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English Arts & Crafts Furniture

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 the movement’s ideals.

Reviews

“[T]is is a rare woodworking book. The kind of book that makes me jealous that I didn’t write it myself. (Or at least come up with Hiller’s fascinating way of combining biography, history, sociology, workshop instruction and butt jokes.)–Christopher Schwarz, Lost Art Press

Read his full review here.

“Now THE BOOK. There are not enough superlatives… It is brilliant. The production values are great… Your writing as always is great and engaging and draws you right in. The choice of projects, the full coverage of them, and the executions were all well thought out, progressed intelligently and presented beautifully. The photography is very clear and illustrative as well as being beautiful. I feel honored to be included in it, thank you… In addition to being a very thoughtful book its is beautiful to hold and have on the table.”–David Berman, Trustworth Studios

“For many people, the Arts & Crafts furniture style is synonymous with the work of Gustav Stickley: massive pieces in white oak with few curves and little ornamentation to speak of. The truth of the matter is that the style spans a wide range of forms and includes makers from many countries. A new book by Nancy Hiller offers a detailed look at the work produced in England by a number of mak­ers and is a must-read for any woodworker en­deavoring to work in the style. In English Arts & Crafts Furniture, Hiller’s scholarship is thorough and detailed, but her clear and engaging writing style keeps the text from feeling dense and overly academic. Not only is Hiller well-versed in the style, her passion for it is evident as well.

What makes this book particu­larly useful for furniture makers is that Hiller is one as well. A seasoned crafts­woman well versed in the style, Hiller uses her building experience to offer additional insights for woodworkers as well as historians. While not necessarily a project book, Hiller does provide drawings and construction photos for three classic examples of the movement. Each piece serves as an introduction to prominent makers of the time. A dining chair based on work by Voysey, a sideboard in the style of Harris Lebus, and a classic hayrake dining table fashioned after an Ernest Gimson table demonstrate the breadth of creativity of the makers within the movement. Together they offer insights into traditional construction methods as well as a thorough history lesson that anyone interested in the style would benefit greatly from, myself included.”–Mike Pekovich, for Pins & Tales, the newsletter of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers

“A most welcome addition to my bookshelves, @nrhiller’s English Arts and Crafts is simply stunning. If you’ve read any of Nancy’s other work, you already know that she puts as much craftsmanship into her writing as she does into her furniture. And yet this book still pleasantly surprised me in a few ways:

1) The book has the most elegant endpaper of any on my woodworking shelves. An excellent departure from the monotony of the crowd. [Beautiful endpapers were part of Megan Fitzpatrick’s vision for this book from the start. I am grateful to the publisher for adding this bit of beauty to the budget, and also to book designer Linda Watts for making it happen.]

2) While there are plans for a few designs inside, the book is not your typical project-by-project guide. Instead, it is an accessible and engaging conversation about the history, aesthetics, and philosophy of the Arts and Crafts movement, all beautifully interwoven with projects and techniques from some of Nancy’s most recent works.

3) Throughout, the pictures are beautifully human. Archival photos and museum pictures blend seamlessly with portraits of Nancy’s craftsmanship. [We have Scott Francis to thank for this dimension of the book. He put a ton of work into procuring archival images and arranging the material for the most meaningful impact.] But the in-process photos from her shop are my favorites. Nancy’s workspace looks humble, mortal. Her lighting is not always perfect. These “flaws” combine to bring the images back into dialogue with the text, to create a harmonious tone of real-world art and craft.

I now regret putting off this purchase for the past few months. But at least the dog days of summer afford me some extra reading time inside. Highly recommended. A real coup for @popularwoodworking, and hope to see more titles like this from them in the future.”–Brian Clites, @thewoodprof via Instagram

“English Arts & Crafts Furniture is a powerhouse of a new project book from author Nancy R. Hiller and publisher F+W Media. I’m a collector of woodworking project books. Most project books tend to be straight to the point with pictures, materials lists and some tutorial info. This book is quite different.

The included projects are presented with comprehensive historical background on the creators and designers along with templates and rough isometric sketches. There are good clear tutorial photos showing construction details to fill out the accompanying instructions. Materials lists are complete and detailed. The historical and biographical information is what really sets this book apart. I was surprised to find how much I enjoyed reading it cover to cover and devouring the history and lore behind the pieces. I loved the old photos and seeing the furniture in its natural environment.

This is emphatically not a beginner’s book. There is no hand-holding here. The instructions and tutorials presuppose a good working knowledge of woodworking along with access to a variety of tools. The projects are complex and quite demanding (but oh so gorgeous). The aesthetic of these pieces appeals to me on a visceral level.

The projects are interwoven with background information for each one and they get their own complete chapters in the book. By my rough count, a little less than 50% of the content is actually devoted to the projects; the rest is history, philosophy and biographical information. There are three projects included: Voysey Two Heart Chair, Harris Lebus Sideboard, and the Gimson Hayrake Table. They are all three beautifully made inspiring pieces and worthy of the effort.

One thing which is absolutely vital in design is understanding context and the philosophy behind the things we create. If the only criterion for making something on which to sit were functionality, we could chop a slice out of a tree trunk and call it a day. The furniture we use and love most on a daily basis didn’t just spring fully blown into existence. It evolved and were designed (hopefully) with functionality and some philosophy and design. This book does a stellar job of speaking to that ‘soul’ of creativity and philosophy.

The author’s writing style is somewhat academic but gently humorous and easy to read. The research and the historical notes are uniformly good. I’m very impressed.”–Annie, reviewed at Nonstop Reader

Review by Derek Jones in the UK’s Furniture & Cabinetmaking Magazine

“I recently ordered your book on English Arts & Crafts Furniture. It came in the mail yesterday and I have devoured it since it arrived. Wonderful book. I love the history portion of the book as well as the three pieces you outlined. Very well done and a book I look forward to working out of in the near future. Thanks for making this book.”–Scott Adams, via Instagram

Buy the book

…available at AbeBooks
…at a book signing


Also for sale: Paper templates for Voysey two heart chair

Price: $35.00

One sheet of tracings from the templates I used to build my chairs, 30” x 42” rolled and mailed in a carton. Directions: Cut each template out with scissors, then tape onto your work piece (or use the paper templates to make a set in plywood).

These drawings are based on tracings made at The Wilson, Cheltenham, UK and drawings by C.F.A. Voysey but reflect interpretation in some details. They are not appropriate for a museum-quality reproduction.

Price includes shipping to mainland U.S. Shipping is via US Postal Service Media Mail, which may take up to 2 weeks. For expedited shipping, please contact NR Hiller via the NR Hiller Design website “contact” page.

Available for purchase from the following fine distributors:

AbeBooks

Making Things Work: Tales From a Cabinetmaker’s Life

Price: $26.00

Please note: Rated “S” for sailor language.

Hardbound book, 141 pages, printed and bound in the United States. THIS IS THE FIRST EDITION. If you would like to buy the second edition, which is published by Lost Art Press, please go to https://lostartpress.com/collections/books/products/making-things-work-tales-from-a-cabinetmaker-s-life

Price includes shipping to mainland U.S. Shipping is via US Postal Service Media Mail, which may take up to 2 weeks. For expedited shipping, please contact NR Hiller via the NR Hiller Design website “contact” page.


 

Fashion statement. Celebrity sport. Path to personal salvation.

Furniture making, once a way to earn a living through an arrangement between makers and clients, has been discovered, like a rosy-cheeked girl plucked from a Nebraska farm and made over into a big-city model.

Honest, earthy, and wryly humorous, this collection of tales drawn from more than 30 years of experience at shops in England and the United States is thought provoking as well as entertaining. We follow Hiller as she stumbles into furniture making after dropping out of Cambridge University, finds employment in one, then another, English workshop, grapples with monotony, sexism, and self-doubt, attempts escape, and eventually makes peace with her vocation.

Read Full Description & Reviewer Comments

Making Things Work Dust Jacket

Available for purchase from the following fine distributors:

Shop Woodworking
Lost Art Press
Tools for Working Wood
Highland Woodworking
Bad Axe Tools

UK and European orders are handled through Classic Hand Tools. Sales in the southern hemisphere: Lie-Nielsen Australia

Floating vanity for Fine Homebuilding

Harris Lebus and I

A Magic Wall

The Hoosier Cabinet In Kitchen History

book cover - the hoosier cabinet in kitchen history
“I found your “Hoosier Cabinet in Kitchen History” to be utterly entrancing. It is satisfying social history, a fine chronicle of an idea and a product, and an engrossing examination of uniquely American thinking about marketing. It is also a delight to look at, reflecting not only good design but impressive picture research. All that, and it reads wonderfully, right down to a luscious final paragraph.”
—Nach Waxman, Proprietor, Kitchen Arts & Letters
1435 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10128
phone: 212 876-5550
www.kitchenartsandletters.com

Buy the book
This book is now out of print. You can still find copies at the Henry County Historical Society’s gift shop, as well as at Amazon and Abe Books. Sellers are charging prices that reflect the scarcity of copies.

A Home Of Her Own

book cover - A home of her own
“Nancy Hiller is a premier cabinetmaker with a fondness for wood and old houses, and with a storyteller’s feel for character. Here she offers us a gallery of women who have created distinctive homes, often in buildings that others had abandoned, sometimes after having been abandoned themselves, always with resourcefulness and imagination. As these women restore the outward fabric of houses and gardens and furnishings, they also restore the fabric of their lives. Hiller honors their skill and pluck, and Kendall Reeves, through his photographs, enables us to glimpse the beauty of their creations. After reading this book, you will see your own home place with fresh eyes.”
—Scott Russell Sanders, author of A Conservationist Manifesto

Buy the book
…directly from the IU Press

Historic Preservation In Indiana: Essays From The Field

book cover - Historic Preservation in Indiana
(2013) IU Press
“This is a must-read for anyone seeking to save meaningful places. This collection of fine essays on historic preservation motivates, provokes, and inspires the reader to become engaged with their own built environment. The authors collectively profile the challenges and solutions of revitalizing neighborhoods and downtowns, as well as our agricultural and industrial surroundings.”
—Mark Dollase, Vice President of Preservation Services, Indiana Landmarks
www.indianalandmarks.org

Buy the book
…directly from the IU Press
…at a book signing

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Shout out to @cardinalspirits ! The people at our Shout out to @cardinalspirits ! The people at our locally owned distillery have been extraordinarily resilient in response to the pandemic — making hand sanitizer when none was available, cocktails and kits you can buy in stores, and keeping their excellent kitchen in business even when the distillery is closed for dining in. These pork belly tacos that Mark had yesterday looked beautiful, and the corn smelled divine. And here’s to a food business that serves carry-out in food-safe compostable containers! So rare. And so important. Thank you, Jeff and Erica!
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#snowday #hikeinthewoods #goodfood #cardinalspirits #yay #goodpeople #indianabusiness
I am so grateful to have this man as my partner. H I am so grateful to have this man as my partner. He recently found this ridiculous photo from 2007. We both look a lot younger! As @chbecksvoort49 says, life is so lovely when you have a good partner. Mark is a gentle, caring soul. Incredibly resilient. Deeply thoughtful. An excellent builder and carpenter. Loyal friend. Spoiler of domestic animals. Occasional annoying dude. Altogether a wonderful human being with whom I am blessed to make a life.
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#throwbackthursday #tbt❤ #grateful #gratitude #marriage
Nap time for Piggy. While I have chemo drugs drip Nap time for Piggy. While I have chemo drugs drip into my bloodstream, Tony has laid claim to Joey’s fleece. More dangerous is that he’s sharing the fleece with the pig, which has become Joey’s favorite toy. Fortunately Mark is monitoring the situation. 

And while this post is not about work, I am working on my laptop, writing post for the @finewoodworkingmagazine blog and a letter of recommendation for someone I admire (a lot).
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#dogsandcats #work #ilovemywork
A day packed with drawing time and calls with a cl A day packed with drawing time and calls with a client in Rhode Island. There’s nothing like having historians as clients during interesting times. At the end of the day I found Mark chopping wood and had to catch this image with the hillside glowing in the background.
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#saturdaywork #kitchendesign #thankyouteachers #historiansrock #ilovehistory #thisishistory #historyiseverything
By hand. This is how I draw kitchens. My drawings By hand. This is how I draw kitchens. My drawings are of course terribly prosaic compared to those gorgeous colored renderings by @johnnygreystudios but they do the job. Despite their arguable advantages, CAD images leave me cold. It has been super rewarding to get back to this particular kitchen design, for clients in St. Louis. I’m also working on another set for clients in Providence, Rhode Island. So fun! Another highlight of today: I completed a blog post about @furnituremaking which should be up at Lost Art Press this weekend and took delivery of materials for the next shop job, which will occupy my next good week (after chemo week...). A big thumbs up to good days.
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#customcabinetrydesign #cabinetmaker #customkitchens #drawings #byhand
This is the look of a cat who has become thoroughl This is the look of a cat who has become thoroughly spoiled by living in the house, after a day of suffering the terrible conditions of the shop for just one day. “Don’t ever do that to me again! I need my woodstove in winter.” 
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#catsofinstagram #shoplife
To celebrate the new year we went for a misty hike To celebrate the new year we went for a misty hike up the hill. Today we saw a beech with especially cool bark and, thanks to the precipitation, found a lost stream pouring into a &cave where we had previously seen only dry ground. So marvelous! We came home and made a fire for Grumpy. My new hand knitted scarf from HAM was perfect. @anissakaps 
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#2021 #newyearhike #southernindiana
A few glimpses into the year that’s been. No woo A few glimpses into the year that’s been. No woodworking pics!  One of the happiest discoveries this year is that we have a fantastic woods behind our place, much of it owned by the Karst Conservancy, where Mark and I have been hiking.  Another gift is that my sister now has a kind, responsible, thoughtful and loving man in her life. Mark’s lovely mother passed in December, a big loss. The greatest joys have been family and friends, too many to mention individually (and they would probably prefer to be anonymous here), despite the challenges of connecting during a pandemic. I am feeling thankful. Here’s to doing what we can to make the world kinder and more beautiful in the year to come.
New work. I’m writing from the hospital in Bloom New work. I’m writing from the hospital in Bloomington where I am getting my first infusion. For years I’ve been working sporadically on a collection of stories about animals and work. A few weeks ago I was faced with the decision whether to go for (or forgo) chemotherapy. The one thing I could imagine being a sufficiently powerful motivation to go through the treatment was the prospect of completing this book. Happily, Chris Schwarz thought that “Shop Tails” would make a good addition to the Lost Art Press line. I’m crossing my fingers and sitting in this chair with several others who are being treated for their own conditions. Nurses are the best.
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#chemotherapy #writerscommunity #shoptails #animalfriends #makingthingswork #adjustment #newwork #hopeful
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