Arts and Crafts Movement

The Arts and Crafts Movement

During this weeks discussion in class I learned some beneficial knowledge about the Arts and Crafts Movement. This was a movement that was born from new ideas and interesting taste in architecture and furniture ranging from the years of 1860-1910. Heavy use of wooden oak and simple design was incorporated greatly throughout the designs of different people. Moving forward the movement began in England but was very popular as well in the United States. A very important figure during this movement was a man that was an incredible designed as well as producer of wallpapers and textiles that went by the name William Morris. William was inspired by the formation of craft guilds which then led him into forming his own company known as Morris, Marshall & Faulkner. This companies work concentrated on stained glass, textiles, furniture, and church decoration.

A man named Philip Webb, who worked for Morris, designed the Morris Chair, which consisted of a simple construction with a solid wood frame and loose cushions for seat and back. This is one of my favorite chair designs due to the fact of the beautiful wood and structure that flows naturally throughout the chair.

Furthermore, there were a few other pieces of work that caught my eye when learning about this movement. An interior designer by the name of Voysey combined Gothic and Japanese details in his work which I personally believe made his work stand out. He designed the interior of Entrance Hall The Orchard as well as the constructing the sideboard made of wood complimented by beautiful brass hardware
.   (sideboard)                      
  (Entrance Hall the Orchard,1899)


One last architect/designed that I really enjoyed learning about was a man named Charles Rennie Mackintosh. His work grew from the Arts and Crafts bases and progressed toward the freedom of Art Nouveau. His stye was designing furniture that used simple geometric forms utilized also in his high chair backs. Lastly, he created the Glasglow School of Art which was his most important building of his career.
  Argyle Chair Hill house Chair




Some current applications that I found in comparison to the Arts and Crafts movement was this kitchen for example. It uses the the look and structure of incorporating natural and oak woods throughout the entire space to give more of a natural feel.





You can also see today that simple geometric patterned/ shaped chairs are still being used today which is compared to Mackintosh's design.

Other Bloggers:

-I reviewed Flor's blog and she really has a good understanding of the detailed floral patterns that were used a lot during the Arts and Crafts movement. She also recognized that the uses of line-work and the uses of wood in design was very popular in this time period.

-I also reviewed Allison's blog and she really recognized the individualism of design accompanied by the detailed craftsmanship that went into different individuals work. She really touched base by showing good examples of wood used throughout her pictures.

Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBq73yxha0o
refer to this video for some facts about this influential movement !!