I have always been very interested in houses and how people live in each room. I am sure this was inspired by the many conversations I have overheard about rooms and furniture design and finishes. When I was in college, my family began to be interviewed about Gustav Stickley and his role in developing the Arts and Crafts design of furniture and homes. Gustav Stickley was the father of my grandmother and the grandfather of my father. I am one of many of his great grand children who lounged around at the camp on pieces of his furniture. We never anticipated the fame which was to come. To me, the couch was square and uncomfortable. However, I was wrong and his design is desired today.
When I was a teenager, the world was discovering how unique his design was. My father and many other relatives were being continually interviewed by those individuals trying to understand the man and his role in the development of the Arts and Crafts design. In the early 20th century, Stickley was searching for a new way to design homes free from the ornateness of the Victorian era. Simple and useful design, good craftsmanship, and aesthetic effect were key elements of his designs.
When you look at homes perhaps you might remember some of his thoughts about houses that can become your home.
David Cathers and Alexander Vertikoff wrote about his influence in their book named “The Stickley Style, Arts and Crafts Homes in the Craftsman Tradition. Gus Stickley is quoted as writing in 1909 “We have, from the first, planned houses that are based on the big fundamental principles of honesty, simplicity, and usefulness–the kind of houses that children will rejoice all their lives to remember as homes.” These homes had big windows with window seats or ledges for plants, rich colors, and strong structural features. The dining room had large doorways connected to the living room or kitchen, built in cabinets with leaded glass windows, and a fireplace on one wall. Kitchens had large built-in cupboards and updated equipment. He was quoted by Cathers as saying that “the very first requisites of a kitchen should be that it be large enough for comfort, well-ventilated and full of sunshine, and that the equipment….should be ample, of good quality and, above all, intelligently selected. We all know the pleasure of working with good tools in congenial surroundings.” It should be “as carefully finished as the rest of the house, and in its way….one of the most beautiful of the rooms.”
According to Cathers, Stickley believed the living room was “a place where work is to be done…the haven of rest…the place where children grow and thrive.” It was to be large, relaxing, and informal. The windows were to frame views from the garden, the beams and posts were visible. However the most important feature was the fieldstone or tile fireplace set in a inglenook. The fireplace gave a sense of intimacy while heating the whole room. It is in the simple but elegant room that Stickley believed we should “be at our best.”
Marion Wiles Krauter and Annette Krauter Pickup
RealtyUSA
Tags: homes, houses, lakefront property, real estate, Stickley
I have an old Stickley rocking chair that was my grandmother’s. It’s a very simple piece, but one of the few treasures that were handed down to me by her.
You have a very interesting history and I’m enjoying reading your blog
Chris Briel