The Arts and Crafts style has become more popular for homes in recent years, and Cypress Homes is a specialist in the Arts and Crafts style. Even our logo, the Cypress tree, is symbolic toward this style. The tree symbolizes solitude, eternity, freedom, and liberty which coincide with our designs when building Arts and Crafts homes.

A William Morris Creation

While the craftsman style has advanced throughout the years, it began in the 1880’s in England. The leader of the Arts and Crafts movement in England was William Morris, and his company introduced carving, stained-glass, and metalwork. Once this new style flooded into the rest of Europe it was only a matter of time before the trend advanced to America. The craftsman style was especially popular in America during the early 1900’s before the Great Depression. The leader of the American Arts and Crafts movement was Gustav Stickley. Gustav produced a magazine that featured craftsman homes and furniture.

The Gamble House

The creators of the craftsman style did not like the way individuals were moving away from nature, so they tried combining simplistic, high quality structures with their homes. The Craftsman movement swept the nation as people began moving from cities, into suburban areas to be at peace with nature and to remove themselves from the commotion of city life. A great example of a Craftsman style home in this time period is the Gamble House, built in California for the owners of Procter & Gamble at that time. It is now a historic landmark and holds tours each day. However, once the United Stated entered World War I, the arts and crafts movement died as the new concept of modernism in Europe spread to the U.S.

However, this craftsmanship style has had somewhat of a revival in recent years, and Cypress Homes is helping lead this revival in the Fox Valley area. Society has changed immensely since the beginnings of craftsmanship; therefore the new Arts and Crafts style still embodies anti-Industrialism and ordinary materials yet combines conveniences of modern lifestyle. The homes have many defining features in the interior and the exterior that set them apart from other homes that do not partake in the Arts and Crafts style. The exterior of the home has wood-grained siding and a low pitched roof which is the traditional roofing for these types of homes. Hero exteriors, this residential roofing company in Fort Collins reports that the front porch area is very comfortable and traditional because it has a covered roof and tapered square columns that support the overhang. These porches are perfect for a swinging bench and to relax and enjoy nature. The overhang that supports the roof and covered porch has decorative brackets that add more detail to the exterior of the home.

Check out our gallery of craftsman style homes that we have built in the Fox Valley area. These homes are becoming increasingly popular, and are worth taking a look at! A craftsman style home allows you to design a home that is unique, and combines simplicity and quality with your own style. Check back to our blog soon to see the unique interior attributes of Arts and Crafts homes!