Signs of an Arts and Crafts revival: Steve and Paula Soest's welcoming front porch (above); Sandy and Jeff Frankel embracing the "American Craftsman" lifestyle (below right); their home's meticulously restored interior (below left); and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, featuring period design elements (third photo below).

Building on the Past

Arts and Crafts makes a Southern California comeback

By Michelle Gringeri-Brown
Photographs by Leslie Bird

ix years ago, Paula and Steve Soest were living in a tract house in northern Santa Ana when they found their 1912 Craftsman bungalow in Old Towne Orange — and with it a whole new way of life. Now they relax in an 80-year-old oak Morris chair in the living room, cook on a vintage stove, and devote weekends to searching for Arts and Crafts pieces for their home. But perhaps most important are the like-minded friends they've made in their neighborhood, many of whom share the Soests' passion for Arts and Crafts period decor.

"We're friends with people on this block, on other blocks," Paula says. "They stop, they talk to you about your house, and you get to know their kids, their dogs. It's like an adopted family."

Unquestionably, the Arts and Crafts movement, which emphasized handmade craftsmanship and first made its way from Europe to the United States in the late 1800s, is back in a big way. Historic bungalows are hot commodities, and more and more owners in Southern California are restoring their homes, sometimes seeking historic landmark protection for their early-20th-century neighborhoods. Even developers of housing tracts and new hotels such as Disney's Grand Californian Hotel in Anaheim, The Lodge at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, and Montage, a resort-spa in Laguna Beach, have borrowed Arts and Crafts design cues and the philosophy of the movement.

But you don't have to own a bungalow or stay at a high-end hotel to experience Arts and Crafts. Simply open a home-decor catalog, visit a Wal-Mart or Target store, or watch HGTV and it's clear that the period's Mission oak furniture, matte green pottery, and mica-shade lighting are more popular than ever.

Simplified Living
"Some of the spin-off today is style-oriented, but it's important for people to know that the Arts and Crafts movement was not just a style," says Edward Bosley, director of the Gamble House, a historic home open to the public in Pasadena. "It was a social and cultural response to the applied decoration of Victorian houses and furniture — all of the gingerbread froufrou that characterized buildings and decorative arts in the 19th century." Instead of highly carved furniture and windows draped with three layers of curtains, Arts and Crafts promoted unadorned, "honest" design whose beauty was found in its natural materials and the details of its craftsmanship.

The Arts and Crafts movement began in the second half of the 19th century in England in response not only to fussy design but also to the mechanized jobs of factory workers, which social critics of the day felt were dehumanizing. Many designs and terms developed then are still with us today: The boxy Morris chair (a precursor to Dad's recliner) was created by William Morris, the father of the British Arts and Crafts movement, and American entrepreneur Gustav Stickley coined the term Craftsman to describe his furniture, houses, decorative objects, and the magazine that promoted his ideas.

"The movement's inspiration was to give dignity to common people and common

The beauty's in the details: Bungalow homeowners Steve and Paula Soest's Morris chair (above) and Jeff and Sandy Frankel's vintage sideboard and accessories (below, right and left) showcase the Arts and Crafts movement's straightforward design.

workmanship, through both the making of the object and the use of it in the home," explains Robert Winter, an architectural historian who lives in Pasadena and goes by the moniker "Bungalow Bob."

The Arts and Crafts movement soon made its way to the United States, and, from about 1885 until the Great Depression, California was a fertile area for artists, architects, and craftspeople working in the style. Ernest Batchelder had a thriving art-tile business here, and Malibu, Catalina, and Gladding, McBean potteries became California institutions. The creative community was particularly strong on the banks of the Arroyo Seco, where painters such as Hanson Puthuff and William Lees Judson and architects such as brothers Charles and Henry Greene produced memorable California-inspired works.

Interest in honest, natural craftsmanship was perhaps best epitomized by the period's architecture. During the teens and 1920s, Arts and Crafts bungalows — which often have a low, spreading roofline; a large front porch; an open floor plan; and handsome interior details with lots of woodwork, built-in cabinets, and art glass-appeared all over the country and were a hit particularly in California.

They ranged from precut homes sold by Sears, Roebuck and Co. to mansions such as Greene & Greene's Gamble House and from wood-frame cottages to large Tudor revivals. Many seemingly different architectural styles are seen in Arts and Crafts-era houses, but they all typically have an extensive use of local materials, such as river rock, brick, and native woods, and a conscious attempt to "bring the outdoors in" through their porches, French doors, and bands of windows.

"Architecture has always been an aristocratic art, but the Arts and Crafts period pioneered the notion of getting style to the people," Winter says. "Even though the bungalow turned out to be homely, it was respectable, up-to-date, and offered a homey atmosphere, and that's still how we want to live."

That nurturing quality is evident in Jeff and Sandy Frankel's 1915 Craftsman bungalow in Orange. The couple moved in just four years ago, but they've embraced the Arts and Crafts lifestyle wholeheartedly, throwing themselves into a meticulous interior restoration. Yet, their love of home and hearth goes beyond furnishings and impressive collectibles; it's more about how the house lives and feels.

"After fighting the freeways, it's comforting to come home to this tranquil environment," Sandy Frankel says. "In the evening, the sun reflects against the woodwork and stained glass, creating a very inviting mood.

"The porch is one of our favorite features," she adds. "It's a place to relax and watch the world go by. Front porches really do bring the community together."

Devoted to the Details
A favorite topic among people living in bungalow neighborhoods is Arts and Crafts collectibles. Once a stepchild in the antiques world, in the past 20 years the style has become hot, attracting collectors of all stripes: those who can afford pieces like a rare Gustav Stickley inlaid desk for $60,000 and those who find beauty in an unmarked $25 vase with a chip or two at a yard sale.

Sandy Frankel's pottery collection — Bauer, Roseville, and Zanesville — and vintage embroidered textiles, for example, are the envy of her friends.

Teresa Hartley, a resident of Bungalow Heaven, the first designated Landmark District in Pasadena, also collects linens and pottery. She and her husband, Jim

Jeff and Sandy Frankel have spent countless weekends seeking out Arts and Crafts collectibles such as Bauer pottery (foreground). A collection of vintage cookbooks adds charm to their kitchen.

Staub, who looks for old postcards with bungalow themes, have been buying for nearly 30 years. "We still go to the Pasadena City College swap meet, but we've winnowed down our collectibles," she says. "The supply is starting to dry up. With eBay, pretty much everyone knows what they have and prices reflect that. Of course, I'm always still looking for my own Holy Grail: a Bauer birdbath or a honeybee jar."

Bob Winter remembers the good old days in the '60s when he picked up a 1901 round leather-topped table for $25 from a secondhand store. "It's a Gustav Stickley," he says with a chuckle, remembering when few people were interested in the sturdy, straight-lined furniture. Today, Stickley pieces sell for thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The popularity of priceless Arts and Crafts antiques and their more affordable reproductions shows no sign of waning. Tom Gerardy, owner of Craftsman Revival Home Furnishings in Solana Beach, says the awareness of Arts and Crafts has grown in just the three years his store has been open. "It's such a comfortable look," he says. "Seventy-five percent of our customers don't live in a bungalow, but they like the style."

Paula Soest's home is jam-packed with collectibles, but she still keeps an eye out for that Arts and Crafts piece she can't live without, like McCoy pottery. "These houses are like a new girlfriend," she says. "You just want to dress them up and buy them special things."

Michelle Gringeri-Brown is a freelance writer and the editor of American Bungalow magazine.

Are you a fan of Arts and Crafts design? We'd like to hear about your favorite neighborhood or collection. Send letters to Westways, P.O. Box 25222, Santa Ana, CA 92799-5222.

Style and Sensibility

Find vintage and reproduction Arts and Crafts furniture and accessories at these stores: The Barn Furniture Mart, 6206 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys; (818) 785-4253; www.barnfurniture.com. Circa 1910 Antiques, 7206 Melrose Ave., Hollywood; (323) 965-1910; www.circa1910antiques.com. Craftsman Revival Home Furnishings, 985-A Lomas Santa Fe Dr., Solana Beach; (858) 259-5811. Historic Lighting, 114 E. Lemon Ave., Monrovia; (888) 757-9770; www.historiclighting.com. Mission Tile West, 853 Mission St., South Pasadena; (626) 799-4595; and 1207 Fourth St., Suite 100, Santa Monica; (310) 434-9697; www.missiontilewest.com. Munro's Furniture, 2189 Lakewood Blvd., Long Beach; (562) 986-5305; and 1703 E. 17th St., Santa Ana; (714) 210-3800. — M.G.B.

Bungalows and Beyond Many Southern California cities have great Arts and Crafts neighborhoods. In addition to the areas detailed below, you can find Craftsman architecture in Long Beach, Ontario, Oxnard, Redlands, South Pasadena, and other cities throughout the region. See "Arts and Crafts Affairs" on this issue's online calendar page for a listing of home tours taking place during October. Anaheim Two neighborhoods, Melrose-Backs (Philadelphia Street) and Kroeger-Melrose (Lincoln Avenue to Broadway, Atchison Street to Olive Street), which has a restored train depot and nicely renovated bungalows, are good bets. Don't miss Vintage Lane (off East and Cypress Streets) with its relocated large bungalows. This great example of the city's dedication to preservation is especially stunning during the holiday home tour, December 12–13. Information: Anaheim istorical Society, (714) 774-7618; www.anaheimhistoricalsociety.com. Monrovia This city's popular Mother's Day tour usually includes at least one Craftsman bungalow, but a self-guided driving tour is almost as good. The streets north of Foothill Boulevard and east of Myrtle Avenue, as well as the 300 block of Wildrose Avenue, are particularly charming (see photo). Information: Monrovia Old House Preservation Group, (626) 303-3502; www.mohpg.org. Pasadena Get an inside look at Bungalow Heaven during the home tour in April, or drive anytime along Michigan, Mar Vista, and Chester Avenues north of Mountain Street and south of Washington Boulevard. Information: Bungalow Heaven Neighborhood Association, (626) 585-2172; www.bungalowheaven.org. To understand why Pasadena drew residents like a magnet in the early 1900s, drive through the beautiful tree-lined streets above the Arroyo Seco — particularly South Orange Grove Boulevard to California Boulevard and Arroyo Boulevard to Madeline Drive — which feature period homes. Information: Pasadena Heritage, (626) 441-6333; www.pasadenaheritage.com. San Diego The South Park neighborhood (A Street to Juniper Street, and 28th Street to Fern Street) features working-class frame and stucco bungalows. Mission Hills (Fort Stockton Drive to Sunset Boulevard/Juan Street) includes larger Craftsman and Spanish-style homes. Information: San Diego Historical Society, (619) 232-6203; www.sandiegohistory.org. — M.G.B.

Open Houses For historic inspiration, tour these public places: The Gamble House, one of architects Charles and Henry Greene's "ultimate bungalows," is scheduled to remain open while undergoing exterior restoration. Hours: Thursday through Sunday, noon–3 p.m., except holidays (arrive early; tours often sell out). Admission: $8 for adults; $5 for seniors and students; free for children under 12. 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena; (626) 793-3334; www.gamblehouse.org. The Lanterman House, a 1915 bungalow made of reinforced concrete, has an 11,250-square-foot interior. Hours: Tuesday, Thursday, and first and third Sunday of the month, 1–4 p.m., except holidays and in August. Admission: $3 for adults; $1 for ages 12–18; free for children under 12. 4420 Encinas Dr., La Canada-Flintridge; (818) 790-1421; www.lacanadaflintridge.com/points/lanterman.htm. The Marston House (pictured), built in 1905, sits on five landscaped acres and features Arts and Crafts furnishings. Hours: Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Admission: $5 for adults; $2 for ages 6–17; free for children under six. 3525 Seventh Ave., Balboa Park, San Diego; (619) 298-3142; www.sandiegohistory.org/mainpages/locate3.htm. — M.G.B.