Charles and Henry Greene (Greene and Greene furniture) are known for their Ultimate Bungalows which incorporate architectural design as well as furniture design. These are unique Arts and Crafts style homes designed and built from 1907 to 1911 that have extraordinary detail and each piece of furniture was designed specifically for the bungalow and room it was displayed in. What I like most about them is they took the traditional Arts and Crafts and put their own distinct stamp on it. Also love the incorporation of home and furniture design. Most famous homes are the Blacker House and Gamble House. What appeals to me most about the Greene and Greene furniture is its complexity, it’s joinery, the level of detail, the Asian influence which gives it beautiful lines such as waterfall edges, cloud lifts, inlays, ebony plugs. This is joinery taken to an art form.
The Hall Brothers – John and Peter Hall were the contractors for the Greene and Greene Ultimate Bungalows and helped the Greene’s take their design to its ultimate level with their own sense of quality craftsmanship and design. It was a collaborative process that only the Hall brothers seemed to understand.
“Examination of the furniture built by the Halls’ shop demonstrates how important the craftsmen and specialists were to the final product. The Halls and their employees played an integral role in the development and final appearance of the Greene and Greene style. In terms of American twentieth-century furniture history, the furniture is also important as the first true example of Scandinavian modern furniture design. The fit to the period and the combination of machined production with handworked finish has provided the enduring legacy of the furniture.”
Gustav Stickley designed very unique functional pieces that were very practical. He is known as the father of the American Arts and Crafts movement. He liked creating pieces that were well built yet not too complex so others could build them as well. He was not opposed to using a machine when necessary because he believed in furniture for the masses. I like his sizing, function, and practicality – not a lot of clutter, very clean. Joinery became and art and that is what appeals to me the most.
Shaker style furniture also appeals to me for practicality and function – the idea of building a piece of furniture that is so well built and functional it’s with you your entire life. Their designs are so well thought through, functional, practical, superior craftsmanship
Architecture in general influences me. I study homes of many different periods to understand how things fit together and create beautiful functional design with a close attention to detail. How homes are incorporated into the setting is also very important to me. One of the reasons why I draw my pieces to full scale by hand is because I like to see how the pieces are going to fit in the space before I finalize the design.
