Romance of the Mission: Decorating in the Mission Style

Mission style conjures up the cultures of Morocco and North Africa, Spain, and Mexico. It blends seamlessly with the artistic genius of southwestern, Native American, and a utopian Californian vision. In looking at the style, it is difficult to remember that the Pueblo Indians first crafted expressions of Spanish Mission architecture under the supervision of Franciscan friars in the 1600s.

Even if the Pueblos didn’t recognize the timeless beauty they created, we recognize it now, and this book artfully puts it into perspective. Picking up where Elmo Baca’s Rio Grande High Style left off, this book focuses solely on Mission style and goes into vivid detail both historical and current. The stylish interiors, beautiful gardens, solid furnishings, and graceful architecture continue to make an impact today.

Elmo Baca is the author of Rio Grande High Style: Furniture Craftsman, Native American Style, Santa Fe Design, and Mabel’s Santa Fe and Taos. A historic preservationist, he has been directly involved in the rehabilitation of twenty buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Currently director of Community Development for the State of New Mexico, he is a frequent contributor to West, Southwest Art, and New Mexico magazines.

The mission style conjures memories of the exotic and distant cultures of Morocco and North Africa, the splendor of the Spanish empire, the artistic genius of the southwestern Native Americans, the magnificent churches of Mexico, and the unspoiled California's visions of paradise on earth. Just as the Missions have overcome the ravages of time, conflicts, and the elements, Mission style endures in the hearts, minds, and homes of its devotes, a group that expands yearly with the growing interest in the romance of the Mission.