I've been asked over the years what the components are that make up different styles and looks that we see played out over time in the design world. We toss around words like Mid Century, Farmhouse, and Craftsman but have no idea what they really mean. Sometimes the elements of a style happen out of necessity and become an integral part of that look. A deep farmhouse cast sink is a good example of this and a hallmark piece of The Farmhouse style.
The Craftsman era and style has always been dear to my heart as the key component of the movement was the designing and building of things. This came as a pushback to the Mid 19th century industrial age that the designers and artists were living in. Machines had started pumping out items at staggering rates for the time, and it had a huge economic, social and environmental impact on everyone. I believe it was a cry out socially and artistically for simplicity. There is something inherently satisfying about bringing sturdy natural elements together to form our homes!
The Arts and Crafts era really is exactly what it sounds like, the creation of art and the crafting of it. You will see beautiful organic lines that could be considered ornate, like the stained glass of Architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, but if you look closer the designs all have a simplicity to them. The wallpaper designs of Textiles artist William Morris tell a story and some of the designs, like his famous leaf motif, look like they could be made of metal! In our home style that we call Craftsman you'll find big sturdy veranda posts, natural elements like rock and wood, exposed beams and solid looking brackets.
As we head into a new month of October I think we can learn a lot from the Arts and Crafts era. Maybe we should all step off the hamster wheel for a bit in our own "Industrial Age", and slow life down and fulfill that need in all of us to do something creative. And maybe for a few weeks we can live a little less Liberace and a little more Stickley..
Enjoy the quick video that I did below, that shows where my inspiration came from to share these thoughts!
