It’s very easy to underestimate the impact that lighting will have on Craftsman Style Homes. Using Arts and Crafts lighting fixtures in the right way will add tremendous “mood” and impart a bit of drama to your home that your visitor can’t quite put their finger on. Yes, period Arts and Crafts lighting is very expensive and out of reach for many people, but you don’t have to let that stop you. Take your time, spend a bit here, save a little there, be creative, and you will be surprised what you can accomplish.
What I did in my home was a mix… since it was new construction, I allowed for the usual pot lights recessed in the ceilings and put all of them on dimmers. In the kitchen over the island, I chose pendants with very simple clear shades. But to me where it really counted was what I call the “art glass”. Here I combined reproduction craftsman light fixtures with mid range antiques I collected over time. A huge reproduction Tiffany dragonfly lamp reigns over the piano, reminding me of a memorable trip to New York City with a dear friend. I’ve added a couple of Heintz Art Metal pieces to the great room and a table lamp with a reverse painted shade I picked up an an antiques show. That’s where the bigger money went. To those pieces I introduced quality reproduction craftsman light fixtures to the mix, and I even made a stained glass lantern for over the stairway when there wasn’t enough in the lighting budget for the one I’d wanted.

In my constant search for the unique and undiscovered, I’ve recently found an artist who makes incredible blown glass shades. He even forges the chains and bases used in on his pieces. I only wish I’d found him earlier. His scale is generous and prices reasonable for the exquisite quality he produces. I’d use his pendants over a dining room table, and one or two of his cathedral lamps on a fireplace mantel. Hand crafted artisan lighting is really a great way to add quality to your home, giving the richness of an antique at the fraction of the cost.

Remember to balance overhead lighting with pendants, table lamps, candlesticks and votives to create flattering light from many angles in the room. Mixing lighting fixtures by using various shapes and styles within the movement adds impact to any room.

My favorite way to enjoy the mood in my home at night, especially when entertaining, is to turn off all the overhead lighting, and just keep the art glass pieces illuminated. Oh yeah…there’s that drama again.

I’ve been waiting for my shipment of the new Teco Art Pottery Collection for ages. It’s selling so fast that the manufacturer can’t keep up. I wanted to carry Teco Pottery on my CraftsmanTouch site – but needed to see the product first. I have a couple of pieces of original Teco, but it has become so expensive, that’s it’s priced most folks – me included – out of the market. Now there is this new collection in 6 forms and lots of great colors, molded from the original pieces. I’m actually opening the first box containing the 4 Butress Vase as I write this post. Hope it lives up to expectations, here goes… (drum roll please)

Wow! I must say that it’s really nice. The soft green glaze is hand done and has that soft satin finish that’s not completely matte – it gives the piece life. This will mix beautifully with other pottery pieces in my collection. It’s a bit of a problem when I want to own everything carried on the website, but I couldn’t have it any other way. How do you represent products that you wouldn’t love to have in your own home? I feel great about offering these vases to my clients. Now I see what all the fuss is about!

Jan Davidson is an artist and designer currently focusing her talents on creating home furnishings and accessories for the Arts & Crafts lifestyle. Jan fell in love with Craftsman Style architecture when she and her husband designed and built a Craftsman Bungalow on their ranch near Santa Barbara, California.  “The Arts and Crafts Movement really speaks to me as an artist.”  Davidson says “Being able to indulge my creativity in so many wonderful mediums including wood, stained glass, tile, copper and textiles is like being the proverbial kid in a candy store.  I want to make it easier for other people to express their personalities in their homes as well.  The process can easily become overwhelming”.

When working closely with subcontractors on their own home, Jan was invited to join her cabinetmaker as an apprentice, helping to build the Greene and Greene inspired staircase, fireplace mantels, and several lanterns in the home.  Working with tile is another passion, and when tile for the master suite had to be reglazed due to changes in raw materials, the tile manufacturer named the new color “Davidson Green”.  Jan worked closely with a master muralist and helped to paint the friezes in the greatroom.  The Davidson’s California Bungalow can be seen in photographs on this website and in the book “Along Bungalow Lines, Creating the Arts & Crafts Home”. The designer is currently developing her own line of unique products for Craftsman Style Homes to be featured on these pages.  In the meantime, she has gathered her favorites from artists and sources used for her projects and put them all in one place for you to choose from.  Feel free to contact Jan with design questions or problems and she will guide you to the right solution or resource to help.