Arts & Crafts

The Red House by Philip Webb

The Arts and Crafts Movement began in Britain as a revolt against the Victorian design as well as the Baroque and Rococo periods. The leaders of this movement believed that by returning to what they considered to be good design could fix the problems within society at that time. With their reform of design, they strove to fight the ugly side of the Industrial Revolution and also the degradation of modern society. The Arts and Crafts movement was a contemporary design that valued the craftsman and was loosely based on ideas from the medieval times.

Settle in the Red House; designed by Philip Webb

One of the key figures in the English Arts and Crafts was William Morris. He was not only a designer and a reformer but a writer and poet. Morris had a fondness for the two-dimensional designs including fabric, wallpaper, and other graphics. He founded a company with a coworker, Philip Webb. Their company, Morris and Company, started producing wallpaper in 1862. Stained glass also became one of Morris and Company's specialties. Morris' stained glass designs were similar to his textile designs which were largely based on nature.


A major contribution from the Morris and Company was the Sussex Chair. Like another chair from the company, they found a design they liked in the country, purchased it, and then began to redesign it. The chair featured detailed elements on the frame and a simple rush seat. It found many uses in colleges as well as dining rooms and living rooms. Another popular chair designed by Morris and Company was called the Morris Chair. It was based on a traditional chair and featured unattached cushions. They also designed a reclining armchair that uses features from the Anglo-Japanese, Jacobean, and Victorian periods.

Many of the design elements that came from the Arts and Crafts Movement can still be seen today in many residential spaces as well as in furniture design.