Sorry, Rand. If you have to ask, I just can't tell you.

 

This a great question. I often hear the terms used interchangeably. Thanks for asking it.

 

I don't know the answer either…

To me, my opinion, it all looks like cool comfortable, down to earth styles, & without any frills and fancy stuff.
I just do NOT like the fancy frilly stuff… I like the more masculine country look… Just about anything that is NOT frilly and fancy goes with me… BUT, to name it, I like Arts & Craft, Mission, etc. styles.

 

Craftsman style was build by a craftman.
Mission was build by a Missionary.
Greene & Greene's was build by two gys named Greene.
Maloof was build bu Maloof.
That is the way I look at it.

 

GMan,

That looks like as good as any REAL answer! LOL

Very logical… Perfect… except for the typo (LOL)...

BUT… who were Arts and Crafts?

 

Joe Lyddon,

"BUT… who were Arts and Crafts?"

Aren't those the first names of the guys who are better known as Simon and Garfunkel???

<grin>

Or maybe the name of the other guys before they changed their names to Seals & Croft???

Herb

 

I was looking at the projects and reading in my ww magazines and everyone is raving about this one and that one. When I looked at them, there didn't seem to be anything that snapped or even just barely stood out to make them look different.
When you look at a 57 Chevy or a 57 Ford there is no doubt as to the make, model, or year. But these furniture styles are like today's cars, it all looks the same.
Thanks for trying Guys, but it looks like we are all rowing the same boat.

 

Arts and Crafts is a term that refers to a movement or a period in time when the style emerged. (Late 1800's- early 1900's) Sort of like saying "colonial" I guess. So it would be Mission style of the Arts and Crafts period. Stickley,Llimbert were designers/builders/craftsman; William Morris ;Greene and Greene designers; Frank Lloyd Wright- prairie style architect/designer, etc. etc. Does that help?

 

Arts and Crafts is another name for Mission Style. Originally Mission was the form designed in Europe and the US emphasizing straight lines and M&T Joinery, sometime around the middle of the 19th century. It also relies on Asian influence for straight lines, and subtle curves.

In terms of the United States; Arts and Crafts is typically used to distinguish a different style that came about to addresses the cheap and shoddy mass produced furniture of the early industrial age. Around the turn of the last century McHugh and Stickley, Maloof, Limbert and even Architects like the Greene & Greene and Frank Lloyd Wright were improvising designs sold at a higher price, lots of new features. Early Art Nouveau and Deco appear in some of the transition pieces they developed.

Come World War II the crafters were pulled out of the factories to either front and their replacement workers were unskilled, so back to the dark ages furniture making went. The baby boom and housing explosion in the fourties and fifties solidified screwed and glued plywood as the standard for the American Houshold as much as the "picture" veneer of Central American and Asian manufacturing has now become the norm.

Regardless, Mission/Arts and Crafts owes most of their inspiration to the Shaker Furniture style, Primative (Early Colonial) and Amish Craftsmen.

It'll be interesting to see if we swing back to the Empire, Victorian, and Federalist styles of the periods between Primative and the Arts and Crafts Revival.

 

Craftsman style may have its origins in the Sears and Roebuck catalog. Sometime around the turn of the twentieth century people in rural areas could buy complete houses (sold as kits) along with the furnishings, from the Sears and Roebuck catalog. At the time more Americans lived in the country than lived in cities. The lack of stores in their areas required people to order their furniture and sometimes houses from the Sears and Roebuck Craftsman line in the catalog. That is how the Craftsman style house got its name. The style of the furniture itself also became the Craftsman style.

That is my story and I am sticking to it

 

Correction on my post.

Craftsman style was build by a craftsman.
Mission was build by a Missionary.
Greene & Greene's was build by two guys named Greene.
Maloof was build by Maloof.
That is the way I look at it.

Sorry Joe I tried my best LOL

 

Gman… didn't mean any harm… I thought you would catch it and 'edit' it before the time ran out…

You're doing great!

 

Sorry Rand,
Whatever names of designs, it is normal to name it according to designer's name. Who knows, maybe next generations will be yours "Rand's triangulation design" (base on your triangular box)...LOL. Seriously. it has to do with the dates, alterations and changes of the original design, and authorship. As you can see, LJ Benji has his own creative designs, and so with others like LJ Sheila, Andy, Larry, Martyn, and many others. The big question nowadays.. we have copywrite and patent to control originality and license.

 

I find little significant difference and use both styles in the same sentence to describe it

 

Thanks for the info.I was thinking that if a style has a name, like Art Deco, Greene & Greene, etc there should be something that is special about the design. There is no guessing on G&G, Art Deco, Federal etc. These others just confuse me. As my abilities grow and mature, I want to make my own furniture. I thought it would be nice to say I built this style because….. Thanks for removing doubt and confusion from my little bitty brain. Rand

 

Rivergirl has briefly explained the differences very well.
The furniture of these people are difficult to tell apart. Some of the differences are the types of joinery they used. Morris was well known for his "adjustable backs." Stickley's for the "through tenons."
Morris,Stickley,were designers.
Shaker, Mission, Amish and Mennonite are lifestyles that encourage simple designs.
All are pieces of furniture that My wife and I appreciate very much !

 

To me, Arts & Crafts is the "true" version, which came over from England in the late 19th century. They were inspired by Japanese joinery when the empire opened up to Westerners. "Arts & Crafts" style in America ran into the heavy Catholic mission furniture on the West Coast, which used to be part of Mexico. The result was "Mission" style, which you'll see in CA wineries, etc.

I believe "Craftsman" was a production/marketing twist on true "Arts & Crafts" handmade furniture that was sold in catalogs (if you Wikipedia.com these terms you'll get some interesting backstories). You can also apply "Craftsman" to bungalows (smallish houses with exposed architectural details like rafter tails, etc.).

Greene & Greene was a response to the austere utilitarianism of Arts & Crafts, so added decorative details like cloud lifts and celebrated their joinery instead of trying to minimize it by making breadboard ends exaggerated and plugging all screw holes with ebony square plugs.

You have to be careful with Stickley because Gustav and L & JG made similar looking furniture, but the production quality is very different. Don't forget giants like Morris, Limbert, Hall Brothers, etc.

Don't even get me started on "Prairie" style, which has a definite Northern California/Pacific Northwest influence. Basically, unless it's specifically a Greene & Greene piece (or some other distinct designer), it can probably be labeled "Arts & Crafts", unless it looks really heavy and should be in a monastery so it'll be "Mission". If it was hastily put together in a factory, I'd call it "Craftsman". I don't know if there's any connection with "Craftsman" style and Sears' "Craftsman" brand, but I think you could buy an entire house/bungalow from the catalog in the 50's.

 

Cap'n I thought it came over from Germany, but after looking through my A&C, G&G, Mission and Craftsman folders on my computer, I couldn't find anything to confirm or deny it. Anyway, the style is like a religion, nobody knows where it really came from, but they worship it anyway.

 

Maybe I should do like the old Swedish welder, "Ja,ve build it hell for stout." Then I can call it Mission.
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then I need to see my ophthalmologist. I'm still kinda confused. But as I get my woodworking education, Maybe it will become clearer.
Thanks to everyone. Don't give up on me, though. I guess I am just a slow learner.
Rand

 

Check out Mark De Cou's blog on this subject ... http://lumberjocks.com/decoustudio/blog/168

 

Wow, Mr. Dane! Mark really tied this together. Thank you.

 

lilredweldingrod-Sometime when you have a few minutes, check out his projects.

 

Thanks, I will. Rand