The Morris Room at the Victoria & Albert Museum is one of the most accessible ways to immerse yourself in the full Morris effect. The room was the work of Morris and Co., with windows by Edward Burne-Jones, an artist and close friend of William Morris, and Philip Webb, the architect who designed Morris’s Red House out in Bexleyheath.
William Morris dining room at the V&A, London
They call this the Green Room, and while the decoration is incomparable, it’s also quite a dark room, not the colours you see designers employing today. Morris and his friends were fond of the medieval – anything medieval, real or imagined – and I suppose this dark, introspective colour scheme is part of the overall mood they wanted to conjure up.
Stained glass window at Victoria & Albert Museum
The painted wall panels feature gold backgrounds and botanical designs.
Detail of stained glass in Morris room, V&A
These angelic figures are showing us how to be useful and industrious while keeping our robes nice and clean.
The painted gold panels on the wall are another rich touch
I can happily sit in this room and sip my coffee any day. It’s been proven.
Disclosure
This is my standard form of disclosure that I am retroactively adding to all blog posts done before April 1, 2018, and will add to all new posts.
1. Is this experience open to the public?
Yes.
2. Who paid the cost of me doing this?
I did. (Admission is free, donations are welcome.)
3. Did I get any compensation or special consideration for writing this blog post?
No.
4. Would I be as positive about this place if I had gone as a regular visitor?
Yes. I did go as a regular visitor.
1 Comment
Barbara Bell
November 13, 2016 at 3:19 pmI’ve had tea there, and it is truly dark – but very special to one who reveres Morris!