Arts and Crafts

Photo courtesy of Stickley.

The Arts and Crafts style emerged in the 1860s as a reaction against the increasing industrialization and dark and cluttered tastes of Victorian Britain. William Morris was the central figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement and his company, founded in 1861, produced a wide range of decorative objects for the home including furniture, fabrics, wallpaper, and stained glass. A staunch conservationist and Socialist, he espoused the idea that the arts should create social reform, improving the lives of ordinary people and craftsmen alike. The goal was to create design that was “for the people and by the people, and a source of pleasure to the maker and the user.” The philosophical principles underpinning the creation of objects resulted in their appearance a blend of sophisticated patterns featuring stylized bird and plant forms in flat colors and simple, boldly outlined forms rooted in vernacular countryside traditions of craftsmanship. Preserving and emphasizing the natural qualities of the materials used to make objects was a critical aspect of Arts and Crafts style. There was no extravagant or superfluous decoration and the construction of the object was often revealed.

In the late 1800s, the style made its way to America where it also became known as Mission and Craftsman. Here, the concept of design for the masses was more fully realized than in Britain, though at the expense of the fine individualized craftsmanship characteristic of the English style. By using factory methods to produce basic components and utilizing craftsmen to finish and assemble them, the key Arts and Crafts designer in America, New York-based, Gustave Stickley, was able to produce sturdy, serviceable furniture which he sold in vast quantities to middle-class consumers. Today Stickley’s furniture is highly valued by collectors, and the company still exists, producing reproductions of the original Stickley designs. The Arts and Crafts style anticipated the sparse, functional forms of modernism.

Written by Donna Sapolin.

VIEW EXAMPLES OF ARTS AND CRAFTS PRODUCTS ON DECORATI

Arts & Crafts Style Products on Decorati
Cottage Arm Chair by Stickley	Small Lamp by Stickley	End Table by Stickley	Spindle Loveseat by Stickley
Round Table by Berkeley Mills	Bed by Berkeley Mills	Shoji Sideboard by Berkeley Mills	Armoire by Berkeley Mills

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“I did not realize it at the time that in making those few pieces of strong, simple furniture, I had started a new movement. Others saw it and prophesied far-reaching development. To me it was only furniture; to them it was religion. And eventually it became religion to me as well.” – Gustav Stickley on the American Arts and Crafts Movement, from an article by Michael J. Danial, Wood Magazine 1997

EXAMPLES OF ROOMS THAT INCORPORATE ARTS AND CRAFTS:

Photo courtesy of Stickley.

Photo courtesy of Stickley.

Photo courtesy of Stickley.

Photo courtesy of Stickley.

Photo courtesy of Stickley.

Photo courtesy of Stickley.

Photo featuring Arts and Crafts courtesy of interior designer, Cherie Fehrman.

Photo featuring Arts and Crafts courtesy of interior designer, Cherie Fehrman.

Photo featuring Arts and Crafts courtesy of interior design firm, Yoshida + Zanon Design Atrium.

Photo of Arts and Crafts courtesy of Decorati partner, 2nd Ave Lighting.

OTHER ONLINE RESOURCES:

Art, Design, and Visual Thinking – The Arts and Crafts Movement

The Arts & Crafts Society

Popular Mechanics – The Heritage of Arts & Crafts Furniture

Ezine Articles – Arts and Crafts Style Decorating

BLOGS:

TreeFrogFurniture – Defining the Arts and Crafts Style

Minnesota Monthly – Arts & Crafts Revival

CalFinder: Be True to the Arts and Crafts Style

Fine Woodworking for your Home.com – The Arts and Crafts Style 1890-1920

BOOKS:

In the Arts and Crafts Style by Barbara Mayer, Elaine Hirschl Ellis, and Rob Gray, July 2006

Living in the Arts and Crafts Style: A Home Decorating Workbook by Charlotte Kelley and Robin Dawson, May 2001

Arts & Crafts Style and Spirit by Chase Reynolds Ewald, April 1999

Arts and Crafts Style by Isabelle Anscombe, May 1996

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