Suggestions?

[jared herbert]

I have a couple of books by Darrell Pearl about Greene and Greene furniture and building. For the last few years I have been building -self taught- some of what I would call craftsman style end and sofa tables. I want to do more of that style. There are a lot of books regarding Greene and Greene and stickley style items. Just wondering what people’s suggestions might be for books on the subject? Help me winnow down the choices. Thanks Jared

[Tom Bender]

Hi Jared
Great to hear from another G & G fan. I recommend a visit to the Gamble House. These are the books I have;

Design Elements for the Workshop by Darrell Peart paperback
Good craftsman's guide

Greene and Greene Furniture by David Mathias hardcover
History and good photographs

Greene and Greene by Edward Bosley hardcover
History in more depth and more good photography

Greene and Greene Masterworks hardcover
Even more, and this book is printed in it's own custom font reminiscent of Henry Greene's penmanship.

The last two I purchased on line, used, in great condition. They were about $12 each.

How about sharing a picture or two of your tables?

[Jay Michaels]

For what it is worth, I know you asked about books, but in the event you're also a visual learner from videos, Marc Spagnuolo -- "The Wood Whisperer" is a huge Greene & Greene fan and has done a number of project videos over the years:

https://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/?post_type=&s=greene

[Earl McLain]

@Tom Bender--curious to know where Gamble House is. (hesitant to do a search for "gamble house"--don't want to start a bunch of casino ads popping up!!)

Jared--i too would be interested in seeing a few photos...thanks!!
earl

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thanks to the OP and posters for the ideas. I just ordered 3 G&G related books as recommended here. I have long been a fan of G&G style furniture.

[David Eisenhauer]

"Shop Drawings for G&G Furniture" by Bob Lang.

[Bill Carey]

All of the above, plus William Ng has several good vids on G&G furniture. His method for making the ebony plugs works great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLopA6NF7dk

Also, a lesser known A&C designer is Renee Macintosh. Macintosh Furniture by Michael Crow is a good jumping off place if you're interested. A bit of the history, and plans, cut lists, etc.

I've also ordered a couple of the books Tom mentions. Thanks for the info Tom.

[Earl McLain]

I had a chance to see a few of Bill Carey's pieces last Friday--wonderful A & C style!!
earl

[Bill Carey]

Thanks Earl - was a pleasure meeting you. All good I presume?

[Earl McLain]

Thanks Earl - was a pleasure meeting you. All good I presume?

Definitely--at least unloaded. The weekend took some unexpected turns--so no time in the shop, but a LOT of windshield time!!
earl

[Mick Simon]

Also, if you're on Instagram, Darrell Peart is a very frequent poster and is very generous about sharing his ideas, techniques, designs and tips. We had him come to the school as a guest lecturer last spring. He's about as straightforward and open as anyone I've ever met. He was asked on The Wood Whisperer Guild's Facebook page yesterday about a piece he had posted online and immediately responded with shop drawings, detail photos, etc of the construction. As long as it's not for resale he's more than willing to share.

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And a piece I recently made after hearing his seminar, based on his Fremont Nightstand design.

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[Bill Dufour]

There was a traveling museum show called something like "the good life". I saw it at the Oakland museum. It had lots of arts and crafts/mission furniture furnishing etc. I know some was from Pasadena. This was probably ten years ago. There was a book at the same time with the same name.
Bil lD

Maybe this?

https://books.google.com/books?id=cnnhuxP44m4C&pg=PA302&lpg=PA302&dq=%22living+the+good+life%22.+pasadena+furniture. +museum.+oakland&source=bl&ots=QVRDT2KVhj&sig=ACfU3U24eL8U4vhc2LDuNRNQp1hO2HuV8g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwik9q3T45rmAhUBca0KHSQRBp0Q6AEwAXoECAoQA Q#v=onepage&q=%22living%20the%20good%20life%22.%20pasadena%20f urniture.%20museum.%20oakland&f=false

or this

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_arts_and_crafts_movement_in_Californ.html?id=p jxQAAAAMAAJ

[Tom Bender]

Here's a desk in the style

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The doors in the knee space hide an electrical area with a power strip.

The top is granite.

I really like the small shelf in the back.

There are some 'blank canvas' areas that I may finish one day.

[Ellen Benkin]

The Gamble House is in Pasadena, CA. There are several G&G houses in Pasadena but this is the only one I know that has tours.

[Michael A. Tyree]

OP- If you had your location that might get you more help as to real furniture to view? An e.g. would be to say visit the Stickley Museum in NJ.
FWIW, there are pictures online if you get brave and actually use the web to do meaningful searches. Worrying over web searches seems to be in "worry wart land" to my thinking. As a retired educator it's hard not to feel that way. My grandkids use it everyday to learn stuff.
I called the Stickley/Craftsman Museum once several years ago toward my interest in a corner cabinet they have on display at the main house there. To my knowledge there is no measured drawing existing of that cabinet. I asked the person there if I visited would I be able to measure the piece, draw it up and give it to them for their own purposes along with my desire to replicate it. I got a hard no, you can come and look at it beyond the rope from a distance.
My perspective is that they could measure the stuff they have and sell the drawings to people like us and help pay for that place to remain open.
I made it from the web picture using osmosis or whatever it might be called. The corner cabinet was donated back to Stickley by Barbara Streisand and has a somewhat interesting story. I built my version from wormy chestnut and used antique glass in the doors salvaged from old window sashes out of Lexington, KY victorian home in the historic district. If you never cut antique glass get ready for much disappointment cause it breaks often! I went through a whole utility trailer full of old sashes to build one corner cabinet.

[Jacob Mac]

Also, if you're on Instagram, Darrell Peart is a very frequent poster and is very generous about sharing his ideas, techniques, designs and tips. We had him come to the school as a guest lecturer last spring. He's about as straightforward and open as anyone I've ever met. He was asked on The Wood Whisperer Guild's Facebook page yesterday about a piece he had posted online and immediately responded with shop drawings, detail photos, etc of the construction. As long as it's not for resale he's more than willing to share.

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And a piece I recently made after hearing his seminar, based on his Fremont Nightstand design.

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That piece you built is fantastic. I really like it

[Bill Dufour]

What I did not realize before the museum show was how much hand painted tile was used in mission stuff. Accents in outside walls, trim around fireplaces, doors, bathroom and kitchen etc. Some was accent pieces mounted into furniture.
Bill D.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/35536284530488834/?lp=true

[David Utterback]

My wife, 2 sisters and I toured the Gamble House in early March. It was wonderful with many surprises, especially in the details. A couple of rooms had Stickley furniture. The docent was very well informed and took time with our group of about a dozen people. One recommendation is to wear dark sunglasses before entering the house so your eyes can more quickly adapt to the interior light level. Also, make sure your phone/camera is fully charged for all the photos you can take away.

You can also take a guided walking tour of the neighborhood that contains at least a half-dozen other G&G designed homes. The tickets for both tours were about $32 which is quite reasonable given that we had more than 3 hours of enjoyment. The surrounding area is also nice for a windshield tour.

One of the biggest surprises was the Gamble House backyard looks straight down on the Rose Bowl. We spent the night in Pasadena and then visited the Huntington Gardens. Lo and behold, they had G&G furniture and light fixtures on display there.