HOUSE AND GARDEN 
May, 1910 
1 ! 7 8 
Close-weave split rush is a new as well 
as an old favorite for piazza use. 
Rush chairs are seldom seen except¬ 
ing with wooden frames 
piece becomes acclimated. In the best 
made furniture however, where the 
willow is thoroughly pliable and the 
workmanship exact, the creakiness is 
not noticeable. 
Some of the good points in the use 
of willow, besides its attractive appear¬ 
ance, are that its color may be changed 
as often as desired; it may be used 
in the natural state at the start and 
may be subjected to heat and cold 
without damage. In its natural state 
it may be cleaned by the application 
of water; and it may even be left 
out in the rain without damage to the 
wood other than a yellowing of the 
strands if left continually as a prey to 
the elements. Even then, after years 
of hard use, when a willow chair in its 
natural color has come to look sun¬ 
burned, it is still as good a foundation 
for dye, paint or enamel, as when it 
was new. 
To color the natural willow is a 
simple matter for the home decorator, 
This can be done effectively with a 
reliable Japanese stain, supplemented 
by a colorless varnish or shellac. It is 
sometimes necessary to apply only 
one coat of stain; at other times a 
second application will be needed to 
secure a color to suit the eye. After 
being carefully applied with a brush, 
the stain should be rubbed gently with 
a cloth, to remove the excess and to 
make a smooth surface. 
Some of the dealers in willow furni¬ 
ture first treat the willow with a pig¬ 
ment of lead, then with a special mixed 
color, the body of which is oil, and 
finally with shellac, if intended for 
indoor use; or with spar varnish if 
intended for out-of-doors. For coloring 
in brilliant hues, an aniline dye is used, 
with a finish of shellac. The willow assimilates turpentine and oil, 
acquiring a lasting color; if an entirely dull finish is desired, the 
stain is carefully rubbed in by hand and the varnish omitted. 
Water-color dyes are not desirable, as the colors are apt to fade, 
and to show the effects of the weather. 
From an economic viewpoint, as well as from an artistic, it is 
desirable to buy the willow in the natural color, use it as it is until 
you wish to change its aspect, and then stain it at home with good 
Fibre-rush is a paper product that wears 
well. It is more expensive than willow 
and reed 
Japanese stain mixed with turpentine. 
If desired to match room hangings, 
and you buy direct from the maker, 
give him the sample color and he will 
stain the willow to match or to tone 
in with the shade. 
The possibilities in willow are 
great; for the clever workman who 
makes the pieces weaves from a sketch 
only, and can make any piece to fit a 
special corner of your room; and he 
can carry out an exclusive design. 
Being entirely hand-made, from raw 
material supplied by nature, it is quite 
probable that no two pieces of willow 
furniture are ever exact duplicates. 
This of course lends greatly to the 
distinction and artistic merit of the 
material. 
Thus far we have spoken of furni¬ 
ture made only of willow. There are 
good points to be mentioned in con¬ 
nection with reed, wicker, prairie grass, 
fibre-rush and Chinese grass furniture, 
and the accompanying illustrations 
will serve to make clear the differences 
in texture and general appearance 
between these various materials. 
Reed or wicker may be bought “in the 
white” and colored afterwards in 
very much the same way as willow fur¬ 
niture, but with the remaining materials 
the pieces usually are sold already 
stained and cannot readily be altered. 
To the housekeeper who has much 
of her own work to do, this light furni¬ 
ture cannot fail to appeal — the pieces 
are so easily moved, the positions so 
freely changed. A large easy-chair 
may be lifted in one hand clear of the 
floor, and a big settee or desk may be 
moved with a gentle push. This 
sort of furniture helps to make a game 
of housework that might otherwise be 
drudgery. Dust which will settle on 
the flat surfaces presented by modern furniture will miraculously 
disappear from the rounded surfaces of the woven natural 
materials. 
The chairs and settees are often used without cushions, espe¬ 
cially for summer, but may easily be made to suit any room 
with cushions of a color to harmonize with the walls; or, if desired, 
with the woven material itself colored in a harmonizing shade. 
Figured cretonne cushions are used extensively, for back, sides 
Prairie grass is a manufactured product woven to¬ 
gether with cords. It wears well, though not so 
long as reed or willow 
A solid border of willow with a cross-weave body. 
Several chair patterns are obtainable, costing from 
$6.50 up 
The simplest design for willow work, with coarse 
cross withes and a braid edge. A small armchair 
in this pattern costs $4 
The more intricate weave of the wicker, and the 
smaller withe, makes more work for the weaver, 
and consequently a higher price 
