The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-05
Outdoor Furniture

Garden furniture OF the mod,rn sort
looks well. is not expensive and will
stand hard usage.
1t is called garden furniture or lawn
furniture or porch furniture. just as
you please to designate II, for IL is
equally adaptable to garden. lawn OF
porch, or 1t can even be placed in
doors II your house Is a bungalow or
u summer cottage OF some other type
Tho chief characteristic of this fur
niture. It's ability to stand UP und.r
Their. qualities it pre-eminently for SER
vice out in the open, It Is perfectly
good on the cottage porch. but not
as good thore as reed, wicker, willow
or rattan, while there Is nothing bett
ter for use under tho trees or on tho
open stretches OF lawn. Neither sun
nor rain nor wind can harm It, and IL
fits in any landscape.
This out of door furniture Is either
portable on stationary. In the former
class there arc chairs and sattees OF
innumerable designs, tables. flower
stands, flower boxes, couohes, tabou-
rettes, Indian seats. lawn vases and
so on Among tho stationary furnish
without canopies: swing stands and
the swings themselves. summer houses,
perSolas. fences. bridges, arbors and
| gates. IT may be stretching IL trffie
| to call all these things furniture. but
that is the custom in the trade, and
| the stationary pieces are found side
| by side with the portable in the stores
| and in the catalogues.
Hickory Is one of the old staple
woods of the genuine rustic furniture.
Young hickory saplings are used for
the framework. II cut in the fall the
bark viii always adhere to the wood,
1t is declared. For tho backs and seats
OF chairs, scttees and swings. the tough
inner bark of the hickory Is cut into
4, long, thin stripe, which are closely
| woven in the familiar over and UNDER
pattern. This kind Of seating is tough
and durable, but elastic and comfor-
table. There Is no attempt to tamper
| with the natural beauty OF the wood
| or to polish up or improve upon thu
attractive surface of the bark.
| Red cedar IS another wood much
used for rustic furniture. The rather
| soft, long shaggy bark is left I'M
| touched, but much of it adheres to
| the wood so loosely that 1t must wear
away after a while. The cedar gem
orally selected is of tho variety with
a conspicuous red heart in tho centre
of the stick; showing in tho furniture
| where the ends arc rounded of on
| chair arms and backs
| What is said to he the root IF this
| Same red heart cedar tree Is used for
another style OF the garden furniture,
| but under the name or laurel wood.
1t is hard and gnarly, full of sharp
| curves and bulginE knots and In gem
| eral has r2lthcr uncomfortable look
| I'm the chair backs. There is on at
| tempt to use 1t for seats; hard smooth.
| Stats are used.
| Another attractive native wood for
| tho out of door furniture is birch In
| any of its common varieties. Pretty
! effects are produced by using two or
more varieties in tho same piece with
| one kind for the general framework
and anothr for the upright Stats OF
! n settee, for instance.
| There Is still one more style OF
garden furniture not quite so rustic
perhaps, but equally suitable .or many
| country places, especially those laid
out on formal lines. 1t is of cypress
| sawed and planed down into conven-
| tional forms and painted II has n
style all it's own. with littlo attempt
at ornamcntation, but with graceful
| outlines and well calculated proper
| tons
None OF the garden or lawn fur
| niture is upholstered, but cushions for
| chairs, settees and swings can be made
| with some Of the many sunrast fabrics
| now to be had in a great variety OF
| colorings and designs.
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