How to Create a Beautiful Arts and Crafts Inspired Home

Want to be remembered as one of the conformists among a flock of sheep? Then use these Interior Design styles: Modern, Urban Modern, Shabby Chic, Contemporary, Minimalist, Industrial, or Transitional?

Everybody else is doing it with Concrete, Chromium Steel, and Colourless walls. So why not you? Use these styles and be guaranteed to be nothing special or different since almost everybody is doing the same thing.

Then again why not stand out from the others and make your house a true, comfortable reflection of your life and all its meanings by trying a little rustic, arts & crafts, French style, traditional, bohemian, or farmhouse.

It is all about the use of, traditional building forms, the uniqueness of furniture, decoration, interior design, the use of natural materials, the beauty of artisanship, with modest style and function, and individuality on the outside and inside.

The Arts and Crafts movement developed in Europe as a protest against the loss of individuality in the then Victorian style and quality and a yearning to have simpler and more practical living spaces.

The movement was fashioned in Britain by people such as William Morris a textile designer and in America Gustav Stickley a furniture manufacturer. They restored the traditional approach to designing and creating furniture and furnishings.

These principles influenced people such as the American architect and interior designer Frank Lloyd Wright and paved the way for the Art Nouveau movement.

Like most of us you will have a limited budget, but there are still many things you can do to enhance your home for a minimum investment. Included are the large cost investments as well as the more easily affordable.

You could even simply add stencilled or hand-painted details in a space, on a wall, or on furniture to give that handcrafted look and make a space seem more authentic.

Use the rich, earthy hues of natural colours inspired by nature such as those found in rocks, plants, trees, and foliage. You can also use warmer shades to supplement the browns, greens, and yellows of nature.

There are many options to choose from to create an arts and crafts style. Painted softwood, good solid timber such as oak, glazed French doors, or panelled doors. Depending on your choice these can be stained and oiled or left natural. For the handle etc use black hand forged ironmongery.

An essential part of any Arts and Crafts design is an authentic handcrafted fireplace with a carved mantel.

For flooring in an Arts and Crafts house use varied colours of natural stone or slate tiles or hardwood or a combination of all three.

Sturdy furniture made from naturally strong woods is the most popular, such as oak, pine, cherry, or maple built by a master craftsman with a superior attention to detail.

To achieve the required rich glow of a room use crafted lamps made from glass or the mineral mica. The iconic Tiffany lamps or styled copies and sconces for wall lighting are an ideal choice.

Fit hammered and distressed enriching bronze, copper, or brass finishes.

Wooden shutters fitted to the outside of window openings. You could include some decorative cut-outs such as hearts, diamonds, or other types of motifs.

Perfect for a single doorway or window especially where privacy is required such as a bathroom.

Use richly patterned wallpaper with themes inspired by nature such as leaves, flowers, or fruits. Oriental patterns are also widely used.

Use multiple small panes (taller than wide) with timber or metal casements to give a cottage style effect. Add stained or leaded glass with simple geometric patterns that reflect the elements of the natural world.

This is the foundation of Arts and Crafts design and decoration. Never paint over wood instead leave it in its natural organic beauty. Use staining to enhance the characteristics of wood’s distinctive grain.

The spirit of Arts and Crafts design and decoration means featuring the handcrafted and rejecting the mass-produced. All that is required is some research and your imagination to achieve that unique look for your home.