Mission-style lighting is an understated style of outdoor lighting characterized by its bold yet simple geometric shapes, its use of earthy, organic materials like oak and cherry wood; copper, brass, pewter, and iron; stained glass, slag glass and mica. The Mission style of home decor and design was originally associated with Spanish missionaries living and working in the North American Southwest.

The hallmarks of the Mission design are straight lines and simplicity of design. Mission-style homes often have architectural features such as textured stucco walls, twisted columns, and rounded window and door designs. Decorative touches can include patterned mosaics around the windows and on the walls, stone carvings, and elaborate railings. Unlike Victorian decor, the Mission style is basically simple, not overdone or highly detailed. The Mission style is a uniquely American offshoot of an English and American design philosophy known as the Arts and Crafts Movement.

The Arts and Crafts movement began in England in the late 19th century when a group of painters and craftsmen openly criticized the mass-produced, machine-made furniture and decorative products of the industrial age. Artists and architects rebel against the dehumanizing effects of industrialization and mass-produced products. Artist colonies were founded to explore individual crafts and creativity.

American designers embraced the style and it became very popular in the early 20th century. The Arts and Crafts Movement emphasized the creation of harmony between the furniture inside and the environment outside. “William Morris, Gustav Stickley, and Frank Lloyd Wright are among some of the best-known designers who produced furniture and architecture in the Arts and Crafts style, while many others produced ceramics, glass, textiles, wallpaper, and silverware in the same vein. .” (Barbara Mayer)

Mission style outdoor lighting is widely available in the market today. Beautiful options include wall sconces, chain hung sconces and pendant fixtures, pole and column mounted fixtures, all perfect for your deck, porch or outdoor living room and kitchen. These light fixtures are strictly geometric in design, with colored or slag glass, or translucent mica, set in a wooden or metal frame. Light fixture color schemes are earth tones such as cream, amber, deep greens and browns, burnt yellows and oranges, dusty pink, sapphire blue. These outdoor accessories will look and feel handmade, even if they aren’t. Tiffany-style glass panels in right-angled geometric designs are also easy to find. Because Mission lighting is made for indoors and outdoors, you can coordinate your interior and exterior décor. Great, because that holistic design approach is a fundamental tenet of the Arts and Crafts philosophy.

Creating a Mission look for your deck, patio, or outdoor living room means you can also use design ideas from styles like Art Nouveau, Prairie architectural style, bungalow homes, Mission oak furniture, Tiffany stained glass, rustic Mexican, and definitely the English landscape artists Gertrude Jekyll and Edwin Lutyens. The mission style is simple and embraces an eclectic mix of elements, as long as all the elements together create squares and rectangles, strong earthy colors, and a rustic, craftsman look.