Mission Revival and Craftsman Drawer Pulls

     The Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style’s revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California.  The  movement enjoyed its greatest popularity between 1890 and 1915, through numerous residential, commercial, and institutional structures, particularly with schools and railroad depots, that used this easily recognizable architectural style.

    The Mission Revival style is often lumped in with the Craftsman style, and for good reason.  Not only do the two styles overlap one another, but they are also very similar in style and inspiration.  Both styles embraced very simplistic styles and made their main focus was using local materials and artists to create various pieces of hardware and furniture.

     These styles of homes embrace the Craftsman philosophy completely.  Since these styles of homes have generated a very strong following it is quite easy to find a variety of different hardware options to help the homeowners maintain the Craftsman philosophy.  While some homeowners focus on the structure itself many others put their efforts into the furniture and hardware of the home to make sure it all fits in the Craftsman style.

     The choices people have for drawer hardware is extensive, and narrowing it down by architectural style doesn’t make that much of a dent in the options, especially with these styles.  The most common choices for drawer pulls are very simple ring designs.  The plusses for this option is that they can help convert any simple piece of furniture into more of a Craftsman style quite easily, and look great on any piece.

 

There are many different finishes available as well, and no one finish looks better than another because of the simplicity of it, and they blend with each other quite nicely.  This means you can have one room with primarily polished brass accents and another with oil rubbed bronze or chrome.  The different finishes can give very different impressions allowing an even further expression of a person’s personality.  All of the drawer pulls include the mounting hardware, making it a quick and easy upgrade to any room in your home.

Pueblo Style

     The Pueblo Style, also known as the Pueblo Revival Style is commonly found in the Southewestern area of the United States, and gets its name from the Pueblos as well as Spanish Missions in New Mexico.  This architectural style didn’t show up until the beginning of the 20^th century and was at its height during the 1920’s and 1930’s, though it is still extremely popular today.  The Pueblo style is especially iconic in the state of New Mexico.

     The Pueblo style looks very similar to the adobe construction that inspired it, though most times brick and concrete are used instead of the traditional clay.  This is primarily because it is easier, and often cheaper to use and can produce better results than with its traditional ingredients.  Rounded corners, and thick walls are used to create the look and feel of adobe, and walls are usually created in a stucco fashion and painted in earth tones to further the simulation.  These tones also help the buildings blend into the landscapes better, which is a feature in the Southwest. Key components of the Pueblo Revival are the use of earthy materials, enclosed courtyards and flat or sloping roofs with parapets.

     One of the first buildings created in the Pueblo Revival Style, and perhaps one of the most popular is at the University of New Mexico located in Albequerque, NM.  While only a handful of buildings were selected to be built in this style originally, over the years it has grown to encompass virtually the entire campus.

     Santa Fe, NM is also a city in which the Pueblo style dominates the architectural scene.  It started back in the 20’s and 30’s, and by 1957 a Historical Zoning Ordinance was put in place to mandate the use of the Pueblo and Territorial style on every new building in central Santa Fe.  It was so popular and accepted by everyone that the ordinance is still in effect today. One of the most famous (and earliest) Pueblo-style buildings in Santa Fe was the La Fonda Hotel.

     One of the advantages of a Pueblo-style building is protection from the elements, the thick clay/mud walls keeping out both heat and cold.