Amish Mission Style Furniture

Many people bring the Mission style to mind when thinking about Amish furniture. Known for its straight lines, Amish Mission furniture is substantial in size and simple in appearance, with little ornamentation. At the same time, thin slats lighten its look and distinguish it from others, styles, such as the Shaker style.

The exact origins of the Mission tradition open for debate. But the style likely took its name furnishings found in Spanish missions throughout colonial California in the late 19th Century. Many believed Mission to be a revolt from the "soulless" work turned out by mass production in factories during the Industrial Revolution. Its simplicity also countered the flamboyance of the Victorian era.

Later, in the early 1900s, the Mission style also was identified with other styles, including the Arts & Crafts and the Art Nouveau movements. For example, famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s work shows elements of Mission design. Our Amish Mission furniture is closer in style to the original durable and symmetric pieces first produced in the late 1800s. The Mission style actually was a unique compromise between the efficiencies of machines and the skills of talented craftsmen. The furniture showed both attention to detail and a simple form, but it also was affordable to the common man. Is it any wonder that the Amish have developed a tradition of Mission furniture-making to this day?