We ascribe beauty to that which is simple; which has no superfluous parts; which exactly answers its end; which stands related to all things; which is the mean of many extremes.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Beauty"
ARCHETYPES OF CRAFT
a Wisdom of Art
Our second conversation is with Craft. Innermost House cultivates fine craft in the manner of American beginnings, where Wilderness and Enlightenment met as equals, and the art of less was truly more.
We believe in craft as an agent of reform, a tool of self-reliance, and a way to wisdom. We seek in the individual hand of craft a living conversation between the body of land and ideals of the mind. We believe that a unified architecture of beautiful forms holds a key to harmonize nature and thought, to begin to heal the wound of modern life, to marry in material conversation high civilization with the heart of wilderness. We are Artists of the Beautiful dedicated to the ideal of Hand-Making.
The biggest problem in the world
could have been solved
when it was
small.
Lao Tzu, The Way of Life
The Innermost House archetype is an American epitome of classical "Primitive Hut" architecture, tracing all aspects of traditional building and craft back to their archetypal origins and forward to their final causes. We invite craftspeople in all trades to partner with us in exploration of the roots of artistic form. For artisans from timber framers and canoe builders to hearth cooks, cabinet makers and tailors, this is a chance for once in a career to take part in a complete and ideal building project. We seek to unify all the essential crafts of domestic life into a living architecture of aloneness: of "all-one-ness." Our purpose is to regain to the individual an original and universal relation to art.
Through all the world there goes one long cry from the heart of the artist:
Give me leave to do my uttermost!
Isak Dinesen, “Babette’s Feast”
Visit Our Virginia House Project
in America’s Historic Triangle
REPRESENTATIVE ARTS AND CRAFTS
Reclaimed Timber
Timber Framing
Hewn Log Building
Preservation Carpentry
Door and Window Joinery
Wood Flooring
Stone Masonry
Firebox Construction
Plasterwork
Cedar Shingling
Plumbing and Fixtures
Tar, Stain, and Paint
Furniture Making
Coopering
Blacksmithing
Tinsmithing
Door and Window Hardware
Boat & Canoe Building
Axes, Saws & Tools
Gardening & Garden Tools
Lanterns
Candle Making
Agriculture and Husbandry
Viticulture & Winemaking
Calligraphy
Printing & Bookbinding
Early Scientific Instruments
Folk Music & Instruments
Pottery
Treenware
Hearth Cooking & Cookware
Tailoring & Boot Making
Box Making
Rug & Basket Weaving
Archery
Documentary Photography
