Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/700

562 . Tlie Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal. [Mar., The material is black walnut. Some architects are in the habit of inserting light-colored woods in their mouldings, and sometimes have the panels bird-eye maple, butternut, yellow pine, &c, when the door is walnut, rosewood, or mahogany, making a bright contrast. This practice must, of course, be con- trolled by the taste of the client, unless such matter be left in the hands of the architect, to use his own discretion ; and where there is a confidence in his ability and taste, as displayed in other like de- signs, the client will, most likely, adopt the architect's judgment, especially if not varying much from his own. We have seen very rich effects produced by this intermingling of various woods, which obtains especially in the first- class residences of New York. For our part, we prefer the darker woods. With walnut, we would introduce a slight mixture of ebony, if treated with care, and properly distributed through the smaller members of the mouldings ; and studs should be subor- dinate, and only used to such extent as to form a pleasing contrast with the tone of walnut, rosewood, or mahogany. Some architects are fond of using carved mouldings, such as ovae and foliations. We admit that rich effect is the conse- quence ; but, does this display of elabor- ated design repay the extra outlay ? and again, is such display in good accord with the structure it is intended to adorn ? The difficulty of keeping minute carv- ing free from the accretion of dust, is not the least objection to its use. And when we look at the beauty attained in straight or curved lines, in mouldings whose sections display true taste, we cannot endorse the idea of clothing them in meaningless foliage, &c. Exuberance of ornament was a fault with architects of a bygone day, which we hope our professional brethren will be cautious to avoid, ever bearing in mind the quaint, yet excellent maxim, " Beauty unadorned, is adorned the most." Whilst preparing the foregoing paper, we were favored with the following let- ter from a valued contributor : Philadelphia, Jan. 18, 1869. Editor "Architectural Review," Dear Sir : I have so frequently been struck with the excessively bad taste displa3'ed by those, from whom good taste might be expected, as an inherent quality, with regard to the use and abuse of the American Walnut wood, that I cannot forbear giving an expression to my ideas through the columns of your very valuable and much-needed Review. But few years have elapsed since the introduction of Walnut, as applied to the general purposes of architecture ; yet, it is, to-day, an element deemed essential in the construction of every handsome dwelling, store, or even count- ing-room, and, in fact, many of the smaller class of residences now come out in all the glory of walnut wash- boards, walnut inside-shutters, and, above all, that indispensable ensign of gentilitv, a walnut front-door. No mat- ter, if the completion of the building for a given sum necessitates the adoption of a rigorous " skinning" process in its construction ; no matter if the door is almost thin enough to be translucent ; only let it be of Walnut, and we have reached the great desideratum, and feel ourselves (in our 16-feet front house, perhaps) several feathers lighter in the scale of elegance, than our neighbor, who, in his larger domicile, is entrenched behind his plebeian panels of pine. That the female members ofdir com- munity (Heaven bless them !) have something to do with these sentiments, 1 think no one will deny. If their first question, to their amiable lords, is inva- riably, " Has the house a walnut front- door?" who can blame said lords if, in the overflow of conjugal affection, they naturally come to regard walnut front- doors as a sine, qua non ? And, granting that they do arrive at