ARTICLE : HANDMADE COTTAGE

 

Celebrating the beauty of imperfections 

WRITTEN BY CEDRIC K. H.GOH - February 8, 2024

© All Images Copyright 2020 by CGD Art Studio Unless specified otherwise .

The character of a home tells a story, and that story in turn brings authenticity to the house. The richness in detail, the crumbling bricks or weathered timber gives the  home a sense of time and a style that approaches workmanship from a handmade perspective, revealing a sense of unpretentious ease. Against grandeur and opulence with immaculate refinement, what handmade cottage attempts to do is to embrace a laid-back, cozy and inviting vibe, giving it a uniquely charming character with little touches that shows effort and care in maintaining the home. This contributes immensely to the overall narrative of a cottage home.

An ode to the honest representation of the feeling of HOME, handmade cottage can also be seen as a hybrid between English vibes and Hygge sensibility, combined to celebrate the beauty of an imperfect but finished look. An example would be the use of natural materials, wainscoting and wall moulding providing the needed richness of detailing to capture the essence of an English abode, while muted neutrals, handcrafted furniture and woodwork brings out the Scandinavian sensibility.

HOME RENOVATION

Home renovation is seen here as a disrespected trade filled with cheap unskilled labour working on repetitive, menial tasks and dirty work. Not many are aware that most self-respecting tradesman (craftsman) are skilled at varying levels of competency, and creative in problem-solving. They face daily challenges with different site conditions on every single new project they embark on. Often left alone attending to difficult problems which most home owners are unaware of. 
Design decisions being made on an impromptu basis; resolving material detailing as it is being put together on site; discovering unknown issues on site requiring creative intervention in providing a admirable solution; the list of possible surprises is endless. In any case, the fine line between careless workmanship versus work professionally crafted by hand is rather unclear. Entering a luxuriously crafted space is no doubt impressive and desirable. Don’t we all aspire to be rich, famous and respected by all? A meticulously crafted home is a reflection of what we aspire as respectable human beings. Conversely, a home put together with love, care and thoughtful touches speaks volume in terms of the authentic personality and character of the homeowner.

THE FINE LINE BETWEEN HANDMADE AND FINE CRAFTSMANSHIP

Hand workmanship involves higher cost and greater chances of seeing imperfections. Whereas machine-made means identical factory-made items needing minimal workmanship and requiring only final assembly. Although we should be mindful of hand workmanship that shows no respectable standard of care, effort and responsibility, we should try not to be overly fussy as well expecting an immaculately machined finished. In a way, anything mass produced by machine has predictability and precision, whereas hand workmanship has no identical situation or condition, always addressing a unique situation in a different context for every new project. Such custom unpredictable renovation work is in complete contrast to mass produced housing scheme by developers or any other form of repetitively produce  products. With that said, it is also true that some trades involving handcrafting work do produce fine workmanship and in fact, it is celebrated unanimously, for example furniture et cetera, et cetera.. 

With all that said, what about fine craftsmanship? Do we actually draw a line between handmade versus fine craftsmanship? Where do we even begin to draw the line between what is handmade versus what is crafted? Or perhaps we might ask on what criteria should that line even be drawn? On one hand, craftsmanship is for those who aspire to have the most exclusive quality of work with the highest paid skilled workers plying their trade. Such  refined and elevated expectations are mostly reserved for the most well-heeled. For most other work, we tend to judge the quality under a loosely defined standard : GOOD. The problem with that definition is we cannot define what is exactly considered ‘good’ or conversely what is considered ‘bad’. Everyone has their own set of expectations for what is considered good. The photos on the left (comparison photos 1A & 1B)  clearly shows the difference in attention to fine craftsmanship. The first picture shows an acceptance of imperfections, and natural texture that captures the essence of time. A chip here and a notch there, every corner of the house celebrating the nuances of each material’s intrinsic character which were once crafted by tradesman decades or perhaps centuries ago. Whereas, below, the space is crafted to perfection, with every detail attended to and every piece of material assembled flawlessly to the “T”. Perhaps one could argue that they are of different style hence a different expectation towards design and detailing. Then again, no matter the style or period, I would argue that it is a conscious choice we make when we decide on how we want our home to be crafted. Nevertheless, both are examples of equally beautiful, serene and comfortable spaces. But at what cost, with how much effort, and how much emotional care is being given to making that home? Finding a balance between the complex mix of variable factors is the key to achieving an outcome we can accept. There isn’t a right or wrong answer. It is a choice homeowners have to make, and with that choice comes with cost implications, and its own set of unspoken rules and guidelines.

THE SOUL OF AN INTERIOR SPACE

What makes a space attractive, soulful and inspiring isn’t just the precision in the finishing, the luxurious materials used or the exceptional craftsmanship. Nor is it a particular style that we choose. Finding the emotional connection between the space and our sense of identity is the key to being at home. Our home is not a showpiece. It is what we do to those spaces and how we make them comfortable, cozy and relatable that creates beautiful homes. When we enter a space, we don’t judge its design outcome immediately by checking for 2mm joint line consistency or whether walls are absolutely in a straight line or joints are perfectly aligned. We judge the space in seconds for what feeling it gives us, how we feel upon entering and whether they make us feel calm, happy or that elusive feeling of joyful contentment. 

Do we expect perfection in every aspect of our lives? Will we live a perfect life and make perfect decisions every single time? Is life really all about perfection? Life is unforgiving sometimes for some or perhaps many unfortunate individuals. We soldier along and make peace with little dents and cuts along our life journey. We find happiness and joy in what is good, accept and let go of what isn’t that great. Taking that insight and put it in home renovation, we will understand that workmanship isn’t exactly a precision machining process. Though it is perfectly fine to expect a respectable standard of craftsmanship, workmanship that lacks a level of professional attention is definitely not acceptable. For example, installing warped cabinet doors would be simply unacceptable. Fussing over an extra one millimetre of joint line would be an expectation beyond the level of hand craftsmanship, instead of machining a cabinet joint. In truth, obsessing over perfection becomes infinitely frustrating and the truth is nothing much in life is ever perfect. We live to make peace with what we have, find gratitude in the little things that make us happy. Learning to let go of perfection brings us more joy in life, and allow us to see the wisdom in embracing all that life throws at us.