Historic craftsman homes from up to one hundred years ago are still beloved today because of the incredible workmanship and unique details that went into each home.
If you are thinking about a Craftsman home remodeling project or you want to transform your current home into a modern Craftsman style, we’ve got the tips you need to create a dream home you’ll adore for a lifetime.
What Is a Craftsman Home?
Craftsman style homes originated in America in the early 20th century as an outgrowth of the Arts and Crafts Movement. It was a reaction to the Industrial Revolution’s overly-ornate, mass-manufactured home designs in the Victorian Era.
Artisans prized hand-crafted quality, creativity, and local, natural materials over woodwork made in factories. The craftsmen who built these homes prided themselves in originality, treating each home as a work of art.
These homes are anything but cookie-cutter. They exude personality and style.
A Craftsman bungalow house was the first iteration of the Craftsman style in the United States. It became highly sought after as a beautiful, functional, simple home that was available to the average American worker.
Craftsman homes are still wildly popular today because of their timeless beauty, simplicity, and livability. There are a variety of types of pre-existing Craftsman home styles in addition to the bungalow:
- Prairie Style homes — made popular by Frank Loyd Wright’s home, Fallingwater.
- Mission Revival Style homes — boast Spanish-style arches, terracotta roof tiles, open concept interiors, and stucco walls.
- Four Square Style homes — for larger families after World War I, these homes are essentially bungalows with an additional story.
Craftsman style home exteriors
Craftsman homes have several defining features that provide the magnetic charm we all know and love. They emphasize simple, horizontal lines— proudly displaying handworked decorations like brackets, lintels, and rafters.
Above, admire the stone column bases, multiple gables, handcrafted wooden columns, wide eaves, and thick window trim.
Typical Exterior Craftsman Style Details
- Covered, spacious front porches
- Columns – tapered toward the top, double columns, stone bases for columns, triple columns
- Exposed rafter tails under the eaves
- Multiple gables on the roofs
- A solitary large dormer with multiple windows
- Visible knee braces
- Multiple-paned windows with wide wood trim
- Front doors with paned windows in the upper third
- Large banks of windows
- Siding, stone, stucco
Craftsman style home interior
If you have an original Craftsman, it’s a great idea to preserve the timeless character and beauty of the Craftsman style in your renovation plans.
Typical Interior Craftsman Style Details
- Heavy wood trim
- Custom molding
- Open-concept living space
- Wide hardwood flooring
- Built-in cabinetry, shelves, and window seats
- Few hallways
- A large fireplace as a focal point in the living room
- Coffered ceilings
- Plentiful natural light
How to keep the charm of your Craftsman-style house when you remodel.
It would be tragic to lose the beautiful historic wood trim, molding, and columns in a Craftsman home remodeling job. Ideally, you’ll be able to keep much of the original wood and personality.
With Craftsman Style home plans, we encourage owners to play up the whimsy and nostalgia while seamlessly incorporating modern conveniences and style that harmonizes well with Craftsman features.
If you can’t keep the original woodwork, opt for thick custom molding reminiscent of Craftsman architecture of old or incorporate a modern twist.
Areas to modernize during your Craftsman Home remodeling.
Modern Craftsman-style homes employ all the beauty of the originals while infusing a taste of the best of current design. That’s what we all want, isn’t it? The best of both worlds!
If you don’t have to worry about your home being on the National Historic Registry of Places, you may have the freedom to do anything you’d like with your Craftsman home remodeling.
If it is a historic home renovation, you’ll want to get the answers to three important questions before you begin remodeling.
Must-have modern home features for your Craftsman remodel
- A spacious, luxury master bath with a stand-alone tub—(perhaps a clawfoot?)
- An oversized spa-like shower with two showerheads or a wet room
- A luxury kitchen with custom kitchen island
- A built-in, custom breakfast nook
- Wood-paneled ceilings or walls
- Wainscotting with a nostalgic nod to tradition
- A fireplace remodel to make it even more grand and glorious
- Smart home technology
- Large walk-in closets for storage
- Outdoor living spaces
- A wet bar and entertainment space
For more ideas about how best to update your Craftsman home while retaining its personality, be sure to check with your home design team or architect.
What if your current home isn't a Craftsman—can you remodel it to be a Craftsman-style house?
Your interior designer team or architect can evaluate your current home and help you determine if you can transform it into a modern Craftsman-style house.
In many cases, we can help transform the architecture of the home inside and out during a major home remodeling project, if that is what you have your heart set on. Of course, this depends largely on what architectural style your home has presently.
Some Craftsman remodeling ideas
- Consider adding reclaimed wood beams to the ceiling or a coffered ceiling.
- Replace the columns on your front porch with stone bases and tapered columns with gas lanterns by the front door.
- Add banks of new windows to bring in even more natural light.
- Add ornamental details to the eves.
- Add gables or dormers to the roof.
- Widen the front porch and roof.
- Add more custom molding and thick wood trim.
- Create an open-concept living space.
- Add custom built-ins.
If you are planning a major home project like this, be sure to meet with professional designers or architects early in the transformation process. They can guide you every step of the way.
Ready for Craftsman home remodeling design in South Carolina?
At Phase One, we can help you plan your vision for your Craftsman home remodel.
Whether you want to do a historic preservation project, you are in the market for a modern Craftsman update with all the latest luxurious upgrades, or you want to see if it is possible to change your current home into a Craftsman, we’re here for you.
Please contact us today and let’s start designing your new dream Craftsman home!
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