Post your English Arts & Crafts Project Pics!

Reader Douglas Wilkison made this two heart chair based on drawings in English Arts & Crafts Furniture.

One of the rewards for writing articles and books about woodworking is seeing what readers do with your designs–or in the case of my recent book English Arts & Crafts Furniture: Projects and Techniques for the Modern Maker, with my takes on original designs by others more than a century ago.

Douglas made his chair in cherry with ebony pegs and wove the seat himself.

Thanks to one reader who leapt right into building, there’s a new hashtag in town. Douglas Wilkison contacted me to ask whether there was a place for readers to post images of pieces they’ve built based on projects in the book. Douglas had made a Voysey two heart chair and wanted to share his pictures. So I launched a hashtag for readers to use when posting images of projects made from plans in the book: #englishartsandcraftsfurniturebookprojects. Add this tag to your post on Instagram or Facebook and your photos will show up whenever someone searches for the hashtag.

This is just the second chair Douglas has made. “As you note,” he said, “it is a fairly straightforward plan.” He also wove the seat, using material and instructions from Peerless Rattan. Beautiful work, Douglas.

I’m following the hashtag on Instagram and look forward to seeing what people post.

English Arts & Crafts Furniture explores the Arts & Crafts movement with a unique focus on English designers. Through examination of details, techniques, and historical context, as well as projects, you’ll discover what sets these designers and their work apart from those that came before and after, as well as gain a deeper understanding of the Arts & Crafts movement and its influence.

Three complete furniture builds provide a glimpse into the breadth of ideals encompassed by Arts & Crafts:

• Voysey’s two heart chair, with its woven seat and sharp finials, combines simplicity of form with an elegant uprightness
• A striking sideboard design from Harris Lebus, one of England’s largest furniture manufacturers at the turn of the century, was not just imposing, but affordable for a middle-class market
• Gimson’s hayrake table marries rural allusions, challenging joinery, and exuberant hand-carving in a project that is a joy to build

More an expression of social and economic ideals than any specific design aesthetic, the Arts & Crafts movement encompassed a staggering variety of work. This book for woodworkers and furniture aficionado provides fresh perspective into an exciting moment in design history.