Arts & Crafts Homes Winter 2017

THE BUNGALOW REVIVAL has threatened a takeover of Arts & Crafts in general, but not every Arts & Crafts house is a bungalow. (And not every bungalow is Arts & Crafts. House forms, like bungalow or foursquare, and stylistic elements, like Craftsman or Italianate, are not in lockstep.) In this issue we extend the timeline in both directions, showcasing a startlingly vernacular house designed by Ernest Gimson in England, as well as a remade 1940s Texas Ranch. Bungalows, they ain’t. We can’t define Arts & Crafts style; there are too many expressions and variants. Yet significant threads run through all the work we recognize as Arts & Crafts. At first encounter, designs by William Morris and Gustav Stickley are very different. We come to see in their work the underlying…

English Country Charm The Nesfield Collection from Liberty draws inspiration from William Nesfield, an architect of “Old English” country houses. Chair Fresco Lagoon linen union; curtain Rose May linen union; pillow Ray Lagoon velvet. The fabrics are sold worldwide; about $97 to $149 per meter. From Alice Caroline, (+44) 01386 725 000, alicecaroline.co.uk Clean Geometry Inspired by the Art Deco skyscrapers of New York, the Manhattan three-hole faucet is crafted from solid brass. It’s available in polished brass, chrome, nickel, weathered bronze, satin nickel, and satin chrome finishes. Pricing starts at $1,500. From Barber Wilsons, (800) 727-6317, barwil.co.uk Crystal Clear From the restoration hardware source now celebrating its 100th year, the hand-cut, lead-crystal octagonal doorknob comes in a dozen colors as well a brilliant clear version. Mounted on a solid…

When fire devastated the interior of his late Victorian Queen Anne home in Syracuse, New York, Gustav Stickley dreamed up a new concept as part of his renovation. By the time he was finished, Stickley had created the first Arts & Crafts interior in America. Nearly 115 years later, the long-vacant house is due for major structural repairs. Held in trust for many years by the L. & J.G. Stickley furniture company, the house was transferred last May to a local nonprofit, which will manage construction. Another nonprofit, the Gustav Stickley House Foundation, is raising funds for restoration. Among the tasks ahead are masonry and roof repairs, window and woodwork preservation, and reconstructing the original front porch. That said, the interior is in remarkable condition. Much of the original chestnut…

FOR THIS HOUSE in the metro Detroit area, cabinets were designed by the Sharer Design Group for a newly imagined, family-friendly kitchen in the Arts & Crafts spirit. “We used our personal line of Michigan-made cabinets—Sharer Cabinetry,” says Justin Sharer. “The family were clients of Hancock Construction, with whom we often partner. They wanted to push the outdated 1980s house toward classic Craftsman style.” Cabinet design began with frameless construction, which offers the clean lines preferred by the client. Sharer chose a timeless Shaker door style. Quarter-sawn oak was a favorite choice during the bungalow era. The center island is hardworking (accommodating the microwave oven and storage drawers at the business end), but it’s also a handsome bit of period-style craftsmanship. The oak top features walnut plugs and support…

For a cohesive scheme, especially one alluding to our decorating past, don’t overlook the ceiling. Before Modernism, even residential ceilings were embellished with color, striping, cast-plaster ornaments, borders, specialty papers, and murals. Ceilings still were decorated between 1901 and 1945. Particularly in Arts & Crafts and English Tudor houses, main rooms often had beams along with subtle ornamental treatments. In some rooms, the ceiling treatment played off the frieze, picking up its colors or repeating a motif. Complementary ceiling fill papers were light in tone and favored “natural” hues, such as limestone and sand colors, accented with eggplant, amber, and olive green. After the First World War, European-influenced Romantic Revival house styles were built in the growing suburbs. Many walls and the occasional ceiling were troweled with textured plaster,…

Elements of a decorating aesthetic from a simpler time, embroidery, appliqué, and stencils nevertheless look fresh and bright in modern interiors. Stitchery was done on slightly rough, natural fabrics including unbleached linen, and handworked with naturally dyed thread. Surviving textiles are sought after. So, too, are new designs from artists who continue to reinvent practical home furnishings in the Arts & Crafts spirit. Embroidery and other needlework became an appropriate artistic and fi-nancial pursuit for 20th-century American women, thanks largely to American designer Candace Wheeler—by way of Great Britain. Wheeler, who produced exquisite embroidered draperies and portières for clients such as author Mark Twain, was influenced by the work of the British Royal School of Needlework, an exhibitor at the Philadelphia Centennial in 1876. basic stitches Simple stitches were used…