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Architectural and design topics focusing on historic restoration and landmark homes of the early 20th century, from the perspective of an Arts & Crafts, Craftsman and Bungalow Home Enthusiast.
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A Virtual Visit To "The Shire" From J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings Trilogy

A Virtual Visit To “The Shire” From J.R.R. Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Those of you who are fans of J.R.R. Tolkein and his work may recognize some of the images below from the Lord of the Rings films and most recently, The Hobbit.  Tolkien grew up in rural Western England around the...
The Craftsman Bungalow: Your Favorite Articles From Our 3rd Year

The Craftsman Bungalow: Your Favorite Articles From Our 3rd Year

UPDATE:  You voted and the results are in!  It was neck-and-neck right up until the end, but “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park, Illinois Designs: 1889-1913” edged out the rest as YOUR favorite article of 2014.  Thank you to everyone who...
A Pilgrimage to The Gamble House: "The Ultimate Bungalow", Part II: The Interior

A Pilgrimage to The Gamble House: “The Ultimate Bungalow”, Part II: The Interior

In my previous post, A Pilgrimage to The Gamble House: Part I, I walked you through the many breathtaking vantage points that abound on the exterior of The Gamble House.  While the exterior of the house is spectacular – with...
Bungalow Flashback: The Kitchen Restoration At Our Previous Bungalow

Bungalow Flashback: The Kitchen Restoration At Our Previous Bungalow

The bungalow that we’re currently restoring is actually the second bungalow restoration that we’ve undertaken.  Our first was a 1927 English Cottage style bungalow, also in Portland.  Below is a picture of the finished kitchen… The house was in overall good...
A Trip to Pasadena For Inspiration from the Masters: Greene & Greene

A Trip to Pasadena For Inspiration from the Masters: Greene & Greene

With all of the basic stuff done at our new house, the focus has shifted to the big stuff.  Our wishlist started with just remodeling the kitchen and bathrooms and building a new garage, but has quickly ballooned to include...
Greene & Greene's William T. Bolton House: A Journey of Restoration Through The Years

Greene & Greene’s William T. Bolton House: A Journey of Restoration Through The Years

The William T. Bolton House in Pasadena, California is a prime example of Charles and Henry Greene’s early emerging California Arts & Crafts aesthetic.  Taking its name from the prominent physician who commissioned it in 1906, the home predates Greene...
The Arts & Crafts Cottages of Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula

The Arts & Crafts Cottages of Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula

A couple weeks ago my wife and I traveled down to attend a friend’s wedding in Cayucos, California – a quaint little beach town about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.  When we started looking at flights a few...
The Craftsman Spotlight: Architectural Emporium

The Craftsman Spotlight: Architectural Emporium

If you’ve ever sought the perfect antique or architectural element for your home or business, then you probably know just how exhausting a search like that can be.  On a recent trip to Western Pennsylvania, I stumbled upon one such...
Recent Articles From The Craftsman Bungalow
The Craftsman Spotlight:  Untold LA: A First Hand Look at The Rebirth of West Adams

The Craftsman Spotlight: Untold LA: A First Hand Look at The Rebirth of West Adams

When photographer Jett Loe came to Los Angeles in 2012 in search of a home for he and his wife, he was amazed at what he found – hiding in plain sight.  Almost by accident, Loe stumbled upon West Adams, a once forgotten central Los Angeles enclave located halfway between Downtown LA and Santa Monica,...
Peek Inside: A Grand 1910 Bay Area Residence, Once Home to CA Supreme Court Justice

Peek Inside: A Grand 1910 Bay Area Residence, Once Home to CA Supreme Court Justice

This post is part of our “Peek Inside” series where we showcase Arts & Crafts homes from across the country that have been listed for sale, or were recently sold.  Some may be fixers that are just begging to be restored, others may be fully restored and move-in ready, and still others may be somewhere...
Serendipity In A University Town: American Bungalow Issue 96 Article

Serendipity In A University Town: American Bungalow Issue 96 Article

The Summer 2018 Issue #96 of American Bungalow magazine has just come out, and it includes an article that I wrote and photographed about a couple’s restoration of a historic bungalow in Eugene, Oregon.  The article, titled “Serendipity In A University Town,” (which can be found on Page 18 of the issue) tells the story of Sherrill and...
Frank Lloyd Wright's Frederick C. Robie House: A Prairie Masterpiece

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Frederick C. Robie House: A Prairie Masterpiece

When Frederick Robie commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a home for him and his growing family in 1908, neither man knew that the home’s iconic design would become the celebrated jewel that it is today.  Considered by many architectural scholars to be one of the most influential and important residential designs of the 20th...
A Portal to the Past on the Oregon Coast: American Bungalow Cover Article

A Portal to the Past on the Oregon Coast: American Bungalow Cover Article

I’m very excited that an article I wrote for American Bungalow magazine made the cover of the Winter 2013 Issue #80!  The article is about an amazing home on the Oregon Coast that sits on a secluded cove with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, the rugged Oregon coastline and a 1920s-era bridge that was...
Photo Essay: San Diego's Historic Mission Hills

Photo Essay: San Diego’s Historic Mission Hills

The Mission Hills neighborhood of San Diego, California has long been a bastion of early 20th century homes, with nearly all of era’s requisite architectural styles well-represented.  From compact single-story bungalows to expansive Spanish haciendas – and everything in between – Mission Hills exhibits the same architectural prowess today as it did when it was...
Greene & Greene's William T. Bolton House: A Journey of Restoration Through The Years

Greene & Greene’s William T. Bolton House: A Journey of Restoration Through The Years

The William T. Bolton House in Pasadena, California is a prime example of Charles and Henry Greene’s early emerging California Arts & Crafts aesthetic.  Taking its name from the prominent physician who commissioned it in 1906, the home predates Greene & Greene’s larger commissions – including the Gamble and Blacker houses – and introduces several more...
Tor House: The Handcrafted Stone Cottage of Poet Robinson Jeffers

Tor House: The Handcrafted Stone Cottage of Poet Robinson Jeffers

Some time ago,  we took a trip down the California Coast during which we explored some of the countless arts & crafts cottages in and around the oceanside artist community of Carmel. The highlight of our time there was getting to take a tour of Tor House – the handcrafted stone cottage of poet Robinson...
Photo Essay: Tropical Bungalows of the Aloha State

Photo Essay: Tropical Bungalows of the Aloha State

As you may recall, on a recent business trip to Hawaii I stayed at a lovely family-run bed & breakfast rather than one of the impersonal mega hotels in Waikiki.  While staying there, I got into a routine of taking a walk around the neighborhood every day and was blown away by the concentration of...
The Arts & Crafts Cottages of Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula

The Arts & Crafts Cottages of Carmel and the Monterey Peninsula

A couple weeks ago my wife and I traveled down to attend a friend’s wedding in Cayucos, California – a quaint little beach town about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.  When we started looking at flights a few months back, we realized that in order to get to Cayucos from Portland, we’d have...
Bernard Maybeck's Boke House: American Bungalow Article

Bernard Maybeck’s Boke House: American Bungalow Article

The Fall 2014 issue of American Bungalow magazine is out now, and my article about the restoration of the Bernard Maybeck-designed George H. Boke House (below) can be found on page 28.  There are actually two articles about the house in the issue, one by Arts & Crafts historian and scholar, Robert Winter, who focuses...
The Portland Architectural Heritage Center’s 16th Annual Kitchen Revival Tour

The Portland Architectural Heritage Center’s 16th Annual Kitchen Revival Tour

The Architectural Heritage Center’s Portland Kitchen Revival Tour is one of my favorite days of the year, and 16th annual edition was again full of beautiful homes, whose kitchen – and in most cases much more – have been impeccably restored to reflect the home’s original period design.  This is my third year covering the...
Photo Essay: The Many Faces and Styles of Cleveland’s Grand Old Arts & Crafts Homes

Photo Essay: The Many Faces and Styles of Cleveland’s Grand Old Arts & Crafts Homes

On a recent business trip to Cleveland, I had some free time one afternoon to check out the city’s rich history of Arts & Crafts homes.  I recalled a great article in the Spring 2012 issue of American Bungalow that featured the Cleveland Heights neighborhood situated just a few miles east of downtown.  Armed with...
Defining The Craftsman Bungalow

Defining The Craftsman Bungalow

This is a great article by Patricia Poore that defines the traditional hallmarks and characteristics of craftsman bungalow homes.  It goes into specifics about interior and exterior design influences and the materials and construction details that distinguish the bungalow aesthetic from other architectural styles.  I have re-posted the opening of the article – to read...
My Collection of Arts & Crafts Furnishings Found on Craigslist

My Collection of Arts & Crafts Furnishings Found on Craigslist

In light of the two recent great deals I’ve found on Craigslist (the oak desk and the Stickley nightstand), I thought I’d take the opportunity to show you some of the other Arts & Crafts items I’ve acquired through the site. It’s no secret that it can be very expensive to furnish your bungalow home...
San Diego's Marston House: An Arts & Crafts Gem Hidden in Plain Sight

San Diego’s Marston House: An Arts & Crafts Gem Hidden in Plain Sight

Known as “San Diego’s First Citizen,” George W. Marston (1850-1946) was a successful self-made businessman, civic leader and philanthropist, who, among other things, played a pivotal role in the early development of the city’s wildly popular park system and public library, often spending considerable amounts of his own personal wealth to do so. In 1904,...
The Brick House Beautiful: A Unique and Timeless Portland Landmark

The Brick House Beautiful: A Unique and Timeless Portland Landmark

Brick.  It’s been around – in one form or another – since the dawn of human civilization, and the virtues of its appeal and versatility are still very much appreciated today.  It was no different in the early part of the 20th Century.  In cities across the country, brick had been widely used in the...
An Evolving Aesthetic: Frank Lloyd Wright's Home & Studio in Oak Park, Illinois

An Evolving Aesthetic: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home & Studio in Oak Park, Illinois

The Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio in Oak Park, Ill., is a microcosm of the prolific designer’s ever-evolving architectural aesthetic.  It’s an expression of his early formative years, and through a series of additions, it embodies the changes that his philosophy and style underwent during the twenty year span (1889-1909) that he lived in...
The Annual Grove Park Inn National Arts & Crafts Conference in Asheville, NC

The Annual Grove Park Inn National Arts & Crafts Conference in Asheville, NC

Each February, the eyes of the Arts & Crafts community are focused on Asheville, North Carolina, and the upcoming 2020 edition marks the 33rd year of the National Arts & Crafts Conference at the Grove Park Inn. “It’s been a perfect match,” explains founder and author Bruce Johnson, himself an Arts & Crafts collector and...
Photo Essay: The Eclectic Bungalows of Boise, Idaho

Photo Essay: The Eclectic Bungalows of Boise, Idaho

Boise, Idaho is tucked away in plain sight in America’s Inland Northwest, and although it’s often overlooked due to its relative isolation, Boise is a lovely town with a rich history of pioneers, agriculture, and of course, bungalows.  Boise’s bungalows run the gamut of all shapes, sizes, colors and styles, and were built from the...
The Ugly Hutch and The Beautiful Stairway That Hid Behind It:  Part II

The Ugly Hutch and The Beautiful Stairway That Hid Behind It: Part II

In my previous post, The Ugly Hutch and The Beautiful Stairway That Hid Behind It:  Part I, I told you how we removed the existing big ugly hutch and cut part of the wall to expose the staircase behind it. With the hutch and wall now gone, a new mystery emerged.  On the floor underneath...
The Craftsman Spotlight: Michael Stinnett And The Antique Piano Shop

The Craftsman Spotlight: Michael Stinnett And The Antique Piano Shop

Most people don’t typically associate pianos with the Arts & Crafts Movement, and for good reason.  Established piano makers of the late 1800s didn’t really see the Movement coming, and by the time they did, it wasn’t economical for them to go through the rigors and cost of designing and marketing this “new” style of...
Lake Placid Lodge: The Arts & Crafts Jewel of the Adirondacks

Lake Placid Lodge: The Arts & Crafts Jewel of the Adirondacks

The Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York have long been recognized for their rugged wilderness and unspoiled natural wonder.  There’s a peaceful sense of timelessness here – a feeling of quiet isolation that hearkens back to those early rustic days when frontiersmen settled here and built their cabins from the fabric of the land itself. ...
Wharton Esherick: Integrating Life, Art & Craft: American Bungalow Cover Article

Wharton Esherick: Integrating Life, Art & Craft: American Bungalow Cover Article

The Spring 2014 issue of American Bungalow is out now, and I’m very excited that my article entitled, “Wharton Esherick: Integrating Life, Art and Craft” made the cover!  If you’re not a subscriber or haven’t received your copy yet, you can read the article here. Wharton Esherick (1887-1966) was a classically trained Impressionist painter in...
Reader Submission: Thoughtful Restoration Makes A Home "Smile" Again

Reader Submission: Thoughtful Restoration Makes A Home “Smile” Again

When Sandy Evans and her husband Richard Herbold purchased this handsome 1915 bungalow in Delmar, New York, it was about to turn 100 years old.  But on the inside, its previous owners had tried to re-imagine its interior as a contemporary, industrial space that more resembled a post-modern office building than a cozy, century-old residence. ...
A Legacy of Craftsmanship: The South Falls Lodge at Silver Falls State Park

A Legacy of Craftsmanship: The South Falls Lodge at Silver Falls State Park

Last weekend my brother was in town visiting from the East Coast and we braved the rain and headed down to Silver Falls State Park located about an hour and a half south of Portland near the town of Sublimity, Oregon. Designated as a Recreational Demonstration Area by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935, the...
The Craftsman Bungalow: Your Favorite Articles From Our 3rd Year

The Craftsman Bungalow: Your Favorite Articles From Our 3rd Year

UPDATE:  You voted and the results are in!  It was neck-and-neck right up until the end, but “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park, Illinois Designs: 1889-1913” edged out the rest as YOUR favorite article of 2014.  Thank you to everyone who voted, and Happy New Year! As I’ve done in years past, I thought it would...
The Lodge at Torrey Pines: An Architectural Homage to Greene & Greene

The Lodge at Torrey Pines: An Architectural Homage to Greene & Greene

If you haven’t had the opportunity to see an authentic Greene & Greene-designed home up close, then a visit to The Lodge at Torrey Pines might be the next best thing.  Taking its design cues from two of the Greenes’ most iconic “ultimate bungalows,” The Blacker House (1907) and The Gamble House (1908), both in Pasadena, the...
The H.R. Albee House: A 1912 Portland Estate

The H.R. Albee House: A 1912 Portland Estate

Portland, Oregon is full of old homes of all shapes, sizes and styles, and the Eastside neighborhood of Laurelhurst has been considered a microcosm of such homes since its inception in the early 1900’s.  One of the gems of the neighborhood – if not the entire city – is The H. Russell Albee House which...
Timberline Lodge: The Quintessential American Alpine Lodge, Part One

Timberline Lodge: The Quintessential American Alpine Lodge, Part One

Somewhere near the intersection of rustic charm and stately elegance is a place where natural beauty and cooperative humanity walk hand-in-hand.  Nestled a few thousand feet beneath the rugged 11,249 foot peak of Oregon’s Mount Hood, the iconic Timberline Lodge has been welcoming weary hikers, giddy newly-weds – and everything in between – for over...