Arts & Crafts Style Homes in Washington DC Metro Area
Arts & Crafts is a term that has often been associated with American Craftsman and other Craftsman-style architecture, including new custom homes in affluent Washington Metro suburban neighborhoods. As with most design terminology, there's a rich history and evolutionary process. Arts & Crafts was an international design movement largely accredited to William Morris, an English artist, writer and textile designer. Morris was a founding member of Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co, a design firm established in 1861 that moved away from earlier industrial-age influences.
The early Arts & Crafts movement was specific to the British Isles but not specific just to architecture. In truth, it was a guiding set of philosophies and creative principles, including a wish to return to pure craftsmanship and artistic influences from pre-industrial eras. The movement spread to Ireland and later, the United States where it helped bridge the gap between Victorian and Art Noveau architecture from the late 19th century, and the Art Deco period which began in the 1920's. To learn more about Arts & Crafts style homes in Washington DC Metro area, call District Partners at Compass today!
Arts & Crafts Homes for Sale
In looking at the design trend timelines it becomes evident that there's a lot of overlapping. Colonial architecture goes all the way back to the early settlers and is still the dominant Washington Metro style. Victorian design along with offshoots such as Gothic Revival and Beaux Arts was used for commercial structures, row-houses, apartment buildings and single-family homes. All of these styles have now manifested in highly desirable historic homes for sale. Variations on Victorian styles are still being used today in townhome communities and custom homes. And then there's Arts & Crafts which influenced generations of single-family structures, even long after the heyday of build-your-own homes.
While Arts & Crafts has its own distinct history, it's hard not to associate it with the era of kit homes. Craftsman-style homes were popular throughout the Washington D.C. Metro area for a period of time due to easy rail access and an increased desire for cost effective single-family housing. Sears, Roebuck & Co. Modern Homes were sold out of mail-order catalogs and often referred to as Craftsman homes. There were three basic styles but customers were encouraged to send in their own blueprints, variations and suggestions, resulting in an astonishing 447 different models between 1908 and 1940, according to the company. Other popular kits homes included Aladdin, Montgomery Ward, Harris Homes and Bennett. Sears alone sold between 70,000 and 75,000 of these kits.
Today, new construction Arts & Crafts homes in Washington D.C. Metro combine early influences with modern luxury, offering two-story designs with recognizable hallmarks such as generous porches, gabled roofs, wide overhangs and exposed rafters. The homes can be made from brick, stone or clapboard and are popular in affluent communities such as Old Town Alexandria, Bethesda, MD, Potomac, MD, Great Falls, VA, McLean, VA and DC itself. Of course, not all of the luxury Arts & Crafts homes are new – there are a number of great antiques that have been beautifully restored and upgraded.
