Introduction to Monterey Furniture

Monterey Furniture is another fine example of nostalgic furniture, a specialty of Mission Concepts, Inc. Its comfortable, live-in appearance conjures up wonderful evenings by the fire and days of simple pleasures. Monterey Furniture is a whimsical combination of wood, leather, hand wrought iron and hand painting that originated during the Spanish Revival Movement in the late 1920’s.

In 1929, Barker Brothers, a Los Angles Furniture Retailer, had the foresight to contact Mason Manufacturing to create a line of furniture to embrace the Spanish Revival Period. Armed with a promotional poster from the Warner Brothers movie ” In Old Arizona”, which displayed rustic, Spanish type furniture, George and Frank Mason set out to create furniture for the Spanish-style homes popping up all over Los Angles. In less than a year, Mason had developed a 24- piece line of furniture for Barker Brothers and thus, Monterey Furniture was born, the first production furniture style that California could call its own.

Our mission was to recreate Monterey Furniture from the Spanish Revival Movement with the same passion and zeal that propelled Mission Concepts Inc to be the premier manufacturer of contemporary furniture inspired by the American Arts and Crafts Movement.

Mission Concepts Inc provides quality furniture that is well crafted with quality materials with an attention to detail that George and Frank Mason gave us 90 years ago.

Collectors

Monterey furniture’s rustic charm conjures up the excitement and glamour of early Hollywood. The infectious desire that compelled Will Rogers and Clark Gable to adorn their California rancho or Classic Spanish Revival homes with Monterey furniture back in the 1930’s is the same attraction that Diane Keaton and other collectors have today. Unique well made furniture that has comfort and a distinct style.

Design

Each piece has been painstakingly measured from an original and carefully replicated. Pieces such as the coffee table were designed by Warren Hile  and are in keeping with the look.

Construction

Joinery: The joinery includes mortise and tenon.

Upholstery: The upholstery for the bottom seat is down pillow with inserted solid foam or a solid foam core with a polyester case. The cushion is a down-filled linen bag. The support is authentic hand-strung rope.

Stain Choices: Stain choices are Old Red, Old Wood, Old Wood Light, Smokey Maple, Spanish Green, and Straw Ivory.

Details

Wood: Mission Concepts Inc, like Mason takes a great deal of time to make the furniture look old. Alder or Poplar is sanded in much the same way as back in the 1930’s to create a textured surface. The edges were rounded and all sides and corners of the furniture were roughed up to show signs of wear. Grooves were sanded into the wood to further enhance the furniture’s old and worn appearance.

Finishes: We have replicated many of the original distinct finishes of Mason’s Classic period. The finishes are complex with several steps to obtain the effect of old wood.

Rope: Another characteristic of the Classic period was the use of rope. It functioned as seat bottoms for the chairs, sofas and footstools.

Iron Works: The Spanish had been known for centuries for their expert use of hand-wrought iron. Mason used  iron to enhance the furniture. Scored hammer marks on the straps and hardware create an illusion of hand-forged iron.

Painted Panels: Juan Intenoche a Mexican cartoonist managed and directed the painting department at Mason. The Spanish Revival architecture utilized decorative paintings on walls and the beamed ceilings that Intenoche had so cleverly injected into Monterey furniture. All  Monterey furniture that displays the whimsical characters of Juan Intenoche or the unique floral designs of the period is hand painted.