Modern Craftsman style maintains the charm of Craftsman, a quintessential 20th century American expression of the Arts & Crafts movement, while modernizing interior layouts. Craftsman style attributes include thick square or round columns, stone porch supports, low-pitched roofs, wide eaves and triangular brackets. It’s style with soul.
The history of Craftsman
The original Craftsman style homes began appearing in southern California around 1905. The Craftsman style was born in America but influenced by Asian details and the English Arts & Crafts movement.
The Gamble House, constructed by the Greene brothers in Pasadena, California, still stands as the epitome of Craftsman architecture.
Craftsman style homes exploded in popularity in the first three decades of the 20th century in the United States. Pattern books and periodicals furthered the study of the architecture; even kits to build an entire house could be ordered and delivered to building sites.
Original Craftsman homes had one of four roof shapes: front gabled, cross gabled, side gabled and hipped roof. Porch posts varied in style as did rafter tails and eave brackets. A variety of exterior materials were used, including brick, stone, stucco and wood siding. Original Craftsman homes were smaller than the new ones built today. They also tended to have darker rooms and lower ceilings.
The Craftsman revival
In the 21st century, the term to describe Craftsman style with modern amenities is Modern Craftsman. Modern Craftsman has become extremely popular in the last few years. Both new homes and renovations to existing Craftsman homes are part of the revival.
Add charm with windows and doors
Windows are a signifier of the Craftsman style. Single-hung or double-hung windows featuring a prairie grille are popular for front-facing windows. The use of casement and sliding glass windows are also popular. Both wood and vinyl windows offer a variety of sizes, designs and grilles that can complete a Modern Craftsman home.
One element that hasn’t changed too much is the front porch. The front porch is a key part of the Craftsman design. What has changed are the exterior doors. Many new or renovated Craftsman homes employ fiberglass rather than real wood doors. Although the door is protected with a wide overhang from the porch, the environment can still effect wood front doors. Fiberglass doors, created from real wood molds, are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. Add metal accents for character.
If you’d like to learn more, check out our Modern Craftsman products, including our Premium™ Vinyl windows and IWP® Aurora® fiberglass doors.