The best magazine
This style is actually comes from the Arts and crafts movement that was popular during the early part of the 20th century.
It is characterized by clean lines and simple designs that focus primarily on the utility of the piece.
The mission style is actually relatively recent for the Amish community even though it does seem to have become the poster style for this type of handcrafted furniture.
The most common reference to mission style furniture is the fact that it dented to appear in the Spanish missions in California most likely because it was very simple and easy to put together.
The early part of the 20th century saw the style making its way east and finally made it to the Arts and crafts movement because of the hand made craftsmanship and simplicity that was part of the moment.
The Arts and Crafts movement touches the heart of the Amish.
It started as the rejection of industrialization and the mass production of goods in England and moved towards more hands on craftsmanship that had previously characterized furniture making.
The idea behind it was strong and durable furniture or item that had a basic utilitarian function and that it was created using traditional methods rather than the methods devised for factory use and mass production.
The Amish mission style is characterized by heavy legs and support pieces and square lines.
All the accents on chairs, tables, head and footboards and couches are side vertical slats.
Dark metal hardware originally pewter but has been recently replaced with other darker metals are the only adornments for drawers and doors.
Quarter sawn lumber in oak is the wood of choice for these types of styles and the milling method usually creates a furry grain and has the advantage of not being as sensitive to environmental changes.
There is also a wide and long grain showing rather than the shorter grains that are normally used for furniture.
The Mission style may also include some features such as skirts, legs and curved backs.
The Amish view their work as a way to express their love and faith in God and as such they make sure that they produce the finest pieces they are capable of producing no matter what the piece is.
This means that they take the time to find the best piece of wood for what they are creating as well as using the finest in traditional methods to create craft and finish the piece.
As a result, even the most simplistic piece of furniture is heirloom quality.
This is not the type of work that you can find in stores.
This type of work is going to be found only as custom made items and while you can find mission style furniture in just about any furniture store and discount shop it will not be made with the care and attention to detail nor the materials that make Amish mission style furniture stand out among the rest.
Source: ...