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Furniture Finishing

Like most of the Georgian styles, Hepplewhite has a universal appeal that is not affected by passing popular fancy. It is suitable for the bedroom as well as dining and living rooms and may be turned out in walnut or mahogany as simply or as elaborately as desired—the purity of the lines is always there. "Walnut should be stained the antique shade—otherwise the finish is the same as for Chippendale,

The Adam Brothers (The georgian period, 1730-1830)


THE excavation during the middle of the eighteenth century of the twin Roman cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii, buried under volcanic lava and ashes since the year 79, aroused world-wide interest in classical architecture and interior decoration. Among the thousands who journeyed thither to supplement theory with first-hand acquaintanceship were Robert and James Adam, who with two other brothers formed a rising firm of architects in London.

The Adelphi, as they were called, returned strongly imbued with the classic spirit and in time received commissions for some of the most notable public and private buildings in the city. In 1762, Robert, the leader among the four, was appointed architect to King George III, and it is to him rather than to the others that the distinctive Adam style is attributed, although James was at all times his active and helpful assistant.

To both brothers detail was all important, and as nothing at that time existed which would harmonize with their wholly individual ideas, they did not stop with the building alone, but took care of its interior decoration and furnishing as well. It is said that they once went so far as to make a special design for a pair of silver salt cellars for no other purpose than to make sure of preserving the unity of a certain dining room scheme. So far as furniture went, however, they remained designers pure and simple, the actual work being executed by such practical cabinet makers as Chippendale and Hepplewhite.

While the Adam Brothers designed practically all modern forms, including chairs, stools, settees, chests of drawers, consoles, secretaries, etc., their most significant works were those permitting the widest scope for architectural treatment, such as bookcases, cabinets, sideboards and window seats. As interior decorators it was their policy to make their furniture individual to the room for which it was intended, the forerunner of our modern production in "suites." Adam bedsteads are rare— these elaborate canopied articles dear to our ancestors for centuries were already on the decline. The console table on the other hand was practically an Adam invention—at all events they gave it popularity.