The quiet rhythmic monotone of the wall of logs fills one with the rustic peace of a secluded nook in the woods.
Gustav Stickley
Dennis DeCoster was born in Detroit and resided in his beloved community of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan. After high school, he attended and graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in Fine Arts and began his forty-year career at General Motors as an interior designer, working initially in the corporate headquarters building on West Grand Boulevard. Over the years, Dennis became one of the most respected designers in the corporation, working with many of the most senior executives on the design of their offices and facilities worldwide.
Dennis lived a life of pursuing his numerous and diverse interests. He was passionate about design, art, and architecture. In his early twenties, his love for Detroit evolved into a passion for Michigan architects, artists, and furniture manufacturers. He would make frequent trips to Pewabic Pottery, the architecture and gardens at Cranbrook Academy, Belle Isle, and Eastern Market. His creative and meticulous garden was recognized by the Grosse Pointe Farms Beautification Advisory Commission, which ultimately awarded Dennis with their distinguished Legacy Award.
The DeCoster Collection is one of a kind and represents a lifetime effort. Dennis always recognized that he simply was a steward of what he collected and that one day those items would be passed on to others.
Of all those interests, Dennis was most passionate about the Arts & Crafts Movement. He became a lifelong student and started collecting in his early twenties, scouring flea markets and antique dealers in remote locations. Dennis studied all of the artists and craftsmen of the period and became well-known across the country as both an expert and top collector. He cultivated a meticulous understanding of the provenance and details of the pieces he pursued. Ultimately, Dennis acquired several rare and obscure examples of fine art, decorative art, and furniture, many of which were of museum quality.
The DeCoster Collection is one of a kind and represents a lifetime effort. Dennis always recognized that he simply was a steward of what he collected and that one day those items would be passed on to others. Hopefully, these fondly cherished works will find new homes with those who possess the same reverence and respect that Dennis had for the artists and artisans of the period.
Gustav Stickley 1858–1942
Gustav Stickley, whose name is synonymous with Craftsman furniture, was a visionary American proponent for the Arts and Crafts philosophy in design, literature, and life. At the peak of his career, his furniture was sold throughout the country, Craftsman houses built in many areas, and The Craftsman magazine widely read. After bankruptcy in 1915, Stickley was largely forgotten until the 1970s, when his importance as a designer was rediscovered by a new generation.
The eldest son of first generation German immigrants, Stickley was born into a family that owned furniture-manufacturing businesses. He found inspiration in the writings of John Ruskin and William Morris and the well-built, hand-crafted furniture and the brotherhood of honest labor they espoused. In 1898 he established the Gustav Stickley Company in Eastwood, a suburb of Syracuse, New York. He adopted a William Morris motto, "Als ik kan" ("If I can") and used the symbol of a medieval joiner’s compass as his trademark.
Stickley’s furniture was a radical departure from the American furniture of the Victorian era. Surfaces were unadorned, mortise and tenon joinery and wood grain exposed. The hammered metal hardware underscored the artisanal look of furniture, which was fabricated both by hand and by contemporary woodworking machines.
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