New Sideboards

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 273, 8 February 1928, Page 7

New Sideboards

BEAUTY AND SIMPLICITY Present Day Tendency THE tendency in all modern furniture is toward greater simplicity and thus, by eliminating unnecessary detail work towards the evolution of a more practical, dignified, and beautiful style. This tendency is particularly pronounced in the sideboard. The sideboard may be called the master-key of any furniture style, for it is simpler to recognise the symptoms of a new mode in this -piece than in any other.

"U'OR some time, our choice in sideboards has been virtually limited to anachronisms in so-called Jacobean oak; anachronisms because the sideboard. as we know it to-day, was not invented until the 18th century. It was invented by Thomas Shearer and was perfected by Thomas Sheraton and Thomas Chippendale. There is little doubt that many sideboards which are still in existence to-day and which are marked “T.S.”. were the work of Thomas Shearer and not, as has frequently been supposed, of Thomas Sheraton.

After the 18th century the sideboard went through many phases. It adopted classic features and massive solidity during the Empire period; it passed through its nightmare of travesty during the period of L’Art Nouveau; and it has just emerged from the Jacobean period. During this last phase it has been interesting to notice the gradual lowering of the back Ten years ago, sideboards had high backs, fitted with elaborately shaped mirrors.

Then backs became as low as six inches, without any mirror at all; while the new style of sideboards eliminates the back entirely.

The sideboard shown in tli’e photograph gives a very good idea of the latest developments of the sideboard. The only carving it posseses is a series of small incisions round the top edge of the frame and just above the two drawers. This is done to give a little touch of relief, but apart from this the

whole effect is obtained by the utterly simple lines and the use of beautifully grained woods. It is natural colour sycamore and is left “in the white.” Inlays of walnut in unusual shapes on the front of the two cupboards give a touch of distfiTction which decides the character of the whole piece. The quartering of veneers and matching them on a piece of furniture to give a definitely symmetrical appearance is brought to a fine art in these days. This is the device which has been adopted in this instance. These modern sideboards are perfectly simple. If it were not for mere touches of genius, they might even deserve the criticism of being bare. Such inspirations ?5 the use of little thin black lines round the feet of this sideboard, for instance, the slightly fluted edge of the frame, and the rounding-off cf the square legs, ail give that relief that is needed. The use of beautiful woods is the very life of these simple sideboards.

Apart from sycamore and French Ancona walnut, we see the use of amboyna wood, which comes from a West Indian tree, and has a bird’s-eye figure and a mellow golden-brown colour, zebrano wood, which has a black and white striped surface, and macassar ebony. Such beautiful woods as these would be spoiled by the application of varnish and French polish. They are left in their natural state and are merely hand-rubbed to give a slightly higher finish. Carving is practically eliminated from the latest designs in sideboards. All the panels are flush with the main body of the piece, and the only decorations are inlays of coloured woods. This is a great advantage from the housewife’s point of view’. Intricate carving means tedious dusting; inset panels have the same objection. Great time and labour is saved by the greater simplicity of the new sideboards. In some departments of the home we have been in danger of making our furuiture so labour-saving that it has become hard, uninteresting, and bar,p. This has not been the experience with the sideboard, since elimination of work-making features has also had the effect of making the pieces more beautiful and more Dignified.