Craftsman Doors: Simple Yet Elegant

Craftsman doors are a specific style brought into existence in the 1890s. This particular type of door has at its basis, the Arts and Crafts movement. The doors are a throwback to an earlier period as well as a revolt over the ornate and often overbearing Victorian approach to design and style concepts. They reflect a time when homes were simple, featuring solid, square wood columns and exposed rafters. To an extent, they have a kinship with the rustic style. Yet, craftsman style doors are usually inextricably linked with the Mission style.

Mission and Craftsman Doors: History Binds

At Nick’s craftsman doors are represented by Mission style doors. The two styles are hard to separate. Unless you are a purist, the two can actually be interchanged on several levels. Both date from the period that saw the surge of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Both stressed the following:

Craftsman Doors

  • Function
  • Handcrafted work
  • Indigenous materials
  • Simplicity
  • Minimalist in approach
  • Clean lines
  • Quality
  • Durability
  • Harmony

The choice of wood is also not substantially different. Preferred wood types include knotty alder, mahogany, pine, red oak, and walnut. Both styles are also bound together by their time reference. The two styles of substyles emerging from the Arts and Crafts Movement lost their appeal during the same decade: the 1930s. At this time, although Arte Nouveau has traces of these earlier styles, craftsman and mission styles essentially vanished until this latest revival. Overall, philosophy may be the factor that unifies the two style of doors: Mission and Craftsman.

Features of Craftsman Doors

Certain features indicate the style is truly craftsman. The most noted ones are:

  • Small rectangular glass panes – beveled or plain, positioned along the top.
  • A dentil (projecting blocks, part of a molding) shelf.
  • Flat wood panels – generally three

The major difference between traditional American craftsman doors and Mission doors is a result of placement or geography. Mission doors are more common in the Southwest – particularly Arizona, California and New Mexico, where many of the entryways and the doors and windows have a singular and distinctive feature: an arch.

Residences and Craftsman Doors

Originally, this particular style of door found favor among simple cottages. This gave it another name: cottage doors. Bungalows also featured craftsman doors to the home’s advantage. Whether Mission or Craftsman doors are the right choice for your home is more than a matter of taste. The simplistic design is not suitable for all residential or commercial structures. Talk to the professionals at Nick’s about the suitability of mission doors for your home, particularly that all important entryway, before you make a final decision. Craftsman doors are simple but elegant and certain to impress when it and the architecture of the home gel. Visit nicksbuilding.com for more information.