The rustic minimalism that arose at the end of the 19th century seems to go by many names. The terms "Mission Style", "Arts & Crafts Movement" and "Craftsman Style" are bandied about casually, but what are the differences? Strictly speaking, these terms are not interchangeable. If you are going for a specific design aesthetic, it helps to have the proper vocabulary for communicating your preferences to others. Using these terms accurately is a question of knowing a little about their history and their design distinctions.

As the Victorian Era was coming to a close, mechanisation was taking over the manufacturing of furniture, pottery, carpets and the like. Even items which were still being manufactured by hand were using the "division of labour" technique. This technique assigned each person to one isolated aspect of production, like a modern-day assembly line. This system is so common today, we think nothing of it, but in the Britain of the late 1800's it was seen by many as dehumanizing and a degradation of the craft of the artisan. The artists and craftspeople who rebelled against these practices, championing instead the ideal of the master craftsman founded what became known as the "Arts & Crafts Movement".

The spirit behind the Arts & Crafts Movement made it as much a social statement as a design aesthetic. Inspired by the writing of John Ruskin, designers and artisans like William Morris launched a look that was in total opposition to the rich and elaborate styles of the time. The British Arts & Crafts Movement encompassed everything from architecture and furniture to metalwork and wallpaper, but the common threads were an emphasis on local materials and hand-craftsmanship. The ideal of the master craftsman: conceiving of, then executing, a design was strongly favoured. Finished works had a simple, but refined rustic charm that spoke to an idealisation of the apple-cheeked peasant and an imagined life of country values.

British Arts & Crafts items can usually be distinguished from their Craftsman and Mission style cousins by their lyric charm. They are by far, the most feminine of the three styles. Clean lines, simple finishes (like patinas or staining), and minimal accents of stylised foliage are hallmarks of British Arts & Crafts style. Often, the method of construction is accentuated as a design statement, such as oversized joinery. As the Arts & Crafts movement traveled to different countries, each culture expressed it differently. For example, Scotsman Charles Rennie MacIntosh's expression of the Arts & Crafts style was stark, lean and intensely modernist. In it can be seen the influences of glossy Japanese laquerwork and hints of what would become the Art Deco movement of the 1920's. When the Arts & Crafts movement came to America, the ideal of the peasant was exchanged for the ideal of the pioneer, and a bolder, stronger, more rough-hewn look emerged.

Indeed, the American expression of the Arts & Crafts movement was so stylistically distinct, it soon became known by a separate nomenclature: Craftsman Style. This label was a direct reference to the magazine of that title which showcased the work of Gustav Stickley, an American Arts & Crafts designer. "The Craftsman" magazine attempted many times to assert it's propriety over the term "Craftsman", but it had already passed into common usage. Heavier and more austere than their British counterparts, the American Craftsman style furnishings and buildings still have a balance and beauty that reminds one of a "handsome woman"; too bold, strong and willful to be called beautiful in the traditional sense, but undeniably attractive. In addition to Stickley and his magazine, the style was disseminated by many others including Frank Lloyd Wright, and Elbert Hubbard's Roycroft Artist Community. An almost unintentional contributor was Joseph McHugh, the man responsible for the "Mission style" moniker.

As the Craftsman style was catching on across America in the 1890's, Mr. McHugh (who manufactured and sold furniture in New York) started having great success with a simple, hardy, wooden chair with a woven rush seat. As he based his chair on a specimen sent to him from a California mission, he called it a "Mission Chair". The common design elements between the chair and the Craftsman furniture aesthetic soon muddied the waters of terminology, and the terms came to overlap in common parlance.

Today, the term "Arts & Crafts" is usually reserved for work that has maintained the refined and charming design elements of the British source, such as American Charles Limbert's work. As "Craftsman" was a Gustav Stickley brand name of sorts, purists maintain that only his work may be referred to by this title. However, most people quite suitably use the term to refer to furniture, architecture or decorative arts in the Stickley vein. That is, a stronger and more "American pioneer" aesthetic than Arts & Crafts, though not as heavy and austere as Mission. The Mission label can be used as a blanket term encompassing Craftsman as well, but is most commonly thought of as the heaviest, strongest, and most rustic of the three.

Be aware as you explore the beautiful world of Arts & Crafts, Craftsman, and Mission styles. These terms are often used in advertisements and product names by companies that put little thought into ensuring their terminology is accurate. There is also a lot of flexibility and interpretation in the use of these terms; this article provides merely a guideline. Unless you are attempting the historically accurate restoration of a period building, then be guided by your personal sense of style when creating your space. Above all, what is important is whether all the pieces you have selected look good together in your eyes. The rustic simplicity which is the hallmark of this family of styles makes them compatible with many other design schemes, from country to modernist. These styles have stood the test of time. Though trends and fashions have come and gone, the quality and beauty of these styles always brings them back to us.