A Contemporary Craftsman Interior
This new interior for a recent house is a pleasing example of interpretive design: using the Arts & Crafts philosophy not to re-create the past, but in a contemporary twist on the revival.
Susan Brown, an interior designer in St. Paul, Minnesota, knew just what to do in this well-designed space. The initial program was to rework the large, open living room and finish the dining room. “My client already had three re-issued Stickley pieces, which I used as a transition between the Craftsman-inspired elements of the architecture, and more contemporary new furnishings,” Brown explains.
Neither Brown nor her clients, Jodie Alwin and Wayne Scanlan, were interested in doing a historical re-creation: the house is just 12 years old. It was, however, built along bungalow lines (by Bruce Lenzen Design/Build of Hudson, Wisc.)”
“I chose to use the philosophy of the era—truth in materials, simple forms, and handcraft—as opposed to mimicking Craftsman ‘style’,” she says. To that end, she specified natural fabrics and reclaimed wood along with such materials as copper, iron, and stone. The resulting rooms are fresh and comfortable, eclectic and personal. “I’ve always been a fan of Arts & Crafts, but I was in a rut,” says Jodie Alwin. “Susan pushed me but never out of my comfort zone.”
The project scope included paint colors, a built-in seat, fabrics, lighting, and accessories in the living room; drapery and runners in the dining room; and color specs and accessories throughout. In the living room, Brown designed a luxurious banquette with a button-tufted back for an empty space next to the hearth. The cocktail table was custom built, designed in a straightforward style from reclaimed wood inset with an antique, handmade Turkish copper platter.
The plain couch is elegant in leather, faux mohair, and studs; plain linen was used for chairs and a slipcover; floor lamps are of iron. (Chairs swivel to take advantage of the open plan—facing the kitchen, the hearth, or the view.) A table lamp has a stone shade. Antiques, including a Chinese grain scoop and an antique milking bench, maintain a sense of history and reflect the Arts & Crafts movement.
Susan Brown says that one of her favorite designers is Barry Dixon; about period design, she remembers him saying that you have to "take it out of itself.” With this subtle interior, she accomplished that goal.
Selected Sources:
Interior Design by Susan E. Brown,St. Paul, Minnesota: (651) 330-8707, susanebrown.com
Interior millwork and original designer/builder Bruce Lenzen: brucelenzendesignbuild.com
Re-issued Stickley and Roycroft furnishings from L. & J.G. Stickley: stickley.com
Paints by Benjamin Moore: benjaminmoore.com
Custom cocktail table built by Walt McHenry, McHenry’s Custom Furniture & Cabinets, Golden Valley, MN: mchenryscfc.com
Inset antique platter from Alsadu, Minneapolis: alsadu.com
Flooring is white oak from Wisconsin Hardwood Flooring: wisconsinhardwoodflooring.com
Stained glass by Lauri Wilson, Ilwaco Glass, River Falls, WI: ilwacoglass.com
Patricia Poore is Editor-in-chief of Old House Journal and Arts & Crafts Homes, as well as editorial director at Active Interest Media’s Home Group, overseeing New Old House, Traditional Building, and special-interest publications.
Poore joined Old House Journal when it was a Brooklyn-brownstoner newsletter in the late 1970s. She became owner and publisher and, except for the years 2002–2013, has been its editor. Poore founded the magazines Old-House Interiors (1995–2013) and Early Homes (2004–2017); their content is now available online and folded into Old-House Journal’s wider coverage. Poore also created GARBAGE magazine (1989–1994), the first unaffiliated environmental consumer magazine.
Poore has participated, hands-on, in several restorations, including her own homes: a 1911 brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and a 1904 Tudor–Shingle Style house in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where she brought up her boys and their wonderful dogs.
