“Next to the living room, the most important division of the lower floor of a house is the dining room. The living room is the gathering place of the household — the place for work as well as for pleasure and rest, but the dining room is the center of hospitality and good cheer, the place that should hold a special welcome for guest and home folk alike.”
This exhibit displays an authentic example of a classic Craftsman style Arts and Crafts dining room, the heart of the family home. This room beautifully illustrates the 3 major tenets of the Arts and Crafts movement: It allows to envision a simpler time when utility was valued, when simplicity of design replaced unnecessary decoration, and beauty in the home was a fundamental requirement as well as a primary source of pride. Carefully curated down to the smallest detail, every object has been painstakingly placed to offer the viewer an up-close and personal look back in history. Among the many objects displayed are handcrafted furniture, created at Gustave Stickley’s Craftsman Workshop in Eastwood, N.Y., metalwork by Roycroft, Tiffany, ceramics, textiles and accessories. As you immerse yourself in this dramatic setting, we hope that the Arts and Crafts Movement, its philosophy and tenets resonate with you and provide a rare glimpse into this unique time and its extraordinary place in history.
