Southwest Interior Designs

southwest interior designspage 76 of 107

thought into all the intimacies of domestic life. The fad of furnishing
different rooms in different periods of art, and in the fashion of
nations and peoples whose lives are totally dissimilar, may easily be
carried too far, and the spirit of home, and even of beauty, be lost. Of
course this applies to small, and not to grand houses, which are always
exceptions to the purely domestic idea.

There are many reasons why one should be in sympathy with what is called
the "colonial craze"; not only because colonial days are a part of our
history, but because colonial furniture and decorations were derived
directly from the best period of English art. Its original designers
were masters who made standards in architectural and pictorial as well
as household art. The Adams brothers, to whom many of the best forms of
the period are referable, were great architects as well as great
designers. Even so distinguished a painter as Hogarth delighted in
composing symmetrical forms for furniture, and preached persistently the
beauty of curved instead of rectangular lines. It was, in fact, a period
in which superior minds expressed themselves in material forms, when
Flaxman, Wedgwood, Chippendale and many others of their day, true
artists in form, wrote their thoughts in wood, stone, and pottery, and
bequeathed them to future ages. Certainly the work of such minds in such
company must outlast mere mechanical efforts. It is interesting to note,
that many of the Chippendale chairs keep in their under construction the
square and simple forms of a much earlier period, while the upper part,
the back, and seats are carved into curves and floriated designs. One
cannot help wondering whether this square solidity was simply a
reminiscence or persistence of earlier forms, or a conscious return to

76 of 107 pages. Go to page:

 

Go to Secrets of Home Decorating Book home page

Related Articles

Break On Into The Home Decorating Secrets
Articles on how to start redecorating your home.

Home Decorating Ideas
A source of information on home decorating. Choosing the best decorating articles is easy on the Internet.