Copper in the Arts & Crafts Movement

The Arts & Crafts furniture movement is associated with elegant wood furniture and beautiful oak office furniture. However, wood isn’t the only material associated with the era, during the American Arts and Crafts movement, craftsman found copper finer and more attractive than iron, and less expensive and easier to work than silver. Thus copper became the premier metal for decorative ornamentation during this time. Not only are copper decorative wares such as hand-hammered lamps, chargers and candlesticks iconic collectibles now, but copper is an exemplary material for architectural use. Copper sheeting makes the best downspouts, half-round gutters, and flashing. Copper is a metal that adeptly straddles the line between function and art. For instance, the stunning, motto-embossed fireplace hoods at Craftsman Farms are among the era’s most memorable works.

Considered the oldest metal in use, copper is enjoying renewed popularity. These days copper can be found almost everywhere in and around the house, from reproduction copper and mica lamps to copper basins that can be used in either the pantry or the garden. Copper is still fondly associated with the objets d’art of the original movement and is used in many of the beautiful reproduction available today. But the use of copper for functional items like range hoods, sinks, lighting, and architectural trim continues to be far more persuasive today than it was a hundred years ago.

The most popular place for copper is in the kitchen, especially in the form of hammered copper sinks. These sinks are crafted out of heavy-gauge copper and then chemically patinated to stabilize the finish. Another great place for copper is range and fireplace hoods, which adds tremendous drama to any room.

Faucets and decorative hardware also benefit from a copper finish. In most cases, brass and bronze fittings are finished with a chemically applied coppery hue. A fairly soft metal, copper develops an attractive patina or coloration when left on its own, but fingerprints and other human contact will make it blotchy and unattractive. Fortunately, patination provides a stable coating the creates the look of age.

Decorative lamps and fixtures can be beautifully crafted from copper, especially when paired with mica or art glass and treated to hand hammering and patination by a real artist. Hammered finishes are often found in reproduction vases, chargers, and other tabletop accessories, but be aware that some work is better than others. You can find wonderful, affordable hand-worked copper in the Michoacán region of Mexico. If you’re looking for something a little closer to home, many local artisans craft reproductions of chargers, candlesticks, and other vessels that closely copy period originals but at the same time are imbued with their own personal sense of the Arts and Crafts spirit. If you want a more unique piece, other artisans branch out in different directions. For instance, Repoussé has become popular, a hand-worked and hand-tooled technique in which one creates more figural, three-dimensional results, requiring a superior level of craftsmanship.

Copper is also wonderful in the garden, as copper basins make excellent birdbaths and fountains. Copper is also great in the water-channeling devices known as rain chains, which have channeled and stored rain water for hundreds of years. Frank Lloyd Wright found a stunning way to incorporate a sculptured rain chain in one of his Usonian houses. The rain chain’s long linear skeins of rings, inverted bells, or fluted cups make a useful and beautiful addition to any garden.

Get The Right Flooring

Whether you're planning on getting Amish bedroom furniture or purchasing an elegant set of wooden dining furniture just ask any interior designer to name the first element to consider when finishing a room, and the answer will likely be flooring. Builders agree, it sets the mood.

Many more professionals these days are bypassing tile and carpeting, and going with wood. But what kind of wood should you go with? Solid hardwood? Engineered wood? Reclaimed antique wood? There are a lot of options out there, but making the right choice according to your tastes and circumstances is easier than it appears. Following are some important factors to consider, as well as advice from the experts.

Which Wood-Flooring Type Should You Choose?
Solid Hardwood: Many shy away from solid hardwood because it expands and contracts and sometimes creaks. But its natural beauty adds value to your home. Further, it can be re-sanded and refinished, so it’ll retain that value.

Engineered Wood Floors: These floors are made of thin sheets of wood that are glued together and refinished at the factory. This results in a more stable product than solid wood, because it resists buckling and warping. Engineered wood floors were developed to be glued over concrete, but they can also be nailed or floated, whereas solid wood can only be nailed to a subfloor.

Reclaimed Antique Wood: This flooring option is custom made one plank at a time according to the customer’s specifications. It is especially stable because it can cut from the center section of a beam.

Finished vs. Unfinished
If you go with solid hardwood flooring, it’s available finished or unfinished. If you’re trying to match an adjacent floor, you’re better off going with an unfinished option and staining it to blend. By finishing the floor on site, you will insure a more uniform color and finish. But do take into account that an unfinished wood floor will probably take several days to install, stain, and finish.

On the other hand, finished wood (both solid and engineered) is factory sanded, stained, and finished. Thus it’s much easier to install and requires less time, not to mention that there will be no on-site sanding and finishing. Finished wood is an especially good option for high-traffic areas because of its durability. Another plus is that it’s less expensive than unfinished wood.

Important Things to Consider
One feature that’s becoming more common is radiant heating, where the heat source is under the floor. When this is the case, then engineered wood is preferable over solid hardwood because of its durability. The National Wood Flooring Association also recommends using quarter-sawn or rift-sawn wood due to the durability factor. According to the NWFA, strip flooring is preferable over plank flooring, since narrow boards expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity less than wide ones.

For those homeowners who live at the beach, Stoddard again recommends an engineered wood, because it’s scratch-resistant and therefore less likely to be damaged by sand tracked in from the beach, and it also requires less maintenance. Engineered hardwood flooring is clearly the best option for any interior that’s not environmentally controlled, such as those in cottages, summer homes, or below-grade installations.

Some Simple Design Tips
When personalizing a room, understated detail is important. One nice option is to use a lighter wood overall and then add a dark border. Another great idea is to drop in a maple medallion that looks like an area rug.

It’s become more and more popular to mix woods from room to room. Dark woods, like walnut and cherry, work well in cozy rooms such as a den or bedroom, but it’s best to choose a lighter, brighter wood, such as maple or birch, for the kitchen.

If you are going for a formal, traditional, or historic look, then darker wood is the way to go. Country, casual, and contemporary homes are better suited to lighter woods. Design your floor to complement fabrics, furnishings, and accessories.

Current Trends in Wood Flooring
The latest trends in flooring include hand-scraped wood and “exotics” from far-off lands. Woods such as Brazilian cherry, Santos mahogany, and Amendoim have delightful grains and colors. All are available both in solid hardwood or engineered wood.

Owners of historic homes on the Eastern seaboard are increasingly going for the old look and simplicity of woods such as Old Groove Eastern White Pine, which are prized for their old look and simplicity. Likewise, dark woods have definitely become the “in” thing, with walnut being the most preferable option.

DIY & Maintaining Your Wood Floor
Almost 30 percent of homeowners install wood flooring themselves. If you’re handy with a nail gun and saw, then you can do it. Many resources are available to help you with this project, including instruction books and information online.

One of the great thing about wood flooring is that it’s low maintenance. Keep a step-off mat at any doorway, and then all you need is a regular schedule of sweeping and vacuuming. One thing to remember is clean up any standing water immediately. It’s not a bad idea to keep an extra box of wood in case you need to replace a strip.

Fortunately, natural hardwoods survive many household mishaps much better than laminates and synthetics, since the grain and pattern of solid hardwoods go all the way through. Even nasty scuffs and burns that would permanently damage a synthetic surface can be easily repaired.

Reproduction Lighting

So many lighting reproductions that are available for outdoor use today are not just style-friendly but style-specific in ways that add architectural richness and detail. Lighting reproductions have been around for a while. Early American fixtures, for instance, have been popular since the 1920s.

But as authentic period examples become increasingly rare, today’s best reproductions often replicate those pieces’ quirky imperfections. Just about any of these designs can be rated for use on the porch, around an uncovered entry or alongside a path in your yard. For Early and some Colonial Revival homes, options include rectangular lanterns with or without guards, and onion and globe lamps with decorative carry straps for wall, ceiling or post mount. Authentic materials are often used for these replications: tin, terne, iron and copper.

Gaslight Fixtures
Does your home date to the mid to late 19th century? Then you have the option of choosing real gaslight for fixtures closely modeled after the flared, multi-paned shades, lantern shades, globe shades and acorn shades. Not sure about the gas? Charleston Gaslight offers gas and electric options for both 19th century and Early American fixtures.

Mission-style Lighting
With the popularity of Mission style dining furniture and Craftsman furniture it has never been easier to find good Arts and Crafts and Mission-era lighting to match. At least a dozen manufacturers base their reproductions on true period examples. Others offer sophisticated interpretations of early-20th-century classics in materials like copper and bronze. You can find reproductions that are tailored for specific uses that go beyond the door entry and lamp post. Coe Studios, for instance, offers a Mission-inspired bronze footlight. Brass Light Gallery offers versatile designs that easily morph from entries and porches to column mounts and garden path lights.

Electric-Era Lights
Almost every style made after the 19th century revolves around electronic-era lighting. These styles include facsimiles of Colonial Revival fixtures, reproductions of “medieval” designs originally found on Tudor and Spanish Colonial Revival homes, the classic over-the-garage bare-bulb industrial light, and Atomic Age fixtures from the sixties. Clearly, “electronic-era lighting” refers to electric fixtures, but most will accept GU24 bulbs as well. All these designs are available in cast iron, aluminum and bronze, and often display inventive finishes that capture the authentic look of black enamel and unlacquered bronze.