Product Description

From esteemed author Brian D. Coleman comes a thorough exploration into the origins of the design and philosophy of the Arts & Crafts movement in Great Britain--the roots of which are inspiring a fresh new approach to the more traditional American Arts & Crafts style. Coleman leads an inspiring and beautiful tour of ten of the most historic Arts & Crafts homes in Britain, from William Morris's Red House in England to Macintosh's Hill House in Scotland.< BR>

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #308679 in Books
• Published on: 2005-11-23
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

From the Inside Flap
front flap William Morris, Edward Lutyens, Baillie Scott, Norman Shaw-these are among the most recognized architects and designers of the British Arts & Crafts movement. Their magnificent homes-from the magical Wightwick to the pastoral Kelmscott Manor-continue to inspire and delight Arts & Crafts enthusiasts today. Author Brian Coleman leads an inspiring and beautiful tour of ten of the best-loved Arts & Crafts homes in Britain, including such icons as Standen-Philip Webb's spectacular country home-and Hill House-Charles Rennie Macintosh's still modern, avant-garde Scottish baronial creation. Also included are eccentric masterpieces: Edward Lutyens' medieval Castle Drogo and the freewheeling, post-Impressionistic Charleston. Lush photographs and thoughtful commentary document these homes, the places where British Arts & Crafts began. See how the principles of honesty of construction, attention to detail, and the value of hand craftsmanship were interpreted and defined by the masters of the movement. Other homes featured in the book include Craigside (architect Richard Norman Shaw), Blackwell (architect M.H. Baillie Scott), Rodmarton Manor, and of course William Morris's iconic Red House (Philip Webb). All homes in the book are open to the public and can still be visited and appreciated today. Directions and contact information for each home is provided at the end of the book. An added bonus is an extensive resource guide to more than ___ Arts and Crafts antiques dealers in the United States, Canada and Great Britain, along with ___ restoration specialists, as well as important museums and sites to visit. Whether you are planning a pilgrimage to Great Britain or just an armchair journey, this book is a must for any lover of the Arts and Crafts movement. Foreword by Stephen Calloway, . . . . back flap Brian D. Coleman, M.D., is a practicing psychiatrist in Seattle, Washington. Also an old-house enthusiast, Brian has grown his love for historic restoration into an active second career. He serves as the Editor at large for Old House Interiors, and is the author of Extraordinary Interiors: Decorating with Architectural Salvage and Antiques, Scalamandre: Luxurious Home Interiors, Classic Cottages, Vintage Victorian Textiles, and The Victorian Dining Room. Brian divides his time between New York and Seattle.

About the Author
Brian D. Coleman, MD, divides his time between Seattle and New York. His articles have appeared in magazines ranging from Old House Journal, where he is the West Coast editor; to Period Living in the U.K. Brian is the author of seven books on the decorative arts, including the recent titles Farrow & Ball and Cottages.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Blackwell is the only surviving work by the Arts and Crafts architect M. H. Baillie Scott that is open to the public. Considered one of his finest and largest commissions, Blackwell was built between 1898 and 1890 as the holiday home of wealthy Manchester brewery owner Sir Edward Holt, his wife, Elizabeth, and their five children. Sited in the scenic Lake District of northwestern England on a hill above the blue waters of Windermere, Blackwell was intended as an escape from the pollution and congestion that characterized industrial Manchester in the late 1800s. Blackwell escaped the fate of modernization and remodeling; even its interior decorations were kept remarkably intact. Blackwell was rescued from an uncertain fate in 1999 by the Lakeland Arts Trust, and after undergoing a 3,500,000 ($7,000,000) restoration, was opened to the public in 2001 as one of England's most beautiful Arts and Crafts house museums.
Sir Edward Holt was active in local government and charities, improving libraries, building water works and aiding local charities. He helped develop a reservoir in the Lake District that revolutionized the supply of freshwater to Manchester. It seemed sensible, then, for him to build a house where he could monitor the reservoir's progress. As he looked for an architect, it was not surprising that he called upon Baillie Scott, for by the 1890s, Baillie Scott was becoming a well-known name in the Arts and Crafts community. A regular contributor to magazines such as The Studio, his work was reminiscent of contemporary Arts and Crafts architects such as C. F. A. Voysey and Charles Rennie (mb verify spelling) Mackintosh. In 1897 Baillie Scott had won a commission for the decorations and furnishings for the Grand Duke of Hesse's palace at Darmstadt, Germany, and received much international acclaim for his work; it was shortly after this that Sir Holt asked him to design Blackwell. As this was not the Holt's primary residence and so practical requirements for day-to-day living, accommodating children, etc., were not as important, Baillie Scott was given free reign to design the home based on his philosophy of architecture, which was rooted in an Arts and Crafts aesthetic, emphasized the importance of living in harmony with nature, and valued light, texture and space in the interiors.

Customer Reviews

Not for the home designer
The "Historic" part of the title must be taken seriously. All of the houses are very big and open to the public. This is not a book for anyone wanting to duplicate Arts & Crafts style. There are much better books for that purpose. The book is fine, but a minor glitch occurs on pages 134-135. The same painting shown in two photographs shows that one of the photos is mirror-image.

Ten Magnificant Homes Beautifully Illustrated
This is a beautifully illustrated book depicting ten magnificant houses from the Arts & Crafts period in Great Britain. These homes dating from the late 1800's and early 1900's reflect a time that seems quintessentially England. You almost expect to find Sherlock Holmes or perhaps Lord Peter Wimsey to come around the corner.

The homes are architectually impressive, but this book is mainly on the interior style and decorations. In many cases, such as Red House, the architect designed everything about the house from the structure itself down to the dining room table and the candlesticks and glasses to put on it.

Needless to say, these houses were not built for the common ordinary people, but were the country homes of the very well to do. Most of them were not royalty but successful businessmen. Just to think of cleaning them now seems like a great deal of effort.

As an added benefit, all of these homes are open to the public, and information is given as to how to visit.