The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-03
COSTLY HARDWOOD FLOORS.
RARE MATERIALS USED IN THEIR
CONSTRUCTION.

and South America secured Tor
Their Most beautiful Prodacts--.
Floors That Cost Fortunes Some
Examples Of the Present Fashions.
Away back In the early days OF New
York a pioneer Dutch landowner was CON
tent With floor Of solid earth or redeemed
bricks In his dwelling, but to-day his de-
scendants, for whom he accumulated money,
literally tread under foot more wealth than
he possessed In a lifetime, 50 costly and
magnificent are the polished woods with
which their floors are laid.
Begun with an idea OF sanitation and an
appreciation OF their durable qualities, the
fad tor hardwood floors has grown to such
an extent that no well-built house is with
out them to-day, while the .gorgeousncss
one laid in vermilion wood, said to lie the
most expensive imported, whose v.v.d
natural scarlet Ia eLtuated by high
polish and by a border OF peacock LlLe.
The latter color is obtained Ivy staining.
magnificent without being slariIg.
Costly as 1t is, there are nearly thirty
other varieties of fashionable wood for
flooring. as expensive as tLey are leauti-
full, and all used in floors Of widely tiier--
ont character from the strongly oontrasteid
Ioteoi 10 III SSoA. o. oAHtCPy
recently lost their prestige in New York
and that contained hundreds OF pieces to
the square foot and cost many thousands
OF dollars.
Even floors Of Oriental pattern, laid in
rooms furnished in 0 'iental style. do not
have any staining In the superb color com;
btnattons. In working out rich o !ehtal
designs. all the red, pink, green, gold and
lovely brown and cream colors are pro-
duoed In woods of natural color.
~ H. Al r. -. i. H. L. - vtrA
tones. in effects produced by the streaks
and shades OF color OF single wood, the
somewhat less expensive and useful oak
1oors. In fine parquetry Of light shades OF
one tone. such as have lately been laid in
ne White Horss are very Po Ia1 or Eyer ,s.
extravaganza Of a floor OF the superb tiger
wood. product OF Aric1, which enbodies
the gold and brown .colors. mottlsd appear
snoe and satiny gloss OF q tigers skin.
There is rage for this wood among wealthy
ling purposes. which it's magnificent lights
and shadows. soft 90 satin and radiant as
FURNISHED metal. fully Justify.
In conformity with the style OF having
floors to harmonizs with their surroundings
tints: the rich-hued Ciroa ssian walnut, from
the shores Of the Black Sea; golden ebony,
shining ruby and bronze-red mohagua;
courbari, with stripes Of reddish gold; satin
wood white mahogany. with its sharply
defined pale-brown streaks and its hisi "
gold stripes CLEAN softly under gliding feet,
and many another product Of the East and
West Indies. Of Africa, the Sandwich Islands.
South America and other distant lands.
white CHARTERED oak from Indiana-which
last is rapidly decreasing in quantity and
increasing In vAlue-nearly all the fashion,
able varieties Of wood come from abroad:
The forests OF the world have been secured
for their most beautiful products.
Through Holland comes the lakewood,
greatly priced for fine flooring because
81 the natural oil which preserves the wood
and adds to Its value, and this combined
with rosewood decorations Is very. popular
New York regiment had q hoor. laid for
Company with rosewood design In tho
corner decorated with . large bee made
q many small pieces Of lockwood. in rich.
dark shadss.
Generally speaking, the most handsome
eoors to-day arc without ornamental bor-
ders. and the hne oak floors seldom have
oven fancy edges. Tho corners are mitred
or ,t.d into sia, dsmondshsped pie9e Of
In replica the design Of the floor.
Some people order richly ornamented
borders Tor rooms OF certain characters.
Or borders In which the ornamental design
E scarcely ,perceptible. Floor designs are
with the grain or natural streaks Of the
wood reversed, although the single-oolor !
,cheme is carefully preserved, and pieces |
IRE 50 set together that they have the APP !
pesTanGe Of CUBES and d, blocks built t, upon
,peotive to the floor. as Of reflections seen |
n still. shining water.
The exquisite hairike st reaks In beau
',ful wood from Cuba, showing shades Of
light green with white in a very hard and
me grained wood, are particularly popular
n modern floor making, but in expensive
woods nothing else Is so much used for !
ioors In the houses Of the very rich as the |
isry tigerwood and the white mahogany.
The latter is not white at all but is Of a
81 varying widths, Of light shades Of brown
70 clearly marked that brown and cream
appear separate pieces Of wood. This is
,ne Ut the most fashionable woods In the
market for fine cabinet making, especially /
or bedroom and boudoir furniture; while
rooms Of state.
One Of the fads Of. tho hour--and one Of
'uch IN enduring character that it Is likely !
% reHnsin fad for Q long time to come
. Tor Old Dutch Aoors in halls and smoking
looms. made Of rosewood with small inlaid
wedges or ornaments Of darker wood at
wids Intervals. Sometimes the dark wood
. laid u . narrow border around squares
II the otheF wood.
Some Of the richest parquetrv hoors In
arb ack a. twenty-five yesrs ago. and it is
! curious tact that these handsome and
,cAtly doors are not duplicated In style
|nywAere To- day. Tho fancy for contrasted
norc artistic fashions Of the present.
Another Interesting tact In regard to the
aging Of doors 10 expensive hardwcods
. j: tn personal interest displayed Ia the
.onasS Of o.ties Of fhe South and West
md thu Indifference displayed by New
Rorissre. TIE latter want the beet and
most BEAUTIFUL pArquetry that money can
Wy, but they Leave the selection OF II 70 tbs
Z THAR honaes. except In rare oases. ard
10 not bother ~ to whether the parquetry
} vsnsered, groovsd or lsid on q cloth
oundatioa and rolled up like . carpet.
MN "A . rh,,sfv,v ~ the "a ~ vrsoda 0ath~red |