Craftsman Houses, Inspired by an English Movement

By
Jackie Craven
Jackie Craven, poet and writer
Jackie Craven
Art and Architecture Expert
  • Doctor of Arts, University of Albany, SUNY
  • M.S., Literacy Education, University of Albany, SUNY
  • B.A., English, Virginia Commonwealth University
Dr. Jackie Craven has over 20 years of experience writing about architecture and the arts. She is the author of two books on home decor and sustainable design.
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Updated on March 08, 2017
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The Gamble House

The Gamble House in Pasadena, California, Inspired by the Arts & Crafts Movement
The Gamble House in Pasadena, California, Inspired by the Arts & Crafts Movement. Photo by Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge Archive Photos/Getty Images (cropped)

Are American Craftsman houses all bungalows? The answer is historically complicated. In the early 1900s, many types of homes were inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement in England and Scotland. English-born William Morris (1834-1896) advocated a return to craftsmanship, as a reaction to the Machine Age and mass production. The popular work of Scottish architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) advanced interest in the basic style and its import to the U.S. Furniture maker Gustav Stickley popularized the style in America through his magazine The Craftsman (1901-1916). This photo gallery shows a variety of houses with Craftsman handiwork, many from the pages of Stickley's magazine, and some small enough (one story) to be called bungalows. For a tour of real Craftsman architecture, visit Stickley's Craftsman Farms in New Jersey.

In California, Greene and Greene were the promoters of Arts and Crafts design. The Gamble House in Pasadena, California is their best surviving work. Inside and out, it is a large and elegant version of Craftsman styling sometimes called Western Stick.

Two California brothers, Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene, used Arts and Crafts ideas when when they designed the Gamble house in Pasadena, California. The house has wide terraces, open sleeping porches, and custom-designed wooden cabinetry and furniture. The home was built in 1908 for David and Mary Gamble of the Procter and Gamble Company.

Learn More

02
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San Francisco Craftsman House

Craftsman House in Ingleside Terraces, San Francisco
Craftsman House in San Francisco, California Craftsman House in Ingleside Terraces, San Francisco. Photo © Robert Karis

This lovely Craftsman House is located in Ingleside Terraces, a residential neighborhood in San Francisco, California.

Developed between 1911 and 1913, Ingleside Terraces has many older homes with Arts & Crafts details. Originally, this home was painted darker colors, but the current color scheme of cream and ruddy brown has been used for at least thirty years. Typical of Arts & Crafts architecture, the house features:

  • Open floor plans; few hallways
  • Numerous windows - The owner counts 40!
  • Some windows with stained glass
  • Beamed ceilings - In the dining room, the beams are made with redwood
  • Dark wood wainscoting and moldings. In the dining room, the redwood wainscoting is seven feet high.

See views of this house as it appeared in 1912 >

See more historic houses in Ingleside Terraces >

To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary >

03
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Craftsman - Cobblestone Walls

Some Craftsman houses have cobblestone foundations, porch posts, chimneys, and walls.
Craftsman House Pictures Some Craftsman houses have cobblestone foundations, porch posts, chimneys, and walls. Photo © Jackie Craven

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

04
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VanLandigham Estate

The VanLandingham estate in Charlotte, North Carolina
Craftsman House Pictures Built in 1913, the VanLandingham estate in Charlotte, North Carolina was designed to suggest a mountain retreat. Photo © ClipArt.com

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

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Craftsman Bungalow

Thick round pillars support the low sloping roof of this Craftsman Bungalow.
Craftsman House Pictures Thick round pillars support the low sloping roof of this Craftsman Bungalow. Photo © Jackie Craven

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

06
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Stucco-sided Bungalow

Craftsman houses usually have triangular braces in the eaves.
Craftsman House Pictures Craftsman houses usually have triangular braces in the eaves. Photo © Jackie Craven

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

07
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Brick and Shingle House

Craftsman House Sided with Brick and Wood Shingles
Craftsman House Pictures Craftsman houses were not usually made with brick, but the stickwork around the porch and the exposed rafter ends are hallmarks of the style. Photo © Jackie Craven

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

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Craftsman Foursquare House

Sided in stucco, this Foursquare house has elaborate Craftsman stickwork around the porch.
Craftsman House Pictures Sided in stucco, this Foursquare house has elaborate Craftsman stickwork around the porch. Photo © Jackie Craven

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

09
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Two-story Craftsman House

Many Craftsman houses have thick, pyramid-shaped porch columns.
Craftsman House Pictures Many Craftsman houses have thick, pyramid-shaped porch columns. The earthy green colors of this home suits the back-to-nature philosophy of Craftsman architecture. Photo © Jackie Craven

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

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Craftsman Cottage

A large stone chimney is the dominant feature on this rose-colored bungalow
Craftsman House Pictures A large stone chimney is the dominant feature on this rose-colored bungalow. Photo ©Jackie Craven

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

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Painted Craftsman House

Craftsman houses were not originally painted bright colors like this one.
Craftsman House Pictures Although this Craftsman home is painted blue today, originally the wooden shingles were probably stained a dark, natural tone. Photo © Jackie Craven

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

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Craftsman Details

Craftsman houses often have thick, tapered porch posts.
Craftsman House Pictures Craftsman houses often have thick, tapered porch posts, exposed roof rafters, and triangular brackets in the eaves. Originally this house was probably painted or stained darker colors. Photo © Jackie Craven

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

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Classic Arts and Crafts House

The exposed rafters in the porch roof are both decorative and structural.
Craftsman House Pictures In this classic Craftsman style home, the exposed rafters in the porch roof are both decorative and structural. Photo © Jackie Craven

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

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Craftsman Bungalow in Idaho

Modest, one story Craftsman Bungalow in Pasadena, California
Craftsman House Pictures Craftsman Bungalow in Pasadena, California. Photo by Fotosearch/Getty Images

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

The popularity of Greene and Greene's designs, especially after the 1908 Gamble House, made southern California a melting pot of Craftsman Bungalow styles. In fact, an area of Pasadena called Bungalow Heaven is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Do you live in a Bungalow? Add your house photo to our gallery!

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Craftsman Style Bungalow

Craftsman Style Bungalow
Craftsman House Pictures Craftsman Style Bungalow. Photo © iStockphoto.com/Gary Blakeley

Browse this gallery for photos of houses with Craftsman handiwork. To learn more about Craftsman architecture, see our House Styles dictionary.

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Craven, Jackie. "Craftsman Houses, Inspired by an English Movement." ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2020, thoughtco.com/craftsman-houses-inspired-by-english-movement-4065266. Craven, Jackie. (2020, August 26). Craftsman Houses, Inspired by an English Movement. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/craftsman-houses-inspired-by-english-movement-4065266 Craven, Jackie. "Craftsman Houses, Inspired by an English Movement." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/craftsman-houses-inspired-by-english-movement-4065266 (accessed April 1, 2023).