Legends like William Morris and Gustav Stickley are
both icons in the mission furniture movement; they also have something closely
in common with my family heritage; a gentleman named Abner Price. Abner
Price is my great grand father and
started producing quality cabinetry and furniture during the same era that both
Morris and Stickley were prevalent.
Abner Price had a portfolio of
building cabinets, churches, bicycles, cabinets and furniture. Abner's
business travels spanned over 4000
miles from
California, USA to Quebec and Ontario, Canada.
Today we have taken on the daunting task of resurrecting some of his classic designs that were
produced over a 60 year time period. Our first model on the drawing board
is reminiscent of the Arts & Crafts Movement era. Our goal is to provide a complete line of
furniture that will not be in fact a replica, but a continuation of our
heritage; that began over 100 years ago.
I have heard it said that furniture today is not built like it used to
be. I must agree. The over use of laminates, particle boards,
MDF and plastics that do have their place in less traditional designs have take away from the durability and resilience capabilities
of traditional family furniture. It is our decision to opt for sturdy, solid wood
construction in all of our main furniture lines.
The
construction of our furniture today is the same as it was 100 years ago.
Strong, solid, unpretentious construction, with comfort at the center of
all design criteria.
I always enjoy
pictures of modern and aged architecture, here are two pictures of the Methodist
Episcopal Church built by my great grandfather Abner Price in 1906 located in
Los Angeles, CA on Alvarado Street:
