Standout Fireplace Tile . . . Arts & Crafts Style!

[?] Subscribe To This Site

Standout Fireplace Tile...
Arts & Crafts Style!

Arts & Crafts fireplace tile is enjoying a resurgence
in popularity . . . once again . . . thanks to renewed interest in natural, hand-crafted designs. As beauti-
ful as it is natural, it has a warmth and timeless ap-
peal that makes it appropriate for use in virtually
any setting.

The Arts and Crafts Movement, a British, Canadian, Australian, and American aesthetic movement oc-
curring in the last years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century, began as a protest against machine age artificiality. Spearheaded by John Ruskin (1819-
1900) and William Morris (1834-1896) in England, the movement sought to create new and better living environ-
ments for people by utilizing natural building materials in their homes and
by employing fine craftsmanship in assembling those materials.

The movement subsequently spread
to other countries, including the Unit-
ed States, where it enjoyed immense popularity until well into the first quarter of the 20th century. As the decade of the 1930s got underway, however, changing tastes and the Great Depression signaled the end of the Arts and Crafts Movement in America.

Fortunately, another move toward honesty of materi-
als and craftsmanship is steadily growing at present,
as many of us turn away from the "plasticization" of
the modern world. A renewed appreciation for hand-
crafted designs using natural materials is, once again, reviving the fireplace tile designs and production tech-
niques of highly skilled artisans from the past.

fireplace tile

The Arts and Crafts Movement produced a vast array of tile styles and tile-making techniques. Everything from subway tile to the early English styles of William Morris and William de Morgan to California reproduction styles . . . . . and a variety of looks and finishes ranging from soft, warm muted tones and subtle color blends (below left) to precise geometric shapes and sharply contrasting color schemes (below right).

The most common . . . . . and popular . . . . . classic Arts and Crafts motifs are the tree, acorn, and pinecone. The following examples, as well as the example above left, depict a variety of ways in which these motifs are in-
corporated in the tiles.

One of the few remaining pottery and tile works from the heyday of the Arts and Crafts Movement in America is Pewabic Pottery in Detroit, Michi-
gan. Founded in 1903 and operated by the same family until the early 1960s, the Pottery fabricates heirloom quality architectural tiles for both public and private installations, as well as reproductions and adaptations of its historic designs. The tile is well known for its spectacular iridescent glazes in rose, green, gold, purple and copper. Pictured below are some striking examples of wall, floor, and fireplace tile from Pewabic Pottery.

fireplace tile

Ernest Batchelder (1875-1957), another leading designer and producer of fine hand-crafted tile during the heyday of the Arts & Crafts Movement, succumbed to the Great Depression and was forced to close the doors of his tileworks. However, the resurgent interest in Arts & Crafts tile in recent years has brought about the opening of new studios dedicated to faithfully reproducing, as well as creating Batchelder-inspired fireplace tile designs, such as those pictured below.

fireplace tile

Please click here to see more Batchelder tiles.

Hand-crafted fireplace tile derived from Arts and Crafts styles and designs is truly timeless. Much of it inspired by nature, it is as relevant today as it was a century ago. And very likely, it will be equally relevant a cen-
tury from now.

fireplace tile