Granite Grannies I'm a huge arts and crafts fan. Loved this ideabook. Nice job!

Julia Pockett Thank you so much Granite Grannies - it really wasn't one of my favourite styles until I started the research for the piece - it now has me hooked!

A. Peltier Interiors Is it wrong that I only like arts and crafts when it is painted all white (like the third picture)? I know the beautiful stained wood is why people love it, but I love it for the architectural detail it adds to a space and not the stained wood. have a hard time taking clients with an arts and craft style house because I am afraid to tell them to paint everything white. Any designers agree, disagree, feel the same way?

Julia Pockett Hi A.Peltier - yes, I know what you mean and as per my previous comment, mine is only a recent love affair when I saw how many of the leading arts and crafts houses in the UK were originally white or green paneled. I do have a battle with myself as I hate to paint over original bare woodwork but this has kind of justified it for me. Better to maintain the architectural structure but still provide modern homes people will love?

A. Peltier Interiors Yes, that makes me feel better too. But I am with you, I feel this huge guilt when I utter the words "how about painting it white?"!

sherry403 Lovely! In my next life I will have a Craftsman/Mission style house!!

Rio Brewster I want that backsplash tile.

I love this style. The colors are so warm and inviting. And I'm not a fan of wallpaper but the border prints are TDF.

Paul D'Amico - Period Design I'm fascinated by the aesthetic movement and wish to share my passion for tiling. I have posted some photos of original aesthetic movement and art nouveau tiles.

Paul D'Amico - Period Design 4 aesthetic movement period tiles

patricia beharry Like the brownstones in Harlem, just wait till you paint it white and then say "I made a mistake, that wood was so warm" no I want to remove all that ugly white paint and restore my house to its original glory. SO, if you want a white house, WHY, pray tell WHY, buy a beautiful craftsman, then destroy it???????????????

smsilger Beautifully written article! I am a huge fan of the Arts and Crafts style.

Paul D'Amico - Period Design I would suggest analysing what is there in detail. Painting everything white or other colour might work well if there is a lot of structure/detail/texture or if you wish to associate different features. On the other hand, you are toning down the visual impact that object/surface will have. When deciding on how to renovate a period building\space I would suggest understanding the hierarchy between the elements that compose the space.
In general terms walls and ceilings are the canvass and can certainly be white - to be neutral, to reflect light and increase the sense of space. Timber features are the tricky ones, especially if already painted or damaged. On the other hand, wood grain and patina give the object character. The same is true for metal – I would say each case is individual and needs to be assessed.
As for the exterior I would refrain from painting old brickwork – it want help that damp patch and in a few years as the paint peals the brick wall will look even more miserable.

Caroline Bogart I discovered beautiful Arts & Crafts art and homes while looking for kitchen backsplash designs. I ended up working with motawi.com. Fantastic tile designs. There are also some beautiful Arts & Crafts magazines: http://artsandcraftshomes.com/.

Paul D'Amico - Period Design Beautiful article Julia and well supported with photos. They show this paint not paint issue well. And I want that Arts&Crafts rug.

custom-tiles.com How are these lovely tiles produced? A digital print method with high resolution and accurate reproduction or by hand painting or silk screening, which limits the number of colors?

astraea Love that stained glass doorway!!

riconsd If you must paint the details out of an A&C then only do if it is fir or pine; paint gum, oak or redwood, there is special place in purgatory for you. In it Tom Sawyer will have you painting a fence with a 12 bristle sable brush.

marcie31 I've chastised Arts and Crafts homeowners on here before - DO NOT paint beautiful old woodwork! If you "have a hard time" telling people not to do so, just walk away! A&C homes here in the Northwest are made with vertical grain, old growth fir - beautiful wood grain that is an antique and a treasure in itself. Once you paint it you can never go back! Lighten up with furniture, art, draperies, just DON'T PAINT IT!

patricia beharry My sentiments exactly. Its like buying a Monet painting, but not liking the colour of the flowers, so you are going to change the purple and paint it white. There are millions of houses nondescript houses out there, why spoil the Arts and Crafts.

Nancy Griffiths I have lived in my Arts and Crafts home for over 30 years...the woodwork was already painted white when we bought the home...I love the look of the crisp white against painted walls...I have never been a fan of the stained wood look as I find it too dark for my liking....I think that ones home is a reflection of the people that live there...to each his own...

Art Consulting Online LLC There are some fabulous Arts and Crafts prints on our new website. Go to http://www.artconsultingonline.com/artworks?filter%5Bdescription%5D%5B%5D=Arts+and+Crafts.

oldie49 That first photo of the warm oak entry, stairway and dining room is SO inviting! Love it!

summilux Paint grade wood needs to be painted- there's a reason why it's labeled as such. To paint old growth fir, mahogany, walnut, quartersawn oak among other types of woods found on A&C structures may not be a crime, but it's a sin.

Mackin Drafting & Design I enjoyed the article but I would like to have seen what the room in the third picture looked like before they covered it in paint, white no less. I bet it looked quite spectacular!

balykins My whole purpose of coming to this site was to gather information and ideas of the A&C movement. Loved the article! And someday I will have (build or buy) an A&C home; even if I have to sell my soul to get one.

D by D Morriss and company are always inspiring, great ideabook

feeny @Rio
That backsplash tile you like in the last photo is available from Motawi tileworks. It is called "Pine Landscape" and comes in a couple of different sizes and shapes.

mmsalg I like pieces of the Arts & Crafts like the stairway and the stained glass. Another beautiful ideabook from Houzz.

marcie
http://custm.co/hz/120

Rio Brewster Here's a great resource for period wallpaper.
http://bradbury.com/ac.html

I never got to use it because I could never decide. LOL

kimtisha Love the article but the white painted room in the third picture just about made me weep. Why, oh why ould you cover up all of that beautiful wood with white paint?!?!

Jason Miles I thoroughly enjoyed this article but more so the banter regarding white or natural wood. I purchased an A&C home two years ago with all of the interior painted white. I sometimes wonder how it would look if all the wood built ins were natural wood tones vs white. You all are making it hard to decide what to think. I can't imagine loving the house more if it wasn't painted white. It has been a lot if fun to accessorize against the all white back ground much of the time bringing the natural wood back into the room. I know these pieces stand out much more against the white than they would against wood tones wood work. The white seems to offer much more choice than the natural wood would offer allowing my each room to take on very different styles yet not seeming to different than the room right next to it.
I guess I fell in love with the style based on the architectural form and individualness the space provides.
I

riconsd Jason sometimes the wood work was intended to be painted. If the trim is pine or fir paint was in the original spec, but oak, gum, or redwood was finished.

Julia Pockett Hi Jason, Riconsd is quite right! Webb and Morris were known to use white painted trims and panelling in their original designs. I think the argument is whether to paint over quality, beautiful wood that was intended to be left that way and I certainly wouldn't advocate that. Lucky you in owning a beautiful A&C home :-).

lazylady215 I want to build a new A&C style home. But I find myself being drawn to white kitchens. What if I have a mixture of natural wood, the painted walls as you referred to - with the natural wood trim, and a white kitchen - all with the same detail. Will it work, or look like someone's nightmare?

lazylady215 Actually, a pale gray kitchen with white cabinets and woodwork.

riconsd ll215 First rule of home building "It's your house, your checkbook, and you have to live there, do what you want". Your not building a museum, I hope, so if you want to do a painted kitchen and wood mill-work in the dining room or...its your house.

In the bungalows I have been in, the original cabinet, usually there is just one, was painted; in larger houses that had a butler's pantry it was stained wood and the kitchen was painted. After the Spanish Influenza epidemic there was a huge kitchen as laboratory movement and a painted surface was (is) easier to clean.

So remember its you house and a painted kitchen is definitely more period than Cherry Cabz with Absolute Black granite counters and stainless appliances.

Art Consulting Online LLC Check out our new Ideabook with examples of Arts and Crafts prints from our website, www.artconsultingonlne.com..