ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a chronological account of William Morris's work in the field of decorative arts, preceded and contextualized with a brief outline of the state of design in England at the outset of his venture. Morris's holistic interiors created within this 19th-century paradigm of the uninterrupted sensory experience can be viewed as a precursor to the modern age and professionalization of interior design. The estimated six million visitors included the young William Morris. Pugin assisted Barry in the exterior details and, more importantly, in the interior design-including Gothic paneling, patterned floor tiles, stained-glass windows, and medieval-style furniture. Historians have been unanimous in interpreting the Red Lion furnishings as the beginning of Morris's understanding of the need for interior design reform at most basic human level. One might argue that Morris's contribution to development of idea of interior design was equal in significance to his reform in design of objects. Morris was at the forefront of the professionalization of interior design.
