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This winter I had a wonderful opportunity to ponder the absurdity of style. Some of you know I live in Williamsburg, VA, and the Governor's Palace there had polished walnut walls which were a pride and joy. By today's standards, that is a luxurious wall covering worthy of a palace.
But it's a luxury for today's world. In colonial times creamy white paint was the luxury item, and polished walnut was "cheap." Painting over a wooden wall was a sign of wealth and power. So this winter the walls were painted white even though many people found this heart breaking and even sacrilegious. Historic accuracy has to win.
Still, it makes ya think--what other things were once revered, but are now considered cheap, and what things, like the walnut, were once cheap but are now revered?
In the homes of the wealthier residents, you will find what appear to be cheap bamboo chairs. Why oh why, you may wonder, are these things in such a fine home?
The guide will point out they are actually made out of fine walnut, and the artisan went to great pains to make the walnut appear to be bamboo. Back in the day walnut was considered cheap and bamboo was an exotic material.
It seems sad to take a fine piece of walnut and go out of your way to make it look like something out of Pier One Imports. But back in the day, it was the height of style.
My favorite example has always been windows - at one point the material (glass) was expensive and the labor wasn't, so windows had multiple small panes. Now it is the reverse, the glass is inexpensive and the labor more expensive, so window "panes" are a large sheet of glass with metal grids set inside the window.
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My favorite example has always been windows - at one point the material (glass) was expensive and the labor wasn't, so windows had multiple small panes. Now it is the reverse, the glass is inexpensive and the labor more expensive, so window "panes" are a large sheet of glass with metal grids set inside the window.
I believe windows had small panes because making large panes of glass was beyond early craftsmen’s abilities. Of course you are correct about cheaper labor.
Windows with individual small panes are easy and inexpensive to replace if they get broken. A giant pane of glass was astronomically expensive to replace. In older days, windows were expected to break and be fixed. Today they anticipate replacing the entire window (frame and all) if it gets broken.
For a time, Forced air heat was considered a sign of a "modern" house and was fancy. Today it is used in cheap houses and high end houses have gone back to radiated heat.
In early times, houses had one or just a few rooms that were adapted for whatever use was needed. As we advanced, a fancy house had a lot of different rooms each dedicated to a special purpose. Today a fancy house usually has one, or just a few very large rooms that are used for all supposes.
In the recent past, living in any kind of a trailer or camper full time was a sign of poverty (or a meth lab). Today thousands of wealthy retiring people are opting for a life on the road in a trailer with no actual home base (and this is a growing trend getting more and more popular for those who retire with money).
When they first came out Atari pong computer games that hooked up to a TV set were revered. You were one lucky (and rich) kid if you had one. Then they were just out of date junk no one wanted. Today they are highly prized and bring exorbitant prices.
Fancy telephones were once highly revered furnishing items. Now they are a mere curiosity.
For several hundred years a clock was the most complex and sophisticated piece of machinery in any household. They were a marvel of modern engineering. If you had one, it was a sign of wealth. More than one = nobility. Even much later, people obsessed with appearing well off would have one in every room. Now it can be hard to find a clock. No one bothers with them, just whip out your phone. Other than as a collectible, or display item or antique, no one has any use for wind up or weight driven clocks.
A portable calculator was once a prized acquisition for engineers and students. Now people just use their phone or a computer for most applications.
Fax machines.
Horses and horse related items (hitching posts, etc).
Pentium Computers once revered now toxic waste. Also play-stations and X boxes of non current generations. Also the Wii.
Tube chime doorbells.
Reel lawn mowers went through a complete cycle. Once a great possession, then junk, now revered again.
In the homes of the wealthier residents, you will find what appear to be cheap bamboo chairs. Why oh why, you may wonder, are these things in such a fine home?
The guide will point out they are actually made out of fine walnut, and the artisan went to great pains to make the walnut appear to be bamboo. Back in the day walnut was considered cheap and bamboo was an exotic material.
It seems sad to take a fine piece of walnut and go out of your way to make it look like something out of Pier One Imports. But back in the day, it was the height of style.
Don't get thrown by associating bamboo with inexpensive Pier One furniture.
Bamboo, or more commonly a bamboo motif, is often found in historical furniture and houses. They were influenced by "exotic" Asian styles. Plus, Walnut was plentiful and cheap back then.
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