| Grace Peterson
is the owner/operator of 40 Winks, The Oak Merchant. Grace has owned the Oak Merchant for 7 years and her family has been in the furniture business for over 50 years throughout Kansas. You can reach Grace at (316) 681-0071 or by email at grace@oakmerchant.com. |
Furniture
2003-12-01 10:58:00
Tell me about 'mission' furniture
: I love the look of "Mission" furniture. How did this particular style come about?
ANSWER: Mission furniture is usually solid oak, peg construction, straight line style and dark finish. Gustav Stickley developed this style of furniture. Particularly prized are the pieces created by the Stickley Brothers in the early part of this century. Gustav was the oldest of five Stickley brothers (Gustav, Leipold, Charles, Albert and John). The brother's work shows adaptations of Gustav's style. Gustav's pieces are highly prized. His factory was the Craftsman Workshop at Eastwood, N.Y. from the 1890s to 1915. Some of his marks were a very early red decal with joiners compass and "Als Ik Kan", paper labels and a branded mark. Stickley's first entry into Mission (a term he despised) furniture production was with the Tobey Furniture Co. As the new style debuted at furniture trade shows Gustav Stickley realized that he wanted to run this as his own venture. The new style embracing simple lines and honest construction he first fell in love with in England, was far more than just a new design trend to him. It was a awakening of his rural background and entrepreneurial business spirit. This drive eventually thrust him to the forefront of the American Arts & Crafts Movement. A November 1905 article in The Craftsman, "The Dining Room As a Center of Hospitality and Good Cheer," outlines the philosophy Gustav Stickley brought to life at Craftsman Farms. "A well-arranged dining room, more than almost any other room in the house, rejects any but the absolutely necessary furnishings....the shining array of silver, glass, and china on sideboard, shelves or plate-rack leaves nothing lacking in the way of appropriate ornamentation." Each of the details is critical to the room’s composition and to the interpretation of Craftsman Farms. Stickley’s philosophy as put forth in Craftsman Homes put the dining room next in line to the living room, as "the center of hospitality and good cheer, the place that should hold a special welcome for guests and home folk alike."