When shopping for home furnishings and accessories for your craftsman home, are you giving up quality in the essence of time? Are you too spoiled by instant gratification to realize what it is really costing you? As with any popular architectural and design style, there are cheap products everywhere. Yes, it's hard not to be tempted into settling for that low priced, quickly received, yet disappointing piece of junk because you were in a hurry. But how quickly we forget about the time we waited for something when it is beautifully made and exceeds our expectations! It's a bit of a double edged sword.
The Arts and Crafts Movement at the turn of the last century was all about returning to the ideal of making things for the home by hand, and avoiding the mass produced products and trim becoming common in Victorian style homes. Things are quite a bit different in our modern world. The internet has really had an impact too, and when we want something - we want it NOW! When decorating your Arts & Crafts home or Bungalow, it's often easier to shop online than to try to find all of your needs addressed in stores far and wide. But how do you really know what you are getting? Is that low priced item really what it's cracked up to be? Or is it another piece of assembly line product from China? Look for a website with an edited range of carefully chosen, superior quality products to choose from.
Most likely, everything offered won't be hand crafted, but the majority really should be. Pay close attention to the descriptions offered, take time to send a quick email when you have questions. You should be finding exceptionally made products from craftspeople and artisans dedicated to creating pieces for your home that will stand the test of time. A site that has a designer on staff is a wonderful resource. The designer should have experience with the products being offered, and available to answer your questions.
Their designer should be able to guide you to where you should spend your dollars, and where you can mix in lower priced reproductions. Don't forget that those beautifully created pieces shown in true Arts and Crafts style homes are just what we're talking about - hand crafted. More often than not, there may be a lead time of several weeks from the time you order your item to the time you have in your home. But ask yourself - how long were you planning on enjoying it? A couple of years, or for generations to come? Which would you rather have - lot's of cheap knockoffs, or a few carefully chosen pieces of hand crafted furniture or accessories to enjoy forever. A good rule of thumb is to invest in the best quality you can afford.
Remember, when it comes to your Craftsman Home, quality really IS worth the wait!.
After designing and building her own award winning Craftsman Bungalow, Jan Davidson found herself drawn towards designing products for the Arts and Crafts lifestyle. In the process she has gathered her favorite pieces from fellow artists and designers to offer on http://CraftsmanTouch.com , with photographs throughout the site of Davidson's projects for ideas and inspiration.
