ARTS & CRAFTS

The designs and architectural styles encompassed by the Arts and Crafts movement emerged in Great Britain in the late 19th century, following a decision by architects, craftsmen and designers to strive to integrate ingenious, functional forms with daily lifestyles, in order to safeguard art and spirituality from mass industrial production. The movement blossomed in North America from 1880 to 1930. It generated a number of architectural styles, the best-known of which are the Bungalow, Craftsman and Prairie styles. In recent years, the Arts and Crafts movement has enjoyed a significant revival, particularly in the Canadian and American West.

More than an architectural style, the Arts and Crafts movement is a celebration of quality, integrity and simplicity, in both design and lifestyles. The watchword “The love you liberate in your work is the love you keep” clearly expresses the movement’s philosophy. High-quality design and construction, combined with meticulous craftsmanship, are the basic tenets of Arts and Crafts architecture. While there are a number of variations of the Arts and Crafts style, all of them draw their inspiration from nature and use natural elements to attain design integrity.

The Arts and Crafts architectural approach focuses on simple, functional and harmonious volumes and the use of materials characterized by understated, natural colours and textures.