LEADING ATTRACTION AT THE NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

Evening Star, Issue 13000, 20 December 1906, Page 2

LEADING ATTRACTION AT THE NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

t GREAT CHTvISTCHUECH rS'DUSTRY. CitEisToruricn GosnEsrcrxnsjcr.] .gnigcent display of modem houscuture made by the well-known V. Strange and Co., Limited, at l's Fair at Christchurch is attractli attention, and " winning golden from all sorts of people-'' 'This is ising, because not only is this by away the lines! furniture exhibit a Exhibition walls, hut the largest f any sort made by any private New "Zealand at this it-ally great eautiiu! display of furniture, oceommandii:g position on the east o main avenue, and within a 6hon of the principal entrance to the Lbibil is divided into sis spacious ts, all in a row, and they coin--11, which is. a. faithful reproduction i English haiL, carries one's irnback to the days of long ago, i are covered with deep red leathej. :h harmonises beautifully with the : furniture. The hall stand is a specimen of carving, the design xUcnlarly rich, and representing as and leaves. Tne floor is pol. c, with carpet centre. The drawing room is famished in the grarwfnl Louis XV. manner. Nothing more aytisiio could well be imagined than the appfTtrance presented by this very charming Boom. Tho walls are hung with exquisite palo-hhie tapestry, the panels having- rococo comers, tho dividing pilasters being ivory -white and the color scheme throughout white, pala blue. and tilv<.r. Tho very beautiful suite resembles pe fished ivory in appearance, and id upholstered in pale-bine jolli. Tho Insurious tw-ty corner, the- exquisitely modelled china cabinet, and the table "and palm stands are in mahogany and polished rosewood. This delightful room is divided by an openwork gr:l!e, which might also bo of polished ivory, so cksely docs it resemble the latter. Curtains of palest blue cashmere fall in graceful folds from the grille en either side. A piano en suite was to have been a feature of this room, and a white anil silver instrument was accordingly ordereJ from England, bat rke firm asked to supply this piano sent to say that white and gold—not white and silver, as specially ordered—iras the correct thing for Louis XV. furniture. The crder was then placed in Germarry, and the instrument duly &]:ipi>ed from the manufacturers to Knghnd en route for Christchurch : but there appears to havo been a fatality in comiecMou with thai piano, for it was destroyed by liio while oa its way to London, ixmsequontly the Suite is without a p ; ;mo. ISut such are the other attractions of the apartment that the IJa&esco of the instrument- is hardly noticed. ■" The dining room, with its "quaint age" furniture, is another attractive apartment, and an inspection of this furmlnro will satisfy you that there is something new under the sun aiter all, because these queerlooking chairs ;ind tables', etc.. are of a decidedly novel design. The furniture is in famed oak. the euler scheme of llie i\x>m being a vivid crimson. Tiw chairs arc high-backed, and. the backs ai-c strapped ■with bright red morocco, the bein? ■upholstered in soolimi-wax red leather. The mantelpieco quite a curiosity, for the jambs are made to pull dowji and then form seats, producing an inde3cribably eosy effeet. The sideboard and dinner waggon ar« as quaint in arjpearance as the rest of tie furniture, the former being titted witii lead-light doors, iu accordance with the fashion now coining in. The leprodcctioit of an old Dutch bedroom, with its quaint, solid, fumed cdi waxed farnitnrc and it> preicy color sc:hemo of apple green and heliotrope Is another interesting feature of this exhibit. Tho Continental idea of twin heJstcads. side by side, is illustrated in this room. Tho wardrobe, dnehess chest, v.-ashstsnd, an<i manteJpiece are fitted with lead-light doors of cathedral gkuss. The wardrobe has what is known as a recessed front, with a s<.'.!t upholstered in leather. The whole of the ftrrniture is suggestive of DmVh. sto'iditv and solidity. It is greatly admired. Tho Sheraton bedroom, wi:h its trulv sujexb suite in mahogany, inlaid with riSbo;:like length* of satin* and tulip wood, at onca arrests attention. So beautiful and so highly finished is this furniture that Exhibition visitors, who arc never tired of inspecting it, absolutely refuse in _ many casej to believe thai it _ is_ of local and yet :;, is a fact beyond question tiat this eiqrc£ito furniture w;us, like all tte rest of tho exhibit, actuallv manufactured by W. Strange and Co. at tlseir own factory, situate -vt-ithin a shori w.-Jk. of the Exhibition building. This fttrniiure it a. faithful reprodnctioii of the Kiie-oton mtki" ' The wardrot-o haa what is cilled a, " b«>Us.-d front," and is fitted with a icccss and kit cupboarrL llie color teheme ot the. room is pale blue and pale pink, and tho i-lfoci. produced is charming. Tho last of tho series of a cart men ts is a dining room in the Italian IU-naisKuico ■tyle, the furniture being of solid v/alnut. richly carved, and upholstered in morocco' The color scheme is apple green, and tho .suite includes a massive sideboard, a ve-v handsome dinner wacgon, and a' carvin"' tabla and dining table. Thp mantelpiece and overmantel are of workman- ! - ship.

To those contemplating furnishing, this really fine display of furniture aifurds a : series of object lessons of the. utmost interest and value. This is no ogeneous collection of art idee such as ;uiv show room presents. Here you have 'a arow of apartn*ents, each arid 'a:! of them appropriately furnished and t;:u-d up p rc _ •cisely as they are in a refined and iiufly-appointed home-. And be it, rein<sm-t-bered that every bit of this furniture '«very stick of it—was made here in Christ--cfanch at Stracge's osrii furniture, factory, opposite tho Christchrrrch railway station.' Only a few yeais have elapued "since Av"". Strang© and Co. embarked in the furninrro manufacturing trade, but already tins branch of their budineas has developed into an. important industry, employing" cu army of operatives, for tho famo of their femrcure extends far beyond the- tontines ■of Christcbureh or of "Canterbury, and Strango and Co. are constantly executin" commisaons to furnish private dwellings! .hotels, and so forth in ail parts of tho colony. Indeed, so fiourisidng is this inihistry that it promises to make Christcburch as famous for f urnirirre us Burton is far beer, Coventry for bicycles. Staffordshire for crockery, or Ireland for linens. and tho&o who arc most- competent- to judgedeclare that Strangi-'s furniLare is in everv ■way folly equal to tho very best imported." ft may bu added that tho tino suites of apartments provided within tho Exhibition main building for the use of His Excellency the Governor and Sir Joseph Ward respectively were furnished by Strange and Co., and. while, they charm all who are privileged to sec them, so beautifully are they appointed, they have Isecu the subject pi eulogistic comment by both Lady Piunfaet and Lady Ward. Tho reception room allotted to Sir John Gorst, the British Commissioner at tho Exhibition, and tho apartments devoted to the usa of Mr 0. S. Jlnnro, general manager of th<3 greii Fair, were also furnislied and fitted u[t by W. Strango and Co.. and tho work has been executed in each instance with tho i-atiie tastcfuiaess and effect so noticeable in. the specimen tochls furnisbtd by u.-nj at the Exhibition, and irhich have already been described in de- ■ tail above. It may possibly bo of eomo general interest to stat-?, in conclusion, that the same enterprising firm hzs just completed probably the largest furnishing contract as yet entrusted to a sing'.o house in this colony. We refer to the tarnishing of tho Grand Hotel at Wellington. The contract price HUJ into many thousands of pounds, and sojourners in the Kmpire City have only to gay a visit to tho Grand to see what fcrange and Co. e;;a do in the way of fnrjrisbing a great hostelry of the very btret ,-tvge as it- ou/bi a be liimbiiod.