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Old craftsman house interior


How To Do "Craftsman" Right - The 7 Key Elements That Make This Vintage Style Work

If you are a fan of this blog, I think it’s safe to say that you have a deep love (or at least hefty fondness) for a home full of soul. It’s basically our main goal to inject as much of it as possible into any home, regardless of when it was built. But let’s be honest, there is just nothing like a home with actual history…like 100 years of it. A home that has seen some sh*t. I find that when the phrase, “they just don’t build em like they used to” is uttered, I either slightly roll my eyes and halfway smile in silent defense of my generation or I immediately (and audibly) agree because well, it’s the truth. So when I opened my email a few weeks ago and saw this beautifully restored craftsman home, my heart filled right up. I was immediately struck by its visible soulfulness and needed to know more.

Enter the “soul keepers,” Jamie and her husband, Craig. These two are no strangers to a historical home remodel. They actually do this more or less as a hobby or as Jamie says, “it’s an addiction… but it’s an addiction to beauty and craft.” So never mind that Jamie had given birth to their second child one month (yes, ONE MONTH) prior when they saw this house for sale. Because as soon as they saw it they knew they had to bring it back to life.

This house is now for sale (I know!) because Jamie and Craig already have a beautifully restored home they aren’t ready to leave. So after they restored this beaut, they called upon one of EHD’s favorite staging and design firms, A 1000 X Better to really make sure that it felt as welcoming as possible for their potential buyers. And since we are all about beautiful homes AND teaching you how to create them, we are going go through the 7 main design elements you will want to consider when designing the perfect (and slightly unexpected) craftsman home. In Jamie’s words, “you don’t open up a Craftsman home and make it an open concept. You embrace their quirky personalities and enhance them where you can. It’s a labor of love really.” We couldn’t agree more. So let’s talk about the ways to design a historical home that will stand the test of time, so the tradition of bragging to future generations will stay firmly intact:)

Embrace The Original Wood and Keep It Matte

wall color | brass ceiling lights

The wood mouldings and accents are what make craftsman homes so darn special. The warmth and texture they bring are off the charts. I mean, just look at this living room. Instead of painting and/or putting a high gloss finish all over that stunning wood, they brought it back to its natural state. Does it look super modern? No. But that’s what makes it special. It’s like the wood is basically naked, baring its soul to you.

Here’s what they did to restore the wood back to its former glory: “We stripped all the wood on the first floor, and had real historic wood artisans do the work to make sure the wood had the right feeling, stain, and patina. We had alder baseboards specially milled to match those we found in the home. We had gorgeous decorative crown moldings cut that match those we found. We trimmed the house in Douglas Fir, because a house smells better when you use real wood trim.”

Paint The Walls Light Or Really Dark

wall color | semi flush mount | vintage rug | art on left

When Emily and I were looking at these photos we realized that in terms of painting a craftsman home you really only have two options when it comes to colors – really dark (like in that stunning parlor room above) or pretty light…like white or light gray – ideally a cooler toned color, stay away from beige. Especially when you are dealing with a lot of natural wood this is key. For example, a warm reddish color would look too similar to that medium wood tone.

small semi flush mount | large semi flush mount

Of course, there are exceptions and wallpaper is a whole other story (we will chat about that later) but choosing a high contrast color is the best way to make the wood accents pop.

Before we move on, I think we need a moment to take in the overwhelming beauty of these windows. I mean HOW?! They really knew what they were doing 100 years ago:)

Highlight Special Architectural Moments

wall color | accent color | vintage rug

In a home like this one, there are so many special architectural moments. By highlighting a few of them with paint you visually elevate the entire home. Take the killer arch and stair rail in the photo above. The dark paint makes that whole moment pop and actually helps to make the natural wood stand out more in contrast. Had they not been painted it still would have been beautiful but way less of a wow moment.

This built-in bench is another great example. It really pops because of the paint color and gives the space a fresh feel which is important in a historical home. You want to care for its history and bring it back to life BUT also make it feel like it belongs in today’s world.

Pepper in Unexpected Decor to Balance Out Traditional Feel

vintage rug | wall color

In true EHD fashion, we LOVE any opportunity to “mix it up” and create unexpected moments. A 1000 X Better is no stranger to the “unexpected moment” but in my humble opinion, they knocked it out of the park with that cool mint wicker desk and that sofa. I honestly don’t know if I can live a truly happy life until that sofa is in my possession. To me, you (sofa) are perfect.

pendant light | brass ceiling lightsart on back wall | vintage rug

But like the desk, this sofa is a very different style than the home. But because they are within the color palette of the home and have natural textures, they work perfectly and make the space feel unique.

Hot Tip

You can mix any style as long as it falls within your chosen color palette.

Keep Kitchens and Bathrooms Classic

cabinet knob | cabinet pull | shelf brackets | sconce | switchplate

The two places to keep your freak flag temporarily at ease in a craftsman home are in the kitchen and bathroom. By all means, have fun with the decor once all of your hard (and permanent) finishes are in place but as Jamie said, “we chose finishes that would have been used in 1905. Marble, soapstone, real wood cabinets that get painted and feel like wood when you touch them.” Truly the last thing you want is to regret a countertop choice because it feels out of place.

island pendant | semi flushmount| sink | cabinet color | wall color | vintage rug

So now that we have that little hot tip out of the way, let’s take a sec to appreciate this kitchen. There’s not one thing I don’t love in here. There is just the right amount of detail in the cabinet feet and island legs to pay homage to the style of the home, but everything else has a sleeker, more modern traditional feel. It looks updated (in the best way). Also, those stairs are too beautiful, right?

vanity | sink faucet | robe hook | showerhead | shower handle | round mirror | vintage pendant source | accent wall color

I want to shower in this bathroom so badly. It’s another example of Jamie and Craig’s talent for making modern updates but honoring a home’s original architecture. Notice how every material has visual texture. The tiles, countertop, aged brass, and wood all bring life to the space. Nothing feels sterile which is always our goal when we are designing.

flush mount (vintage shade) | sconce (vintage shade) | faucet | shower handle | shower head and trim | vanity| drawer pulls | mirror

The same goes for this smaller bathroom. They used beautiful materials and fixtures that are akin to the home but elevate it in the best way. Also, that marble tub surround is all heart eyes for me.

Choose Light Fixtures That Stylewise Are In Line With The House

vintage rug

You may have noticed that throughout all of these photos, all of the hardwired light fixtures are more on the modern traditional side. We think this is the way to go (and it’s what Em did in her English Tudor Home). Keep those more permanent types of design elements in line with the style of the home for longevity and overall homage to the style. I mean you probably chose your historical home for a reason right?

Don’t Be Afraid of Fun Wallpaper

wallpaper | faucet | door knob | vintage semi flush mount (similar)

I know we talked earlier about only using very dark or very light paint colors inside of a craftsman home (which we still stand by all these photos later) but we also think that wallpaper is a great way to make a room more special. We would suggest choosing a pattern that has a nostalgic feel like the awesome one they chose for the powder bath. Otherwise, just choose a texture but don’t go too modern unless of course, you are completely throwing the vintage baby out with the historical bathwater.

Well, there you have it. A stunning home tour with tips that can hopefully be helpful and transferable to any type of historical home. A huge thank you to Jamie and Craig for letting us feature their beautiful project. We are so happy that there are people who want to celebrate design history and take such good care of it.

Let’s talk about this incredible house in the comments. Thoughts, feelings, and sofa yearnings are all welcome:)

Love you, mean it.

Restored and Designed by Jamie Haller and Craig Ekedahl

Styled by A 1000 X Better

Photos by Lauren Moore

Property Site

Check out some of our other house tours: Tour a Stylist’s Mid-Century-Meets-Traditional “Farmhouse” Full of Thrifted Treasures | An Exclusive House Tour From (Design Girl Crush) Leanne Ford | House Tour: Original Woodwork, Moody Walls & A Gasp-Worthy Wallpaper | House Tour: A Home Crush a Year in the Making …. click HERE for more:)

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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.

Rustic style in the interiors of a wooden house

Rustic style is rooted in the way of life of peasant farmers, hunters, craftsmen and national cultural traditions. A new round of its development falls on the middle of the XIX century. Originating in England, the Arts and Crafts movement does not accept the idea of ​​low quality mass production brought about by the Industrial Revolution and retains an interest in artisanal production techniques, the natural properties of available materials.

Ideologists and supporters of the movement were inspired by nature. They studied regional forms of arts and crafts, used local resources, recruited artisans and created new forms of construction. Harmony with nature, home as a place of peace and tranquility, family, hearth - these are the values ​​of the masters of this direction.

Log elements are repeated in the dining table, coffee table, chairs. Finished with birch bark. The wood-shaped metal screen of the fireplace enhances the natural motifs (left). Huge logs were left unfinished for artistic reasons. Cracks and build-ups have become part of the design (right).

Canteen. The massive chandelier is made of deer antlers. The top of the round table is made of cedar board, the base is made of cedar roots (left). The staircase, which radiates heat and light, is carved in detail from peeled cedar (right).

In the background there is a wall made of round logs and a cupboard built into a niche where the old entrance used to be. A nod to the country style in the design of the chairs at the bar and at the dining table and the open lattice ceiling structure above the kitchen.

Bedroom in the attic of a wooden house.

On the wave of interest in local traditions, techniques, materials in American architecture of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the “handicraft direction”, bungalow and adirondack styles developed.

Artisan style

The main planning technique is the creation of a functional space with a fireplace or hearth. When designing sought to emphasize the feeling of spaciousness, openness of the rooms: the rustic design was far from embellishment. In simple, unornamented houses, a lot of woodwork was used, of the usual square section. The wood was selected for quality and texture and was never painted. Especially popular was the texture of wood sawn diagonally. Massive log columns combined with intricately crafted round and square log rafters form the basis of the house's form.

The "rectangular" design with strict geometric lines has a modern look, while the wood radiates warmth and comfort. Organic materials were used in various combinations in the construction and decoration of the house. The standard elements of a country house are beautifully constructed wooden furniture, floors, paneling, built-in furniture: seats under the windows, a corner by the fire, bookshelves, wall cabinets. The style appealed to the tastes and economic possibilities of first-home buyers, middle-class and working-class people.

Furniture and style

Interior decor and furniture is also an element of rustic style. In America, Gustav Stickley promoted a craft style based on high quality cuts and joins. The design was based on the beauty of the rough material and the art and skill of the craftsman.

Stickley's work, radical for its time, combined rectangular frames and sculptural forms. Transparent finishing coatings emphasized the quality of the wood texture. Recipes have been developed to treat rough surfaces and give wood an aged look with a patina effect.

In the interior, the central log poles are connected to the ridge purlin and transfer the load from the roof to the lower floors. The table is made from a tree trunk, the saw cut pattern is open.

Logged means natural

Adirondack - the style of severe hunters, romantic pioneers, inhabitants of the first log cabins and their "descendants" - travelers and tourists running away from civilization into the wilderness, into the bosom of nature. Behind the name are the Adirondack Mountains and the architecture of the Great Camps in New York State - camps for the rich with buildings in a rustic style. In log cabins located on lakes and in the mountains, wealthy citizens spent their holidays.

Adirondack style stairs (left). In the photo on the right, all railing posts are made of deer antlers.

Ideas for the bathroom. The compositions used cedar trunks and roots.

Adirondack Camp was designed in the late 19th century by designer and developer William West Durand. The buildings were distinguished by the high skill of the builders and the use of natural materials - stone, birch bark, branches, logs. Craftsmen manually created richly decorated furniture from raw materials found in the same area. Birch bark veneer on bureau desks, cabinet drawers, lampshades, mirror frames has become a hallmark of the style. Geometric twig appliqués are imitated throughout America.

Adirondack style fireplace (left). The bed as a piece of art (right).

Rustic

Modern masters do not limit themselves to historical prototypes. Original furniture in a natural or rustic style can be made from any type of wood.

Handmade furniture and table lamp made from deer skins.

Roughly sanded poles bring elements of summer camp into the children's bedroom. They blend beautifully with the walls.

The designers of the Russian company Art of Nature use rhizomes, logs, poles, horns and skins of wild animals to create bizarre interior items. "Rustic" furniture can be not only rough, but also elegant, sophisticated. Artists, wood craftsmen peer into the shapes of trunks, branches, snags to use the gifts of nature in the creation of a variety of items: from chairs and stairs to fireplaces.

Rustic has ceased to be a property of a wooden house only. It can bring the scent of nature to any living space in the city and countryside. Choosing rustic-style furniture or decor, a person instinctively surrounds himself with nature. A century and a half later, brutal furniture made of logs, snags, horns still attracts with the beauty of handmade, with the help of this original decor, nature enters the house.

Photo collection with interior items of a wooden house in a rustic style.

The top of the kitchen table is made of untreated pine, the legs and "apron" are made of birch.

The dining area is marked with a horn lamp.

Hand carved doors. Artist Glen McCune.

Bed made of cedar trunks and branches.

Sleeping on such beds will be like in the forest.

Dining table with solid pine top and stump legs. Rectangular chandelier - from birch branches.

Interior of a house near Moscow in the ethno-chic style

After the renovation, the house in the suburbs acquired its own face - a bright and original interior in the ethno-chic style.

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gallery

Publication date: 02/16/2021

Text: Olga Vologdina

Photo: Alena Kustova

Project author: Alexandra Zhuravleva

Journal: Salon Interior 03/2021

Area: 640 sq. m

Country house is located in the cottage village "Residences Benelux". The family lived in it for fifteen years, but the children grew up, and more spacious housing was needed. The household members moved to a new house, and they decided to remake the old house, and the renovation project was entrusted to Alexandra Zhuravleva, with whom they had collaborated more than once. The architecture of the building was not radically changed; its round volume and curved facade look spectacular and unusual. The architect only had to play with this and make the old house more comfortable, functional, modern inside and out.

Combined living-dining area. The volume of the supporting pillar in the dining area was increased and turned into a sideboard-showcase with backlight. On the shelves there are not only pottery of Crimean artisans, but also wooden dishes made by the father of the owner of the house (woodcarving is his hobby). The floors and walls of the double-height living room are clad in light oak planks and Rex porcelain stoneware with a Carrara marble pattern.

Thin columns, stretched to the full height of the two-height space, are what little remains of the old interior. Sheathed in precious bird's-eye maple veneer, they are in harmony with the wood trim and oak acorn-shaped lamps. Oak veneer and ebony table made by Vyachislav Grekhnev on an individual project. Chairs "Samurai", factory "HoReCa".

On the ground floor, the entrance area lacked symmetry and spatial perspectives. To correct the shortcomings, they demolished all the extra walls and built niches for wardrobes, which were hidden behind mirrors and placed opposite each other at a slight angle. This created an interesting double reflection, the effect of an endless corridor that visually expands the space. Instead of a narrow dark vestibule with uncomfortable separate passages, a large hall appeared with an oak-framed front door and panoramic windows. Now the interior story begins from the outside, when a breathtaking interior opens up through huge windows.

“The house is located deep in the plot, away from prying eyes, which made it possible to apply such an open facade solution,” explains the architect. On the second floor, three autonomous sleeping areas were planned with their own dressing rooms and bathrooms - they were not in the original layout. And, of course, one of the main elements in the house was a black metal spiral staircase, around which the entire interior space of the first floor develops.

Mirrors, white walls and ceiling visually dissolve the walls, unifying the ground floor space. Expressive contrasting accents are a black chandelier and an entrance lobby decorated with dark wood-like tiles. The entrance to the living room is punctuated by a panel of sandstone slabs and sawn poplar trunks. The theme of light railings and flowing spaces is continued by the slatted structure that forms the stairs and one of the walls. It is made of extra durable thermowood.

A spiral staircase is the main organizing axis and point of visual attraction of the open space. It is made to order according to the project of the architect in the DecorMetal workshop.

The author of the project and the customer were unanimous in choosing the style: simple forms, tactile textures and natural materials - wood, metal, stone, ceramics. “The owner of the house can rightly be called a co-author of the interior,” notes Alexandra. — Nikolai was fully involved in the creative process and often initiated a number of decisions himself. He, for example, came up with the idea to decorate the walls of the entrance hall with a panel made of sandstone cut and sawed off old poplar - the customer saw it at one of the exhibitions. Another interesting thing is the closet at the dining room in the living area. We discussed for a long time what function it will perform (whether it will be a wine cabinet or a buffet), how it will be executed. As a result, the closet is an unshakable architectural part of the interior; it is a continuation of the load-bearing structures of the house. Open shelves with diffused lighting were decorated with handmade dishes found in a Sevastopol workshop. The composition of dishes, bowls, bread boxes and plates was ideally complemented by carved wooden dishes made by the customer’s father.”

Kitchen. Kitchen furniture veneered with paldao wood and stained oak. All storage systems are united by a long tabletop, installed along the windows. Shades of lamps, similar to shells, are made of flexible birch veneer. Table and kitchen made to order by Vyachislav Grekhnev. Chairs, SK Design. On the walls - Estima porcelain stoneware. lamps, Montly.

Bedroom. Behind the high headboard of the walnut bed are two separate dressing rooms - men's and women's. Instead of chandeliers, there are LED tapes hidden in the ceiling niches. Soft pouffe in the form of a stone, Dolly Stone. Furniture custom-made by Vyachislav Grekhnev. bedside sconces, Astro. Vanity sconce, Lightstar.

The only room not designed in eco-style is black and white bathroom attached to the master bedroom. Copper bathtub, sinks, console, Villeroy & Boch. Sconce, Lightstar. Chandelier, Catellani&Smith. Tiles, Atlas Concorde. Plumbing, Laufen. Faucets, Bongio.

The architect used her favorite natural materials in the interior design. The ceiling in the living room was finished with light oak: the wood effectively emphasized the pitched structure with a steep slope and the window openings in the roof, illuminating the hall on the second floor. The same material was used to finish the walls and floors on both floors, tying together the complex architecture of the house. The texture of classic Carrara marble and contrasting black elements were chosen to complement the oak. Most of the furniture was made specifically for the interior according to the architect's sketches: dining tables, kitchen, cabinet furniture for bedrooms.

“I would call the interior style eco-chic,” Alexandra shares her thoughts. - It is close and understandable to me, as well as the boho style, the trends of which are very relevant today. People now began to adhere to a healthy lifestyle, they want to see the appropriate atmosphere at home. I like these trends, and I try to saturate the interiors with natural materials, textures, handmade things - this gives a feeling of comfort, warmth, tactility, visual naturalness.

House layout.

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