Bringing Art to the Everyday: The Met x Anthropologie

We're gathered around a table at Café Carlyle – ever-so-precisely set with pieces of ornate design, a flourish of intricate floral forms, lustrous hues with gold and silver accents, fine ceramics, cut-glass patterns, and sculpted metals... Lush floral arrangements fill in the gaps, echoing the pastels of the mural-adorned walls of the legendary New York restaurant.

There's an anticipation in the air accompanied by the tunes of the live piano. In just moments, we'll make our way to The Met for a private tour where we'll see the reference artworks that inspired our exclusive 2024 holiday collection with the iconic American institution.

"Art has always been a source of inspiration at Anthropologie," said Julie Gwin, Associate Design Director at Anthropologie. "When dreaming up partners for our holiday entertaining collection, we wanted to celebrate art in the most authentic way. This led us to collaborate with the world’s most renowned art institution – The Met – who shared our enthusiasm."

Our objective was crystal clear: this collection would call upon the aesthetics of the Gilded Age, bringing historic art into your everyday. Here's how:

Morgan Pearce, General Manager, Marketing, Brand Partnerships, and Licensing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, led us to the American Wing first. Here, she explained how the Gilded Age impacted the world of arts and culture in America.

A quick history lesson... The Gilded Age took place at the turn of the 20th century in American history. It was a time of extravagance, opulence, and entertaining for the upper class and nobility. Industrialization was booming, and mass production, too.

Artists asked the question: How do we preserve the fine arts of sculpture and painting, of making art by hand? The answer was to bring a millennium of artistry to the everyday through furniture, fabrics, décor, and more. The Aesthetic Movement took hold, emphasizing the handcrafted, the ornate, and the 'more is more' mentality.

"Many of the reference pieces for our collection come from the Gilded Age, a time when entertaining meant dressing up both for the occasion and for the table itself – a festivity we wanted to capture, " said Julie. "Today, as more people entertain at home, we aimed to create a timeless collection that brings that same spirit. From the tree to the mantel, the bar to the table, each piece is designed to become a lifelong memento."

With inspiration steeped in history, our tour continued, passing furniture with intricately carved forms and inlay details, jewelry of fine materials decadent in sight, and sparkling ornamental dressing rooms that served as an inner sanctum to gossip – pieces and spaces that exemplified as Pearce put it: “the magic of the Gilded Age.”

Next, we arrived at The Henry R. Luce Center for the Study of American Art, the American Wing’s visual storage space filled with never-ending rows of beautiful decorative art, dinnerware, glassware, and vases. Characterized by rows of glass containers, these objects are meant to be peered at and enjoyed.

Julie and Anthropologie’s Chief Creative Director Johanna Uurasjarvi found the most inspiration for the collection within this secret space: "Amid the museum's vastness, this seemingly hidden space offered a glimpse into the lives of the people who once owned such intricately designed pieces. With this vision, we set out to bridge these histories with the present."

In fact, one particular plate drew them in – tucked high on a top shelf, hidden behind layers of others. It felt bold but still refined and elegant. This single plate became the touchstone, grounding the collaboration in the Gilded Age.

While true cut glass was a symbol of status, cut-glass patterns became a means for anyone to entertain in emulation of the upper class. Inspired by these intricate geometric patterns dominating 19th-century American glassware, the barware in our collection embodies the elegance and craftsmanship of the Gilded Age.

Silver and gold were more than mere decorative elements – they became a display of wealth and status for those hosting multi-course dinner parties. Our collection captures this elegance with intricate metalwork and accents upon almost every piece in gleaming tones of gold and silver.

Many florals in our collection draw inspiration from one of the period's most prolific book-binding designers, Margaret Neilson Armstrong. Characterized by Art Nouveau’s organic lines, nature-inspired forms, and rhythmic symmetry, her designs are prominent throughout the collection: gilded florals grace the rims of plates, patterns adorn candles and mugs, and bloom across napkins, pillows, and even the tree topper.

Full of glassware, metalwork, and sinuous blooms, The Met x Anthropologie collection celebrates the history of bringing fine art into the heart of the home, making every gathering a gilded event.