Voysey, C.F.A.

This text examines the life and work of British architect C.F.A. Voysey. Voysey was one of the most successful and renowned British architects from the 1890s until the outbreak of World War I. His white-rendered houses with stone window dressings and sweeping green slate roofs combined clarity and simplicity with a sensual appreciation of natural materials. Voysey's belief that the house should embody Quietness in a storm, economy of upkeep, evidence of protection, harmony with surroundings, absence of dark passages placed him at the heart of the Arts and Crafts movement, while the elongated simplicity of his furniture together with the fluid, undulating curves of his decorative design made him a formative influence on Mackintosh, Van de Velde and the Art Nouveau style.