The Thorsen House: A (Hand)crafted Masterpiece

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The Arts and Crafts movement occurred during the turn of the century (1800 – 1900) beginning in England, and later moving to America. It was filled with political ideals about the availability of handicrafts to be made and shared by poor and middle class people, not only the rich. It was a statement against the heavy use of machinery during the Industrial Revolution. The style was breaking away from the opulence of the Victorian era in favor of a simpler aesthetic. The visuals were influenced by nature, and had the goal of using natural materials so that the designs would mirror their surroundings. The ideal of creating everything without machinery was partly dropped when the Arts and Crafts movement came to the United States. The goal of creating handcrafted goods that would be available to the poor was unattainable, because the price of labor was just too much for them to afford. Instead, many things were made first by machine, and then finished by hand to keep the aesthetic. The Thorsen house in Berkeley, California is an example of a house built with the aesthetics of handcraft and influence of nature, but without the ideals of having been literally made all by hand, and of being available to all kinds of people.

            The Thorsen House was a custom home made for William and Caroline Thorsen, built in 1909 by the architects, Henry and Charles Greene. The Thorsens were by no means poor: Mr. Thorsen was a lumber baron from Michigan, and this was his retirement home in California. This style of house was appropriate for a family whose business was lumber: the wood is an important design element throughout the house, and is never painted over. Wooden “joints” are prevalent throughout the houses’ rooms, and many beams and columns are bound together with metal straps. Most of these elements are purely aesthetic, to make it seem like things are bound together by hand. An example of this is where there would be screws or nails, they have inserted wood pegs to look like it is the pegs that is holding it together. The house consists of many horizontal and vertical lines, with curves made through a stepping of these lines. There are no sharp curves, but long and shallow bends in the awnings and roofs. These kinds of lines lend even more to the hand made feel: it is easier to carve, cut and fit straight lines by hand than it is to do so with curves.

            Another important element is the influence of nature in the designs. Not only in the warm, natural colors of the woods, but also in the arrangement of the doors and windows, and in the motifs of flowers and plants in the rooms. In the entry way and the living room, there are Tiffany style stained glass windows and light fixtures in the designs of a gnarled grape vine, and a rose vine. These glass pieces do in fact involve lots of complicated designs and curves, but are framed by the straight wood elements. Often it was made to look like the vines continue from one panel to another, making it seem like the design in the glass is a real plant winding its way around the man made wood. Nature is also incorporated through the views to the outside. When you enter through the front door, you immediately get a view of the backyard through tall glass doors at the back of the entrance way. So while you have entered inside, the outside is still visible and present. There are large windows to with views of the outside to give a connection to nature as well. The house is currently owned and maintained by the Sigma Phi fraternity society of students from University of California, Berkeley. They work to fundraise and maintain the house, while also living in it. Their efforts costs many millions, as there is much to be done to make the house earthquake safe, and while keeping up the original designs. 

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