Collection Spotlight: Craftsman Workshops Sideboard and Hutch

Admirers of Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Workshops would be hard-pressed to find an object comparable to the oak sideboard and hutch currently on display in the Vignette Gallery located on MAACM’s 5th Floor. Custom made for an unknown special client, this grand, early object (1902-1903), exhibits the heft, functionality, and craftsmanship that characterizes Craftsman Workshops’ furniture. Nearly as tall as it is wide, the 6’10” object stands ready for the trifecta of hospitality, service, and display — a reflection of Stickley’s belief that the simpler life Americans sought could be achieved, in part, through thoughtfully designed furnishings unified by purpose and beauty.

At first glance, it may be this object’s straight-forward symmetry that defines its beauty; a pair of glazed 9-paned upper cabinets flank a mirrored, open-shelved display area. Below, a similarly planned sideboard repeats the hutch’s triple pattern of open and closed spaces, with drawers, doors, and ample storage for china, silver, and serving items.

Horizontal and vertical lines, geometric forms softened by the curve of segmental arches and hammered copper ring pulls, pleasing proportion, and numerical rhythm come together in this extraordinarily functional, one-of-a-kind Craftsman Workshops piece.

For its display in the newly installed Dining Room Vignette, the cabinets and shelves have been filled with period ceramics and accessories, giving viewers a sense of how the hutch would have looked and as part of the home’s beautiful and functional decor.