THE ONGOING REVIVAL of Arts & Crafts, Craftsman, Mission, and California design tenets and motifs is part of a greater evolution. Add in the lessons learned from historic preservation and restoration, from Modernism, from Universal Design and the push for sustainable houses. Arts & Crafts, which embraces all of these, has become the leading influence in so much new work.
Neither reproductions nor over-scaled trophy houses, Arts & Crafts revival homes incorporate historical details in an interpretive and contemporary way. Their designers embrace new technologies and more environmentally responsible building practices. Reassuringly familiar, these houses are appreciated from coast to coast—whether it’s a bungalow court of starter homes, or a 6,000-square-foot Craftsman Tudor.
Another recent general trend is toward smaller, naturalistic, site-specific design. The sensibility, materials, and construction details of…
