HOMES & FURNISHINGS

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 147, 17 March 1933, Page 4

HOMES & FURNISHINGS

ROMANCE OF FURNITURE MAKING

Tudor to “Modern”; Influences on Designing

QUAINT STYLES AND THEIR ORIGINS

A racy and informative review of furniture and fashions in past times and to-day was given by Mr. Frank Campbell before the Wellington Rotary Club on Tuesday. He discussed the periods from the close of the fifteenth century onward when “furniture factories were slack, in fact there wasn’t any furniture worth speaking about.” “It was not until about 1550 that' much comfort had been, introduced into the home, although the feather bed is. said to have been introduced in the early part of the fourteenth century,” Mr. Campbell said.’ “You know in these days, if a married man had within seven years of his marriage been able to save up to buy a mattress or flock bed and purchase a sack of chaff for a pijlow he was doing well.”

EFFECT IMPROVED Ultra-Modern Furniture and Its Setting RELIEF OF SEVERITY Ultra-modern furniture, which relies for beauty on severe line and limited decoration does not appeal to all. Many find its plainness unattractive. This type of furniture, used with correct soft furnishings and correct colour combinations, can be used with beautiful effect. Those with artistic tendencies find in it a means of expressing individuality and originality. A lovely bedroom can be attained in beige and red, with touches of black. The colours must be • carefully balanced or the effect is destroyed. A room like this, seen recently, had a perfectly plain beige carpet, with plain curtains of coarse-textured cotton fabric, like canvas. These hung straight from a plain pelmet and matched in fabric and colour the plain bedspread and two pillows on the low divan-like bed. Natural-Colour Table. The dressing table of natural-col-oured, unstained, unpolished wood consisted of a very tall mirror with Sets of drawers at either side and one drawer in the centre, at the foot of the mirror. A low seat to match was covered with a shadow cushion in beige. A set of shelves in the same wood was topped with a dark-red parchmentshaded lamp. Set into the wall was another tall, narrow mirror, with tiny recesses and drawers at either side, also in natural wood. The scheme was completed with a mirrow on the wall framed in red, black, and gold lacquered wood, above a bedside telephone table in natural wood, shaped like an open box. TO UNSTOP. A SINK Job for Amateur Plumber USE OF THE FORCE CUP Nothing can happen in a kitchenette or bathroom which is more annoying than to find that the sink or basin waste pipe is stopped up sufficiently to prevent water flowing away. To call a plumber in every time this occurs is obviously impossible, and,' of course, a man ls not always immediately available. ' •. ■ While a piece of wire will sometimes clear the stoppage, it is hot to- be relied on in all cases, and, indeed, will sametimes damage the pipe if unwisely used, or is too stiff. Where the waste pipe has a U-shaped trap there is usually a screw cap which may be unfastened and the pipe cleared. These are not always fitted; however, and other means will then have to be adopted. ~ , . A flexible wire cleaner similar to a closely-woven spring about 4 feet long and 3-8 inches thick may be purchased. One end it fitted with a wooden handle and. the other has a small hook similar to a corkscrew. This should be inserted down the pipe, and slowly turned, the object being to hook the obstruction and pull It out. Sometimes, however, a few vigorous pushes suffice to dislodge it, and it is carried away. The quickest of all methods, however, is undoubtedly the use of a force cup. This is similar to a large inverted rubber cup on a wooden handle..

The medium size is amply large enough and can be purchased for a shilling or two. The method of using is as follow: Dip it first in water (if there is none left in the sink) and then place it carefully over the waste pipe orifice perfectly flat so that air cannot enter underneath the cup. Force the air (or water if some remains) underneath the cup down the pipe with a quick plunging motion. This ’will cause the rubber cup to flatten out over the orifice. Take great care not to lift away from the bottom of the sink, because the force of suction will be less. Do this quickly several times, and so force the obstruction out of the pipe at the other end.

HT the middle of the 15th century, Mr. Campbell said, furniture had not gained a very high level of achievement as far as comfort was concerned. Chairs were a luxury, and for the most part people sat on chests and rough benches. Tables of the trestle type were used, but chests often did duty as tables. In this period—the Tudor—could be noticed one or two influences caused through the customs of the day. The chair stools and tables of this- day had the under-frame close to the floor. This was to allow the head of the house, his ladies, and his guests to keep their feet off the straw or braeken which was used to cover the floors. There were no carpets, and in the dining hall, which was a common room, the dogs were allowed in, and at meal times scraps would be thrown to them, and' the floor, was not the cleanest of places. There was also what was now known as the “hall settle,” on which, In front

of a big log fire, it was customary to steal forty winks. If an enemy attempted to attack the sleeper the high back of the settle made it necessary to come out into the open as it were, and this gave the victim more of a chance. The Elizabethan Period. In the next period—the Elizabethan —chairs rvere upholstered, and tassels and fringes were used. Up to that time all chairs were arm chairs. During Elizabeth’s reign the “farthingale” chair was first used. This was the first chair for the spread of that quaint garment. Because of its nature, the wearer could not sit on a chair with arms, and the arms had to go. Then came James I, who abolished the farthingale. Early in the 17th Century, England enjoyed a period that favoured a growth of luxury and produced a wealth of decorative things in palaces and big houses. James helped in many ways, and architecture and the allied arts received many favours. The furniture of the Commonwealth period had developed in two ways. The extravagant and luxurious work grew up in the palaces and great houses, and tire other type developed by the Puritan was simple and dignified. The Puritans produced the most comfortable dining chair that had so far graced English furniture, 1 plain with hide stretched over it. Royalists and Puritans. In old chests of drawers of those times could be found one drawer deeper than the others, so made to take the high-crowned plumed hats worn in those days by the cavaliers. In the case of both Royalists and Puritans, the characteristics of outward dress were faithfully reflected in the home. Elaborate notes in costume on the part of the Stuarts were followed by sump-tuously-upholstered furniture, full of 'scrolls and Stuart crowns, while the Cromwellian —true to his leather jerkin —insisted on plain knobbed furniture, and a sturdy leather-backed chair. Chairs of the Stuart period, covered very often by needlework, were closely allied to the prevailing fashion. The carvings on the arm depicted the fashion of the dressing of the hair, while the necklace of pearls, without which no Stuart lady would appear at court, and the rose—the emblem of loyalty—were often included in the decoration. Puritans had had a good effect on furniture, and their restraining influence helped in keeping designs much simpler. After Cromwell came Charles 11, and the graceful and debonair fash-

ions during his reign were well recorded by the Pepys. The next period that showed an advance, or rather a change in furniture, was that of William 111 and Mary. The influence of Christopher Wren was established when William became King, but in the Willaim and Mary period, Daniel Marot, a French architect, and a designer of furniture and engraver, gave an additional beauty and freshness to furniture design. Walnut had replaced oak, and fine mesh cane work was much used. Marot’s work was well-proportioned, though it showed overcrowding, but it. reflected the fashion of the day. Wigs worn by dandies of that day were heavy and hot, so on the W. and M. chair could be seen a shaped top with a cut-out, so that the sitter could get a little rest and cool down a bit by resting his wig in this shape at the top of the chair. „ . ■ Another chair known to collectors as a “cock-fighting” chair was introduced during this period. This was designed because of the stiff coat of the dandy. He sat on it back to front, and on the back was a ledge or shelf which could

bo used for writing or reading. Padded arms allowed him to sit at east. The high-backed chairs of the late Stuart and William and Mary period were designed with an eye to their making a suitable Setting for the enormous headdresses adopted by the dandies of both sexes. Queen Anne and Georgian.

The Queen Anne period showed the improvement in design of furniture. Chairs with graceful backs, cabriole legs, and arms, set in such a way that the whole suggested a harmony of curves. Walnut, birch, and other timbers were used. The stretcher disappeared from under chairs and tables, the legs becoming heavier and more sweeping. Mirrors, bureaux, and bookcases were in demand, and furniture design made great progress. . , In coming to the Georgian period one approached the golden age as far as furniture makers were concerned. Early Georgian furniture reflected the style and extreme fashion of the dress of that period. The French influence was largely felt, and the products of the furnituremaker were more the furniture of an aristocracy although it never degenerated to the luxury domination of the ■ French work. . , , The famous Thomas Chippendale was in business during this period, and for nearly half a century liis designs were copied by his contemporaries. In 174 J he had premises in Long Acre. His chairs were miracles of craftsmanship, thenlines and proportions showing tjje work of a master designer. . This period saw other great designers. Ince, Mayhew, the Adams Brothers, George Hepplewhite, and Thomas Sheraton were all household names in British furniture history. Victorianism, Modernism.

After the Georgian period furniture design slipped. The industrial progress had been remarkable, and the factory machine now ousted the craftsmans work. A period of decadence followed. The Victorian period was a bad patch,, its cardinal error being that it strove to be dignified. An age that considered a top-hat the correct gear for the cricket field, and skirts, hats, cloaks, and a, bathing machine necessary for the female ba'tbers, saw nothing wrong with glass covers on clocks, and waxed fruits. “And what of our present period, Mr. Campbell said in conclusion. “I think we enn sum it up in one word —utility. Furniture we can use. It must be portable. It is often cheaper to move than ito pity rent. It must be free from the need of continual polishing. As in our dress, a soft collar and Trilby hat are less imposing than a lace ruff or a plumed hat, yet they are more comfortable. ' “All useless ornament must go. we appreciate beauty, but insist on laboursaving To my mind historians will have no difficulty in identifying the furniture of to-day with the fashion of bobbed hair and short skirts, and all the freedom that goes with the period of the twentieth century.” <

PORCHLESS HOMES Unprotected Entrances Not Desirable DESIGNS NOW BETTER Fashion some years ago sheared off the front porch, and that is one time when the whimsical goddess of the million adorers made a mistake, states an American trade journal. Those home builders who followed the fad, and built their homes square and bare to the street and the passersby are in many cases much disappointed in the results. In some cases these are almost disastrous. When the house faces the prevailing winds and storms of winter, this mistake of unprotected entrance is a serious one. The door opening immediately into the house lets in all sorts of damage and discomfort. Rain beats in floor coverings and leaks in, no matter how well weather-stripped the door may be; people entering the house bring wet overshoes and umbrellas directly from the street, since there is no place to leave them, and not a single step to take the “first impressions.” Wind and dust blow into and through the house the moment the door is open. Most expensive of all, the door itself wears out very rapidly under the stress of weather. Inhospitable Appearance.

Even in climes where the front door does not face such inclemency there is many an objection to the unprotected entrance, Perhaps the most powerful of these objections,' though it is the most intangible, is the inhospitable look of such an entrance. There is something warm and friendly and welcoming about a porch. People who have a porch open their doors widely and step right out to greet their guests. With an unprotected entrance the host must open his door as little as possible, and close it as quickly as possible. In light indoor clothing the hostess cannot step but to face the driving wind or rain, or even lighter breezes and dust. Visitors must stand exposed to weather until their ring is answered, while with the welcoming porch they are in out of the wet or wind while'they wait. From the standpoint of beauty there is much to be said for the protected entrance. There is a charm about a cool, pillared front porch that adds immeasurably to the attractiveness of the home. The long lines of the facade are broken into more agreeable proportions; the columns and roof add dignity and graciousness to an otherwise simple and unpretentious building. Has Led to Some Good.

But the fad for bare-faced construction has led to some good, as so many mistakes do, and the evil is not irremediable even in those houses which were built without 1 proper entrances. Architects and builders have had to find a way, and the result has been a decided improvement in design of small porches and protected entrances which may be built in front of those exposed doors. Many delightful effects have been originated with the sole purpose of covering up-that error in home design, and owners of houses built during the rage of porchless fronts will be more than pleased with the appearance of their homes when these ornamental and useful features are added.