THE REGENCY VOGUE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20077, 6 April 1935, Page 11

THE REGENCY VOGUE

Regency rooms, with their curiouslyattractive colouring, the faded roseleaf shades, the quiet turquoise-blues against vellum-coloured and old ivorytinted backgrounds, have revived a vogue that will appeal to women with artistic taste as well as artists, both the professional and the amateur—that of painted furniture and furnishings, states a writer in the “Daily Telegraph.”

These painted pieces which are being introduced possess all the excellent qualities of modern design and craftsmanship. The lines are clear cut, the colour schemes cleverly contrasted with due regard to the requirements of modernised homes. And they are a refereshing contrast to the severity of steel and other furnishings of the cubist type.

Screens for the summer fireplace, tables, trays, and lampshades are decorated with very modern and beauti-fully-painted realistic flowers in Regency colours. There are some lovely wall mirrors in which painting is used as part of the decoration, while the use of decorative woods and painted panels shows the trend towards artistic beauty in present-day furnishings. One of the newest aspects of the painted vogue in room decoration is the revival of wrought ironwork treated in a highly-modern manner. This is an English industry with great traditions and it is fascinating to trace the evolution of the wrought-iron brackets of country inn sineboards to the modernistic electric standard lamps, wall light brackets, duchesse tables, flower consoles, and other articles of furniture designed in this medium for modern rooms. Apart from the lovely curves, the slender lines and the always-decorative effect of this work, the secret of its effect in modern settings is that the iron is coloured by painting it a deep parchment tint or a “distressed” white, or a quiet Regency blue or green on the under surface. It is these subtle touches of colour against the lighter tones that are so charming. The colour can be chosen to accord with or bring out the colour scheme of carpet or walls. It can also be carried on in the lining to lamp shades of parchment or vellum when the wrought iron takes the form of standards or wall lights. There are hanging “flat-on” ceilings pendants which are specially suited to the simple setting of the modern hall.

Much of the work is used in conjunction with coloured glass and mirror. Table lamp standards in parch-ment-tinted wrought iron are fitted with glass pendants that can be chosen to accent a specially beautiful patch of colour, in a Persian rug, for instance. When in these low standards the iron work is left in its original antique state, coloured glass is chosen to correspond, and smoke amber pendants are used on the three flat branches each side. The whole effect is kept low in this type of standard, the pendants being about the size an dshape of small laurel leaves. Peach mirror, which has a subtle peach tone in the glass, is used for table tops with painted wrought-iron stands. This type of glass is chosen when a special colour scheme is contemplated. A floor flower-holder in wrought iron and mirror-glass is another attractive idea. The iron is used as a decoration on the mirror at the sides of the table in which the flowers.

when arranged, are reflected as they hang over. In a dressing-table topped with sea-green cast glass, which has a raised stippled effect, although quite smooth on the surface, the wrought iron stand, in a very beautiful design, is oxidised to a silver shade, toning with the glass top.