Arts & Crafts Homes Summer 2017

IN OUR ARTICLE about Naumkeag’s restored gardens, one caption refers to a ha-ha, a term unfamiliar to most Americans. And so this digression: A ha-ha is a recess creating a vertical barrier that, unlike a fence, preserves an uninterrupted view of the landscape. The device uses an incline sloping to a steep face, which may be reinforced with a masonry retaining wall. Livestock and wildlife are thus prevented from getting too close to gardens and living areas around the house. Ha-has are also used to prevent vehicles from traversing a lawn. Old deer parks in England had sunken ditches that allowed deer to enter but not get out. Mention of ha-has (or ah-ahs) is traced back to the late 17th century in France, and refers to an opening in a…

Tudor in Relief Norm Lewellen’s 6" layered tiles are composed of two tiles—one concave, one with piercings and cutouts— which are fused together for a two-dimensional effect. Remarkably, the tiles are fired only once so the lead-free glaze bonds with the clay. Layered tile: $210. Single tile: $70. From Tudor Tile, (360) 647-2596, tudortile.com Luminous Sky Roycroft Artisan Shawn Krueger is a landscape painter in oils, whose work recalls both the American Tonalist and Arts & Crafts movements. Each piece begins as a plein-air study. Small works like “The Western View” are priced from $475. Shawn Krueger Fine Art, (616) 581-9753, shawnkrueger.tumblr.com Firm Footprint The Modern Loft round dining table is part of the new Studio by Stickley collection. Constructed of ash, the table features ingenious interlocking legs and is…

Construction will soon be underway on the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement in St. Petersburg, Florida. Funded by pharmaceutical entrepreneur and collector Rudy Ciccarello and the Two Red Roses Foundation, the museum is expected to open in 2018. It will be the largest museum in the world solely dedicated to American Arts & Crafts. Designed by Florida-based architect Alberto Alfonso, plans for the museum have expanded since the project was announced in 2014. The new, five-storey facility will encompass 137,000 square feet, with additional room for exhibitions, a 100-seat auditorium, and educational facilities. Plans also call for event spaces, a restaurant, and a café. The centerpiece of the $70 million facility comprises the ever-growing collection of the Two Red Roses Foundation, largely assembled through the efforts of…

MAY 20 Riverside Tour As any viewer of DIY Network’s “Restored” knows, the town of Riverside, California, is packed with extraordinary houses in a variety of Arts & Crafts styles. That’s more than enough reason to take in the Vintage Home Tour, a self-guided event that visits five homes. This year’s theme is “Henry L.A. Jekel and the Spanish Colonial Revival Craze.” Jekel, an architect who designed skyscrapers in the East as well as homes in California, is the subject of a forthcoming book due out in September. A $20 ticket ($22 day of show) also gains you admission to two concurrent events, the Restoration Faire and Vintage Mercantile, where you can peruse art, crafts, antiques, and collectibles. Old Riverside Foundation, (951) 683-2725, oldriverside.org JUNE 24–25 Roycroft Art Explore the…

OAK PARK, TALIESIN EAST AND WEST, and Buffalo are on every Frank Lloyd Wright pilgrim’s itinerary. For something extra—including period accommodations—add a trip to this area 90 minutes from Pittsburgh. Here are high points, beginning with the holy grail of residential architecture: FALLINGWATER After they check in, visitors to the house proceed along a wooded path to a fork in the road. The trail on the left leads to the edge of Bear Run’s rocky, splashing flow. A clearing opens, and there it is: the money shot of one of the most famous houses in the world, Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1935–38 Fallingwater. The view never fails to move and impress pilgrims who come by the millions. Seen from across- and downstream, the house shows off the sheer audacity and irresistible…

ONE REASON why George Crandall bought this modest Craftsman Bungalow near Portland, Oregon, was for the unpainted Douglas fir woodwork that had survived in the dining room, living room, and sunroom. “It was a house that hadn’t been messed with a lot,” George says. The original leaded-glass windows with beveled diamond panes still cast artful shadows on dining-room walls. The built-in fir window seat could be opened for storage; tall wainscoting was topped by a deep frieze that would be perfect for George to hang William Morris-designed ‘Willow’ wallpaper. The kitchen, however, needed tender loving care. Its cheap electric range, dated laminate countertops, 1950s vinyl flooring, and tip-out lower cabinets stood in stark contrast to the beautiful craftsmanship found in the rest of the house. “I’m pretty good at restoring…