PARISIANS FAVOUR PAINTED FURNITURE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 81, 29 December 1937, Page 5

PARISIANS FAVOUR PAINTED FURNITURE

The big shops in Paris are full of furniture of plain wood which is not ruinously expensive, but, on the coutrary, a good deal cheaper than that which is polished or paihted. Not only kitchen or bedroom but diningroom fur niture is made of cheap wood in good shapes, and the re'st is left to the ingenuity of the buyer. Furniture is nowadays so light-coloured that much of the old polish or stain looks out of date. Neverthelers the plain surface of the wood is not always practical, and it soon begins to loolc shabby. The plain, cheap wood , furniture, which is otherwise confined mostly to the kitchen, is a method of dealing with high prices in France. It is the ra for the buyer to paint as he pleases. Some furniture is painted in a plain grisaille or rather warm tone. Otlxer hinds have a beige or ivory base with the panelling or other feature outlined in Nattier blue or in green or yellow. On the other hand, gay furniture is liked and there are efforts in bright yellows, reds, and blues which are also pretty. It dejiends on whether the furniture is wanted for the country or for the town. Here and there some sort of coloured design is introduced upon a neutral background. The painting to some extent follows the plan of woodwork stools or chair seats — a great deal of background with a little spot of bright colour. Ohairs with solid backs, for instance, look charming painted a bright green or stone colour and having a little flower-like cluster of bright colour in the middle. The advantage of painting one's own furniture is that it can always be renewed easily and need never look sbabby.