The American Craftsman style, founded by Gustav Stickley, was characterized by plain, solid design. Its pieces were often wooden and rather rustic, but also modern in the sense that they were machine carved and sanded to be smooth, with straight, flat edges. There was a sense of firmness and reliability about them. The Craftsman movement emphasized order, simplicity, strength, dignity, and quality. A Craftsman piece was valuable because it was functional and durable. The movement also placed value on collaboration, individual design, and hard work – all traditional American ideals that in some ways had been lost in the Industrial Revolution.

Gustav Stickley designed many pieces of furniture in this style, including chairs, tables, sideboards, bookcases, chests of drawers, and more. A number of examples are discussed below:

 

These solid-looking chairs are made completely of wood. Their pieces are straight and thick; overall they appear very sturdy and symmetrical. Though perhaps a bit blocky, their simplicity and strength give them a certain elegance, as do the quality of the wood used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Similarly, this table is very simply made, but also very durable. With four thick legs connected by horizontal struts near the base, this piece isn’t going to topple over or come apart. The neatly polished and rounded tabletop is no fancier than needed, but still demonstrates superior skill in its design and construction.

 

More American Craftsman pieces will be discussed in part 2!