Making Furniture, New Mexican Style
Traditional details influence current work in Southwestern American shops
Synopsis: The isolation of northern New Mexico created and preserved a style of furniture that, in its most authentic form, is called Spanish-colonial. This article is about the the history and details of the Rio Grande style of furniture, a sub-type of Spanish-colonial. Sven Hanson talks about common pieces (including their Spanish names) and what makes them unique in this style. He names the tools and materials commonly used to make this furniture, how to carve and finish it, and what influences and trends affected the style. A side article by Andy Charron shows detailing typical of the style.
The splendid isolation of northern New Mexico has created and preserved a style of furniture that, in its most authentic form, is called Spanish colonial. In its Indianized, Anglicized and modernized versions, it’s tempting to call it Southwestern. But what I’m referring to is the distinct Rio Grande style of furniture…