The History of Craftsman Moulding
"Here in Seattle, our rich history helped to shape the local architectural landscape, including the use and variety of moulding profiles."
Depending where you go in the country, you'll find all kinds of different moulding styles. Take Seattle as an example, where our rich history helped to shape the local architectural landscape, including the use and variety of moulding profiles. At Dunn Lumber, we know that moulding can be extremely regional, which is why we went to several local remodeling contractors and asked what mouldings best represent the homes in Seattle's neighborhoods. They picked six different styles—including the craftsman profile—which are all on display at our Bellevue moulding showroom.
Inspired by reformers like Gustav Stickley who touted the beauty of natural materials and the importance of handwork, mouldings of the Arts and Crafts movement possess a thoughtful character and rugged simplicity. Cleaner and more angular than the fancy Victorian styles that preceded them, craftsman moulding is usually built around a post and lintel look, often with creative joinery that evokes mortise and tenon or pegged construction.
I sat down with certified interior designer Keith Miller of Miller Interior Design, who walked me through the history and appeal of craftsman-style moulding in Seattle:
“The craftsman aesthetic was the glory days of fine manufacturing, responding and reacting against the mass production of the Victorian era. Many craftsman felt the Industrial Revolution had pillaged the beauty of craftsmanship and handwork, and had diminished the value of humans touching nature and creating from it something that people could live in. They responded with the craftsman movement, which was a celebration of handcrafted work. Inspiration came once again from England as well as handcrafted work throughout history. This was a transition from royalty living in their special places, to a widespread desire that all families in America have a good place to call home. The trend shifted towards attentiveness, ownership, and community.
Architects of that era were really the ones who had control of a constructed residence, all the way down to choosing the knives and silverware in the drawers. There weren’t necessarily interior designers, but these architects were attuned to how the structure was going to set in the ground and the direction of its location based on sun, reflections, sights, and views. Seattle’s all about views.
The craftsman era relied on having as much wood as the architects could put in place, because wood is warm and personal. It works great for living. Craftsman homes were simplified homes on a modest lot, but nicely appointed without opulence. The utility and affordability of the bungalow era moved this region into the craftsman era, an extension of a reaction against the wealth and grandeur of the vertical ornamentation of Victorian.”
At Dunn Lumber, we know moulding is worth experiencing firsthand. That’s why we created our Bellevue moulding showroom, where you can tour six different styles to see how they uniquely complement floors, walls, windows, and doors. The showroom is a place for homeowners to envision their dream home, get answers from our experienced team members, or sit down with their contractor to lay out some plans and talk.
You can find the right style of moulding for your home at all nine of our Puget Sound Dunn Lumber locations.
