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The Arts and Crafts style and interior design movement came as a breath of fresh air at the turn of the 20th century to a world stifled by the heavy ornamentation of Victorian style.
Before its arrival, the stuffy and highly embellished décor of the Victorian age had dominated the design world, especially when the Industrial Revolution allowed entrepreneurs to mass-produce popular furniture and furnishings.
Leading thinkers and designers of the time began to rue the loss of unique craftsmanship in this deluge of factory-produced clones, giving birth to a movement that came to be known as Arts and Crafts interior design. The arts and crafts homes are aimed at a return of uniqueness of furniture and interior design and architecture in general.
As the name suggests, Arts and Crafts home décor makes craftsmanship the star of its style arts, keeping materials simple and organic. Décor features and pieces painstakingly finished or made by hand won back the lost spotlight. Quality was once again king, making apparent the inferior construction of factory-produced design wares. Victorian visual overload began to give way to more serene, uncluttered spaces and a typical style of the house furniture.
The evolution of arts and crafts interior design
But what is arts and crafts after all? While Arts and Crafts home décor evolved in Europe as a virtual protest to the loss of individuality and quality in Victorian style, it also gained traction in America where families had for some time been on a quest for simpler and more functional living spaces.
Design legends like William Morris in Britain and Gustav Stickley in America shaped the Arts and Crafts movement, restoring the respect rightly due to traditional methods of creating furnishings and furniture. Stickley, in fact, is credited with coining the term ‘craftsman’, which is sometimes used to describe the style.
Arts and Crafts principles greatly influenced the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and his trademark use of what he called organic architecture. They also paved the way for the Art Nouveau movement.
The essence and the arts and crafts design elements
So what is Arts and Crafts decorating all about? It is the antithesis of all things Victorian. The Victorian aesthetic was all about ornamentation. Woodwork was dark, weighty and heavily embellished. It was intended to look hand-carved but was often factory-made.
Window coverings were layered in an elaborated way, made with plush fabrics like brocade or velvet and embellished with myriad tassels and fringes. Favored furniture was generally oversized tufted and upholstered lounges and divans featuring wood embellishment.
Walls were generously adorned with art, tapestries and sentimental vignettes, with practically every square inch covered with something, which is exactly the opposite of the arts and crafts style house
The Victorian design ideology sought not just to decorate spaces but also mold the characters of those who occupied them. Very telling is this excerpt from the introduction of the 1884 book Beautiful Homes and How to Make Them.
It says: “It is by the thousand little felicities in the shape of a pretty bracket here, an artistic gem of a picture, statuette or bust, a gauzy curtain… a cozy chair or comfortable divan; these are the ‘traps of sunbeams’ of both physical and mental character, for which such surroundings as we have described fill a dwelling… it is sure to be a home in which ‘graces of the Spirit, love, joy, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance’ spread their sweet influence and affect every member of the household.”
The arts and crafts house is at the other end of this description.
The Arts and Crafts movement, in contrast, believes in the simple sincerity of style and function. It designs spaces that are utilitarian without being sterile, decorated with the quiet dignity of superior craftsmanship arts and crafts instead of over-the-top accessorizing.
Executing Arts and Crafts interior design requires conforming to certain fundamentals, based on an elaborated mission style design principle. The most important elements of the arts and crafts style homes are:
1. Wood
This is the cornerstone of Arts and Crafts decorating and design. Wood shapes the movement’s glorification of organic beauty. Painting over this natural element is a no-no for the Arts and Crafts school, which believes in employing rich stains that showcase rather than hiding wood’s attractive and unique grain.
Oak is the most popular wood among Arts and Crafts furniture style practitioners, but pine, maple, and other indigenous species are also widely used.
2. Color
Picture the outdoors and you have the arts and crafts paint colors options. It draws inspiration from the rich, earthy hues of wood, rock, bark, and foliage. While you can extend your color choices outside of the browns, yellows, and greens of nature, the shades you pick have to be on the warmer side to complement the style.
3. Wallpaper
Richly patterned wallpaper is an easy way to ground your space with some authentic character and also suits DIY arts and crafts projects. The design genius of Arts and Crafts pioneer William Morris is available even today through wallpaper offerings from Morris & Co.
The themes are inspired by nature, with large-scale patterns of leaves, fruit, flowers or Oriental motifs repeated often for eye-catching effect. If you aren’t sure about committing an entire wall to such a dominating pattern, consider using it in a frieze or alcove.
4. Flooring
Nature, again, dictates this detail of any typical arts and crafts home. . Homes decorated in this style use a combination of hardwood (planks or parquet), stone and slate. Natural stone or slate tiles with a great variation in color create drama underfoot.
5. Furniture
In contrast to the overly embellished furniture of the Victorian age, Arts &Crafts style furniture uses sturdy pieces that perfectly wed form and function. It may bear less adornment, but the furniture typical for the interior design craft stands out for its use of superior material, attention to detail and masterful craftsmanship.
6. Lighting
Beautifully crafted lamps in glass and mica go perfectly with Arts and Crafts décor for the rich glow they imbue the room with. Tiffany lamps – or those made to resemble those iconic pieces – are a good choice. Sconces are ideal for wall-mounted lighting in a unique crafts house.
7. Windows
Stained and leaded glass windows are common in Arts and Crafts architecture plans . They bear jewel-like, simple, geometric patterns that echo elements from nature.
8. Metal accents
Rich bronze, brass and copper are perfect complements for any arts and crafts decor . Hammered and distressed finishes adding a level of craftsmanship are added assets. What will definitely not work in the space is sleek and glossy steel or chrome.
9. Fireplace
Yet another nod to craftsmanship and nature, a fireplace is generally an integral part of Arts and Crafts design. A handcrafted, carved mantel adds to the authenticity of arts and crafts homes.
Staying true to the Arts and Crafts interior design spirit means celebrating the handcrafted and shunning the mass-produced. With a little imagination and careful planning, you can definitely achieve that unique interior design look for your space.
If handcrafted seems beyond reach, go for something that looks like it might have been made by hand. Add touches of stenciled and hand-painted details sparingly in the space to make it feel even more authentic, in the spirit of arts and crafts period. You will soon have an Arts and Crafts gem into your home
If you enjoyed reading this article about Arts and Crafts Interior designs and the arts and crafts design elements, you should read these as well:
- This Arts & Crafts Home Has A Modern Take On Traditional Style
- Step inside this contemporary Arts and Crafts home
- What Classifies A House Style: What Makes A Craftsman Home?