Within the house the furnishings and decoration displayed and celebrated the manufacturing process and the skill of the craftsmen. The dining table at Red House is a good example of celebrating simple, utiltarian design, that instead of being covered with a tablecloth, was left and used in its uncovered state.
Handcraft, as opposed to machine made, furnishings were celebrated, with Morris hoping that this would inspire and sustain cottage industries, where working class craftsmen could produce works of art. The first Arts and Crafts Society, established in 1887, set this idea out in its mission statement, the aims were to ignore “...the distinction between Fine and Decorative art...” and to allow the “...worker to earn the title of artist.”
It is clear to see how these more socialist and democratic ideals, appealed to an American audience, where the movement spread and remained popular into the early decades of the twentieth century.