American Craftsman Style

The American Craftsman style home has an interesting history. It began with the arts and crafts movement in Britain in the late 1800s.

The movement was a social pushback against a few things. First, the overly ornate Victorian-style homes that were popular at the time. Second, the rise of mass-produced products. The idea of the movement was to promote more hand-crafted, and affordable homes with a focus on artisan. Natural materials, craftsmanship, and practicality were the goals.

Characteristics of craftsman style homes

• wood trim
• interior posts
• wainscoting
• beams
• natural materials
• craftsmanship
• symmetry
• architectural details
• modest
• bungalow

The man who brought the arts and crafts movement to the US was Gustav Stickley. He was also a furniture designer who created furniture with the same aesthetic as the craftsman style home. Simple, well-made furniture with a focus on the quality and material of the wood. If you have a craftsman style home and want to keep the interior true to the period, definitely take a look at Gustav Stickley furniture.

American craftsmen style kitchens

The two kitchens here are both in true American craftsman style homes. They’ve each been transformed for a more updated look. Craftsman homes are usually on the small side, so I love to see what these designers did with these small kitchens.

The above photo is from an HGTV dream home. This is a pretty typical layout for a craftsman kitchen and I love how the designer maximized the space but pretty much kept the same footprint.

The original kitchen above was in very bad shape and had to be gutted. There was a small mudroom behind the tiny original kitchen which was opened up to enlarge the space. It’s really an amazing before and after.

craftsman style living room ideas

When I think of craftsman interiors my mind always goes to a fireplace flanked by two windows like the one below.

The symmetrical windows, with bookshelves, are so quaint and true to craftsman style

In the photo above, you can see a very traditional style layout for the typical arts and crafts home. I love how they kept the wood molding but lightened and brightened the space at the same time. The furniture layout also makes the best use of the space. This entire home makeover is a really good one.

Are you wondering what this type of home would look like with all that wood molding painted white? Me too. See the room above for a visual of that!

craftsmen dining rooms

The dining rooms in these homes are usually utilitarian with lots of wood molding.

The room above looks as if it may have been opened up a bit to an adjoining room. The little bench nook is a pretty detail.

Here is another very traditional craftsman dining room completely transformed with white paint.

craftsman style bedrooms

There aren’t a ton of defining details for the bedroom of these homes other than the craftsman style molding that was usually carried throughout the house.

The bedroom above is fortunate to have interesting ceiling lines. Those quirky details are always more interesting to me than a regular boxy room.

The molding on the windows above is in the true craftsman style. This type of window and door molding is my favorite of any other kind.

craftman bathroom ideas

Craftsman bathrooms are usually on the small side. To keep them traditional, the window molding and beadboard are historic characteristics.

The pretty molding and beadboard above were painted in a more updated color scheme.

And here’s one that went all white. So pretty!

This post took me much longer to put together than the others in this design style series. There isn’t a ton of authentic craftsman style inspiration out there. Hopefully, this post is a helpful resource for anyone looking for some!

What do you think, would you paint all the wood molding in an American craftsman style home white?

previous posts in our design style series:

• Traditional Design Style
• Scandinavian Interior Design
• French Interior Design
• Cottage Style Design
• American Farmhouse Style
• Mid Century Modern

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