The Craftsman Attitude

I confess that until around 2003, I never really knew that there was something called the "American Craftsman Style."  I also didn't know anything about the "Arts and Crafts Movement," which I always associated with summer camp and after-school activities.

I did know that I liked the unpretentious style of the houses found in south Berkeley and north Oakland, including the hand-made look of the lights and other detailing.

I'll be posting a lot about various Craftsman-style stuff over the next few weeks.  Before I do that, however, I want to say a bit about the Craftsman Attitude.  Some people take the American Craftsman style and/or the British Arts & Crafts Movement VERY SERIOUSLY.

I DO NOT take it that seriously.

Purists and historians may find fault in my characterization of Craftsman-related stuff.  For example, I recall a discussion with our realtor when we were looking for a house.  We had looked at a bungalow, and I said "I really love Craftsman houses like this."  Her response?  "That's a bungalow, not a CRAFTSMAN."

Ok.  That seemed very snooty and elitist (since we were priced out of the larger homes that she considered American Craftsman and/or Arts & Crafts homes).  But if you want to be a purist, who am I to stop you.  I got past the remark, we continued to use this realtor, and she did a great job helping us buy our bungalow.

On this blog, I'm not going to suddenly develop that sort of pretension.  If an attribute of a mere bungalow seems Craftsman-like to me, I'm going to say so, even if a historian and/or Craftsman hobbyist or enthusiast might disagree.  If I blog about furniture that seems like it is in the Craftsman style, I'm also going to say that, even if it wasn't made by Gustav Stickley himself.

I figure most folks will know what I'm talking about.  Craftsman enthusiasts are free to correct me in the comments.