Ideology

For every lauded design development, movement or product of the last century, many other distinguished pieces have quietly followed: the foot soldiers of design that silently steered the march towards larger aesthetic trends. Homespun showcases the best of twentieth-century British art and industrial design, going beyond the usual celebrated icons to shine a light across a wider arc — still our brief in 2026.

Skilled craftsmanship and considered design principles underscore the Homespun aesthetic: furniture, fabric, art, ceramic and other objects that combine the ruralist ideals of the Cotswold schools, the “common sense” principles of Gordon Russell, the intellectual thinking behind Isokon, and the thoughtful combinations of David Hicks’s interior schemes.

The hand-hewn carvings of Robert “Mouseman” Thompson, the localised factory production of Lucian Ercolani, and the mass industrial output of Hille all take their place in the Homespun interior — a relaxed, democratic retrospective of vintage design that still feels liveable in contemporary London flats.

When those pieces need to change address — a Penguin Donkey to a new study, a Kandya set across town — careful handling matters as much as good provenance. Our partners at Get Man and Van in London offer kind, practical assistance with furniture removals across the capital, which suits collectors who would rather trust trained crews than risk a precious veneer on a DIY staircase run.

Further reading and visits we still recommend:

• V&A Furniture Collection
• Furniture as art in museums in London
• Museum of the Home in London