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Hi! I’m Beth Rice with DutchCrafters. It’s time we dive in to learn all about one of the most popular furniture styles for Amish furniture, Mission Furniture, also known as Craftsman style or Arts & Crafts Furniture.
What are the characteristics and features of Mission Style? Where and when did it get its start? And is it a good fit for your home? Let’s get started.
Mission Style
Mission furniture is designed for real life. It’s furniture you don’t have to act careful around.
You won’t see turned legs, spindles, or ornate carving on Mission furniture. Instead, you’ll find square or slightly tapered legs, flat panels, and solid frames, all crafted with high-quality lumber.
Mission style furniture is well-proportioned and structured for everyday strength and long-term durability.
The History of Mission Furniture
This style of furniture began with the Arts and Crafts movement that originated in Britain, then flourished in North America between 1880 and 1910. The Arts and Crafts Movement was a response to the luxurious, ornate Victorian style furniture popular in that era and the Industrial Revolution’s mass-manufacturing of lower-quality furniture.
In 1896, a German American furniture designer named Gustav Stickley met notable Arts & Crafts designers in Europe, then returned to New York promoting their philosophy for designs that were simple, practical, and durable.
Mission vs. Arts & Crafts vs. Craftsman Style
Though the terms “Arts and Crafts” and “Craftsman Style” are occasionally used today, the style is widely known as “Mission Style.” The origins of this name are in debate, but one popular theory is that the name Mission furniture emerged after woodwork of this style was seen in Spanish Missions throughout California.
Amish Mission Furniture
The values that drove the original Mission furniture designers are alive today. Amish woodworkers across the Northeast and Midwest United States are dedicated to using high quality materials and crafting furniture meant to last for generations. It’s no surprise that Mission style is a hallmark of Amish crafted furniture.
Amish Mission furniture favors strength and durability over decoration. Mission’s flat wood panels, beveled edges, and solid wood legs all highlight wood’s natural beauty.
Characteristics of Mission Furniture
A key identifier of Mission Style is its exposed mortise-and-tenon joinery. Though many styles use mortise-and-tenons in their joints, Mission is distinctive in the way the tenons often protrude all the way through the mortise to be visible on the front or sides of the piece.
Another feature distinctive to mission style furniture is slat-work—square or rectangular vertical slats lining the back or sides of a piece. Mission design will emphasize simple horizontal and vertical lines, occasionally countered with slightly curved arm rests or braces.
Quarter sawn white oak and red oak are the most common wood types for Mission style. At DutchCrafters, we find that customers love the traditional medium or dark reddish-brown stains on mission furniture, but it can also look great when stained gray, blonde, or black to fit in any home.
We’re proud to offer hundreds of Mission style chairs, tables, desks, bedroom sets, storage pieces, and more at dutchcrafters.com and in our Amish furniture showrooms—all customizable to your choice of wood, stain, hardware, size, and much more.
Mission Furniture for Your Home
Where some bold, noteworthy styles go in and out of fashion, Mission has staying power. It’s the simplicity that gives it the charm and versatility to work in a variety of design schemes. A Mission bookshelf fits comfortably alongside a cushy sofa in a modern living room. You can slide transitional dining chairs up to a Mission dining table. It’s a furniture style that can be surrounded by farmhouse, contemporary, or rustic styles and look right at home.
So, what do you think? Is Mission style’s simplicity, strength, and versatility right for your home?
Learn More About Mission Furniture
Thanks for watching this overview of Mission style furniture! I hope you learned something new. Keep watching this series to learn about more furniture styles or go explore hundreds of Mission furniture designs at dutchcrafters.com. Thanks for joining us.