Mission Furniture

How to Identify Mission furniture

Classic and elegant in appearance, mission furniture is distinguished by its strong, simple and sturdy appearance. It shuns ornate decorative accents for smooth long lines, and is typically composed of smooth solid oak pieces. It brings to mind the Spartan aesthetic of Japanese furnishings and the grace of western antiquities. Another distinct feature is the conspicuous oak grain appearance of the wood, achieved by using a special sawing technique.

Mission furniture has been making a strong comeback, despite almost disappearing entirely after the 1930’s when interior design became engrossed with modern design. This style is believed to have been born in the 1890s in the western United States. It has been said that a congregation in a San Francisco church needed furnishings but had no money. They decided building the furniture on their own, which they patterned after furniture designed by American Indians for Spanish mission stations in Mexico. This is why the style is called “mission.”

The most popular mission furniture maker, the Stickley Company, introduced the mission furniture style at an expo in 1900, contrasting with the gaudy Victorian themes of that era. For a time, it went out of style as Art Deco and other modern trends took mainstream interior design. It was not until the 1980’s that it resurfaced, and later that decade, it once again became highly popular. To this day, Stickley still manufactures mission furniture. There are other renowned mission furniture makers –. C.P. Limbert & Company is renowned for the “Prairie Style” design, while Lifetime Furniture is well regarded for creating sideboards, desks, dining rooms and beautiful hardware.

Many have remarked that mission furniture works in accordance with architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s artistic discipline which maintains that objects are beautiful only when they are perfectly designed for their purpose or function. Mission furniture now decorates some of the most beautiful homes in the world from entertainment celebrities to business magnates, which is probably one of the reasons for its amazing comeback. Still, no one denies that it is very versatile and complements a lot of interior design styles. It goes well with contemporary or modernist styles, and can be placed side by side with leather furniture, floral accented items and others. It looks very good when used with heavily colored textile and works wonderfully with light and natural earth colors.