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Over on Matt Vanderlist’s Basement Workshop, someone posed the question, ” . . . what happened to book #3?” This was in reference to the “Great Book of Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture” being a compilation of my first, second and fourth books. Well, there’s a good reason for that as well as a good story about how this book came to be.

As I was finishing up my second book, “More Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture” I was talking on the phone with my publisher/editor/friend John Kelsey. We were about three weeks away from my deadline and John asked if we could “throw in a few pages about Craftsman style kitchens.” I said it was a bit late in the day to be adding pages and that there was enough material on Arts & Crafts period kitchens, built-ins and trim to fill a third book.

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A few months later I found myself in the basement of the Avery Architectural Library at Columbia University, studying the original drawings from Gustav Stickley’s architects, looking at details that had originally been seen in Stickley’s The Craftsman magazine. Those drawings and the magazine itself were a tremendous resource, and the bungalow style is one of the most iconic and popular forms of houses in 20th-century America. If you’re a fan of that style, you likely have several “coffee table” books, full of large color pictures of period interiors. That’s fine for inspiration, but what if you have an old house that needs some work, or want to build a new house in the Craftsman style?

What you’ll find in Shop Drawings for Craftsman Interiors is 224 pages of solid information about how the interior woodwork in these homes is made, and how it fits in the house. There are sections on Moldings & Trim, Doors & Windows, Kitchens, Built in Cabinets, Bathroom Cabinets & Built in Closets, and Fireplaces, Mantels and Stairs.

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In the section on kitchens, I show drawings of typical period kitchens. That presents a problem to modern builders because this was before appliance and cabinet sizes were standardized; counters were often several inches lower than they are today, depths of base cabinets varied, and instead of the toe-kick a standard baseboard was common, also with varying height.

I show how to achieve an appropriate look, with contemporary cabinet sizes and construction methods, for both in face frame and frameless style cabinets. Many great bungalows fell victim to remodeling efforts in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. If you’d like to return your home to the charm and grace of it’s original glory, these drawings will show you how.

“Book #3” has been popular enough to remain in print, and will continue to be available for the foreseeable future. As long as people appreciate the comfortable feel and clean lines of original bungalow interiors.

You can order a signed copy of “Shop Drawings for Craftsman Interiors” directly from the author by clicking on this link.

He and his family will appreciate your direct support.

–Bob Lang