Gamble houses became arts and crafts ideal.

Motivated by a passion for wood, workmanship and attention to detail, Charles and Henry Greene reunite art and craftsmanship in the 'ultimate' bungalow.

It once was said that God is in the details. This statement may be more fact than fiction when it comes to the Arts and Crafts movement in the field of home furnishings. What started as a reaction to industrialization and the mechanical reproduction of items that once were handmade became a movement to recapture the feelings of the individual craftsmen in consumer products, whether furniture, accessories, lighting, architecture or jewelry. Judging from the endurance of the Arts and Crafts influence, one could conclude that this style is everlasting.

The beginning of this movement can be traced to the early 1870s, when furniture development reached a watershed. A reaction to economic woes in both Europe and the United States culminated in the depression of 1884. From those hard times, new and cleaner styles of furniture emerged. This furniture seemed to be a response to the economic times and a reaction to the so-called "brown decades" dominated by ornate Rococo and Renaissance furniture. The most noteworthy of the new style categories were Eastlake, Art Nouveau, Stickley, Mission, and Arts and Crafts.

The "less is more" credo of the famous 20th century architect and designer Mies van der Rohe, could be applied to all these categories characterized by spare lines and simple design. They developed in reaction to the industrial revolution and in an attempt to reunite art and craftsmanship.

Showing the Construction

An Arts and Crafts motif is to show the construction of an item, or to let the construction make a statement. In furniture, this is achieved by exposing joinery between a drawer front and sides, or by letting a tenon run through a post and exposing the end of the tenon. In architecture, the junction of dissimilar elements can be exposed, such as roof rafters protruding over walls.

This "honest construction" is epitomized by architect/designers Charles and Henry Greene, whose carefully articulated Arts and Crafts houses in California have been described as "among the best there is in this country." Details are key to their design - details as small as pieces of inlaid glass, silver and mother-of-pearl, to larger architectural details as shown in Photo A, a detail from the living room of the David B. Gamble House (1908), Pasadena, CA, designed by the Greene brothers. Additional construction details and fine, imaginative architectural woodworking are evident in Photo D, the living room.

Photo F is a close-up of a hanging lamp fixture suspended by a leather strap from the ceiling moulding (as is the lamp shown between the piano and alcove in Photo D). Photo G, a small interior stained glass window, shows pronounced joinery in the frame.

When one looks closely at these examples of furniture, architectural detail and accessories, one feels a need to study, contemplate and touch them. It is as if their attention to details reflects some inner essence of the designers. Certainly, it testifies to their devotion to fine materials and craftsmanship.

A Union of a Building and its Furnishings

With its unity of architecture, furniture and accessories, the Gamble House may well represent the pinnacle of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Not only did the Greene brothers establish higher standards for construction, they charted a new course in American architecture and interiors. But perhaps what makes the Gamble House so enduring is its manifest testimony to the inner selves of Charles and Henry.

The brothers developed a strong philosophical approach to design while traveling extensively in foreign countries. They were particularly impressed by the spare designs and superb craftsmanship of Oriental furniture and buildings, influences that are apparent in their designs. In 1952, Greene and Greene were cited by the American Institute of Architects as "formulators of a new and native architecture, recognized throughout the world, (and) influencing the design of small as well as great houses."

As the century ends, the Arts and Crafts style is experiencing a renaissance. It has evolved to its present state passing through the hands of many designers, yet still retains the original concept of basic lines and forms and attention to details. Through the years, the style has reflected the social and economic temper of the times, just as music and art have. It will be most exciting to see how contemporary designers influenced by present-day conditions will reinterpret the classic designs of Mission, Stickley and Arts and Crafts.

Editor's note: The author is president of Jack B. Schmitt Design Associates, a Rolling Hills Estates, CA, furniture design firm. He received a BFA degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MA from the University of Michigan. Additional graduate work was completed at Kendall College. A former instructor in furniture design at Woodbury University, Schmitt specializes in case goods design.