Where Bloggers Live: Arts & Crafts Movement
Welcome back to the monthly edition of Where Bloggers Live! I am lucky to have joined a terrific group of bloggers who give a peek into the places and spaces where they spend their time.
Today's topic is My Favorite Style Era...and though you might have expected me to talk about fashion, instead I'd like to my favorite design era: the Arts & Crafts movement!
My intern (Gemini AI) describes it this way:
How much do I like the designs of this era? Here's a little story...
Way back in the summer of 2009, I was chosen to present some of my research at a national public policy conference in Washington D.C., and my university paid for me and my co-author to travel and stay at the conference. I got approval to delay my funded return flight so that my husband and I could stay (at our expense) in the city for a few days. Neither of us had been to Washington D.C. before, so we had to prioritize what we wanted see while there.
We saw many of the expected things...for example:
But the special thing I really, really wanted to see was an exhibit at the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Renwick Gallery called A "New and Native" Beauty: The Art and Craft of Greene & Greene, with 140 items collected from museums across the country. And my husband, being an agreeable guy, was fine with us spending several hours of our limited time in the nation's capital looking at furniture, stained glass, metal work, lighting, textiles, and architectural drawings by two pioneers of the American Arts & Crafts movement. It was an utter delight.
With an assist from my intern, let's take a spin through some of the figures of the Arts & Crafts movement and give you a taste of what this style looks like.
Brer Rabbit
Obviously it had me at "rabbit," but my love of this design actually predates my love of rabbits! I have some fabric in this design in white and soft sage green (a gift from my husband).
Strawberry Thief
But if I could pick only one William Morris design, it would probably have to be this one. I ordered 5 William Morris wallpaper samples to make into paper beads, and 3 of them were Strawberry Thief in various colorways. One of them (this pink version) I just could not bear to cut up, so I have ordered a frame to hang the sample up on my wall (it's about an 8.5x11" sample). (Note: if you watch the East of Eden series on Netflix, you'll see Strawberry Thief wallpaper in their house!)
"The Tiger and the Snake" Tile
Full disclosure: I discovered De Morgan when doing research on the Arts & Crafts movement for this post, and he has now joined my pantheon of beloved artists. This is my favorite of his tiles that I've seen so far. The animal motifs get me every time.
Adjustable Back Chair
The absolute classic slat-design furniture in gorgeous wood is something I always gravitate towards. My bed basically looks like this one only in a lighter oak.
Credenza
I like the metal details on this one. The clean design lets you really appreciate the quality of the wood and the craftsmanship.
Three Panel Window
It's like you can follow the movement of the birds across the window...stunning.
Wall Sconce
You can see their signature "polychrome wood" in action: the use of layered stains and/or multiple types of wood put together to create a rich, subtly contrasting look.
Lantern
This piece definitely showcases how their style blends Japanese elements with western ones.
Casement Windows
The multi-tone green glass is gorgeous; I could look at this all day.
Table Lamp
To see a classic Tiffany lamp is to love it, no?
Stained Glass
While his earlier designs featuring stylized plants and flowers are more on point as a progression from the Arts & Crafts movement, I am always delighted by the geometric stained glass in the Coonley Playhouse that predates Piet Mondrian's geometric paintings by several years.
Though I adore the looks of the Arts & Crafts Movement, my actual apartment embraces the College Living 2.0 Aesthetic, with only subtle nods here (Mission style bed) and there (Strawberry Thief wallpaper sample) to the beauty of this design.
And in case you haven't gotten enough nature-based stained glass goodness in this post, one of the few photographs I took on our trip to Washington D.C. in summer 2009 was of these stained glass doors that the Internet is struggling to identify. I thought they were at the Defenders of Wildlife building, but my intern Gemini AI thinks they are from the National Zoo education and administration building. My husband used his excellent Google skills to find confirmation that it is Defenders of Wildlife according to someone's Flickr feed. (Is it weird that my husband was able to Google this more effectively than Google's own AI? It was to me...until I tried replicating his exact Google search and came up with nothing. He had to send me to the photographer's Flickr by name for me to find it. The Force is strong in him, I guess.)
Next month's topic is Wrap Up/Best Of as we approach the end of the year...which does not feel possible! How is it mid-November already?
In the meantime, visit these lovely bloggers as they share their favorite style era:
Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Em at Dust and Doghair
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Iris, always in our hearts, from Iris' Original Ramblings
Now to you: What is your favorite style era for home, fashion, etc.? Do you incorporate elements of that style era in your own life? How so?
Blogs I link up with are listed here.
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