Posts Tagged ‘Mission’

Keeping The Faith in Furniture with the Shakers and the Amish- How Religion Influenced Designs in America (part 1)

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

 Historians following the trends of the furniture industry can attest that furniture styles and their designers are virtual archives of an era. The economy of the time, the availability of supplies and tools and most surprising, the politics and religion of the time all influenced home décor. Religion and the organizations that formed around each [...]

A Brief History of Victorian Designer’s Influence on Modern Contemporary Design

Monday, May 11th, 2009

 Since all movements are contemporary to the time they were began the term Modern furniture may seem confusing, especially when its roots go back over one hundreds. A child spawned from the functional designs and philosophies of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Modern furniture designs was as influenced by the revolution against Victorianism as it [...]

A Brief History of How The Spanish Southwest Influenced Mission Furniture Design

Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

Much like Gustav Stickley, a dominant influence of the Spanish settler’s furniture designs in the early colonization of America, was the lack of good tools. While, like other settlers from other countries, the Spaniards brought the influence of their home land, they were so isolated in the New World that they succumbed to native materials [...]

An Art Lesson: A Brief History of Art Deco, Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts Movements

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

 Art Deco-
Art Deco was born in 1925 at the Paris International Exposition and lived and evolved over a quarter of a century. Evoking images of nude nymphs, geometry-centric lines curves and shapes, early chrome and glass and caricatures of greyhound dogs, Art Deco has often been misunderstood.
Within the genre of Deco there were several sub-categories. [...]

The Americanization of the Arts and Crafts Movement : How William Morris Inspired Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Design

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009

Born into a working class German-American family, Gustav (born Gustave) Stickley was born poor enough that he was put to work by his father at age 12. While William Morris was born into a posh English family and later philosophically rejected it for his utopian socialistic ideals, Gustav and his brothers were not so privileged. [...]

How Politics and Socialism Influenced Furniture Design : A Brief Profile Of William Morris

Wednesday, March 4th, 2009

William Morris (1834-1896), has often been attributed as being the inventor of the Morris reclining chair. In fact, the Victorian Morris did produce one version but, although we adopted his name to the chair, he was not the inventor. Morris is also associated with being the father of the English Arts and Crafts movement, which [...]

Tips To Buying Hand Crafted Hardwood Furniture by the Amish: A Brief Definition of Case Goods

Friday, February 27th, 2009

Absolutely no manufacturer of home or office furniture makes finer case goods than the Amish craftsmen of Northern Indiana. Understanding how a great case good item is designed and constructed will insure you have chosen your pieces wisely. Furniture is divided into two basic construction categories – upholstered furnishings and case goods. A case good [...]

Grand Rapids Furniture: Grand Rapids Michigan Contribution to Furniture History

Monday, January 5th, 2009

 American Amish crafted furniture is custom made from American solid hardwoods, individually stained and finished to meet high quality standards. American’s love of hardwoods is shown in its history. The history of the United States proves conclusively that native solid woods built this country and cities like Grand Rapids, Michigan stand as reminders of that [...]

What Does Organic Mean? What is Organic Design? Ask Frank Lloyd Wright

Monday, November 17th, 2008

Frank Lloyd Wright believed in organic lifestyles and environments. His thought was that “The good building is not one that hurts the landscape, but one which makes the landscape more beautiful than it was before the building was built.” In the early part of the twentieth century Wright and other organic minded Arts and Crafts [...]

Holiday Gift Ideas for Men for Christmas or Hanukkah that Women will Love

Monday, November 10th, 2008

From baby cribs to bedroom suites, the gifted Amish woodworkers and Amish artisan designers build custom pieces for the entire family. Although every woman will appreciate their beauty, many of these items make particularly nice and very unique gifts for the men in your life. Whether you are buying a gift for a jet setter, [...]