January , 1918 
15 
WROUGHT IRON in the GARDEN ROOM 
A Phase oj the A meric an-Italian Renaissance which Is Much 
in Vogue—Types of Iron Tables, Doors, Baskets and Fixtures 
FREDERICK WALLICK 
W ROUGHT 
iron is en 
vogue. Even the 
most casual perusal 
of the architectural 
and decorative mag- 
agines published in 
the last two years 
will prove a tend¬ 
ency toward Italian 
period furniture 
and design that in¬ 
cludes a generous 
use of ornamental 
wrought iron. Many 
of the best town and 
country houses 
around New York, 
Chicago, Minneapo¬ 
lis or Detroit, and 
particularly in that 
architectural para¬ 
dise, Southern Cali¬ 
fornia, show the 
strong influence of 
the Italian villa. 
Certainly, we should be grateful to whatever 
influence gave us our present American-Italian 
renaissance. It means for the city house plain 
plaster or simply paneled walls, stone fire¬ 
places, uncarpeted floors, a few well chosen 
antique pieces of furniture; for the country 
house, broad expanses of plain stone or stucco 
exteriors, mellow tile roofs, paved terraces with 
the color note of an occasional terra cotta 
vase; and in both, the inevitable use of 
wrought iron doors, window grilles, fire 
A novel scheme for partially screen¬ 
ing book shelves can be worked out 
in wrought iron in a Florentine 
Gothic design. Each door 14" by 
72". They come at $60 the pair 
Placed in the vestibule, or used as a garden 
room table, this little stand of wrought 
iron serves an excellent purpose. It stands 
32" high and is 22" across top. $35 
screens, lanterns, electric wall brackets, torch¬ 
eres, and even furniture. 
The garden room has taken rank as a neces¬ 
sary part of our homes, and seems to be 
crowding the sunroom into obscurity. The 
change is for the best. A sunroom, in the 
average American house, is really nothing more 
than a glorified porch where, in winter, storm 
sashes take the place of screens, and an inade¬ 
quate heating plant tries unsuccessfully to 
cope with three exposures, a north wind and a 
tile floor with no basement underneath. The 
result is only too frequently drafts, loss of good 
temper and a consequent adjournment to the 
living room until spring. 
Uses for Iron Furniture 
The garden room is more conveniently lo¬ 
cated near the center of the house, easily ac¬ 
cessible from the hall and with frequently 
only one exposure—to the south. It is more 
of a living room, with the charm of the con¬ 
servatory attached; its furnishings tend toward 
easy divans, flower boxes with real or imitation 
foliage, plant stands a la brazier , standing 
lamps with iron bases and decorated parch¬ 
ment shades, aquariums, cut flowers, and— 
garden magazines! 
Wrought iron seems preeminently fitted for 
such a room. It is durable, it withstands the 
ravages of water; it has an out-of-door feel¬ 
ing; it harmonizes with tile or stone or marble 
floors, and like the garden itself, it gains 
charm with years. Time rusts or bronzes it 
.4 Florentine flower 
basket with a light fix¬ 
ture above. 30" long. 
$32.50. 
until its old age is venerable, like old wine. 
It has, moreover, behind it the precedent of all 
time. Reflecting on the prehistoric epoch of 
the Iron Age, one could hardly call it a fad. 
The accompanying photographs illustrate 
some very simple examples of garden room 
furniture. In the flower stand, the old copper 
top is recessed sufficiently to allow a few inches 
of sand or loam in which jonquils, iris, poppies 
or peonies are held upright by use of Japanese 
lead flower holders; or the bottom can be filled 
with water, the outer edge of the top covered 
with roses or laurel leaves or some other at¬ 
tractive foliage, and short-stemmed blooms 
allowed to float in the center. 
A garden room table may have many uses. 
It makes an excellent base for a 
table lamp; it can be used as a 
smoking or magazine stand; it 
is serviceable as a tea tray. It 
may also be placed in an en¬ 
trance hall or vestibule as a 
card stand, or as a place to put 
one’s hat and gloves. These are 
some of the more obvious uses. 
Others will suggest themselves. 
The hall or garden room 
candelabrum illustrated has 
stem and feet of deep rusted 
iron, the top foliage in antique 
gilt, and the leaves and roses 
twining around the base in dull 
green and red. An electric base 
plug connection is provided un¬ 
der the stem, carrying up 
through it to the ivory yellow 
(Continued on page 66) 
Among new candelabra for 
hall or garden room is this 
with deep rusted iron and 
flowers in dull red and 
green. 5' 6". Wired, $35 
A flower stand can be fashioned after a 
pie-crust table with a recessed top in 
which can be placed jonquils or iris in 
lead holders. 32" high, 24" across. $30 
