Arts & Crafts Movement

 During the second half of the nineteenth century architects, artists, and furniture designers began to quickly become tired of the Victorian style of design. The Arts and Crafts movement started as a way to opposed Victorian ways and create pieces that were vastly different. While each designer had their own reason for being anti-Victorian, many disliked the historicism and the virtues of the time period being represented. Writers William Morris, John Ruskin, and Pugin "objected to trends in which historic forms were grafted onto new structures with little thought given to their history or meaning." (Hinchman, pg. 367). Along with anti-Victorian views the industrial revolution was also something disliked by the Arts and Crafts movement. Those in the movement felt that the attention to detail and care of furniture pieces had been lost and needed to be rejuvenated. Pieces made in factories were seen as cheap, as the main goal was a quick production and sale. This sparked furniture makers to return to hand producing products that were well constructed and original to the movement. 




One Step Further: Philip Webb

After reading this chapter, Philip Webb was someone who stood out to me. Webb was an architect and designer and was a very detail-oriented designer. He began his own practice in 1859 where his first project was to design William Morris's home, which is named the Red House.  One of the reasons Webb and this home stuck with me is because it is said the interior of the home was designed first and the exterior was a result of the "interior function". The facade was not the focus of this home, and some portions may seem strange with items such as window placements. This was something that did not matter to Webb, as long as the interior was beautiful and functional that was all that mattered. The image above is one of the rooms located in the Red Home, and "displays several surprising hints of modernism...paintings are not framed and hung on a wall but form a continuous horizontal zone." (Hinchman, pg. 372). While being an architect, Webb also designed and created his own furniture pieces that were often used in his architectural projects. Something I noticed when selecting this photo of the Red House was that the spindles in this room match those of an earlier furniture piece. This piece is pictured below. 









Modern Applications

I came across a website of modern-day Arts and Crafts furniture makers where the pieces are inspired by the first generation of Arts and Crafts designers. This particular piece was inspired by the Greene and Greene firm. This firm was notorious for using materials such as mahogany and ebony, which are both used in this piece. 






Another modern touch of the Arts and Crafts movement, which is particularly trendy, is beam work on ceilings. This is a key design feature that was used in the Red House, most commonly remembered in the drawing room. This is a feature that some may believe is for practical use for the exterior structure but, as we learned is done for the interior function of beauty. 








Comments

  1. Dezaray MillerJanuary 21, 2022 at 10:00 AM

    Meaghan,
    I enjoyed reading your post and how you included the arts and crafts views on production. They were all about hand producing products, like you mentioned. This was different from the pieces made in factories that weren’t as durable and characteristic as they were all about quick production and cheaper products. I also like Philip Webb; I mentioned the great interior designing of the Red house in my post as well. It is inspiring how the interior was his focus and then the rest of the building reflected it. Your images for current applications were great characteristics of the movement with the exposed wood beams and the mahogany furniture.

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  2. EmmalineJanuary 22, 2022 at 3:45 PM

    Great paragraph on summarizing both chapters! It flowed nicely! I liked how you picked Philip Webb as the "one step further" designer because he had such a crucial impact on the Arts and Crafts movement. You talked about his personal influence on the movement and how he stood for it. Another interesting part that I enjoyed was the wood beams. They were a detailed piece that blends in so nicely within the interior design style, but I appreciated you bringing notice and importance to them because they really help round it out. Overall, great blog!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Professor VanderNoordaaJanuary 23, 2022 at 9:09 AM

    Meaghan,
    I thoroughly enjoyed your summary of the Arts and Crafts Movement. I also see the same interest today of valuing high quality furniture instead of new pieces that use inferior materials.
    It is wonderful to see antique, solid pieces refinished in a modern look.
    Phillip Webb was unique in his primary focus being on the inside of the home. Your thoughts on modern applications was great.
    Total Blog Points- 50/50.

    ReplyDelete

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