Mission Desks

MAKE WAY FOR MARVELOUS MISSION DESKS

Whether you’re furnishing a California Arts and Crafts bungalow, or you’re on the hunt for a desk that evokes the spirit of the American Southwest, antique Mission desks make an inspired pick. A design of furniture that was popularized around the turn of the 20th century by designers like Gustav Stickley—and to some extent, Frank Lloyd Wright—Mission furniture is defined by its simple horizontal and vertical lines and flat panels that accentuate the grain of the wood. The furniture was meant to emulate the furniture that could be found in the mission churches that dot California’s prolific coastline. Humble and simple, the Mission style found an audience with those who had tired of the Victorian era’s preoccupation with elaborate, Renaissance-style embellishment. Use an antique Mission style library desk in a dedicated office where you hope to evoke a Spanish colonial mood. Accent it with a duo of brown leather chesterfields and other Monterey-style decor such as large, glazed terracotta planters and California landscape portraits. A mission oak desk in a petite secretary style can also be used to adorn the entryway of a Southwestern style home. Load the top with potted succulents and install a small-scale gallery wall of oil portraits—or even a collage of wide-brim hats or cattle skills—over the top to recall the aura of the Southwest. A blocky antique mission table can also be repurposed in a kitchen as a one-of-a-kind center island. Look for unique details like a leather-covered top or nailhead trim to lend additional gravitas.