Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1869-06-26
pI>I>G.ROon DECORATION

wreopy the following from late number of
the LONDON bHiiiHg Nous, winch journal -
publishing weI!-cOusIder1d series Of papers
upon furniture and kindred subjects.
The woods most generally III Use for dining
room furniture are oak and mahogany, and
We can name no others equally suitable.
Where yIgIt economy mas 10 be studied, deal
may OF course b. used. and 1t should In such
cases either be French polished stained ana
varnIsh-d. OF painted IN almost dead color. /;
PEN re adopted, Indian rel, brIgh,en-d with
? iIttle veTmIiIOD- perhaps the best pigment 10
use. the article being relieved, II necessary, by
a few iire> Of black or gold. But for the ma
ICrity of dIning-rooms we prefer good wainScOc
furniture u every thing else. There Is quiet
strength and a look OF hospitality about ne
wood which - surpassed by none tina, W. ela
call 70 mind. There exists, indeed, a finer tone
Of color, and consequently a warmer aud
more handsome appearance, about Sp4nIsl
mahogany. but the wood is OF mu h less
general applicability Than oak.
"CaIe should De taken never 10 overload
Clnug-TOCm with furniture. A dining taOle
win IL foil complement of chairs, a side
board or bgrst, and one or mere dining
wagons, form, as a rule, every thng that
can b. required CaTt-ttDies, wTItIng-laDleS,
sofas, ana whatnO.>. are not only out OF place,
but Often impede the free passage OF the d )mes-
tic shout the table, AID so detract from
til efheI-ncy O: The service. Looking glasses
ars aIue.rs inst many persons can never be
Uent. but they seem siEguIariy inappropriate
~ a dInIng-rOon- except when used at the
backs of sidebOards- In such q position they
C,splay OF pla-e, china, ami similar articles.
and thus The sIdeOOaTd becomes the chief and
legitimate means OF decoration In the room.
French l. les durable than oil polish par
ulaTly where the surface is liable 10 becOm
t-ated-fOr The tops OF dinIug-ta5les Il Is uss
Us. The great distinction, however, 10 b
BlInr an mind for prtcIcal purposes Is this
hll OILS resins. yaTnsGeS, etc, gFadUally
Squire a deeper tone by the Pro cess Of OKLA
tCE and consequent hardening. When an
article Il oiled cor hand polished, a Il j. fire.
,U-ntly t-Tm-d,l The great length of time over
which tn process extends allows very 4uuC b
larger d-gree OF oxidation than would DC her
wise the case, and the wood becOm pro-
purtIOna'ely deepeRed IN color cor, IN reality,
OISCOlOTedJ Woods whicA are normally DARK,
such IS mahogany and s-wOOd, thus BE- zone
E-arly 0!ack IA The course Of years, especIaiIy
II The mOuitIuEs and carved portions, where
n Is impossible 10 avoid leaving an excess OF
lnseed-Oil, v,aIch chOkes up the interstices.
Articles, on the contrary, which are French
IOlISh'd deepen uniformly and 10 much
smaller eXteLt. though quite sufficiently 10
give 10 tie wood in the course OF time a rich
std mellow appearance In deciding as 10
y EiCh process 70 adopt, We should therefore b.
guided ~ the soTm and surface OF the piece OF
furniture u b. polished, a well Is by tine efiec.
- hIth - intended eventually 10 De- produced,
empty guarding against thu shameful, hut not
WY unusual. practice IN French polishing OF
C-epenIng th- natural color OF the wood.
-t.aECga thus tTea-ed l. ruined, and 10 would
h Ear better a. once 10 resign ourselves to ;hr
ChsspeT method OF staInIng and vanishing.
There Is another undesirable custom lespacIal-
E-IuE~f known "a waxing or half-pOIIshlng,
lie OBJECT beng 10 avOid the bTIlliancy Of
C,npl-'r polish. By this means, however, the
pores OF 'ha grain AZ very incOmpleteiy filled.
and the wood soon begins TO LOOK dirty. or. IL
euoUI%-d, 70 look gay. l. l. far 0-'tsr, though a
a. IT, more expensive, 10 thoroughly polish he
surface, and then 10 remove the gloss by means
q; little sPIrit, which any pOlisher can do.
Il; only remains for now 10 treat of the
cove Ing OF The chairs, VI Ick may be dismissed
lL 4 few v ord<. Whatever material we en-
Hoy. II must be one which is cool 10 the feel
! ~ old story OF the French gourmet, whose
appetite At an English dinner had suddenly
. ven way under the UnaccuStomsd burden
q; turtle, aud whe was compelled 10 request
Tie favor of a cold chair IN order 10 do JUS
ice 10 the 4rtClaus, Is, after all, not so very
frr-fetChrd. IL there be- one thing more pro-
CuctINe Of discomfort AT the dinner-tabIe than
smother, II II a yelyet-cOvering seat. There
TO material more suitable for the covering OF
oInnin-room chairs than leather, but there Is
another. little inferior 10 IL, which has. sim
EutaTly enough, gone out of fashion-nameiy.
halT-seatIng. Formerly mahogany chairs were
almost Invariably covered with the material
made OF blsCk hOrsr-hair. The effect was ex-
S-ilent and nothing was so durable In France
. the present time. the material is not only
made in patterns, but Of various cOlors, and
We would strongly urge its general employ
nent IN this country.