The Craftsman Living Space: Where Handmade Art Rules

 

Craftsman dwellings were inspired by architect brothers Henry Mather Greene and Charles Sumner Greene. These ingenious minds worked together during the 20^th century in Pasadena, California. The Greenes were quite inspired by the English arts and crafts movement and Oriental architecture. In their own promoting handmade stuff rather than those created inside factories and were machine-made.

If you want to have a first-hand look at the beauty of craftsman design and architecture, you could visit Southern California where a few bungalows from 1905 till the 1920s still stand. You will surely love this style if you like things that may be old but have got a timeless appeal.

Characteristics to look for include gabled roofs, front porch, tapered columns, partly paned doors, multi-pane windows, and a lot of earthy colors.

Craftsman houses are typically painted in any nature-inspired color. You will see a lot of browns and greens. The low-profile homes often blend with their natural surroundings. The muted palette comprising of just one or two contrasting colors are used to highlight the breathtaking architectural features.

Regardless of the style that you choose for your home, keep in mind that painting an architectural feature with a contrasting color is an effective way to highlight such feature.

Another characteristic that is unique to a craftsman home is the stone detailing. See the mixture of different materials with the siding typically made of wooden clapboard. There are some that feature shingled siding as this was a pretty common style, too, back in the day. The foundations and porch piers are generally made of stone with some concrete block, bricks or stucco used at times.

Craftsman style also comes with roof eaves, exposed beams and rafter tails. All these reflect the influence made by the Arts and Crafts movement, thus, visible handiwork was featured and were considered in style.

Democratic Mixing

Get a craftsman style book and mix materials that you can get your hands on. Think of cladding a little addition of brick or stone even when your home already has existing clapboard siding. The addition of exposed rafter tails or beams should not mean that you are supposed to reconstruct your home or even replace your roof. Such details are commonly decorative in nature and can be easily added below a home that already has deep roof eaves.

There is something inviting and warm about a craftsman home. It celebrates the fusion of building materials, lovely structures, and most especially, the 20^th century architectural features.

So, how to begin?

Start with a view of some of the craftsman homes still in existence. Take note of the window detailing, those exposed rafters, the facade, stained glasses as decorative accents, and the overall warm glow of the place.

Consider also the kind of lighting used which mirror the exteriors. Find sconce and pendant lighting that will cast a warm, golden glow throughout a room. While this is the general rule when it comes to craftsman homes (warm lighting plus earthy colors), this does not mean that you can’t put your own personality into it. You can opt for the bright home approach where you balance the bright hues with the wooden accents which are the staple materials of a craftsman home.

Other colors that you can add to your palette are white and blue. Gray can also give your craftsman home a contemporary appeal. Include white wooden accent pieces, modern pendant lighting fixtures, and some contemporary art. The result is a comfortable and trimmed yet modern and posh at the same time.

Isn’t it fun to make historical homes appear modern inside? This can be your take on retro meets the contemporary look.Craftsman design is sure to captivate both young and old spectators.

Tags: 20th century, 20th century chairs, arts and crafts, contrast, contrast in design, contrast in interior design, craftsman, exposed finish, hardwood, hardwood furniture, hardwood pieces, interior design contrasts, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, mixing and matching furniture, pendant, pendant lighting, retro, Retro design, Retro style, tips, wall sconce, wooden elements

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 27th, 2016 at 8:31 am and is filed under Furniture, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Interior Design Themes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.