This gave homeowners the opportunity to incorporate wood and glass craftsmanship into the public areas of the home. One aspect of Arts and Crafts interior design was the built-in furnishings with cabinet and shelving spaces.

This maximized the floor area for minimum financial outlay. In the domestic sphere, this was considered a movement for the American middle class, who were willing to forgo niceties in favor of traditional architectural decoration. It was not the style of the mainstream, which still appreciated the aesthetic of academic eclecticism, including the rational geometric styles of Neoclassicism, Italianate, Queen Anne, Gothic Revival, and other Victorian styles. This movement helped shaped the mood of these emerging styles. The American Arts and Crafts movement (1880-1910) was closely aligned with these teachings, but also emerged from a contemporary movement of social reform in America called the Progressivism movement. In his work he tried to create a united design in all areas of décor, emphasizing nature and simple form.

In England, this began with the work of William Morris, an architect-designer who saw the separation between the designer and the manufacturer as a dehumanization of production. This was a time during which concerns about the industrialization of life moved some to re-evaluate the importance of craftsmanship, and see it in a positive light. The Arts and Crafts movement began in post-Victorian era England.

Arts and crafts building style