Arts and Crafts Movement

noun

1. a movement, originating in England c1860 as a reaction against poor-quality mass-produced goods, that sought to revive earlier standards of workmanship and design, conceiving of decoration and craftsmanship as a single entity to be applied to the handcrafted production of both utilitarian and decorative objects, and that produced furniture, textiles, wallpaper, jewelry, and other items, often decorated with floral motifs.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Arts and Crafts Movement¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

It grew out of the British Arts and Crafts Movement, a design philosophy reacting to the Industrial Revolution, with its mass produced goods and fast-paced lifestyle, and the Victorian era, with its frivolous excesses and formal, boxy spaces.

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“We have planned houses from the first that are based on the big fundamental principles of honesty, simplicity, and usefulness,” wrote Stickley in his 1909 book, “Craftsman Homes: Architecture and Furnishings of the American Arts and Crafts Movement.”

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A luxurious take on California’s Arts and Crafts movement, the Grand Californian remains the resort’s signature hotel and home to its finest dining establishment, Napa Rose, under renovations at the time of writing.

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First produced on the banks of the Arroyo Seco in 1910, Batchelder tiles were a key part of the California Arts and Crafts movement, a return-to-nature style that was a response to the ornate designs of the Victorian era and the industrialization of American cities.

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In addition to the Arts and Crafts movement, tile artists began producing a wide variety of works inspired by traditional Mexican and Indigenous designs, as well as European styles like Delft.

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