design in the middle ages (not as bad as we thought)

peter bruegel, 1540 

clothing:

the aristocracy and wealthy merchants wore elaborate garments, which changed according to the dictates of fashion. towards the end of the middle ages, men of the wealthy classes sported hose and a jacket, often with pleating or skirting, or a tunic with a surcoat. 

women wore flowing gowns and elaborate headwear, ranging from headdresses shaped like hearts or butterflies to tall steeple caps and italian turbans. 

peasant men wore stockings or tunics, while women wore long gowns with sleeveless tunics and wimples to cover their hair. sheepskin cloaks, woolen hats, and mittens were worn in winter for protection from the cold and rain. leather boots were covered with wooden patens to keep the feet dry. 

outer clothes were almost never laundered, but the linen underwear was regularly washed. 

anthropological detail: the smell of wood smoke permeated living quarters, including people's clothing. here the smell acts as a deodorant. 

peasant women spun wool into the threads that were woven into the cloth for these garments. fur was often used to line the garments of the wealthy. 

anne of cleves, henry the eighth's wife

jewelry was lavish, much of it imported and often used as security against loans. gem cutting was not invented until the fifteenth century, so most stones were not very lustrous. 

the manor

houses

the homes of the rich were elaborate. floors were paved, as opposed to (in the case of peasants) being strewn with rushes and herbs, and sometimes decorated with tiles. tapestries were hung on the walls, providing decoration and an extra layer of warmth. 

fenestral windows, with lattice frames that were covered in a fabric soaked in resin and tallow, allowed in light, kept out drafts and could be removed in good weather. 

only the wealthy could afford panes of glass; sometimes only churches and royal residences had glass windows.

vitrail, troyes cathedral, 14th century

actually stained glass (known in French as "vitrail") windows were the major pictorial art form, particularly in northern France, Germany and England, where windows tended to be larger than in southern Europe.

the kitchen:

the medieval kitchen consisted of a stone hearth in the center of the room. this was not only where the cooking took place, but also the source of central heating. 

a medieval kitchen like the one above can only be afforded today by the very rich 

in peasant families, the wife did the cooking and baking. peasant diet consisted of breads, vegetables from their own gardens, dairy products from their own sheep, goats, and cows, and pork from their own livestock. 

life in general:

peasants worked the land and produced the goods needed in the manor. the exchange was not without hardship for the serfs. they were taxed and were required to relinquish much of what they harvested. the lords, in close association with the church, assumed the roles of judges in carrying out the laws of the manor. 

women were largely in charge of household tasks such as cooking, baking bread (their bread was whole grain), sewing, weaving, and spinning (all manually, better fitted). however, they also hunted for food and fought in battles, learning to use weapons to defend their homes and castles. there were women blacksmiths, merchants, and apothecaries.