Return of the Hearth
This fireplace surround in a ca. 1915 house was recently faced with matte-glazed tile.
Linda Svendsen
At Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Farms, his own family’s abode, multiple fireplaces are famously clad in iridescent Grueby tiles, or feature hand-hammered copper hoods inscribed with uplifting mottoes.
A stucco fireplace in an enclosed solarium.
Linda Svendsen
Although not every builders’ bungalow got a fireplace—or at least not a fancy one—plenty of period examples survive to inspire us. The examples shown here are, however, in newer homes. As in most revivals, the best work of an era is reproduced more widely.
Curved corbels and mantel are made of American gumwood.
Linda Svendsen
Today, Arts & Crafts fireplaces come in many variants: Rustic, Mission, Asian, English or Art Nouveau ...and in wood, brick, stucco, or art tile. Today’s revival fireplaces are deliberate and artful, showcasing the talent of the mason, the woodcarver, or the pottery. Fireplaces are the focus of cozy inglenooks, they warm bathers, and they showcase vases and metalwork.
Tiled fireplace in a bathroom!
Linda Svendsen
The “bungalow era” of the early 20th century was the first to assure comfortable central heating as a matter of course. Then as now, these recreational fireplaces were symbolic. But they sure are a showcase for beautiful work, and a defining element of the Arts & Crafts interior.
