The Continental Arts & Crafts Movement began in Europe in the second half of the 19th Century. Arts & Crafts is the generic term for this artistic movement. Art Nouveau refers specifically to the French movement. Jugendstil was the name of the German form, Secession in Austria, Style Moderne in Russia, Gaudi in Spain, Glasgow School and Charles Rennie Mackintosh in Scotland.

At the turn of the 20th century, throughout Europe, utopian artist colonies were funded by wealthy "socialists" dedicated to countering the dehumanizing aspects of the machine age. The movement was meant to counter the excess of the Victorian period by returning to the past when handicrafts displayed the laborer's personal involvement in the work.

European writers who embraced the movement were John Ruskin and William Morris. These writers heavily influenced American designer Gustav Stickley – one of the leading North American artists involved in the Arts and Crafts movement.
From 1901-1916, Stickley published Craftsman magazine. It was here that the terms "California Bungalow" or "California Craftsman" were first used. As Craftsman magazine flourished the term was broadened, going beyond Stickley and his work, to encompassing a design style that spread throughout the country. Craftsman features grew to include street-facing gables, organic coloring that merged with nature, wide overhanging eaves, sleeping porches, front doors that open directly into the living room, dark wood paneling with plastered ceiling (sometimes with wooden beams), fireplaces, casement windows, arched openings flanked with “built-in” bookcases which separate living room and dining room, bedrooms with woodwork painted a light color and kitchen built-ins.

The Craftsman bungalow was California’s contribution to the Arts and Crafts movement. An important factor in the construction of bungalows was their ability to meet owners' specific needs. To compliment this new architectural style, a new concept in interior decorating was introduced to accommodate this modern approach. Architects such as Gustav Stickley, Frank Lloyd Wright and the Greene Brothers designed the furnishings, the hardware, and the draperies that went into their homes. Through style magazines such as The Craftsman and the Ladies Home Journal, the middle class was introduced to the Craftsman style. Influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, Craftsman style evolved into an American favorite, embraced by the country for more than a century.