- 1/1
The Drawing Room Haakon Michael Harris | Norsk Folkemuseum
This home is furnished to show the new home ideals introduced by the Swedish author Ellen Key in her book Skönhet for alla (Beauty for all) published in 1899 and translated to Norwegian in 1903 with the tittle Gjer heimen din fager (Beautify your Home). These home ideals incorporated a rhetoric pointing forward to the functionalism of the 20s and 30s, and an interior style combining elements of art nouveau with traditional crafts and dragon style. Key expressions are "light and airy", functional, simple and plain, but also beautiful.
The narrative is fictional. We have invented a young teacher's family – a married couple with a small child and a maid. They are part of a counter-culture incorporating non-socialist radicalism, beliefs in national independence, "Landsmål" – the New Norwegian language and interest in folk costumes, folk dance and folk songs.
The furniture in the dining room is jugend/art noveau. The drawing room has furniture and a lamp in dragon style and a traditional woven tapestry on the wall