Choosing the Right Mission Style Furniture
What makes a house a home is not just a functioning heating and cooling system, or soft carpeting or big closets, but the furniture inside, anything from accessories like rugs all the way to utilitarian items like tables, a loveseat, lights, and bed frames, and even more. One of the best and most fun aspects of furniture is not just getting high quality goods and finding good deals, but choosing a home’s or room’s theme that gives it personality and style. Various styles are out there, from Victorian English styles to art deco to countryside, and in the United States, Mission style furniture, from Mission style lamps to mission rugs can give a home a solid, comforting look. How can a home be transformed with mission style lamps or mission bedroom furniture?
Trends on Home Decor
Home decor is something that plenty of homeowners take seriously, and they all have a variety of tastes and preferences, and they often have redecorating plans in mind. Neutral colors are more popular than some may realize; a 2017 Interior Design Trends survey showed that over a third of respondents preferred a neutral color palette for home redecoration. Some pieces of furniture, especially bigger or often-used ones, can act as centerpieces for a home’s redecoration plans. A survey showed that 60% of respondents wanted to redesign their living room around their couch, and similar trends may present themselves for large beds, kitchen countertops, or armoires. A Houzz survey in 2018 showed that around 48% of respondents wanted to redecorate their homes, and similarly, interior designers believe that room’s decor should be updated once every five to 10 years. Mission style lamps and tables, for example, can renew a home with a concrete theme.
Mission Style Lamps and More
American homeowners will likely recognize a a mission theme as that of 19tgh century pioneers who often built missions in the Midwest and western parts of the nation as they colonized new areas. This means that mission style often lends a rustic, semi-rural look to any home, and while it may feel native in states such as Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska, it can be used as personal expression in other areas like New England or Florida. Simple, utilitarian construction often defines mission style, with bare wood, straight edges, 90 degree angles, and simple iron and brass handles and hinges accentuate these pieces gently. Showiness is not a typical aspect of mission style, setting it apart from homes with Victorian English or modern art themes, with the latter relying on items like grandfather clocks and elaborate fireplace mantles while the latter often emulated a modern art museum.
Tables, chairs, couches, and beds can easily accommodate the typical mission look with ease, since these are basic, utilitarian items that any home would need, with leather being common materials for mission couches and chairs. Dressers and cabinets may also come in this style, along with mission style lamps for a home’s stylized lighting.
The Chicago Tribune explains a few aspects on choosing lamps. The intended use can affect the wattage and overall size, with a room-illuminating lamp needing 60 or more watts while a bedside reading lamp needs around 15 instead. Swapping them by accident means an overpowering bedside light (which can affect sleep) or weak room lighting. What is more, the lamp’s construction will reflect its room and upon what furniture it sits, where a bigger, wider lamp is good for a grand foyer while narrower lamps are best for a dining room sideboard. Also, fancier lamp brands or styles such as ornate Tiffany lamps will clash with a rustic theme like mission, while actual mission lamps such as those that emphasize metal and glass will work better, and their shades will be the right material and color to sustain the home’s overall mission theme. Mission style lamps are not entirely stark, however, since they may have charming stained glass looks or lines and simple patterns to break up the shade and the body, which contrasts smoothly with the bare-bones furniture. Finally, lamps are best positioned so their bare bulbs are not visible while a person is standing near them or seated nearby.
