ComputerHunter.org

 

Mission Style Lighting - Its Timeless Beauty Continues


If you ask most people to tell you about Mission Style lighting you are likely to be met with a blank stare and shrugged shoulders. But, if you ask these same people if they have ever heard of the Arts & Crafts Style, you are probably going to see a lot more recognize this term. The truth is, these terms are virtually synonymous.

Around the turn of the twentieth century in 1912, a little known Wisconsin architect by the name of Frank Lloyd Wright began developing his Prairie School architecture that would eventually set him on the path to world renown. The Prairie School architecture was really a slight variation on the Arts & Crafts-or Craftsman as it is also known-Style which had been developed by others a few years earlier.

Mission Style, as it is now known, is typified by exacting straight lines in rectangles and squares with an emphasis on woodwork. Mission Style lamps and light fixtures were constructed for use in modern applications such as gas and electric power sources. Typically made from brass or iron, these Mission Style lighting fixtures were constructed with square glass shades and square brass tubing. Fixtures of this particular style literally were made to match the architecture of the house contributing to a synergy between home and furnishings. Table and floor lamps of the Mission Style as it is now called were constructed with a simple elegance. It was not uncommon to see basic shapes forged out of iron and copper and linked to bulky chains in fixtures in the Mission Style. Lamps constructed with square wooden bases with simple but elegant glass shades were common in the time period. Basically, the characteristics inherent to this style were functionality, simplicity, and quality craftsmanship. Mission Style fixtures were not elegant in the classic sense but nor were they fragile and easily broken.

The popularity of the Arts & Crafts or Mission Style continued to grow until the early to mid 1930's. After World War II, a surge in consumerism and a fickle taste in the culture contributed to the waning popularity of Mission Style lamps and lighting. This is not to say that the style ever truly disappeared from the design scene but it definitely took a back seat to the growing emergence of the Contemporary Style that began to take root after WWII which emphasized that function was paramount. This seems contradictory as functionality was a key component of Mission Style fixtures and design but the rustic appearance inherent to the Arts & Crafts Style could not compete with the smooth, flowing lines of contemporary designs nor the discounted prices of mass production and lower cost materials used by competing styles.

The resurgence of the Mission Style fixtures began slowly in the late 1980's and early 1990's. The same features that first popularized the style helped it regain momentum. Most of all, though, it was the quality and hand-crafted appearance of Mission Style features that propelled the resurgence. So whether you want to call them Arts & Crafts, Craftsman, or Mission Style fixtures, they are back to stay and remain a classic of American design.

About The Author:
Pamela Tice is the owner of numerous lighting and home decor websites including Tiffany-Lamps-Store. Her store offers product and information about Mission Style Table Lamps and Mission Style Floor Lamps as well as other stained glass lighting designs and products to add beauty and richness to your home.







Google News - Top Stories

BBC News

Debate day reading list for the second Obama/McCain verbal battle
Los Angeles Times - 1 hour ago
The second presidential debate is fast approaching. We'll be live blogging the Town-Hall style forum here, beginning at 5:30 pm PST, like we did the first faceoff between John McCain and Barack Obama and the encounter between the vice presidential ...
Nashville Knockout: What To Watch For Washington Post
Goin' to town: In need of big win, McCain will try to press debate ... New York Daily News
ABC News - Newsday - BBC News - USA Today
all 1,616 news articles


Boston Globe

Dow dips more than 500 on worries about financials
Forbes - 3 hours ago
By TIM PARADIS 10.07.08, 5:16 PM ET The misery worsened on Wall Street Tuesday, with stocks piling on losses late in the session and bringing the two-day decline in the Dow Jones industrials to more than 875 points amid escalating worries about credit ...
Video: Stocks Fluctuate After Fed Corporate Debt Plan AssociatedPress
A 5-year low CNN
WKRG-TV - KTLA - USA Today - Los Angeles Times
all 2,079 news articles


CBS News

Non-Profit Raided In Voter Fraud Probe
CBS News - 1 hour ago
ACORN workers Carlos McCoy and Charmaine Davis try to register voters Sept. 1, 2006, outside the Franklin County Courthouse in Columbus, Ohio.
ACORN office in Vegas raided in voter-fraud probe The Associated Press
Grassroots group's office raided in voter fraud investigation CNN Political Ticker
Washington Post - USA Today - ireport - Nevada Appeal
all 181 news articles


BBC News

Judge orders 17 Chinese Muslims released from Guantanamo Bay
Los Angeles Times - 2 hours ago
US District Judge Ricardo Urbina will decide where in the US the men can be released. Most had been cleared of wrongdoing four years ago.
Judge Orders Release of Chinese Muslims Into US Washington Post
Judge orders release of Chinese-born detainees The Miami Herald
Bloomberg - Financial Times - The Canadian Press - The Associated Press
all 711 news articles


Sydney Morning Herald

Australia Probes Qantas Jet Altitude Loss, Emergency Landing
Bloomberg - 1 hour ago
By Ed Johnson Oct. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Australia's transport safety watchdog is investigating what caused a Qantas Airways Ltd. flight from Singapore to suddenly lose altitude, injuring about 30 people and forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing.
Qantas Involved in Another Air Incident New York Times
Dozens hurt as Qantas jet drops Sydney Morning Herald
ABC Online - Scotsman - The Standard - Reuters
all 420 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base