rejection of Victorian design philosophy and mass production of low quality goods, Arts and Crafts is a philosophy that strongly influenced architecture, interior design, furniture design, and design in general at the beginning of this century. Arts and Crafts rejected the prodigious adornments of Victorian design and promoted simple, "honest," but beautiful architecture and design. Rather than relying on gingerbreading to enhance an object or design, designers and craftspeople were encouraged to use the natural beauty of materials, the beauty of natural surroundings, and the beauty of subtle lines.

Above is a custom designed and built Morris Chair in the style of Stickley, one of the premier and most successful Arts and Crafts furniture manufacturers of the Arts and Crafts Era.

Since the 1960's it has enjoyed a revival and is being reintegrated into many lifestyles and homes. However it was and is more than a philosophy guiding architecture and design. The philosophy behind Arts and Crafts proposes an interrelation between people, their surroundings, lives, and characters. If people surround themselves with beautiful, "honest" surroundings, crafted by using quality methods and quality materials, it is a reflection of their innate desire to improve themselves.

Despite the penchant for quality and beauty, Arts and Crafts does not call for the use of exotic materials or surrounding people with exotic art objects. Arts and Crafts encourages the use of native materials--essentially making the best of what you have or can get. For example, in the Pacific Northwest, Fir was plentiful and, consequently, was used extensively for millwork in homes and furniture. In California, Redwood and other woods were available and were used in homes. Oak was the wood of choice for furniture and other millwork because of its availability, beauty, and durability.

ontemporary and turn-of-the-century Arts and Crafts trace their roots to the Gothic Revival movement. Although Gothic Revival began as early as the late 1700's, Augustus W. N. Pugin (1812 - 1852), an English Architect, is probably the first influential person to "mainstream" the ideals of craftsmanship and quality. Augustus Pugin rejected the industrialism of factories and resulting decline of craftsmanship. While he did not reject technology, for inspiration he looked to Gothic and medieval architecture and craftsmanship of guilds. His first, most influential work was the commission for exterior and interior details and furniture for the House of Parliament, designed by Sir Charles Barry and completed in the 1840's. However, his writings (Contrasts: 1836 and True Principles of Pointed or Christian Architecture: 1841) were more influential than his work.

The above bookcase and shelving was built to match existing arts and crafts millwork already existing in the client's home. The detail shown houses the client's stereo and accompanying sliding drawers.

Highly sought-after in intellectual circles of the time, John Ruskin (1819 - 1900), an English art critic, writer, and reformer, was one of the most influential voices of the Arts and Crafts movement and took up the arguments of Augustus Pugin. John Ruskin was also a proponent of Gothic Revival architecture but advanced the principals of craftsmanship and quality a step further. John Ruskin railed against foreign influences and machine-made decoration but also put forth the ideal that work was meant to be joyous and that there should be no separation of intellectual and physical labour. The ideal of finding joy in craftsmanship became a central tenet of the Arts and Crafts movement. John Ruskin's most influential works were The Seven Lamps of Architecture (1841) and The Stones of Venice (1851).

Considered the father of the Arts and Crafts movement, William Morris (1834 - 1898), too, took up the arguments of Pugin, extolling medieval craftsmanship, design, and community. While Morris was a poet (Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems: 1858), artist, and socialist reformer, his decorating efforts with partners Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, and other Pre-Raphaelite painters launched the Arts and Crafts movement. The firm they founded in 1861, Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, & Co., designed and manufactured carvings, furniture, glasswork, and metalwork and accepted interior decorating commissions. The company became well-known for its fine workmanship and the natural beauty of its designs and products. So well-known and sought-after did the company become that imitators sprung up in England, Europe, and America. Morris inspired many to incorporate his philosophy in their designs and products and in founding craft groups.

In North America, two major proponents of the Arts and Crafts movement were Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915) and Gustav Stickley (1858 - 1942). Elbert Hubbard was first a successful soap salesman but, searching for something more fulfilling, he traveled to England where he engaged himself in a walking tour of the country. During his travels, he came across William Morris and the Arts and Crafts philosophy, which he took to heart. The Roycroft Press was born in East Aurora, New Jersey when he arrived back in America and tried unsuccessfully to have brief biographical sketches published. He published his sketches himself and became a very popular and prolific writer. So popular was Hubbard and his writing that he built a hotel to accommodate the people who came to see him and the Roycroft Press. Of course, the hotel had to be furnished and Elbert Hubbard hired local craftspeople to craft simple and rustic, medieval-looking but high quality furniture. People were so enamoured with the furniture that the furniture was soon manufactured and marketed on-site and by mail order. Roycroft furniture is one of the most sought-after Arts and Crafts furniture marques today. Elbert Hubbard's most influential work was A Message to Garcia (1899), of which forty million copies were reportedly distributed.

Gustav Stickley has the distinction of producing the most popular and collectible Arts and Crafts furniture. Stickley traveled Europe in 1898 where he was strongly influenced by Arts and Crafts proponents. A year after his return to America, Stickley founded the United Crafts of Eastwood New York. In 1904, Stickley founded the Craftsman Workshops. But Stickley did not confine himself to the design and production of fine furnishings. Like Hubbard, he was a writer, publisher, and principal proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement. He began publishing The Craftsman in 1901, the same year he founded United Crafts. The Craftsman was probably the most influential Arts and Crafts publication in North America and included content ranging from social reform to poetry. Of course, The Craftsman also included articles about Arts and Crafts architecture, design, and philosophy. In 1903, Stickley founded the Craftsman Home Builder's Club to disseminate ideas about the Arts and Crafts philosophy of home building. Working with architect, Harvey Ellis, he published a number of Craftsman home plans in two volumes--Craftsman Homes (1909) and More Craftsman Homes (1912).

Soon after World War I, the popularity of Arts and Crafts began to wane, as newspapers, magazines, and radio began looking for "the next new thing." Most popular Arts and Crafts furniture manufacturers went out of business or simply quit by the late 1920's or early 1930's. Although it laid the groundwork for most contemporary architecture and design, Arts and Crafts was ignored for the next 30 years. It was not until the 1960's that interest in Arts and Crafts resurfaced. Since then, the popularity of Arts and Crafts has grown significantly--as evidenced by its use in the homes of many influential people, in film sets, some contemporary architecture, and even its presence on the Internet.