New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-10-11
What to Consider
in Buying Furniture

beautiful grain were merely veneered with
a thin layer OF mahogany glued to &
backing Of soft wood.
Wood veneer should not be looked On
as sham. since II Is used for the pur.
pose of preventing large panels Of WOOD
from varying; table tops, door panels ana
the like would warp out OF all usefulnese
unless they were built UP OF two or NOR
layers OF wood running in different direo.
lions and glued together. 80 that the ten
dency OF one large layer of wood to shrink
In one direction is overcome by the ten.
dency OF another layer to remain frm ID
that direction and to shrink in the op-
posite direction. =
Walnut furniture will never be val.
liable as a style for the reason that Il
represents period Of poor design. Wal.
nut Is in itself beautiful wood. glowins
in color and fine in grain. but the sert a
growing. piercing. carving and mouldins,
to which It was subjected largely robbed
It Of Its natural charm. Many pieces wers
too ponderous to be easily moved about.
Simple designs In walnut, similar TO CO.
lonial pieces, would be beautiful and val.
liable, but even mahogany worked into
ornate designs as was walnut would b.
artistically valueless. A few OF the plain.
er pieces OF walnut are good in design ana
therefore permanent In worth. +
''Oak. as well az walnut, has been great.
ly abused in the manufacture Of fusni.
ture. Oak pieces are usually heavier IN
structure than are mahogany pieces. be-
cause OF the bold, vigorous grain Of the
wood. OF all styles Of furniture. the
golden oak. or vanished natural oak OF
fifteen or twenty years ago. was probably
the tawdriest and the most instncsre ever
manufactured. There were sevarsf rsa-
sons for this, chief among which was che
perfection Of machinery that could pse.
duce with great ease all sorts Of mschans
ical curves. carvings and so-callsd decor.
atoms In this way furniture makers es-
cams childishly involved Ia producing
monstrositiss, instead OF using the ma
chinsry a. tool for tho larger produoksou
of normal, durable furniture at less cot
than was required for handmade prsds
ucts. i
Stamped hscorst1or- OF peop aoGftsrns
machine carving glued to pamela scroll
work brackets and Bonded arms ending IN
animal heads, all these distortions havs
been applied to furniture in the name Of
decoration. But all in vain 10 the name
for decoration means enhancement A
chair or table of plain structure With
straight edges, has at least the dignity Of
being genuine. II the general form 10 to
be softened or refined, human being.
not machine, must have me uppsr@iand.
The attempt to beautify must 10 an en-
spiration. not a nightmare.
THE idea giving rise to mission elrni-
ture was a more serious one. Weary OF
sham, shine and ignoble forms. the pub
lio was ready to accept any sort Of furni.
ture that appeared plain and genuina
Many of the mission pieces are clumsy
crude. uncomfortable and weak In the
Joints In spite OF their solid appearance
and the wood has In many cases been
stained so dark as to kill the grain: yet
this wave of mission design has given
modern furniture a trend In the right d..
rection. AS result there may now b
found on the market durable and appro.
pr,ate furniture that compares favoTably
with Colonial work In the solidity OF its
construction ana in the refinemsnt % ita
form and finish.