Happy Holidays :)

To my mom & all girl friends who became a mother this year,
With love.

I'm at Old Street with a friend to celebrate X'mas and decided to pay a visit to the Jeffrye Museum just on Kingsland Road (this is also where some of my favourite Vietnamese restaurants are located).

I have heard about this museum for a long time and have passed by it trillions of times... notably from the voice recording on "number 242 to Homerton Hospital" every time I go to Kingsland Road to solve my craving for Pho. I also lived close by for a while but I never managed to pay a visit until now. It's a rather surprising place to find a museum as that street isn't so attractive but oh my, I was impressed.

The Jeffrey Museum, you could say, is a museum of English interior designs. It has collections of furniture, textiles, paintings and decorative arts from the 1600 til present day (til around the 1990s)... depicting "the quintessential style of English middle class living room". It may sound a bit boring to many of you, but I found the collection beautiful. And so many questions I had regarding English furniture taste was answered from this visit. I lost track of time and was an hour late meeting a friend for a X'mas dinner.

http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/

(The website is wonderful. You can even send Xmas cards which I did to a few friends but I don't know if they've received it?)

The Museum isn't big but the interior is impressive. It is set in elegant 18th century almshouses with a contemporary wing surrounded by gardens, which include a herb garden and a series of period gardens. I didn't get to see the gardens as it is winter but I am sure to come back. And will take my mom if she's coming to visit. There are several rooms showing you how the middle class living room styles changes since the 1600s to 2000.  Also to celebrate this wonderful seasonal holiday, there is an (annual) exhibition showing 400 years of Christmas tradition in English homes :) Very appropriate for the occasion. There is also currently a very interesting EcoHome exhibition (which you can find on my Chelsea T blog).

Instead of talking about how much I love it, I'd rather show you some photos that will also serve as Xmas presents to you from 2artornot2art.

A hall in 1630

I loved the window with holy

Parlour in 1695

Parlour in 1790

Era of "neat" furnishing (looks quite modern, doesn't it?)

Drawing room in 1830

Drawing room in 1870

1890

 Furnished in aesthetic style where furniture was infuenced by japanese forms

Xmas cards invent by English became popular

Edwardian period room (1900 - 1914) 

Xmas stockings were a new tradition in england, having been gradually adopted from america mid 19th century. An adoptation of the custom of leaving shoes out on St. Nicolas day, tradition taken to America by Dutchs settlers. Debates as to whether shoes or stockings to be used!

Mid 20th century period room

1990s

Little things I liked...

c.1750

c.1830

I Love

Evolution of chairs

 Look how uncomfortable modern ones became!

I'm dedicating this post to my mom because she loves interior designing and she's very good at decorating our house ever since I can remember. I have always admired her taste. I hope to one day do a project with her on my own flat/our country house perhaps?!

And all my friends who became a mom this year... I hope this will inspire you to make your home prettier and prettier for the little ones during ANY festive season.

Happy Holidays 

/Photo credit @ Chelsea T/