Flipping the pit

One of our favorite indicators of seasonal change here at the Indianapolis Museum of Art is the biannual “flipping of the pit” at the Miller House, which was completed last week. This is when the heavier winter pillow textiles in the conversation pit are rotated out for the lighter spring and summer ones. When the Millers still lived in the home, this process also included switching out the textile covers on the pit seat and back cushions. In the winter, the pit seats were a deep red, while in the summer, they were covered in the beige Boris Kroll fabric pictured above. Since the IMA has taken ownership of the Miller House (three years as of last week!), the beige has become permanent, with the pillows and carpet being the only parts of the feature that change seasonally.