The
Arts and Crafts period was a unique movement that had a profound affect on
the American and European arts and culture including housing and furniture
construction that took place in at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The philosophy was founded in England by William Morris and John Ruskin as
a reaction to the industrial age and it's pollution, dehumanization, and
mass production of furniture, housing and everyday goods. They believed
one needed to have his physical surroundings made up of items produced
with good design and care by a craftsman's hands that reflected the scale
of human dimensions.
In
America, Gustav Stickley was the leader in taking this idea to the masses
with his mission furniture and household accessories. At the time many
other artists and cottage industry companies arose to provide paintings,
bookbinding, lighting, tile, pottery and glassware to fill the
“bungalow” housing of the time. Architects were soon swept up in the
honest construction, exposed joinery, natural colors with Asian and Amish
influences. Some masterworks that are national treasures today were
created by the likes of Greene and Greene in California, Charles Rennie
Macintosh in the British Isles and others on both sides of the
Atlantic.
It
was typical to design all the furniture, hardware, lighting, rugs and even
glasswork in these houses. Every aspect was considered part of the whole
plan. The torch was carried on by such renowned architects as Bernard
Maybeck and Frank Lloyd Wright in the following decades. In the nineteen
sixties the values and artifacts of the period were rediscovered again by
the baby boomers and their search for a return to simpler times and
values. Ironically, some of the original furniture designed for "the
people" has reached astronomical value and inspired new companies to
start reproducing the old designs. Though this type of furniture does not
fit in many modern houses and tastes, the overall philosophy of clean,
functional design, good craftsmanship and materials( melded design to fit
the overall relationship between furnishings and structure, )is a basic
tenet of my company. Yes, we love to build Arts and Crafts influenced
designs when the opportunity presents itself.
