Designing with Nature provides a vivid account of a pivotal chapter in the architectural history of Northern California. Set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the documentary examines the work of several major architects who were influenced by Arts and Crafts ideals, as well as by the reformist ethos of the Progressive Era. These designers sought to create an architecture suited to the landscape, climate, and emerging culture of the region. Rejecting Victorian excess and the artificial separation of art and craft, they strove to create an organic architecture based on unified design and harmony with nature.

Richard Doyle
as Narrator

Robert Judson Clark
as Commentary

Richard Longstreth
as Commentary

Kenneth Cardwell
as Commentary

Richard Guy Wilson
as Commentary

Leslie Freudenheim
as Commentary

Susan Cerny
as Commentary

James Lawrence
as Commentary

John Gaul
as Commentary

Carol Ann Rogers
as Commentary