The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1921-10-28

this paper. Answers will be printed
SO that others having the same prob
lem may be helped.
sssess
DESIGN VERSUS DECORATION
In studying the history Of art and
architecture. We find tha; the mast
erpietes and buildings which .have
stood the test Of time are those which
have had good structural qualities,
BY structural We mean, III build
ing, that the formation Of the cen
posite parts Is Sc planned and ~;
together As q conform to s u0ifyinc
whole which will stand the test +
use As well As good proportion. For
instance. in the leg II sea5s. rs
grain must rau Stra3Ea: :5s: fre1
the top of The ,eg &c the l>at5c.as. Ii
curved lines are used. tf2ey Shoa3d e
designed - tha; re >s.res MI Dc
sufficiently restricted - Il include ,
straight line thra ne centre where
the grain Of the wood may run. In
some of the French furniture this is
not true. thus making the furniture
impractical for use. plus a poor de-
sign. The wood Will break in the
grain. where the excess curve is
made. This must be avoided in all
well designed furniture in order to
make it structural This general prin-
eiple Applies TO all furniture and
buildings.
When this principle is followed the
design is generally good, and further
establishment may be considered.
The Importance of the foregoing
principle is to ensure a good funda-
menta design. As has been stated
before. Create your foundation well
and the minor details will take care
Of themselves.
So we see that if the fundamental
principle of the design is good in
that it follows the necessary laws of
structure and gravity, that our pro-
duet will stand the test of use
We may then go further in the
artistic structure. identifying the
lines made necessary by construction
and proceed to decorate the finished
product. Decoration is the application
of varying motives in the form of
design to any object in question, and
has nothing to do. with the principles
of the construction of the object it
self. 1t must follow certain laws OF
design and the structural lines of
the object to be ornamented. So many
people confuse design" and decor
alton" or Recommendation.
In every historical period of furn-
iture and building. we find time
when the structural design is good
and the applied decoration is good
only when it plays secondary part
But as the decadent influences show
their effect on the mode of living
and weakened capabilities of the peo-
pie, we find an over abundance of
decoration. The poorness of the de-
sign is covered by the use of motives
not structurally necessary, in an at
tempt to mitigate the weakness of
the work of art whether building
or a piece of furniture. This is true
in the Renaissance Period and in the
period OF Louis XIV in France. And,
alas, we find it true of the period of
American design following the Col
onial Period. In England and here
it is called the Victorian Period but
it has unfortunately extended 10 to-
day Most of our Colonial furniture
has good structural qualities very
sample in line, wei | proportional,
with little eXtraneous ornamentation.
The reaction from this simplicity
brot the use of black walnut and yell
low oak with their attendant evils.
Furniture was made with all the pos
sible gew-gaws and gingerbread at
tachments that the human mind
could conceive. "What-nots" were
made; little pieces of fret work with
useless mirrors in them, bulges
where here should have been gentle
curves. and decoration in the form of
knobs and carving which succeeded
only in adding to the already ugly
atrocity, This same terror descended
upon houses, resulting in turrets,
cupolas and fretwork. Fortunately
we are today beginning to see the
ugIiness of these things in all their
sham and fake beauty, and to appre-
ciate the structural simplicity of the
earlier Colonial design.
This same principles applies to cur
tains. Curtains have two purposes
to beautify the room and to insure
privacy, The curtains near the glass.
whether roller shades Or hanging
material, fulfill the function of Sc
curing privacy The overdraperies are
used to add to the decoration of the
room. In planning the over draperies
We must consider the size of the
room and the size of the window, 50
that we may accentuate whatever
feature is desired. By changing the
proportion of the curtains we may
vary the proportion of the room,-
that is, make it seem higher or lower
( NTCHTE TIE DDTA7