About Ragsdale Home Furnishings

Mission Oak Lamp and Mission Table by Ragsdale

Hello, and welcome to our website. We hope you find it functional, and our product line interesting and beautiful. Ragsdale Home Furnishings is an old-style wood shop located in Lower Michigan. Phillip Daniel Myer, principal artisan, specializes in the original design creation and reproduction of high quality mission lighting and tables.

At Highland Junior High, Battle Creek Michigan, in 1973 my shop teacher Mr. Russell helped my build my first lamp. It was made of pine, and leather and it sat in my bedroom on top of a old Stickley Brothers school desk. I became very interested in electro mechanical assemblies in High School, and by the time I was 17 I had a degree in electronics. At 18 years old I was working for Zenith Radio, in Oak Park Illinois about 4 miles from Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio. While working for Scientific Atlantic (now Cisco Systems) the height of the tech boom in 1999, I left my career in electronics to pursue my dream of working as a Craftsman. As a Lighting Designer of many years, I have to tell you folks that these lamps are a pleasure to make, and took a long time to perfect. If you purchase one of Ragsdale's items you will find that it is one of the most beautiful pieces done in quarter sawn oak on the market. Most everything is hand signed and dated.

While many of my mission oak lamp designs are original, and not reproductions of any specific manufacturer, they are meant to capture the essence of old-time lamp makers. The lamps go well in authentic old homes (Bungalows, Log Cabins, and Tudors) their rustic old time charm is personified in the glow of authentic mica and stained glass.

Ragsdale uses environmentally friendly materials and processes. Our wood is drawn from private sustainable managed forests here and throughout the Midwest. Our Mica is mined near Asheville NC, and is a naturally occurring mineral. Our art glass is all manufactured in the US, and our electrical parts are all purchased from US companies.

Special thanks to the following organizations for helping us wherever possible; The Brook Lodge, and Michigan State University, for providing the backgrounds in many of our photographs. W.K. Kellogg Manor, for displaying all the great period furniture, and the Michigan State University Biological Station at Kellogg Forest for being such a wonderful place to learn the art and science of Forestry. Thanks to American Bungalow Magazine for picturing our works in the November 2007 issue. Thanks to Wood Magazine, and Popular Woodworking Magazine, for publishing the many articles about Limbert Style designs.

And last but not least, I would like to thank my wife Valerie, daughter Jessica, Mom Donna, & Les Yoder, and the crew at the shop.