Blog

Best Travel Destinations to See Craftsman Style

July 7, 2016 By crafty Leave a Comment

You can find some beautiful examples of Craftsman style all over the US, but some communities embraced the style whole heartedly. If you want to travel to see some wonderful Art & Crafts construction here a couple of the best destinations to see Craftsman style.

Oak Park, Illinois

Oak Park is less than 10 miles from downtown Chicago and for 20 years this was where Frank Lloyd Wright called home. His years in Oa

k Park were among his most productive and the small little suburb can boast some of his finest work. Here is where he moved from designing buildings with existing styles and created the Prairie School. While there are Frank Lloyd Wright designs all over the country, there are dozens of home created by him here. Here is Oak Park is where he became the most sought after architect in the country. Here are some of the homes you can see on a tour through Oak Park.

Frank Lloyd Wright Studio

Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio – 951 Chicago Avenue
Robert P. Parker House – 1019 Chicago Ave
Thomas H. Gale House – 1027 Chicago Ave
Walter M. Gale House – 1031 Chicago Ave
Francis Woolley House – 1030 Superior St
Nathan G. Moore House – 333 Forest Ave
Rollin Furbeck House – 515 Fair Oaks Ave
William E. Martin House – 636 N East Ave
Oscar B. Balch House – 611 N Kenilworth Ave
Mrs. Laura R. Gale House – 6 Elizabeth Court

Pasadena, California

Pasadena was home to the Greene brothers, and the birthplace of the Craftsman bungalow, there are plenty of beautiful examples of Craftsman Style in Pasadena. To start with the most obvious place to start is at Gamble House, the crown jewel of Charles and Henry Greene. Gamble House is considered one of the finest examples of Arts & Crafts style in America.

Next on the list is a walking tour of Bungalow Court in historic Pasadena. Strolling down South Marengo Avenue you will find a variety of bungalows built by local architects. There are a variety of styles and layouts but there is a sense of community there.

Bungalow Heaven

Another historic gem you need to visit is Bungalow Heaven, this 16 block area is filled with Craftsman bungalows from the early 20^th century. In 1989 Bungalow Heaven became the first historic Landmark District in Pasadena. In 2008 it was put on the United States Department of the Interior National Register of Historic Places. There are more than 1,000 historic bungalows for you to view, so put on some comfortable shoes, grab your camera and enjoy.

Seattle, Washington

Head up the coast until you reach Seattle for the next stop on the Craftsman tour. In the early 20^th century the population of Seattle more than tripled, the small apartments in the center of the city couldn’t house all the new residents. At the same time street car lines extended into neighborhoods like Wallingford, Greenwood and Phinney Ridge.

Land could be had for a few hundred dollars and for a few hundred dollars more you could order a kit house from Sears. There are hundreds of turn of the century Craftsman bungalows all through Seattle. Craftsman kits arrived by train with all the parts numbered for easy assembly. Some built home from plans from The Craftsman magazine. Seattle even had their own magazine called Bungalow check out the Seattle Public Library for the complete collection.

Originally these were simple working class neighborhoods, where the burgeoning middle class bought or built these homes. Now Seattle is a high tech community with a growing population and once again these Craftsman homes are in demand. What was once a simple bungalow now sells for $800,000. Unlike other destinations this isn’t a walking tour, so jump in the car and set out.

Seattle Craftsman Bungalow

These communities have some of the finest Craftsman architecture in the whole country. From the simple homes found in Bungalow Heaven to the beauty all over Oak Park, put these on your list of destination to see Craftsman style.

Tiny Craftsman Homes: Big Style in a Compact Footprint

June 21, 2016 By crafty Leave a Comment

Tiny houses have enjoyed a surge in popularity lately, in part from media coverage and in part from a social movement towards simpler living in smaller homes. Author and architect Sarah Susanka is credited with starting the current trend in moving towards tiny and sustainable home design. Jay Shafer brought the idea of tiny homes on wheels when he founded the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, offering house plans for these tiny homes.

Tiny homes are not just a lifestyle choice they have been used to combat homelessness in cities like Austin, Madison, San Jose and Seattle. After Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, the Katrina Cottages designed by Marianne Cusato were built as a more livable alternative to the trailers brought in by FEMA. The housing crisis and financial collapse in 2008 made tiny houses more attractive, they were cheaper and more sustainable. Cost is certainly one reason people are turning away from conventional housing towards tiny homes, along with the appeal of building your own home. Gregory Kloehn builds tiny homes in Oakland, California using recycled materials and often for a cost of less than $100.

Defining a Tiny House

A ‘tiny house’ is a home built by conventional means but on a very small scale, they are usually the size of an RV trailer. The tiny homes are usually less than 300 square feet in size and are often owner built. Often tiny homes are built on the back of flat bed trailers and are used when people travel, much like an RV.

Tiny Houses and the Craftsman Philosophy

Tiny homes work well within the Craftsman philosophy, both are from a social movement with a yearning to return to a simpler lifestyle. Just as Craftsman homes were a radical change from the ornate and ostentatious Victorian architecture, tiny homes are a move away from the excesses of the present time to more sustainable living.

Since tiny homes are simply regular home construction on a much smaller scale many of them are built much like a Craftsman Bungalow. The Cypress from the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company incorporates many Craftsman features into its style, hipped roofs and wood accent to name a few. Here is a virtual tour so you can see the mini Craftsman.

Building or Buying a Tiny Craftsman Home

You have the option of buying a ready made tiny Craftsman home, or buying the plans online and building yourself. If you choose to do your own building materials are readily available through any home building supply store. Many who build their own choose to use recycled material because of sustainability. Buying a ready made mini Craftsman is also available online, it is much the same as when the original Craftsman homes were available through mail order.

Cost

If you opt to build your own you can bring the cost down by the materials you choose, and of course doing much of the labour yourself. On average builders spend between $15,000 to $25,000 on construction. Professional built tiny Craftsman homes are typically prices between $30,000 to $50,000 again this will depend on features and materials. Cost is also dependent on whether your tiny home will be mobile or stationary.

Where to Buy Tiny House Plans

Many tiny house builders will sell the plans separately but here’s a list to get you started, you can look through the different plans available to find your tiny Craftsman home.

More Resources

If you want to learn more about the tiny house movement or just connect with people who have shifted to the tiny house lifestyle here are a list of resources to check out.

5 Gardening Tips to Compliment Your Craftsman Home

June 21, 2016 By crafty Leave a Comment

Your landscaping is often the last thing on your to-do list when it comes to home design and decorating. It really shouldn’t be, the landscape that surrounds your home is just as important as the interior and Craftsman homes were designed to work with the surrounding landscapes.

Whether you’re a fan of simplicity such as a manicured front lawn with interlocking stone walkways or want a more intricate garden design your landscaping deserves as much attention as your house. You can use shrub, flowers and plants to compliment your design, and increase curb appeal using color, texture and scent.

5 gardening tips to compliment your Craftsman home

Before you pick up a shovel for the first time have a critical look at the space you have to work with, some Craftsman Bungalows and older Craftsman homes are on pretty small lots. You have to get creative with what you have to work with. Have a look at how landscaping is done on other Craftsman homes. If gardening is your thing then really the sky is the limit you can have vegetable patches or rose bushes in your space.

If you have a young family you may want something more focused on play. What will your family use the most, BBQs, swimming pools, playgrounds or swing sets? Bear in mind that front and backyards are two totally different spaces and should be landscaped as such.

Here are 5 gardening tips to compliment your Craftsman home:

1. Keep it Natural

Craftsman homes are meant to blend and work with the natural environment, make use of plants, trees and shrubberies that are native to the area. Trees and shrubberies serve two purposes they add greenery and curb appeal along with providing privacy and shade. Use flowers to add splashes of colour. Rather than poured concrete walkways resembling sidewalks try using natural stone pathways. Look to the environment around you there is plenty of inspiration.

Photo by Anna Looper – Look for craftsman landscape design inspiration

2. Keep it Simple

Just like your Craftsman is built with simplicity in mind, open floor plans and clean simple lines, approach your garden with the same principles. Start with a clear plan of the hard-scaping, keep trees and shrubs as focal points, then move on to creating flower beds and vegetable patches if you have the space. If you don’t want or have the time to spend hours weeding and pruning the garden, simple will work.

Photo by Harmony Design Northwest – Discover craftsman landscape design ideas

3. Keep it Casual

Large formal gardens are not in keeping with the design principals of Craftsman homes. These homes were meant to have a strong link between the home and the surrounding environment. In small lots in urban neighborhoods there isn’t the space for a formal, fussy garden. Use natural elements like stone pathways or a wooden gazebo will offer more bang for your gardening buck.

Photo by Dalm Construction Ltd. – More traditional exterior ideas

4. Keep it Useful

Don’t overthink how you should make use of your yard space, there is no right or wrong. Remember that the front and back of the house are two very different spaces. Focus on landscaping the front to blend with the style of the home and add curb appeal. Make the backyard the oasis you want. You want a play area for children, have one. Prefer to put in a swimming pool to cool off on those hot days, have one built. Casual conversation area to enjoy the outdoors, that works too.

Photo by Blue Ridge Landscaping – Look for craftsman landscape pictures

5. Keep it Maintained

Even the simplest garden will need some love from time to time. If you are fortunate enough to have purchased an older Craftsman landscaping can be a big challenge, overgrown shrubs and trees that haven’t pruned in decades can make a beautiful home look uninviting and neglected. Landscaping is meant to complement the home, so dedicate some time to making your garden look as beautiful as the rest of your home.

Decorating Your Craftsman: Interior Design Tips

June 18, 2016 By crafty Leave a Comment

Modern architecture and interior design leans towards the simple and uncluttered. This can be traced back to the craftsman style home in the early 20^th century. Victorian design was ostentatious and full of ornamentation; the Craftsman Movement was a shift to simpler design. Pioneered by William Morris the Craftsman was a rejection of both the Victorian era and the mass production of goods at the beginning of the industrial age. The interior of a Craftsman is characterized by open floor plans and lots of natural light.

Interior Design and Decorating Your Craftsman

Craftsman style is distinguished by simple lines, where form follows function. Its elegance lies in its simplicity. Current trends in interior design focus on the “green movement” and environmental issues works well with simplicity of Craftsman Style homes. The older Craftsman style homes had limited square feet, so practical design and creative use of space was the norm, they often featured built in cabinetry while maintaining an open floor plan. Newer Craftsman’s still maintain the open floor plan but are much larger today.

Color and Light

The dark wood accents found in many original Craftsman homes are balanced by lots of windows bringing in natural light. Opt for simple sheer fabrics for window coverings making sure the home still gets all that natural light. Use overhead lighting in conjunction with table lamps and stained glass shading, it will create a warm inviting atmosphere.

Natural colors work best inside a Craftsman home, natural colors don’t have to be boring and it doesn’t have to mean beige. Think of the rich colors of the leaves in the fall, reds, oranges and yellows. You can look at colors from a vineyard or tones from stones. Natural colors are soothing and the colors continue as you look out the many windows. Look around the outside of your home and get inspired by the colors there. On the exterior of the home color should be natural and subtle.

Flooring

Stone, hardwood or some type of natural fiber, including cork or bamboo compliments Craftsman style. Your floor serves as an entry into an earth toned environment, at the same time mosaics in the entry way reflect Craftsman styling. Use rugs for color and texture throughout the space, they will add warmth and contrast. Navajo and hooked rugs will look stunning throughout the home. A big bright area rug in the living room can tie the room together and soften stone, tile or hardwood floors.

Furniture

Simple and well made pieces will give your home the look you’re striving for, use an eclectic mix of antiques with newer well made reproductions are ideal for decorating your Craftsman. You can always check in local antique shops for options from Stickley, Morris and other furniture makers from the turn of the century. For more modern pieces with that classic style you can find authentic Stickley furniture online here.

Shaker styles along with Frank Lloyd Wright inspired design look beautiful inside a Craftsman home. Shaker style furniture is readily available online but I wouldn’t settle for reproductions they are often poor quality, you can get American made shaker furniture at Vermont Wood Studios. They have stunning bedroom pieces and the lighter wood balances much of the darker wood found in a Craftsman. Frank Lloyd Wright inspired furniture can be found at Shop Wright and they have some absolutely stunning tables. Balance the dark woods of the built in cabinets with the lighter styles of Shaker furniture.

Accents & Accessories

Ask any decorator or designer, accent pieces and accessories will make or break any room, decorating your Craftsman follows the same rules. William Morris, one of the Pioneers of the Arts and Crafts movement created accessories rich in color and texture that offset Craftsman Design brilliantly. Morris wanted to bring art to everyone, he designed furniture, the Morris Armchair will look brilliant in your Craftsman. Accessories are where William Morris shined, ceramics, linens and wallpaper just to name a few. You can check here to find the closest retailer of Morris Accessories. A shopping trip you will love!

Choosing the Perfect Craftsman House Plans for You

June 4, 2016 By crafty Leave a Comment

Building the home of your dreams has never been easier, with the millions of house plans available on the internet you can have virtually any feature you want. Choosing the perfect Craftsman house plans for you should be fun and exciting. You love the features, the open concept and Craftsman brings with it a nostalgic feeling of a more innocent time. When homes were built for families instead of huge sub divisions built for profit.

…

Skip links

Main navigation