Arts & Crafts, Heavy on the Craft

 

  Walking up the UC Berkeley Frat row is an aesthetic immersion all of it's own. You can find no shortage of Cal flags flying from houses of varying upkeep, decks with Christmas light decor piled with bikes and surfboards, spray-painted rush signs, some remaining evidence of thirsty Thursdays, the stereotype of the college experience visually exudes so severely from a few houses, they practically give you beer pong flashbacks. But not all the houses are like this and it was obvious upon approach which house we were there to tour, the outlier, the Thorsen house which stands distinguished and determined despite seeming out of place. We could even catch a glimpse of our tour guide straightening the curtains in the dining room window, preparing to show us with pride this last stand of the Arts and Crafts movement.

The house is huge, 10000 sq ft, but originally built for just a family of four and servants. Now it holds members of the fraternity Sigma Phi, unexpectedly enthusiastic stewards of the property. The Thorsen house was bulit in 1909 and is one of the four "Ultimate Bungalows" designed by the Arts and Crafts era firm of Greene & Greene. In addition to the house, the Greens were also commissioned to design much of the furniture that filled the house and to do some of the original paintings that adorn the walls of the living room and dining room.

There were so many beautiful details in the house, it was difficult to choose what to discuss. Some of my favorite parts of the house were the exotic hardwoods used in the entry, the winding floral pattern that glows through the front door stained glass windows, the iron tie designs found in the pillars of the backyard. Click the thumbnails if you want to see more photos from the trip on flickr. It seems like in almost every picture there is detail that could easily go passed unnoticed, but together create something more than the sum of its parts.

 

There are a lot of influences that come together harmoniously in the house. Sometimes the mixing of themes and perspectives creates a tension in a piece, but the Greenes were masters of their craft and wove in each piece beautifully. There are the Japanese influences that can be seen in the front door and torii motifs that can be seen in the porch columns. There are floral motifs in the handpainted wall sections, the tiling around the fireplaces, and in the stained glass that subtlety bring the nature surrounding the house indoors, an important element of arts and crafts era construction that wanted to create homes appropriate to the location. Even the owner's love of boats is built into the house, with the dining room and living room both pointing out like the bows of ships breaking through waves and a large painting of boats dominating the hall space. Rather than being a distraction, the elements were added in subtle details that are surprising and beautiful when you notice them. Nothing fights for attention. 

Greene and Greene were masters of detail and craft, didn't cut corners, and their careful thought and attention is evident in even the locks of the cabinets, the grain of the floor, the boat on the garden gate.