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/2750a319-0c6d-4da6-a78c-b1a94854a597/02a.png Writing - INTRO TO DESIGN REFORM: What is Design Reform and How Did It Start? - Make it stand out View of a nineteenth-century industrial town in England. AI-generated. Inspired by an actual scene. Teresa Ryan, 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/f79441ff-4826-4080-9ded-be4a6cf4d405/02b.png Writing - INTRO TO DESIGN REFORM: What is Design Reform and How Did It Start? - Make it stand out What a typical advertisement for industrially produced furniture in nineteenth-century England would look like. AI-generated. Inspired by actual ads. Teresa Ryan, 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/54fd3727-1304-4fdb-8fca-85e80f0a302a/03.png Writing - INTRO TO DESIGN REFORM: What is Design Reform and How Did It Start? - Make it stand out A pair of English, “Victorian”, Rococo Revival porcelain urns. c. 1835. Image courtesy of Liveauctioneers.com https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/fb6c74f5-f644-41f0-9088-39ec1422ac4d/04.jpg Writing - INTRO TO DESIGN REFORM: What is Design Reform and How Did It Start? - Make it stand out Napoleon III center table. c. 1850. Image courtesy of Canonbury Antiques. canonburyantiques.com. The problems in Britain were the same in France, the United States, wherever industry had taken hold. And the issues were the same. While products of France might have been better quality than those of Britain, they were still 1) revival styles and 2) smothered in ornament. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/aeb1ca1c-722b-4323-bb1a-894971d76a82/05a.jpg Writing - INTRO TO DESIGN REFORM: What is Design Reform and How Did It Start? - Make it stand out A Victorian Family in a Drawing Room. Public Domain. Wiki commons. The Industrial Revolution created various levels of wealth for many. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/cadade34-71d8-4ea6-816d-b3c86fa65037/05b.png Writing - INTRO TO DESIGN REFORM: What is Design Reform and How Did It Start? - Make it stand out AI-generated image, based on period photos. Teresa Ryan. 2025. For others, it created unprecedented poverty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/973e9cb0-19b2-4e28-ae09-f84b98bf8668/06.jpg Writing - INTRO TO DESIGN REFORM: What is Design Reform and How Did It Start? - Make it stand out Teapot. Christopher Dresser design for James Dixon & Sons, Sheffield, Britain. c. 1879. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Object no. 2021.152.2. Christopher Dresser spent four months in Japan on behalf of the government studying Japanese design with the goal of bringing a fresh perspective to British design. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/eb278a81-22cf-41d5-94df-16ca3708400e/07.jpg Writing - INTRO TO DESIGN REFORM: What is Design Reform and How Did It Start? - Make it stand out Liseuse. Georges Croegaert. 1888. Public Domain via Wiki Commons. Some Aesthetic design had a decidedly and intentionally hedonistic bent: exotic and hyper-sensual in terms of the variety of textures and materials and visual delights, all meant to induce physical pleasure. There was also often a casual, thrown-together, highly personal dimension to it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/e41e94fc-d37a-451f-8fe4-2f477fbd3c08/08a.png Writing - INTRO TO DESIGN REFORM: What is Design Reform and How Did It Start? - Make it stand out Sussex Chair. William Morris The Moral/ Idealistic Path looked backward. This hand-made, vernacular design symbolized simplicity, authenticity, and a more pure, pre-industrial, pre-capitalist, world. Stylistic terminology: Reform Gothic Arts and Crafts Image credit: Sussex Chair. Designed by Philip Webb c. 1861, for Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. Ebonized beech. Image courtesy of Live Auctioneers. https://www.liveauctioneers.com/ item/164576936 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/35105dd8-b15e-4cf2-abb8-4cef8b81de71/08b.jpg Writing - INTRO TO DESIGN REFORM: What is Design Reform and How Did It Start? - Make it stand out Side Chair. Christopher Dresser The Pragmatic Path focused on the present. This machine-made, highly stylized version of the chair at left, infused with non-Western influence (Japanese), symbolized how industry could produce good design if guided by the right principles. Stylistic Terminology: None. Later absorbed into the Aesthetic category for its similar freedom of expression. Image credit: Side Chair. Designed by Christopher Dresser. Made by Chubb & Co., 1880-83. Ebonized mahogany, incised and gilt. Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Accession no. W.35-1992 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/3654969e-0a7e-424a-a789-dd147e7c6038/08c.JPG Writing - INTRO TO DESIGN REFORM: What is Design Reform and How Did It Start? - Make it stand out Side Chair. Herter Brothers. The Aesthetic Path claimed beauty simply for its own sake. This elegant hybrid of machine and handwork epitomized “Art for Art’s sake.” Construction methods were irrelevant; beauty was the goal. Aesthetic designers were not moralists or reformers—they were artists of pleasure. Stylistic Terminology: Aesthetic Image credit: Chair. Herter Brothers. c. 1878. Ebonized cherry, marquetry of lighter woods, gilding. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Object Number: 1992.80 https://www.ryanartanddesign.com/writing/design-reform-part-i-the-moralidealistic-path monthly 0.5 2026-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/9bf431da-5f7d-4434-a8b3-066fd71e042d/01a.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852). Public Domain via Wiki Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/abb04483-22a8-4135-b326-aee5c95e8ed9/01b.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out John Ruskin (1819-1900). 1863 W. & D. Downey. Public domain via Wiki Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/3bee762e-1072-4d8b-bc2b-6f3b21d9f4f3/01c.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out William Morris (1834-1896). Public Domain via Wiki Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/8cd68626-b1eb-4f6a-9c72-2e8d8d38dfac/02.png Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path “We desired first of all to give opportunity to the designer and craftsman to exhibit their work to the public for its artistic interest and thus to assert the claims of decorative art and handicraft to attention equally with the painter of easel pictures, hitherto almost exclusively associated with the term art in the public mind. Ignoring the artificial distinction between Fine and Decorative art, we felt that the real distinction was what we conceived to be between good and bad art, or false and true taste ….” Walter Crane. First director of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society. Founded in 1887. Notice the emphasis here on equating the decorative arts with the fine arts. Catalogue cover for the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society exhibition of 1910. Public Domain. Archive.org via Wiki Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/57664985-90c8-45d4-a2bc-25eacc3bb91b/03.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Palace of Westminster. Sir Charles Barry. 1840-76. Public Domain via Wiki Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/8b68456d-456c-4abd-95b2-23f240552fdd/04pg.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out House of Lords, Palace of Westminster. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin. 1835-52. Public Domain via Wiki Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/8bea5b62-8e9e-4466-9b71-b473c6189996/05a.png Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/dcd8d2ad-1335-4192-8e57-9c4eced24b42/05b.png Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/128fed45-e5bb-4492-b0f0-ca6db7d877a1/06.png Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/a238f0b1-d72c-4ed4-9ff9-e131aab84db6/fiixed+Pugin+table+from+V%26A.JPG Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path This table is an excellent example of Pugin’s “other” style. It may fall under the broader category of Gothic Revival, but that label misses an important distinction. Here, Pugin is less concerned with Christian symbolism than with applying his own principles of good design — especially truth in materials and truth in construction (see sidebar). The emphasis on design reform that this piece embodies makes it something different: not Gothic Revival, but what is often referred to as Reform Gothic. Table. Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin. c. 1852. Made by John Webb. Carved oak. Public Domain. The Victoria & Albert Museum, London. Accession number W.26-1972 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/b31b62d2-4e89-4f8b-9b21-5f03b38b963b/Stickley+FFFFF.JPG Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path This solid oak furniture, with its simple, visible joints and minimal applied ornament, embodied the humble authenticity that illustrated two of Pugin’s most important design tenets: truth in materials and truth in construction. These principles became the moral and aesthetic foundation of the entire Design Reform movement and led directly to William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement, where Gothic ideals were translated into a new, secular language of design integrity and social conscience. Their legacy is visible in the work of English designers such as Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo, W. R. Lethaby, Ernest Gimson, and, in America, most famously in the furniture of Gustav Stickley. Oak library table #636. Gustav Stickley. c. 1909. Image courtesy of Live Auctioneers. https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/11489623_a-gustav-stickley-oak-library-table-636-pasadena-ca https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/1934d612-749f-4a5b-9e0a-f1874053ad1d/09a.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Byzantine Ornament. Plate XXX from The Grammar of Ornament, by Owen Jones. 1856. Public Domain. Courtesy of The Cooper Hewitt Library. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/0ee2c6ba-7294-435a-87a1-1bbaf579e1b9/09b.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Moresque Ornament. Plate LXIII from The Grammar of Ornament, by Owen Jones. 1856. Public Domain. Courtesy of The Cooper Hewitt Library. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/f7f953df-e557-4081-bb02-972a1c7cb1b4/10a.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Green glazed jug. Fourteenth century England. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art object number: 2014.584 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/2af0d254-36b3-4d87-938b-21b965ce213f/10b.png Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Industrially produced, identical jugs — machine-made perfection devoid of individuality. AI-generated image, inspired by originals. © Teresa Ryan, 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/f9620329-a1e9-4094-b16e-48fa6556c355/11.PNG Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out A typical Victorian “mainstream” (non-Reform) Interior. AI-generated, based on images of actual rooms. @Teresa Ryan 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/6146fb2c-1193-45c8-9e9d-948d84c9e2f5/12.JPG Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Textile. Strawberry Thief. Designed by William Morris. 1883. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Accession no. 1935-23-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/faa0e1c7-dbcb-470d-8612-7d62d8f9eecb/13.jpeg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Detail from The Charge of David to Solomon in Trinity Church, Boston. 1882. Stained glass. By Edward Burne-Jones and Morris & Co. Public Domain via Wiki Commons. Naturally, as an avowed Medievalist, one of the crafts Morris is most renowned for is stained glass. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/78557365-3f36-456e-8b33-cd62df04e069/14a.JPG Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Medieval Court Cupboad. Oak. European. 16th century. Image courtesy of Fontain’s Auction https://www.fontainesauction.com/auction-lot/16th-century-gothic-oak-court-cupboard_61647DBA29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/8614f094-770d-4653-a2f3-6b206934f135/14b.JPG Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Backgammon Players. Philip Webb, Sir Edward Burn-Jones for Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. 1861. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Object no. 26.54. This cabinet is of the Reform Gothic type, known at the time as “Modern Gothic” or “art furniture.” It evokes the spirit of the Middle Ages without resorting to the literal vocabulary or imitation of Gothic architecture. The imagery recalls that on the original cabinet and, with its richness of pattern and color, also points to medieval tapestries and illuminated manuscripts. Yet the ornament serves to articulate the simple, legible structure it adorns—box, shelf, and posts—clearly expressing the Reformers’ principle of truth in construction. The flat, two-dimensional painted panels by Sir Edward Burne-Jones adhere to the same standards, epitomizing the Reform aim of reuniting the fine and decorative arts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/4d4d64c6-d53b-49f8-85ec-0ce91a7003d1/15a.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out The Beguiling of Merlin. Edward Burne-Jones. 1874. Lady Lever Art Gallery. Public Domain via Wiki Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/83108164-9770-4ed0-8392-700eed4be858/15b.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out The Day Dream. Dante Gabriel Rossetti. 1880. Victoria & Albert Museum, Accession no. CAI. 3. Public Domain via Wiki Commons. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/58b6a5b2-dd98-47ca-83a5-8f2d133bb6ad/16a.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Pair of Rush-Seated Armchairs. Dante Gabriel Rossetti for Morris & Co. c. 1880. Image courtesy of Puritan Values. https://www.puritanvalues.com/product/dante-rossetti-for-morris-and-co-a-pair-of-morris-and-co-rush-seated-armchair. While the rush seats and turned elements evoke the vernacular, the ebonized frame and elegant lines point to the influence of Japan. Both mark these chairs unmistakably as Reform. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/85397202-4354-4190-92d0-d0b19fb7224b/16b.png Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/35460331-e43b-4cf2-9ce6-edff1592cc8e/18.JPG Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Red House, Bexleyheath. Greater London. Philip Webb in consultation with William Morris. 1859-60. Photo by Ethan Doyle White. Public Domain via Wiki Commons. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Color adjusted for editorial purposes. The organic clustering of forms recalls Compton Wynyates, yet the medieval details are intentionally stripped away. By reducing the design to simple, legible volumes, Reform architects could build on meaningful historical models while avoiding imitation and establishing a new, contemporary architectural language. (For more on Red House – the interiors and furniture – see the link at the end of this article, or click here) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/b3c2fde0-9924-4b4d-b617-b4c41b1de14e/17.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path - Make it stand out Compton Wynyates Manor House.Warwickshire, England (c.1480–1520). Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. Compton Wynyates represents the classic English manor house. Note that “classic” means “quintessential,” not classic-al architecture, for its irregular, asymmetrical massing stands in direct contrast to Classicism. That very departure — combined with its authenticity as an indigenous English form — made it a key precedent for Reform architects and designers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/986ab1b0-f54a-4c96-9cb3-ca454c2cb95f/19.png Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART I: The Moral/Idealistic Path https://www.ryanartanddesign.com/writing/design-reform-part-ii-the-pragmatic-path-government-and-industry monthly 0.5 2026-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/8828f20e-7a27-4831-8328-ef554c244f4a/01a.jpg Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - Make it stand out The Crystal Palace, designed by Joseph Paxton for the Great Exhibition of 1851. Read & Co. Engravers & Printers. Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons. The event and the structure that symbolized Victorian industrial power and the crisis of taste that launched design reform. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/3d3c8ac4-8e58-4ea7-8c10-a62e00d3e6df/01b.jpg Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - Make it stand out Queen Victoria opens the Great Exhibition. Louis Haghe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/469a1a59-f030-46ed-92a0-1e908312f8a4/Sidebar1.png Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - Make it stand out A “mainstream” Victorian wallpaper. From The Sutton-Pierson House – 31 Washington Street, Peabody MAPeabody Historical Society and Museum https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/7660ae5e-93dd-471c-814b-7d3f72c79a83/Sidbar2.PNG Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - Make it stand out Gothic Lily Wallpaper. Designer A.W.N. Pugin. Manufacturer: Woollam & Co. Of London, c. 1850. Courtesy of Chairish/ 1st dibs https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/f90a2c62-34cb-4f73-aa2f-bb8a3e60b568/Sidbar3.jpg Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - Make it stand out Pink and Rose Block-printed wallpaper. Designer William Morris c.1890. Manufacturer: Morris & Co. Printer: Jeffrey & Co. Public Domain courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Object no: 23.163.4a https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/e272296f-8062-49fd-af93-2b55c815c1da/02a.png Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - Make it stand out Wellspring Carafe. Designed by Richard Redgrave. 1847. Commissioned by Henry Cole. Made by John Fell Christy, Stangate Glass Works. Lambeth, England, active 1840/50. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/35cbfef7-e748-4419-b9a0-52fa7ff31b00/02b.jpg Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - Make it stand out Victorian Bristol glass ruffle vase. One of a pair. Courtesy of Tailors Treasure Store https://www.etsy.com/listing/1756671139/victorian-ruffled-edge-bristol-glass https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/a5bf73fe-ec80-4f53-a6a0-0c0d5b4bc589/03.png Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - Make it stand out The South Kensington approach to design education emphasized: • Copying approved examples (plaster casts, pattern books) • Learning geometry and proportion • Studying ornament from many cultures AI-generated based on what the studios actually looked like. @ Teresa Ryan 2025 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/71eb8604-a9e4-497b-b84a-50c7d668aa6f/04.JPG Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is the oldest and largest museum in the world dedicated to design and the decorative arts. Founded in 1852 as the “Museum of Manufactures,” it was the direct governmental response to the poor quality of industrial design revealed at the Great Exhibition. The Victoria and Albert Museum. North side of Garden, by Captain Francis Fowke, Royal Engineers, 1864–1869. (color has been lightened for editorial purposes) Public Domain via Wikipedia https://www.flickr.com/photos/16564965@N04/52023540671/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/b49cb6e8-473e-4742-a509-6d486c72ef68/05a.jpg Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - Make it stand out Title Page. The Grammar of Ornament Owen Jones. 1856. Public Domain. Courtesy of Smithsonian Libraries, the Cooper Hewitt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/41eec05f-594e-4d04-926b-25dd1524564b/05b.jpg Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - Make it stand out Plate XLV. Persian Design of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Grammar of Ornament Owen Jones. 1856. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Smithsonian Libraries, the Cooper Hewitt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/8a1d0c24-221f-4bdc-aaab-af3d7f66a0c8/06a.png Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - Make it stand out Pitcher. Christopher Dresser. 1880. Made by Linthorpe Art Pottery (Yorkshire, England, 1879-1889) Public Domain. Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago. Accession no: 1987.214 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/a1396081-d599-462b-a02b-8a1acaf61b0d/06b.jpg Writing - Design Reform Part II: The Pragmatic Path Government and Industry - Make it stand out Design Drawing. Christopher Dresser. 1883. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accession no: 1992.1046.12 https://www.ryanartanddesign.com/writing/design-reform-part-iiinbsp-the-aesthetic-path monthly 0.5 2026-03-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/b76035a7-5f04-4203-a9d2-5738d31cbf82/01.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room. James Abbott McNeill Whister. 1887. Translocated to the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M Sackler Gallery. Accession no: F1904.61. Public Domain via CC0 1.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/36bec548-4173-4580-b656-cfa0fabe79c3/02.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out Nocturn in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket. James Abbott McNeill Whistler. 1875. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Detroit Institute of Arts https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/1725ef70-b3bf-422b-9479-c336375c9111/03a.png Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out James Abbott McNeill Whistler. By William Merritt Chase. 1885. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accession no: 18.22.2 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/d71941a8-6720-41c5-94c7-374a431114a7/03b.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out John Ruskin. 1885. By Herbert Rose Barraud (1845-1896). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/3d16b470-d614-4c32-a074-67a9c3500052/04a.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out Six Jewels River from Various Provinces. Utagawa Hiroshige. 1857. Japanese Woodblock print. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accession no: 2015.300.227a-f https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/a32dc673-65d4-4b68-8616-edf97665abb4/04b.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out Figure of a Woman. Utagawa Kunisada. Japanese woodblock print. Edo Period (1615 – 1868). Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accession no: JP1092.14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/eb267cfc-735f-402d-a8d1-5497825682be/Tsunami_by_hokusai_19th_century.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path The Great Wave. Katsushika Hokusai. 1830–32. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accession no: JP2569 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/565987e8-182b-437e-ab19-3bc944f3e2c2/05.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room. James Abbott McNeill Whister. 1887. Featuring the Princess in the Land of Porcelain. James Abbott McNeill Whistler. c. 1864. Translocated to the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M Sackler Gallery. Accession no: F1904.61. Public Domain via CC0 1.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/63c59d43-67fc-43c8-9294-ff01320840d0/06a.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out White-eye and Titmouse on a Camellia Branch. Utagawa Hiroshige. c. 1840. Japanese woodblock print. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Object no: JP250 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/49e9a938-e4b1-448e-9a86-165a1a42067a/06b.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out Small View of Yedo. Utagawa Hiroshige. 1817-58. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Object no: 1975.1.982 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/22903319-a3e5-4478-85f8-ad5d00fc8cb5/07.jpeg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path van Gogh was an early and great fan of Japanese prints, apparent here in the palette and the quality of line. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/13f79e01-2252-40b1-abe4-b32bdc4facae/08.png Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/43dde15e-48a7-4c4b-a365-91ca59784db8/09.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out Anglo-Japanese furniture designs by Edward William Godwin. 1877. William Watt. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. Below are two pieces rendered in AI to give a better idea of what they actually looked like. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/c2a5fb75-0b4e-4004-9095-8b64d9edf4a0/Screenshot+2026-01-10+at+12.21.24%E2%80%AFPM.png Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out Two pieces from the William Watt advertisement, rendered in AI, to show color and details. Most, but not all, pieces were ebonized – painted black to imitate Japanese lacquer. The elegantly curved legs are notched to imitate bamboo. The hardware was often a unique design by Godwin, drawn from a variety of cultural/ historical sources. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/6b440de3-9dbd-471e-9c3c-ec083821d11a/11.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out The Imperial Villa of Katsura. Near Kyoto, Japan. c.first half of the 17th century. Lines are as elegant as those in prints, but with an emphasis on horizontal and vertical. Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. Kimon Berlin https://www.flickr.com/photos/kimon/3264799678/. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en While Katsura was unknown in the West during Godwin’s lifetime, he was familiar with Japanese building techniques. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/45b475d6-c87b-4f6e-9405-617fcb32fef9/12.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/1ed3d702-5662-49b1-bf58-a44c10e5ee25/13.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out Sideboard. Edward William Godwin. 1867-80. Mahogany, ebonized, with silver-plated handles and inset panels of embossed leather paper. Victoria & Albert Museum no. CIRC.38:1 to 5-1953. The original uploader was VAwebteam at English Wikipedia. Public Domain. CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/, via Wikimedia Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/5a85ff5f-1614-4811-ba64-e248b1db39dc/Screenshot+2026-01-10+at+12.27.14%E2%80%AFPM.png Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out Side Table. Edward William Gowin. 1872. Walnut and gilt brass. Public Domain. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Object no. 1991.87. The multi-functional side table with two drop leaves, commonly known as a Pembroke table, was a staple in most English households. The natural wood tone of Godwin’s version, instead of black, enhanced the message of “traditional English table.” Powerful counterpoints to this are the slender Japanese line and asymmetry, while the fretwork references both East and West. A frequent element of eighteenth-century English furniture, it was the result of Chinese influence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/42ffb1c6-f0e4-49ee-ad05-6bd97f1f9a7a/15.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path . https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/584afc19-2169-4ffd-bb08-ee31fbbecd45/16.PNG Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/694811691c4e0a005b7dfcab/f1d13453-a07e-42ba-81cd-451536f37157/17+Talber.jpg Writing - DESIGN REFORM PART III: The Aesthetic Path - Make it stand out A Study of Decorations and Furniture. Bruce James Talbert. Illustration published in The Architect (magazine), July 24, 1869. 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