Domestic Realm

The notion of home has been traditionally associated with crafts, the feminine and as such trivialized in most academic research. However, interested in contemporary interpretations of the domestic from a design perspective, I have found out that the history of the home, as an academic topic, has shown a revival of attention, especially in United Kingdom. Several works across university disciplines in the humanities and social sciences and also within museums, have lead to hubs of activity including the AHRC Centre for the Study of the domestic Interior (V&A/RCA/Bedford Centre for the History of Women), Kingston University’s Modern Interiors Research Centre, the Museum of Domestic Architecture and Design (MoDA) at Middlesex University. The Geffrye Museum's (a must in term of domesticity) new Histories of the Home Network is the most recent development in the field and builds upon this research. Another valuable resource is the Berg publication: Home Cultures which focus on main aspects of the domestic realm, from interior design to architecture, including material culture and anthropology.

Source: Histories of the Home SSN Symposium
Geffrye Museum, Saturday 27th September, 2008