William Morris, the poet and architect,  and Gustav Stickley a furniture maker and architect were among the founders of the Arts and Crafts Movement.  The Arts and Crafts homes were simple and well designed for the purpose they served.  The movement was intended as a return to nature and "honest" materials after the ornate opulence of the Victorian Era.  In much of the Arts and Crafts architecture (also known as Craftsman Architecture) there is a use of natural wood and stone.  Wood shingles on the exterior surface, natural stone or brick chimneys, and stone or brick pillars holding up the roof of a porch.

Common features of Arts and Crafts architecture are low gabled roofs with wide overhangs, an ample porch and grouped windows with decorative details.

Arts and Crafts homes are common in the East Bay. They are found most commonly in Rockridge,  around Piedmont Avenue, and in the Glenview District of Oakland.