Large Greene and Greene Style Sideboard

This sideboard presented me with  some interesting design challenges. The house was new construction that combined elements of Stickley Arts and Crafts along with those of Greene and Greene. The dining room was very large – 20 feet by 40 feet. It featured a 17- foot dining table that I had also designed.

The design needed to be scaled appropriate to the space – which meant very large!  The massive size and eight hefty legs played well with the masculine feel of  Stickley.

The Greene and Greene style is not overtly stout and bulky though. A balance had to be reached that lightened things up while not forfeiting the design’s overall stoutness. The addition of cloud-lifts (on the doors) and the Greene and Greene style pulls helped in this regard.

It was the long overhang of the top though that really did the trick. The portion of the top that extends beyond the case is out in unsupported space – with negative space below. (negative space normally equals lightness)  Imagine this same design with the top  retracted  and fitting close to the case – a much heavier look.

As usual there’s a lot more going on with this design  than the above discussion.