New York City

Nature by Design, part of The Cooper Hewitt’s latest triennial, co-organized with the Cube design museum in the Netherlands, presents nine distinct stories drawn from Cooper Hewitt’s collection of over 210,000 design objects. Throughout history, designers have observed nature, investigated its materials, and both imitated and abstracted its patterns and shapes. Join Royal Oak as we visit the ninth installment of the series, Botanical Expressions.

Interpretations of botanical forms wind their way through the decorative arts of the late 18th through the early 20th centuries. Botanical Expressions focuses on key figures — Christopher Dresser, Emile Gallé, William Morris, and Louis Comfort Tiffany — whose knowledge of the natural sciences and personal practices of gardening enriched their creative output as designers. A timeline of objects reflects botanicals in form and pattern, highlighting shifting styles across geography and media in textiles, ceramics, glass, wallcoverings, and more. Significant loans from Smithsonian Libraries include illustrated guidebooks that designers used for natural research and drawing instruction.