Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-05-26
Colonial Furniture.
CTribune)


The new Colonial furniture for country
houses combines the semi-classic white
wainscoating and other finishing OF anu
Revolutionary days with the mahogany
furniture that came into special vogue az
the beginning of this century. There Is
also a tendency 10 use oak stained 10 mn
tate old Dutch oak In rooms htted out
with wainscoating, wall-cabinets' ana
other fixtures in white enamel TINS
black oak Is made into quaint chests OF
drawers. racks 20 hold old delft-plates'
and other pieces copied from furniture
which Holland danes brought over 10
New Amsterdam in those primitive days
when mahogany was unknown TO the tuf-
niture-maker. ,
The prettiest cabinets and sldeboards
for country dining-rooms are those OF
white-enamel. decorated in dent piue'
with wind. mills and other Dutch designs.
The sldeboard is usually a spindle-iesged
Sheraton or Heppalwhite design win
curving frCnt. The newest sideboards are
finished with small glass doors on an
sides. marked out In diamonds by narrow
strips OF enameled wood There are also
many picturesque little desks in white
and blue, with slender, curVlng legs
These are graceful enough 10 occupy
place in the summer parlor or my luuy
boudoir. Generous-siZed, old-fashloned
| delft landscapes, may be purchased for
I2 and pretty little eighteenth-century
rockers OF mahogany, decorated WIN
! q hit Of old Dutch marquetry, are the
same price. The quaint, tall, spindle
| backed chairs known as Nantucket chalIs
| are especially picturesque In white de-
corated with a struggling pattern OF
| Scotch larch in blue. There are also cor
| ner chairs and graceful little Chippen-
! in, xf-hf
| make appropriate furniture for country
! drawing-rooms. These pieces are uphol-
| stored in Morris tap stries. In blue or
with denim, which Is more popular than
! ever in artistic upholstery.
Perhaps the most desirable furniture for
| a summer room is the English reed or
wicker furniture, which is so durable and
light. This is found in sQuare-armad
settees, with deep seats. arm-chairs or
various sizes and shapes, and tables and
| other pieces. The natural color OF the
| willow is concealed under a coat OF green
or of cream enamel. and Liberty vel
| vets" in dull rich colors are used for up
holstery. The high-backed Dickens-chairs
! with winged SIDES. are shown In reed,
| and are upholstered with figured velvet
in duh artistic colors One Of the ad-
| vantages Of this furniture in summer is
that the cushions are finished OF with lin
inCs Of London velveteens, so that
they can be removed and thoroughly
shaken and freed from dust. Even the
cushions at the backs Of the sofa and
chairs are merely tackled in place by but
tons
White settees are shown for country
halls, upholstered with liberty velours IN
olive shades. They have the straight back
and square arms Of the old settees Of
black oak, used in Dutch houses Of the
seventeenth century. While an abundance
of white furniture Is used in the coun-
try, the dlnlng-room furniture is usually
| of mahogany. The newest dining-room
chairs for general use are high, rib
on-backed Colonial shape. The arm-chairs
used at the foot and head Of the
table may represent an example OF old
Southwick, Chelsea, rocco, or some his
toric make. There are many small pieces
which may be introduced In white o.
; blue. and white. in the country dining
room. Plate-racks are usually OF this
enamelled wood. They are fat fixtures.
which are hung against the wall and
serve to hold plates intended for decora-
tive use. Pipe-racks made after the
fashion OF old-time gun-racks are in blue
and white. decorated with delft tiles. nnd
are pretty enough to be tolerated in a
cottage dining-room. as there is usually
no room specially designed for smokers N
these small houses.