Gm Ellwood
Early 20th Century English Arts and Crafts Armchairs
Oak
20th Century English Arts and Crafts Cabinets
Mahogany
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Antique 1890s English Arts and Crafts Sideboards
Oak
Vintage 1910s English Arts and Crafts Dining Room Sets
Oak
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Sideboards
Copper
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Textile
Early 20th Century Arts and Crafts Armchairs
Mother-of-Pearl, Mahogany
Antique 1890s English Arts and Crafts Sideboards
Stained Glass, Oak
Antique Late 19th Century English Country Armchairs
Upholstery, Beech, Mahogany
Early 20th Century English Arts and Crafts Cabinets
Stained Glass, Ebony, Mahogany
Antique Late 19th Century English Arts and Crafts Bookcases
Copper
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Metal
Antique Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Buffets
Bronze
Antique Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak
Antique Early 1900s English Art Nouveau Cabinets
Mother-of-Pearl, Mahogany
Early 20th Century Arts and Crafts Cabinets
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Panelling
Wood
Antique Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Armchairs
Mahogany
Recent Sales
20th Century Arts and Crafts Side Tables
A Close Look at Arts and Crafts Furniture
Emerging in reaction to industrialization and mass production, the Arts and Crafts movement celebrated handcrafted design as a part of daily life. The history of Arts and Crafts furniture has roots in 1860s England with an emphasis on natural motifs and simple flourishes like mosaics and carvings. This work is characterized by plain construction that showcases the hand of the artisan.
The earliest American Arts and Crafts furniture dates back to the start of the 20th century. Designers working in this style in the United States initially looked to ideas put forth by The Craftsman, a magazine published by Wisconsin native Gustav Stickley, a furniture maker and founder of the Craftsman style. Stickley’s furniture was practical and largely free of ornament. His Craftsman style drew on French Art Nouveau as well as the work he encountered on his travels in England. There, the leading designers of the Arts and Crafts movement included William Morris, who revived historical techniques such as embroidery and printed fabrics in his furnishings, and Charles Voysey, whose minimal approach was in contrast to the ornamentation favored in the Victorian era.
American Arts and Crafts work would come to involve a range of influences unified by an elevation of traditional craftsmanship. The furniture was often built from sturdy woods like oak and mahogany while featuring details such as inlaid metal, tooled leather and ceramic tiles. The style in the United States was led by Stickley, whose clean-lined chairs and benches showcased the grain of the wood, and furniture maker Charles Rohlfs, who was informed by international influences like East Asian and French Art Nouveau design.
Hubs in America included several utopian communities such as Rose Valley in Pennsylvania and the Byrdcliffe Arts and Crafts Colony in New York, where craftspeople made furniture that prioritized function over any decoration. Their work would influence designers and architects including Frank Lloyd Wright, who built some of the most elegant and iconic structures in the United States and likewise embraced a thoughtful use of materials in his furniture.
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