Arts & Crafts Homes

The Yearning for Beauty and Good Work to Do

Arts & Crafts Editor — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:37:46 +0000

A note from the Editor:

The Arts & Crafts revival is so in tune with basic human desires for beauty and good work, I think it may never end.

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Dear colleagues and readers,

Twenty-five years ago, I seriously considered starting a modest publication to be called “The Bungalow Letter.” It would be for freethinkers who had rediscovered the comforts of unfussy post-Victorian houses. I did a little bit of what passed for market research. Barely a response! I gave up the idea. (Oh yes.)

The bungalow movement has, of course, threatened to overrun a general Arts and Crafts revival—one so in tune with basic human desires for beauty and good work, I think it may never end. (I also think today’s revival in the future will be seen as a continuation of the original movement—with the California Ranch, the1960s and the back-to-the-land movement and environmental awareness all part of the continuum—but that’s an argument for another time.)

We can’t define Arts & Crafts style—there are so many strains, and besides, “it’s against our religion.” Yet we seem to know it when we see it. Some people pick up our magazine or visit our website to learn more about the style, to help them decorate their houses to look like the Arts & Crafts Bungalows in the movies and on TV. That’s okay, that’s wonderful. I expect that in learning about the roots of the movement, and its practitioners (then and especially now), and the integration of work and art and life, people will go beyond a quest for “style” and be enriched.

The revival goes beyond oak furniture and turn-of-the-century bungalows to interpret, too, British art movements of the late 19th century, Art Nouveau, international A&C strains, the vernacular, and even today’s design. The revival that began gaining speed in the early 1970s has lasted longer than the original period—and it is producing work equal to better than that of a hundred years ago. It’s an honor to publish it, and it is my pleasure.

Patricia Poore, Editor
ppoore@homebuyerpubs.com
10 Harbor Rd., Gloucester, MA 01930

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Arts & Crafts Architects & House Plans

Arts & Crafts Editor — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:19:19 +0000

Browse a selective list of specialist designers for Arts & Crafts-inspired new construction and remodeling. Shown: A Craftsman cottage as built from plans by Robinson Residential Design.

Architects

Bialecki Architects
bialeckiarchitects.com
160 Main St.
Gardiner, NY 12535
(845) 255-6131
Nationally recognized, award-winning firm merges American Arts & Crafts design with green building technology.

David Heide Design Studio
dhdstudio.com
301 Fourth Ave. S., Ste. 663
Minneapolis, MN 55415
(612) 337-5060
Architecture, interior design, and restoration. Committed to creating design solutions that will enhance your home environment.

Deep River Partners
deep-river.com
338 N. Milwaukee St., Ste. 505
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 276-8550
They use the tools of imagination and creativity to provide solutions for their clients. Architecture, interiors, and lighting design.

Erler Design
erlerdesign.com
109 Bay Terr.
Huddleston, VA 24104
(434) 953-6747
Specializing in the design of Craftsman-style homes for modern lifestyles.

Gerald Lee Morosco Architects
glm-architects.com
1819 E. Carson St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15203
(412) 431-4347
Fine custom homes and interiors. The firm enjoys a national reputation for exceptional design and excellence in project execution.

Greene & Proppe Design
gpdchicago.com
1209 W. Berwyn Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 271-1925
Award-winning firm dedicated to the art of architecture and interior design.

JFA Architecture, PC
jfa-architecture.com
1017 Greenwood Ave.
Wyncote, PA 19095
(215) 517-8068
Residential architecture that supports a modern-day lifestyle. New construction, renovations, and additions.

John F. Slaven Architect
johnslaven.com
PO Box 3934
Visalia, CA 93292
(877) 592-7256
Small firm in California provides personal, one-of-a-kind design service to create environments that reflect craftsmanship, value, and charm.

John Malick & Associates
jmalick.com
1195 Park Ave., Ste. 101
Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 595-8042
Architects of traditional homes. They specialize in the creation of fine, historically inspired homes.

Kelly Sutherlin McLeod Architecture
ksmarchitecture.com
3827 Long Beach Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90807
(562) 427-6697
Full design services for residential, light commercial, civic, and urban projects. Serving the greater southern California region.

Michael Rust Architect
rust-architect.com
1321 W. McNair St.
Chandler, AZ 85224
(480) 219 0554
Residential design services based on the continuing philosophy of creating organic architecture.

Peek Design Group
peekdesign.com
3950 Cobb Pkwy, Ste. 501
Acworth, GA 30101
(770) 222-4345
Architecture firm in Georgia brings a deep respect for traditional design to your project.

SALA Architects
salaarc.com
326 E. Hennepin Ave., #200
Minneapolis, MN 55414
(612) 379-3037
Custom residential design including additions, remodels, and new homes. Their specialty is architecture of the Arts & Crafts movement.

Sandra Vitzthum Architect, LLC
sandravitzthum.com
46 E. State St.
Montpelier, VT 05602
(802) 223-1806
Firm focuses on traditional design, creating settings for meaningful public and private life.

Wai Gorny Inc.
waigorny.com
28915 Third Ave. NE
Stanwood, WA 98292
(360) 629-0509
Architectural firm offers detailed design appropriate to the style of the home and the lifestyle of the homeowners. Remodels and new construction.

House Plans

The Bungalow Company
thebungalowcompany.com
2755 NW Crossing Dr., Ste. 205
Bend, OR 97701
(888) 945-9206
Residential design firm creates plans for new homes inspired by the authentic Craftsman and bungalow styles.

Bungalow Pros
bungalowpros.com
229 North St.
Madison, WI 53704
(608) 241-9243
Timeless designs for modern living. They offer custom interior design as well as Craftsman house plans.

Home Patterns Bungalow Plans
homepatterns.com
200 Pimperenel St.
Summerville, SC 29483
(864) 278-0068
Source for affordable bungalow plans, including Craftsman, Foursquare, and cottage plans.

Our Town Plans
ourtownplans.com
430 Prime Point, Ste. 103
Peachtree City, GA 30269
(770) 692-2929
A collection of high-quality, pre-designed house plans inspired by America’s rich architectural heritage.

Parkersville Collection
parkersvillecollection.com
PO Box 4633
Whitefish, MT 59937
(800) 383-2677
Build a home that looks like Grandma’s. They offer a collection of historic country house, cottage, and bungalow house plans.

Perfect Little House Company
perfectlittelhouse.com
197 Parfitt Way, Ste. 120
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
(206) 780-1016
Their traditional home designs favor quality and comfort over excessive square footage.

Prairie Craftsman Designs
prairiecraftsmandesigns.com
35715 Hwy 40
Evergreen, CO 80439
(303) 670-0619
Ken Pieper specializes in the design of homes that embrace the beauty of the land around them, and the warmth of families who live in them.

Rick Thompson, Architect
thompsonplans.com
PO Box 160
Lake Junaluska, NC 28745
(828) 627-1479
Stock house plans for traditional neighborhood developments.

Robinson Residential Design
robinsonplans.com
2343-A Broad St.
Regina, SK S4P 1Y9 Canada
(877) 352-6617
Home and cottage plans in the Craftsman style. See traditional craftsmanship in their online gallery.

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Oh Those Revival Kitchens!

Arts & Crafts Editor — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:05:48 +0000

Like this one in a Prairie house in St. Paul, Minnesota, today’s Arts & Crafts Revival kitchens are all about bringing fine materials and details into a room that has become the center of the home.

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Three More Great Homes

Arts & Crafts Editor — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:35:14 +0000

Like this new house in Iowa, recent projects show that the Arts & Crafts Revival continues to thrive — and evolve with the resurgence of craftsmanship and sustainable design.

Custom home-builders Mike and Susan Hoien created a house of timeless design for themselves in Iowa. Bradbury’s ‘Oakleaf Frieze’ is one of several revival papers in the house. (Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers: www.bradbury.com)

Custom home-builders Mike and Susan Hoien created a house of timeless design for themselves in Iowa. The entry features custom art glass with an oak-tree motif.

Mike and Susan Hoien (Hoien Construction, Spirit Lake, IA) were diligent in their research once they committed to building themselves an Arts & Crafts-inspired home. Motifs throughout show a command of the original style and even of the movement’s antecedents in Great Britain. Although they incorporated aspects of Prairie School, Shingle Style, and Craftsman houses, the interior maintains a consistent flow through the use of nature imagery and a naturalistic palette.

Photos by Paul Crosby

Architect Matthew Bialecki designed this rough stone and cedar shingle retreat in upstate New York -- it’s both elegant and in the vernacular.

An open floor plan hearkens back to the classic Adirondack lodge. The two-sided fireplace warms both the kitchen and the screened porch.

Proving that American A&C goes beyond Stickley’s Mission style, this house by architect Matthew Bialecki drew inspiration from Adirondack lodges, some of the work of Greene and Greene, and his client’s pleasant memories of a lakefront vacation home. The result is a spacious house that blends the Craftsman vocabulary and a rough-hewn, organic aura with the latest in energy efficiency.

Photos by Gross and Daley

An artist couple created this Craftsman-inspired house in Mahwah, N.J., complete with meandering brick walks and superb gardens.

Their hand-applied ceiling treatments are a highlight in the dining room, great room, and kitchen. Dining room furniture is reproduction.

Revival magic happened in this New Jersey house completed by two artist-decorators. They distressed oak cabinets, created stencils (using state-of-the-art software and materials) to make hand-painting go faster, glazed exterior shingles (made of a modern product, not wood), and added shredded raffia to sandstone plaster. The result is a house that looks old world – anything but new. Learn more at www.specfindesigns.com

Photos by Bob Skinner

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A Look at the Best New Work of the Revival

Arts & Crafts Editor — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:58:46 +0000

This contemporary bungalow in Flagstaff, Arizona, is a lovely and livable interpretation that relies on a repetitive arch and Native American motifs.

A repeating arch and indigenous Golden Buckskin sandstone flow from the walkway into the interior and through a rear door.

During a wilderness backpacking trip in 1975, Ken and Dorothy Lamm began a love affair with the West, and finally decided to make it their permanent home when Ken retired from his advertising career in Milwaukee. At the same time, the Museum of Northern Arizona, which is situated in the Coconino National Forest, was developing a small artisans’ residential community. The Museum specified that new structures be patterned on the grounds’ historic homes, following an Arts & Crafts, Pueblo Revival, Spanish Colonial, or Forest Service style. Rather than a community planned around, say, golf, “the passion is the Colorado Plateau, the ancient people who lived here, and the beauty of the place,” says Ken, whose Museum membership extends to 2097.

The arch motif repeats in the fireplace faced with Motawi tiles.

The couple imagined a site-specific dwelling with a smaller footprint than that of their former mid-century glass house on Lake Michigan. “We’re not into anything formal,” says Dorothy. They were intrigued by concepts from the book The Not So Big House, with its entreaty for a return to permanence, bringing the outside in, union of form and function, human scale, and beautiful detail. These are, of course, the ideals embraced by the original Arts & Crafts movement.

The Lamms hired Deep River Partners, a practice owned by a pair of siblings: architect Richard Sherer and his sister Susan Sherer, an interior designer. (Deep River Partners, Milwaukee, WI: www.deep-river.com) The Lamms were drawn to the partnership’s thoughtful approach and commitment to stewardship. Besides wanting” to simplify their lives,” says Richard Sherer, Ken and Dorothy wanted to “create an energy-efficient home with gorgeous views of the mountains. I think all that would be tough to find, or to re-engineer in an existing house.”

A curved dropped ceiling defines the kitchen, which is separated from the dining area by an island.

Reminiscent of original Arts & Crafts architects, Sherer uses a signature motif for his new commissions. In this house, a graceful, Art Nouveau-influenced arch is a foil for the otherwise rectilinear Craftsman lines. The arch appears in special areas including the front entry, interior door openings, and the fireplace surround. Furniture, including Harvey Ellis chairs, are re-issues by Stickley (www.stickley.com). Built-in bookcases, desks, and alcoves provide storage and workspaces, along with display areas for the couple’s collection of Native American art. The earthy color palette was inspired by indigenous flora and rock, including Malapais and Buckskin sandstone. With respect and sensitivity, the couple had their use of Native motifs approved before construction.

The porch railing is informed by the indigenous people, incorporating Hopi symbols for thunder, lightning, and rain.

Transom windows atop doorways and windows wash every corner with natural light. With ceiling fans turned on, the ventilation afforded provides summer cooling without air conditioning. Other sustainable features include passive solar heat, radiant heat, high-efficiency boilers and appliances, water-saving plumbing fixtures, low-e glazed windows, and a fireplace with an efficient Rumford firebox.

Custom windows throughout the house were designed by the architect and produced by Marvin. (Marvin Windows & Doors, Warroad, MN: www.marvin.com) Low maintenance features on this new house include aluminum-clad windows, cementitious shingles that hold paint longer than wood, and metal roofing with a baked-on finish. Morning Dew Landscapers designed a riparian area in front of the house: rainwater runoff from the roof descends along rain chains into copper bowls, or is directed to the native plants through rocky culverts. The plantings will eventually spread to blend the property back into the forest. (Morning Dew Landscaping, Inc., Flagstaff, AZ: www.morningdewlandscaping.com)

Photos by Tim Fuller

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Wisp of the Sea

Arts & Crafts Editor — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:29:03 +0000

Seagull, a new cotton Madras panel based on a C.F.A. Voysey design, is a collaboration between John Burrows and Trustworth Studios’ David Berman. It comes in lengths up to 90″ and widths from 18″ to 45″. Prices range from $50 to $200. From J.R. Burrows, (800) 347-1795, burrows.com

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The Leopard’s Spots

Arts & Crafts Editor — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 21:03:20 +0000

A Street Frames offers custom Arts & Crafts frames in nine different wood species and a wide variety of stains. The leopardwood mirror shown measures 23″ x 17 1⁄2″. It retails for $430, including the mirror and hanging system. Contact (800) 805-7655, astreetframes.com

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Vande Hey Raleigh

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:16:34 +0000

Concrete roof tile manufacturer specializing in custom color and surface matching. Offers a 50 year non-pro-rated warranty. No related posts. No related posts.

Susan Hebert Imports

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:14:59 +0000

Copper rain chains carry water from the gutter to the ground in a graceful fashion. No related posts. No related posts.

Sheldon Slate Products

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:12:22 +0000

Mining and manufacture of slate products: sinks, counters, floor tile, roofing, and monuments. From earth to finished product. Custom work. No related posts. No related posts.

Paradigm Shingles Inc.

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:10:05 +0000

Copper and aluminum shingles for both roofing and siding applications. Available in classical designs and historical patterns. No related posts. No related posts.

The Metal Shoppe

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:08:38 +0000

Metal and copper standing seam roofs, dormers and gable vents in copper and steel. No related posts. No related posts.

European Copper

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:06:58 +0000

Unique copper chimney pots for all fireplace types. Many styles and sizes. UL-listed. No related posts. No related posts.

Endureed

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:04:05 +0000

Their innovative cottage-style roofing has all the visual charm of traditional thatch roofing without
any of the drawbacks. Easy to install.

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EJM Copper Inc.

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:02:26 +0000

Hand-crafted custom architectural copperwork: cupolas, weathervanes, water spouts, finials, and more. No related posts. No related posts.

Decra Roofing Systems

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:00:49 +0000

Roof tiles, shakes and shingles made of pressure-formed aluminum-zinc alloy coated steel with an acrylic bonded stone chip finish which resists fading. No related posts. No related posts.

CopperCraft Inc.

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:58:30 +0000

They provide architectural sheet metal fabrications: high quality yet affordable roofpanels and drainage systems, cupolas, dormers and more. No related posts. No related posts.

Copper Gutter Shop

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:57:02 +0000

They make copper gutters affordable, offering a full line of half-round, K-style and embossed gutters. Downspouts, rain chains, conductor heads and brackets can be purchased online. No related posts. No related posts.

Classic Gutter Systems

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:55:35 +0000

Half-round gutters, downspouts, brackets, and decorative components in old styles. Copper or aluminum; cast components in solid brass and chromated aluminum (ready for paint). No related posts. No related posts.

ChimneyPot.com

Randy — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:53:41 +0000

Add style to any roofline, and an immediate sense of age to period-style architecture. Pots are easy to install, and improve fireplace draft. No related posts. No related posts.