Craftsman decor ideas
Decorating Ideas for Craftsman Style Homes
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Style & Design
What's not to love about a Craftsman style home? They're warm, inviting, and showcase the simplicity and beauty of fine handicraft. What began as an Arts and Crafts style movement in the late 19th century has evolved into an architectural style that remains popular throughout the U.S. even today.
Typical Craftsman homes feature low-pitched rooflines, deep overhanging eaves, and tapered front columns.
Unlike the more ornate and highly decorated structures of the Victorian era that preceded it, the Arts and Crafts movement emphasized original craftsmanship, simplicity of form, use of natural, local materials, and visibility of handicraft. In other words, true Craftsman style is simple, unadorned, and useful. Restored historic homes and new houses built in the Craftsman style still boast the signature features including front porches with exposed rafters under deeply overhanging eaves, tapered columns, low-pitched rooflines, and linear window detailing.
The beauty of Craftsman homes lends itself to a wide variety of decorating options. Whether you wish to reflect the history of the original structure of a restored home or update the décor to a bright and modern style, the possibilities are endless. Let's explore some of the ways to furnish a Craftsman-style living spaces.
Historically Speaking…
If you want to stay true to a home's historical roots, focus on warm, earthy tones, stained trim work, patterned textiles full of character and comfort, and natural textures found in materials such as wood, stone, leather, stained glass, and tile. Furniture with simple lines such as Mission or Stickley styles were traditionally found in these homes, and are still quite popular today. Oak or other fine woods stained either light or dark work well in a Craftsman setting. Dark, deeper colors such as brown, green, red, and yellow are commonly used, but practically any color that plays up the richness of the woodwork is suited to this decorating style.
Lighting styles such as art glass, Tiffany or leaded glass with geometric motifs look great and remain true to the Craftsman's origins. Antiqued and distressed metal finishes dominate fixtures and hardware used in these homes. Aged brass, oil rubbed bronze, copper, nickel, and pewter in kitchen and bathroom faucets and cabinet hardware all work well. Simple hardware such as knobs, cup pulls for cabinetry, and cross-style handles or simple lever handles on faucets would all be wonderful choices.
Craftsman interior with typical dark stained woodwork, board and batten wainscoting, mission-style furnishings, and art glass lights.
A Home for Today's Lifestyle
For more a more contemporary look, newer Craftsman-style homes lighten and brighten the interior using white wooden trim work, a cooler palette, contemporary art and decorative accents, and transitional or modern lighting. Neutrals, lighter blues, greens, and buttery yellows are good color choices. Transitional, Traditional, Mid-Century Modern, and some Contemporary collections of furnishings and accessories pair well with Craftsman-style architecture.
You can modernize the interior spaces with contemporary touches while still blending in more traditional accessories that pay homage to the Arts and Crafts roots. Though simpler furnishings work best, you can have fun and mix a variety of styles for a more eclectic look.
A more modern Craftsman kitchen with transitional décor.
While certain design elements in Craftsman homes feel traditional, they have a more simplified style with less ornamentation or detail. Any decoration is more restrained and play up natural or handcrafted features such as wood grain, metal finishes, and stained glass. In this type of home, the furnishings that look best are less fussy with the focus more on craftsmanship than embellishment.
Need more design inspiration? At Riverbend Home you'll find a wide selection of items hand-picked by our designers for the Arts & Crafts style décor.
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Classic Features of a Craftsman-Style Interior
By
Ashley Knierim
Ashley Knierim
Ashley Knierim is a home decor expert and product reviewer of home products for The Spruce. Her design education began at a young age. She has over 10 years of writing and editing experience, formerly holding editorial positions at Time and AOL.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 10/21/20
Design: Alana Homesley Interior Design
Architecture: Evens Architects
Photography: Manolo Langis
The craftsman-style home is popular throughout the country and rose to popularity during the arts-and-crafts movement at the turn of the 19th century.
Many of these homes are bungalow-style and are known for their natural materials, cozy interiors, and wide porches. They're particularly popular in California and the Midwest, and appeal primarily to those who love vintage homes.
While a craftsman home is fairly easy to spot from the outside, there are also certain features that many homes from this era share beyond the front door. We have rounded up some beautiful craftsman interiors to highlight those key features that make these homes so remarkable.
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01 of 10
A Living Room Off the Porch
Design: Black Lacquer Design
Photography: Mary Costa
Rarely will you find a craftsman home without a wide-open porch (one reason for their immense curb appeal).
Once inside, you typically step directly into a small foyer or immediately into the living room. Often, there is both a visual and a physical connection between the living room and the porch, as seen in this space from Black Lacquer Design. Here, a set of wooden double doors leads to the porch and allows for indoor-outdoor living. -
02 of 10
A Fireplace
blooming_acre / Instagram
When it comes to key features of a craftsman home, a fireplace is one of the essentials. Few bungalows go without a built-in hearth to center the space and create a clear focal point for the living room. Here in this room from blooming_acre, a stone fireplace is flanked by two bench seats to create the ultimate centerpiece for the rest of the living area.
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03 of 10
Built-In Bookcases
curihome / Instagram
In traditional craftsman homes, the living room was a haven for entertaining, reading, and relaxation, and almost always had built-in bookcases—usually next to the fireplace like these ones from curihome.
Today, they may be filled with media equipment or pieces of art instead, but built-ins are still among the signature features of a craftsman interior. You will also find them throughout the home, in bedrooms and dens as well. -
04 of 10
A Dedicated Dining Room
champagneandsawdust / Instagram
While you may come across a renovated craftsman home with an open floor plan, the traditional style typically had a dining room set between the kitchen and the living room. Like this example from champagneandsawdust, a craftsman dining room also usually has wainscoting or beadboard detailing, windows, and sometimes built-ins for seating or linens.
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05 of 10
Lots of Natural Materials
1920craftsman / Instagram
When you think craftsman, you probably think handmade or artisan. And there's a reason for that—arts-and-crafts homes had a focus on natural materials, so you will often see hardwood flooring throughout these homes, even today.
You may also find beautiful wooden details, like these columns from 1920craftsman, and natural materials on the exterior of the home as well. The 18 Best American-Made Furniture Companies of 2022
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06 of 10
Exposed Ceiling Beams
Design: Michelle Lisac Interior Design
Photography: Jennie Corti
Another feature of the focus on handcrafted woodwork is the exposed beams you will find in many craftsman homes. As in this space from Michelle Lisac Interior Design, exposed wooden beams help to give the craftsman home that warm feeling and help to center the rest of the furniture and elements in the room.
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07 of 10
Dens and Reading Nooks
Design: Alana Homesley Interior Design
Architecture: Evens Architects
Photography: Manolo Langis
Craftsman homes are full of endless detail and character, so you will often find fun features in the vein of this reading nook designed by Alana Homesley Interior Design.
When space allows, there is usually a small den as well, dedicated to reading or other solitary activity, which is typically placed off the living room or dining room. -
08 of 10
Eat-In Kitchens
champagneandsawdust / Instagram
A craftsman home is designed with family in mind, so many of the spaces you will find cater to social activity. When the kitchen is large enough, you will sometimes find a breakfast nook, like this one from champagneandsawdust. Because craftsman homes always have a dedicated dining space, this nook is small and only serves as a place for a quick bite, not a larger meal.
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09 of 10
Earthy or Neutral Color Palette
curihome / Instagram
While it's not a hard-and-fast rule, many craftsman homes adhere to a simple color palette consisting of grays, whites, or earthy tones such as greens and beiges. As in in this living space from curihome, these softer colors tend to work better with the various natural elements and exposed wood you find in a craftsman home.
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10 of 10
Focus on Natural Light
tanialacaria / Instagram
Small bungalows and cottages often rely on natural light to help open up the space and add a connection between the outside and inside. Most rooms in a craftsman, like this dining room from tanialacaria, rely on at least two sources of light or one oversized window to keep the room light and airy.
DIY decor - 90 photo ideas for a beautiful and unique home decoration
Sometimes, in order to freshen up the interior of a house, all you need is to add a few details. It is not necessary to have the education of a designer in order to realize the ideas of the original decor with your own hands. Most often, decorative elements are made from materials that can be found in any home.
So, if you decide to renovate your home, and your financial situation does not allow you to turn to professionals, then start making jewelry with your own hands.
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Where to start?
First, let go of all negative thoughts. In the field of creativity, they simply have no place. The uniqueness of the decor, made by one's own hands, will fit into any style of the apartment and will surprise even the most selective guest.
When making, remember everything you were taught at school and get to work. If you can draw, embroider and have a creative potential, then you will certainly succeed.
So how do you make home decor?
Wall decoration
This area is most often used for creativity. Here are a few techniques that can be used to decorate walls.
Painting
The use of gouache, watercolors, acrylic paints is the most affordable and common way to decorate a room at the moment.
In addition, this is a wide flight for your fantasy and imagination, which has practically no limits. You can draw anything you like: paintings, animals, geometric shapes and ornaments. It is only necessary to take into account the overall design of the room so that the painting harmoniously fits into the interior.
If you are bad at drawing, then you can use stencils to implement the idea. The finished template can be either bought or downloaded from the Internet and printed on thick paper.
Paper decorations
Paper decorations are also a fairly simple way of decoration, but relatively short-lived. This is due to the fact that most often paper products become covered with dust and lose their appearance, and it is not possible to wipe them with a damp cloth, as the paper will get wet.
Paper decorations are a great option for decorating a room for any occasion - a birthday or a wedding.
An excellent option for decorating walls would be paper-cut figures of animals, tiles, flowers or butterflies. You can also make paper balloons, flags and garlands. You can create from ordinary colored paper from cardboard, and from packaging, corrugated and other types of paper.
Panel
Panel is a universal way of decorating walls. The panel can be made from family photographs, from a variety of shelves and hooks, from stones and shells.
The choice of material for this type of decoration is simply great and varied and can only be limited by your abilities and capabilities. Look at the photo of decorating in the form of a panel with your own hands, and you will see that it is not at all difficult to make it from improvised materials.
DIY room decor
We have considered several wall decoration options, now let's talk about the decor of the room itself. Go to the pantry and get out all the old and forgotten trash.
Let's create! Decoration of old vases
You can also breathe life into old interior items using simple materials. For example, an old vase that has lost its appearance can be pasted over with beautiful paper or cloth. Decorate it with beads, rhinestones and ribbons. When using multi-color materials, think about color combinations so that the decor does not look ridiculous.
DIY decor from bottles
You can come up with many options for decorative elements from glass objects. For example, you can put colored cones in a bottle with a wide neck and, after corking it, put it on a sideboard. Or attach a few bottles to the wall and put artificial flowers in them.
Lamp decor
Old table lamps can be decorated with natural elements - twigs, cones, dried flowers and so on.
Such an eco-style will fit into absolutely any interior, even without ecological details. This way of decorating the room will add coziness, home warmth and will please the eye.
Letter Home Decor
This is the perfect way to personalize your space. Letters can be placed in any room. You can decorate them with interior doors, walls.
The main body can be cut out of thick cardboard and decorated with flowers, pom-poms, magazine clippings, and so on.
You have already understood that original decor ideas come to mind when you start to create. Walk around your apartment and decide what kind of notes you would like to bring to the interior. Think about your skills and abilities and get down to business. We assure you, the result will amaze you and your household.
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DIY decor - 73 photos of things that create a special atmosphere
Any interior will be decorated with objects, the decor of which is made by hand.
Sometimes you don’t need anything supernatural to create them, just rummage around in your grandmother’s chest and be smart. Pieces of fabric, beautiful paper napkins, stencils and templates for decor, indoor plants, dried branches and leaves, various materials for needlework and much more that every housewife can find can come in handy.
Now more about some decoration techniques.
Review content:
Patchwork
Patchwork or patchwork is an ancient technique for creating textiles. In the villages, you can still find an old patchwork quilt, cushions, floorboards.
For rustic interiors or children's rooms, this technique is perfect. Moreover, not only shreds of fabric are useful, but also satin wide ribbons.
You can sew a whole coverlet or use a patchwork only to decorate its central fragment. In the kitchen, this technique will find application for the manufacture of pot holders, rugs for stools and chairs.
Ikebana
Both freshly cut and dried flowers and other plant fragments are suitable for making bouquets. It is also important to choose the right vase or other container for ikebana. It could even be a flat dish or an old teapot with new decor.
You can use artificial flowers for decoration, small toys, amulets, pebbles and even pieces of colored pencils to decorate the twigs.
Each of the decorations should indicate in which particular room the bouquet will stand: decorative oranges for the kitchen, toys for the nursery, and small soap figures for the bathroom.
Wall decoration ideas
The walls of an apartment can be "revived" if their monochromatic design is dull and monotonous. Wall decor ideas include the use of a wide variety of techniques and objects.
The drawings of the young artist will be used in the nursery. In the living room, the walls can be turned into an art gallery.
The bedroom is the place for the "family tree" panel with photographs of all family members. Small shelves, located on the wall in the form of an ornament, will perform not only a decorative function, but also serve as a place for storage.
The simplest thing is to take a stencil and put on the wall a silhouette of a person or a tree with fruits. It's even easier to buy ready-made wall stickers.
And for those who can draw, it will not be difficult to turn a wall into a narrow eastern street or an ocean shore with palm trees, or simply to please a child with multi-colored butterflies over a blooming meadow.
Lamp decoration
If the lampshade of a floor lamp or sconce looks rustic or has lost its appearance from time to time, it can be updated or simply replaced with a homemade one.
You will need hemp thread, glue, balloon. It must be inflated to the desired size. The rope must be moistened with glue and wrapped around half of the ball to make a hemisphere.
The winding must be openwork. Glue the end of the rope too. After drying, the ball should be burst, and the openwork lampshade should be decorated with decorative flowers, butterflies, ribbons or painted with spray paint.
You can use the same technique to make a completely round lampshade for a kitchen or gazebo. A master class for decorating a lampshade with your own hands can be found on the Internet.
Ideas for decorating furniture
Often it is expensive to change old furniture for new ones. But what if the old furniture is still quite solid, but does not fit the new interior? Its appearance can be radically changed independently.
Simple technique - decoupage. For it, you will need special paper with a pattern or a paper napkin you like.
The picture is applied to the surface of the furniture and with a brush dipped in special decoupage glue, and the napkin is ironed from the middle to the edges.
It is impregnated with glue and fixed on the surface. After drying, it is generally difficult to determine how the picture appeared on the furniture. It remains to cover it with varnish.
A vintage chest of drawers or sideboard can be painted and painted with patterns from Gorodets or Khokhloma painting. And in order to emphasize its rarity, apply craquelure - a composition for artificial aging of the surface.
Country style loves embroidery. She can decorate a tablecloth on a table, capes on chairs and stools, napkins for a buffet, curtains.
Cushions for a sofa or carpet will add their own flavor to the interior. They will find a place in the kitchen. They can be made from the same shreds, pieces of leather, embroider a pattern with your own hands, use children's jeans and T-shirts and other materials.
Faux fur pillows will look especially impressive. To do this, you can even use the lining of a winter jacket.
Letter pillows, which make up the name of the child or the names of the newlyweds, are in fashion today. But why buy them when you can always make your own?
Panel ideas
Pictures of beautiful decor often feature panels on walls or furniture fronts. It can be made literally from everything that comes to hand: various cereals, small round stones, coffee beans, beads, and even from bolts, screws and nuts.
Yes, yes, if you arrange them randomly on the base, add wrenches or other keys and other metal elements and cover it all with silver spray paint, and then place it under glass, you will get a creative panel that will fit into the high-style interior -tech or loft. The same idea is good for a coffee table top.
Wreaths
If someone still doesn't know how to decorate with their own hands, here is an interesting idea - a wreath. It can be made from dry plant elements, including those used for sachets.
