The Beautiful Necessity

Though the functional beauty of the Arts and Crafts movement has long been a part of American culture, it is now revitalized by simplicity seekers trying to counteract the fast pace of contemporary living. The elegant simplicity of Craftsman ideals is time defying, as the rooms and furnishings of The Beautiful Necessity: Decorting With Arts and Crafts will reveal. From the traditional--Greene and Greene, Gustav Stickley, Frank Lloyd Wright, and others--to the contemporary--Berkely Mills, Warren Hiles, East/West Furniture Design, and more--the Arts and Crafts movement is represented. All 140 exquisite photographs demonstrate how the Craftsman style has brought stunning warmth yet utilitarian ease to homes past and present.

Now in paperback!

The best-selling Beautiful Necessity: Decorating with Arts & Crafts details everything necessary for creating Arts & Crafts interiors, from wall coverings to furnishings, tiles, stenciling, accessories, moldings, and floor coverings. More than 140 stunning photographs showcase the Arts & Crafts movement from its humble beginnings to its recent and well-deserved surge in popularity.

The furniture and architectural designs of the Arts & Crafts movement were created not to dominate nature, but to coexist with it. Earth-tone colors, natural motifs and building materials, and intricate and decorative fireplaces all hearkened back to simpler times. That same yearning for elegant simplicity continues to propel a modern revival of the Arts & Crafts movement, and appeals to modern needs for both quality and understated beauty. Beautiful Necessity: Decorating with Arts & Crafts will guide even an Arts & Crafts novice to a beautifully accented bungalow, cabin, or family home.

Author Bio:Bruce Smith and Yoshiko Yamamoto write on the Arts & Crafts movement, bungalows, craft, and food. Smith was the editor of American Bungalow News and associate editor of American Bungalow magazine. Yamamoto is both a student of life and of history. Smith and Yamamoto are co-owners of The Arts and Crafts Press in Port Orchard, Washington, publishers of The Tabby: A Chronicle of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

San Francisco Chronicle

The book is filled with lavish color photographs and discusses how the Arts & Crafts movement came into being, how it was expressed in various regions of the country, and how current devotees can re-create its interior features.

Bruce Smith lover of history and historical writing, write on the Arts and Crafts movement, bungalows, craft, and food. Smith was the editor of American Bungalow News and associate editor of American Bungalow magazine. Smith co-owns The Arts and Crafts Press in Berkely, California, publishers of The Tabby: A Chronicle of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Yoshiko Yamamoto, lover of history and historical writing, write on the Arts and Crafts movement, bungalows, craft, and food. Yamamoto is both a student of life and of history. Yamamoto co-owns The Arts and Crafts Press in Berkely, California, publishers of The Tabby: A Chronicle of the Arts and Crafts Movement.