A History of Arts and Crafts

Believe it or not, there was actually a time in history called the Arts and Crafts era. This took place towards the end of the 19th century, where it was considered fashionable and trendy to read magazines on craftsmanship. In fact, the people who lived in that era considered mealtime and craftsmanship both very important values.

The Arts and Crafts era emerged from an ongoing battle to counteract the seemingly stifling effects of the Victorian era, which was all about opulence. Soon enough, people began appreciating the idea of bringing nature into one’s home with the use of flower arrangements. The Arts and Crafts era was best characterized by utilitarian furniture, and a soft yet warm lighting cast over the dinner table.

What Does an Arts and Crafts Table Bring to One’s Home?

In three simple words, the arts and crafts dining table brings to light this kind of atmosphere during mealtimes: warm, friendly, and accommodating. Given the description of the arts and crafts dining table, it is clear that this kind of dining table was meant to create an air of acceptance and belongingness, whether this applies to family members or their guests.

A kitchen table is perfect for the homemaker who intends to put a personality in every mealtime. The arts and crafts dining table possesses all the characteristics to create an atmosphere that is both refreshing, yet welcoming. Guests will love dining at this kind of kitchen table as it represents a different mealtime experience than what they are normally used to.

An arts and crafts table is also representative of a time when restrained creativity flourished; a time when simplicity was more trendy than overwhelming décor. This makes this dining room table perfect for those who are looking for understated elegance and personality, and for these admirable characteristics to be present during mealtimes.

How to Look for a Good Arts and Crafts Table

As with any other arts and crafts kitchen table, one must set for himself a list of must-haves when it comes to choosing the perfect arts and crafts dining room table. Furniture shopping entails a universal list of requirements that all shoppers must follow to ensure that they are getting the best deal from their preferred furniture shops and store brands.

As you begin your quest for the perfect arts and crafts dining table, familiarize yourself with all the brands that offer arts and crafts dining room tables, especially if you are a first-time furniture shopper. Get to know the pros and cons of each brand, in terms of pricing, quality, package deals, and customization options. Also, don’t just gather information based on your trips around the shopping centers —learn to ask around. Talk with family members or friends who have had experience in purchasing dining room tables. Newlyweds are particularly great to ask, as they will just have newly-acquired all their furniture for their new home.

Another great source of information on arts and crafts dining room tables is the Internet. Touted “the global marketplace of the twenty-first century”, this is a great place to scout for bargains or new and undiscovered brands that may just offer a better deal in terms of your dining room table requirements. Auction websites such as eBay offer cheaper deals on arts and crafts dining room tables.

However, one must be wary when sourcing products over the Internet as there are many fake and bogus companies trying to rip people off by pretending to sell furniture and dining room tables. The best way to make sure that you are dealing with a legit company is to check for customer referrals and testimonials on the website, as well as give them a phone call to ask for additional information.

Warranty is another important factor to be considered when in search of the perfect arts and crafts dining room table. Never make the mistake of grabbing a cheap deal that doesn’t include a warranty. You may very well discover at the end of the day that you have actually purchased a faulty arts and crafts dining room table, but you will not have the chance to replace it, thanks to your lack of a warranty.

At the end of the day, only you can determine which arts and crafts dining room table is best for your dining area’s needs. Just make sure that above all the additional details, all the universal requirements are in place – quality, price, package deal, warranty, and customization features. That, and, of course, ensuring that your arts and crafts dining table meets the size requirements of your dining area. Your arts and crafts dining room table may be beautiful and stylish, but it will do no good if it can’t even fit into the dining area to do its job.

If you take note of all these guidelines on buying a great arts and crafts dining room table, you can be sure of scoring a deal that is worth every penny.

To see beautiful photos of the furniture mentioned in this article, please see Erik Schimek’s dining room furniture website, which features kitchen tables, dining room tables, wine servers and china cabinets.

Erik Organic is an independently owned family business whose goal is to assist our customers in creating a safe and healthy home. Our organic furniture is created with safe organic fabrics, natural batting, solid wood construction and low VOC wood finishes.

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The Arts & Crafts period developed late in the nineteenth century and continued until the 1930s. With the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, assembly-line production enabled the mass production of merchandise. This was troubling to artisans and anyone who valued individually hand-crafted items and merchandise of top quality. This is the group that advocated well-made items of a quality that mass production could not achieve. The movement began with furniture and expanded to ceramics, wallpaper, metal work, architecture, and stained glass. The emphasis was on quality workmanship and consisted primarily of black, brown, yellow, and green tones in all fields. Of the many Arts & Crafts artisans of the period the most well-known are Frank Lloyd Wright, Gustav Stickley, and William Morris. Reproductions of their work are widely available today.

William Morris

One of the earliest champions of the Arts & Crafts movement was William Morris of Britain (1834-1896), who formed Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. with a group of likeminded artisans. The company, later renamed Morris & Co., worked in many areas including stained glass, ceramics, fabric, wallpaper, and architecture. The company designed his home, Red House, which is one of the earliest examples of architecture ascribed to the movement.

It’s no surprise that anything made by Morris is highly sought after today, as he is considered a founding father of the Arts & Crafts movement. Most of his best work can only be found in museums. His work can generally be authenticated by the “Morris & Co.” stamp.

Gustav Stickley

Gustav Stickley (1857-1942) and his family began the Arts & Crafts movement in the United States in upstate New York during the 1870s. An architect and designer, he started a furniture company and introduced the Craftsman line, which continues to be produced today. A Gustav Stickley sideboard was sold at a Christie’s auction in 1997 for $596,000 by a preeminent collector of Arts & Crafts, Barbra Streisand.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Best known for his work as an architect, American Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was a pioneer of the Arts & Crafts movement. His specialty was designing not just a home, but all of the furniture as well. Today his work commands top dollar when available, but it is rarely available. Two of his most famous architectural designs and the Guggenheim Museum in New York and Fallingwater, a residential home.

Furniture

Solidly constructed simple oak and ash furniture typifies the furniture of the Arts & Crafts period. Common design elements include rush seating, horizontal or vertical slat backs and sides, and spindle backs and sides. Upholstery colors typify the period, generally done in brown, green, or black leather. Much of this furniture is still in use today because of its rigid construction.

Ceramics

Mass production was abhorred by the potters of the Victorian era. The graceful Japanese Aesthetic Movement style influenced craftsmen to emulate it, and creative forms and new glazes gave potters a new area to pursue. The fundamental perception of ceramics in North America changed as a result of the Arts & Crafts movement. Long seen as utilitarian, pottery became more decorative to appeal to the new upper class that could afford to splurge on a superfluous object. Dragons and flowers were often depicted in yellow, green, and brown glaze on pottery of the era.

Metalwork

Artisans who worked with copper, brass, silver, and pewter soon joined the move to hand-crafted workmanship. Tiffany and Liberty are two companies of the era that produced pieces combining both machine and hand production methods. Green and brown enamels and hammered surfaces are common characteristics of this work.

To save on arts and crafts supplies, fabrics, and other accessories, Vince suggests using a Joann Coupon and an Oriental Trading Coupon from CouponKathy.com.

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