In late 19th century England the Arts and Crafts movement evolved from the writings and lectures of William Morris and others. The movement was a reaction to the excesses of the Victorian era with its overly ornamented, gaudy designs. The idea was that design should be simple and celebrate the beauty of the materials from which it was made. It was a return to hand crafted objects rather than shoddy mass production. The movement spread to America and the Mission style, based on furniture from the Spanish California Missions, was born.

The style was short lived. Its heyday was from about 1890 to 1915. In recent years America has rediscovered the style and it is now more popular than ever. The clean lines and simple designs just seem to fit in with today’s lifestyle. The style brings to mind two principles that I was taught as a design student 30 years ago and are still taught in universities today, “form follows function” and “less is more.” Our Case Brothers collection includes careful reproductions of furniture from the Mission period as well as new designs I have created in the spirit of the period.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Sam Case
January 2006