My kitchen cabinets were damaged by the hurricane and I considered
ornamenting the new doors with split spindles. While thinking about
patterns, I got to musing about how ornamented turnings changed over the
years. Old stuff to furniture designers, architects, and interior
decorators who track changes in what is considered current good taste,
but it's interesting that I am considering ornamenting severely plain
doors that were once so up to date and popular.

The ornamentation pendulum swings and 'Victorian excess' gradually
morphed into 'less is more' by way of 'craft movement' and 'art
nouveau'. Holtzapffel's ornate turnings were supplanted by Osolnik's
simple inverted cones. Along the way our high school shop table lamps
were festooned with turned beads and coves. They are tacky now, but Mom
was so proud of them then. Chair rail, crown mould, and interior columns
are the 'in thing' for macmansions again; so are the high baseboards,
tin ceilings and door frame rosettes in my Maine cottage.

Unadorned bowls like Stocksdale's were on the leading edge and are now
timeless, but change is permanent. Ornamentation is again de rigueur
with paint, fenestration and carving being the guidons instead of beads,
coves and astragals of yesteryear.

Don't fight it Arch, get with the program! I'm gonna really gussey up
my kitchen cabinet doors. That is, if Lorraine will let me.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter



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