What defines the Arts and Crafts style of home ?
The Arts and Crafts movement in architecture began in England in the 1800s. It was brought to America in the early 1900s. The idea was to move away from the Victorian style and go to a simpler style that emphasized simple lines, exposed joinery and natural materials. When the Ranch style came into being just after WW II, the Arts and Crafts movement went into slumber until recently when we see renewed interest. The Arts and Craft style is sometimes closely associated with the Bungalow style.
Arts and Crafts style utilizes natural materials to their fullest. So we see real stone, exposed finished wood, wood shingles and brick both on the outside and inside of the home. In this style, it is not uncommon to see built in furniture and even hand-crafted light fixtures custom made to the home.
Inside, while extending the exterior details into the interior of the home, the fireplace becomes the central feature of the living room. It is usually large and replicates the details on the exterior of the home. The Arts and Crafts movement is the birthplace for the “open floor plan”. Instead of the boxed feeling of individual rooms and long hallways found in Victorian architecture, the common rooms are more open to each other and the hallways are minimized as much as possible. Ceilings may have exposed wood beams.
The porches in this style usually have thick columns and exposed wood beams. These are sometimes tapered smaller at the tops. Most are made of wood, brick or stone, or a combination of those. The roof lines have wide soffits, and are lower in pitch then other styles. Wood corbels may support the wide eaves.
Gary Miller
Principal and Architectural Designer,
Timbertree and Stonecastle Designs, LLC