Part of London Textile Month, with programmes running throughout September 2026.
Woven Lives in Spitalfields: Christopher Farr x Chris Dyson appear as part of the Museum of the Home’s re-imagined 1690s period room presenting the domestic world of a recently arrived Huguenot family establishing a new life in London.
This intervention explores histories of migration, refuge, labour and belonging through the lens of the home to offer a contemporary dialogue with this historic context.
Drawing on the experiences of French Protestant refugees who settled in Spitalfields in the late seventeenth century, the room re-interprets the period interior through textiles, furnishing and domestic detail. Developed for London Textile Month, expert producers of custom rugs Christopher Farr has partnered with local resident and award-winning architect Chris Dyson to produce a modern interpretation of an historic Huguenot textile design. Installed in A Parlour in 1695, the ‘Spitalfields’ rug is informed by a fragment of original silk tapestry ornamented with flowers and fruit motifs, referencing the local Spitalfields Market.
The installation highlights the central role of weaving and textile production in the rapid transformation of the local area and in shaping London’s wider cultural life. In doing so, this invites visitors to reflect on the continuing relationship between migration and homemaking, asking how people create belonging through objects, craft, family and everyday domestic rituals.
Christopher Farr are expert producers of custom rugs, designed in close collaboration with their clients. Almost 40 years ago, Christopher Farr set out to protect and preserve the world’s weaving traditions, while exploring the creative possibilities of design. Since then, they have maintained a dedication to quality and an uncompromising pursuit of beauty that has helped revolutionise rug design
Chris Dyson Architects is an award-winning architectural studio based in Spitalfields, London, founded by Chris Dyson in 2004. The team has a reputation for intelligent conservation, inventive new buildings and artist collaborations. Current and recent projects include part of the redevelopment of the Bishopsgate Goodsyard, a new building for Harrow Arts Centre, plans for the Truman Brewery’s historic boiler house, the redevelopment of Tracey Emin’s former East End studio, planning for a new City of London hotel, residential conversion at The Charterhouse and a variety of residential schemes in London and Scotland.
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