Stickley's Craftsman Homes

Gustav Stickley, who was a master craftsman, furniture designer, architect and publisher, created the Arts & Crafts style of architecture during the first twenty years of the twentieth century which is known today as simply "Craftsman" or "Craftsman Homes."

The Craftsman plans offered the average American family a house that was truly a home, based on the ideals of beauty, simplicity, utility and organic harmony.

Gustav showed his designs and ideas through his magazine The Craftsman, publishing descriptions and drawings of homes beginning in 1901, and later on his two classic books: Craftsman Homes (1909) and More Craftsman Homes (1912).

Stickley's Craftsman Homes presents 40 different kinds of Mission-style houses illustrated with hundreds of architectural drawings, floor plans, and photographs. One of the features of this book is that along with the exterior view and floor plan of every house, there is an extensive written description. For many of the houses there are also drawings of the interior, with suggestions for furnishings. In addition, the book covers topics such as Craftsman gardens, Craftsman furniture, Craftsman metalwork and Craftsman needlework.

Craftsman Homes is a must-have book for lovers of good design, students of architecture, history buffs, or those who want to put the Arts & Crafts philosophy to practical use.

Contents Covered:

• "The simplification of life": by Edward Carpenter
• "The art of building a home": by Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin
• A craftsman house founded on the California mission style
• An old-fashioned house with the dining room and kitchen in one
• A small cottage that is comfortable, attractive and inexpensive
• A plain house that will last for generations and need but few repairs
• A cottage of cement or stone that is conveniently arranged for a small family
• Suburban house designed for a lot having wide frontage but little depth
• A very simple and inexpensive cottage built of battened boards
• A cement house that shows the decorative use of concrete as a framework
• Cement house showing lavish use of half-timber as a decoration
• Cement house showing craftsman idea of half-timber construction
• A comfortable and convenient house for the suburbs or the country
• A craftsman city house designed to accommodate two families
• A craftsman farm house that is comfortable, homelike and beautiful
• House with court, pergolas, outdoor living rooms and sleeping balconies
• The craftsman's house: a practical application of our theories of home building
• A small shingled house that shows many interesting structural features
• A roomy, inviting farmhouse, designed for pleasant home life in the country
• A simple, straightforward design from which many homes have been built
• A craftsman house in which tower construction has been effectively used
• A concrete cottage designed in the form of a Greek cross to admit more light
• A bungalow of irregular form and unusually interesting construction
• A roomy, homelike farmhouse for lovers of plain and wholesome country life
• A plaster house upon which wood has been liberally used
• A farmhouse designed with a long, unbroken roof line at the back
• Two inexpensive but charming cottages for women who want their own homes
• A log house that will serve either as a summer camp or a country home
• A pleasant and homelike cottage designed for a small family
• A country clubhouse that is built like a log cabin
• A plain little cabin that would make a good summer home in the woods
• A bungalow built around a courtyard facing the water
• A rustic cabin that is meant for a weekend cottage or a vacation home
• A bungalow designed for a mountain camp or summer home
• A convenient bungalow with separate kitchen and open air dining room
• A cottage planned with a special idea to economical heating
• A cottage that comes within the limits of very moderate means
• A country house that was originally planned for a mountain camp
• Porches, pergolas and terraces: the charm of living out of doors
• The effective use of cobblestones as a link between house and landscape
• Beautiful garden gates: the charm that is always found in an interesting approach to an enclosure
• The natural garden: some things that can be done when nature is followed instead of thwarted
• What may be done with water and rocks in a little garden
• Halls and stairways: their importance in the general scheme of a craftsman house
• The living room: its many uses and the possibilities it has for comfort and beauty
• The dining room as a center of hospitality and good cheer
• A convenient and well-equipped kitchen that simplifies the housework
• The treatment of wall spaces so that a room is in itself complete and satisfying
• Floors that complete the decorative scheme of a room
• An outline of furniture-making in this country: showing the place of craftsman furniture in the evolution of an American style
• Willow chairs and settles which harmonize with the more severe and massive furniture made of oak
• Craftsman metal work: designed and made according to the same principles that rule the furniture
• The kind of fabrics and needlework that harmonize with and complete the craftsman decorative scheme
• Cabinet work for home workers and students who wish to learn the fundamental principles of construction
• Our native woods and the craftsman method of finishing them
• The craftsman idea of the kind of home environment that would result from more natural standards of life and work