In the long history of British architecture, there are several names that stand out, and for the 20th century, perhaps none more so than Sir Edwin Lutyens. Working in the Arts and Crafts style, the architect mainly designed private homes, often opting to add Classical design details into his projects. The new book Sir Edwin Lutyens: The Arts and Crafts Houses by David Cole ( $85, Images Publishing ) is the latest tome praising the architect, specifically focusing on his earlier works, built between the 1890s and 1910. “Lutyens’s houses of this period reveal the flair and brilliance, the unerring eye for fine proportion, and a highly intellectual understanding of form and geometry, which he brought to combine with the materials, colours, textures and craftsmanship of the vernacular buildings of his native Surrey, that had first inspired him to be an architect,” writes Cole in the preface. There are 45 houses covered in the book, and we’re bringing you a preview of some of our favorites below.
Located in East Lothian, Scotland, Grey Walls was built as a golf retreat for its owner in 1901.
The curved façade was designed to take the impact of the harsh north winds while maximizing natural light in the house.
Cole writes of this home in Sussex, England, “Little Thakeham marked a zenith in Lutyens’s bringing together of the Classical and vernacular architectural languages.”
This image shows the 1902 home’s symmetry.
Lutyens used Tudor-style design elements at Little Thakeham, like this bay window.
Goddards in Surrey, England, was built in two phases: the first in 1898, the second in 1910. The house that stands today is the expanded version.
The common room displays a traditional timber frame.
The 1896 Munstead Wood in Surrey, England, is considered Luytens’s first masterpiece.
Homewood, located in Hertfordshire, England, was built in 1900 and reflects its natural setting with its wood façade
The home features garden terraces out back.
Sir Edwin Lutyens: The Arts and Crafts Houses by David Cole.
