UPHOLSTERY WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19676, 30 June 1927, Page 5

UPHOLSTERY WORK.

No sane man or woman would expect to fit a 6 x 9 canvas into a 4 x 8 frame with any hope of success—and yet we attempt a similar feat eveiy time we set out to cover the uncompromising forms of an armchair with a textile bought by j the yard and designed for some different j dimension. A subconscious sense of irritation every time we fold some vital portion of the design round the back or under the arms is a common and recurrent experience. Figures cut stupidly in half—flowers without their stems or stems without their flowers—set forth for our daily inspection a sight which is irritating and unsatisfactory. It is for this reason—and because we all instinctively enjoy perfection—that the work of upholstering is peculiarly satisfactory to anyone interested in the problems of house decoration. In designing for the decoration of an armchair the cover would first be cut, and that section of the decoration suit able to eacli portion subsequently applied by the dyeing process. Thus, should the solid back of the chair feature, for instance, an elaborate scene of conventionalised fish interspersed with marine fauna and flora, it is probable that no fish would appear on the arms or seat, but rather a lighter rendering of some of the less definite " motifs " to be found in the centre of the design. There are no "repeats," which is particularly restful to the eye and boredom is obviated Both the character and t.he colour scheme of the room in which designs are to bv» used are considered—also the psychology of patrons. The colours are generally subdued, and tend toward floral architectural forms in design.