Are you looking for new living room furniture? Are you in the market for a bedroom furniture set? If you’ve never considered mission style living room furniture before, now might be the time to do so. Here’s everything you need to know about the mission loveseat, mission tables, and everything else in this style.
Why Is it Called Mission Style?
Your mission style living room furniture is so named because the style is believed to be based on furniture used by Franciscan monks in their California missions. Sometimes you’ll hear the style referred to as “mission oak.” The first pieces that actually used this name were made in the late nineteenth century in New York City. The mission style was frequently used by one of America’s most iconic architects: Frank Loyd Wright.
What Characterizes the Style?
Every piece in your mission style living room furniture is characterized by a distinctive style. Important general features include:
How Do I Know If I Have Real Mission Furniture?
If you’re currently staring at your own mission bed frame trying to decide if it’s really that style, or if you have your eye on a new mission style living room furniture set, you’ll want to know if you’ve really got mission style. Beyond the general characteristics listed above, there are some specific things to look for:
- Simple lines Your furniture should have simple, straight lines. There are very few curves in true mission style furniture.
- Flat or square elements Most mission furniture has squared or blocky features. People frequently use the word “masculine” or “heavy” to describe it.
- Stiles Stiles are horizontal boards that you lean back on when sitting in mission furniture made for that purpose.
- Exposed pegs A lot of mission style furniture has exposed pegs. This is just about the only decorative styling you’ll see, though basic brass hinges will appear on dressers and similar furniture.
- Oak Oak is almost always the wood of choice for mission style furniture.
Is The Furniture Valuable?
The average piece in your mission style living room furniture set is probably mass produced. As such, it’s worth no more than any other mass-produced furniture, though furniture isn’t really valued by what you can sell it for at an auction! It’s valued by what it means to you: whether it makes you comfortable, completes your decor, and reflects your style.
There are some pieces worth a great deal, and most of those are made by people like Frank Loyd Wright or Charles or Henry Greene.
Mission style furniture is some of the finest decor you can use. Whatever style you choose, remember the number one rule of furniture purchasing: get what will make you happy.
