People who love furniture that is built to last should check out mission oak furniture. This was developed by people who were fed up with poor quality mass produced furniture which coincided with the industrial revolution. The extravagant designs of Victorian furniture had also gone out of fashion.
Mission oak furniture was crafted using the quarter sawn oak and not the plain sawn oak you often see in imported reproduction pieces today. Craftsmen prefer the first option as it is more subtle so doesn’t take away from the beauty of the piece of furniture. Also is lasts longer. Plain sawn oak is more liable to crack as it has wider grains so if humidity is an issue where you live you would be better opting for the quarter sawn oak. This is also the preferred option if you want a more authentic mission piece but be prepared to pay, as it costs roughly double that of the cheaper plain sawn effect. Higher end manufacturers in the US will usually only offer quarter sawn oak.
As we have seen this furniture lacks the ornamentation favored by the French or Victorians. The legs are straight with flat feet and the chairs usually have flat backs. If chairs are upholstered; leather and linen were the coverings of choice. In some pieces you will find some pewter inlay but this is more to bring the eyes attention to the craftsman’s expertise rather than just as an ornament.
People wanted cleaner more geometric shapes made from natural locally sourced materials. Mission oak furniture was developed by people like Gustav Sickly and similar craftsmen. They designed homes as well as the furniture that went inside them. They believed that people needed to return to nature so big windows to let in as much natural light as possible were a signature of this particular style of home. It wasn’t unusual to leave pegs and rivets exposed to contrast with the predominantly oak wood. Nails weren’t used and if metals were used it would be copper or bronze. The wood was never painted but stained with varnish and fumed with ammonia to give it a darker finish.
The pieces were both beautifully designed and good value for money. Stickley in particular believed that furniture should be well crafted and last acting as a family heirloom. Given the prices that Barbara Streisand is alleged to have recently paid for some Stickly originals he might be right.
Mission oak furniture blanket chests are particular popular as not only are they beautifully crafted but they are also extremely useful for extra storage. This is straight lined furniture without excess curves or ornamentation that wouldn’t look out of place in any home. And who knows in years to come, your grandchildren’s kids may still be using it.
