October, 1919 
39 
The Woods Used 
Really inferior woods should never be used, 
but the usual substitutes are really splendid 
woods. Their greatest misfortune is in being 
misnamed to suit the public demand. 
Birch, for instance, is a fine wood, which 
can be finished in close imitation of mahogany. 
For frames and posts, as in a bed, it is struc- 
(Continued on page 84) 
a set of considerations which actually belongs 
to another class. In many instances, every¬ 
day furniture is a more serviceable choice than 
furniture of the higher grades, and may be 
equally desirable from purely technical points. 
First of all, then, when considering a piece 
of furniture, its grade should be ascertained, 
and judgment of its merit be passed according¬ 
ly. If it is a piece of cheap furniture do not 
expect too much. If you buy it, do so with 
the knowledge that it is cheap, and that its 
deficiencies cannot be condemned by compari¬ 
son with a more expensive piece. 
In the examination of more expensive furni¬ 
ture, you are in a position to demand more, 
and to feel more justly shocked at the discovery 
of deception or technical flaws. In a piece of 
custom made furniture, you may demand the 
utmost in the designer’s art and the cabinet¬ 
maker’s craft, for both, along with sundry and 
various other items, are included in the cost 
total which you are paying. 
Perhaps, for the sake of clearness, and 
in response to the editor's request for a 
practical and useful article, the reader will 
accept an itemized table of "points,” which 
will then be enlarged upon more or less 
in detail. The literary aspect of the essay 
in hand may be hopelessly impaired by 
“tabulation,” but the loss, making for 
practical utility, will really figure as a 
gain. 
Furniture Points 
The reader, then, when about to buy 
furniture, whether a single piece or a 
houseful, might take cognizance of the 
following points: 
1. To begin with, what grade of furni¬ 
ture am I buying? Cheap furniture? 
Medium or good furniture? Or “custom" 
furniture? If I were buying a motor car 
I could not expect to get a Rolls-Royce for 
$650.00. 
2. Therefore, what shall I expect and 
demand, and what shall I not? 
3. Some elements which distinguish 
“cheap” furniture and make possible its 
low cost are: inferior and substitute woods, 
low grades of wood, imitation carving, no 
carving at all, no lacquer or decorations, 
poor decorations, poor finish, poor con¬ 
struction, especially in drawers, poor hard- 
The Brothers 
Adam had the best 
artists of the day 
execute the medal¬ 
lions on their fur¬ 
niture. Equal care 
was shown in the 
production of this 
modern example 
Doors as large as 
these must be well 
hung and truly 
fitted, and the Slid¬ 
ing trays and 
drawers demand 
conscientious 
workmanship in 
every respect 
ware, for the fittings, and poor design. 
4. Some elements which distinguish 
good furniture, and contribute to its high 
cost are: fine woods, real carving, inlay 
and marqueterie, real lacquer decorations 
by real artists, fine finishes, honest and 
thoroughly workmanlike construction, 
fine hardware, fine design. 
5. Consider: cabinet woods and com¬ 
mercial substitutes. 
6. How about veneering, and how 
about solid vs. “built up” panels? 
7. Consider: construction in general; 
stability, drawers, blocking, application 
of hardware. 
8. Consider: hardware, moldings and 
profiles, turnings, miters. 
9. Consider: finishes “antique” vs. 
“piano.” “High-light,” varnish, wax 
and oil. 
10. Lacquer or painted decorations 
must be well done. 
11. What do I know about “over- 
tl 
stuffed” (upholstered) furniture? 
12. Reputation—the integrity of maker 
and seller. 
13. Are “Bargain Sales” all that they 
claim to be? How about buying “Sam¬ 
ples”? 
This may seem a complicated list— 
| yet a fairly well-formed knowledge of furni¬ 
ture is just that complicated. 
Taking this tabulation now, as a basis for 
the rest of our study, we find that items one 
and two were disposed of, or at least discussed 
earlier, which brings us to number three. 
Here seems to be a dark list of furniture 
crimes-—and yet, if a good part of the public 
wants a bureau that looks like a hundred dol¬ 
lars and can be bought for thirty, the manu¬ 
facturer lias to save on the cost somewhere. 
An interesting piece from a finely made dining 
room set shows veneer of rare woods laid with 
a precision and accuracy worthy of the best 
traditions 
