The Modern Home
Some New Furniture
A NEW development in furniture design which seems to deserve encouragement is the appearance of Sectional Furniture. This is not an entirely new idea, of course : the queerly misnamed " elastic " bookcase has been on the market for years, and certain desk and cupboard fitments to go wita it have been available for almost as long ; but the new furniture goes a step further. R is now possible to buy cupboards of all shapes and sizes, wardrobes variously equipped, sections of drawers, dressing tables, desks, book- shelves and even easy chairs and settees—all en suite and so contrived that they can be fitted together in an innumerable series of different combinations. For the most part they look quite well standing alone, or they can be built up to form an apparently single piece bulky enough to take its place in the largest room.
Three points especially commend the system. It suits a mode of life that is becoming increasingly prevalent. Few of us nowadays have the confidence, if the cash, to take a large house and fill it with massive furniture in the belief that this will be of equal service to our grandchildren (as well as impressing them with a proper sense of our solidity) as to ourselves. We tend towards ever shorter and shorter leases ; the number of flat-dwellers gets greater each year. In these circumstances there is considerable advantage in having furniture that can be re-shaped to suit different looms. The ideal, when furnishing, is to have each piece made to suit its especial place—in which case it probably fails to look so well in any other ; the next best thing is to have pieces that can be modified to suit their surroundings.
Secondly, few of us would claim unerring taste : it is more than possible that first thoughts are not always best in questions of furnishing. It may be that increased familiarity 'with some room may point the way to a better arrangement of the furniture than was at first foreseen. Or, symptom of a restless age, the desire for change alone may call for some such rearrangement In either case, sectional furniture is liable to be more accommodating than the older forms.
I have left till last the point that is by no means least. The problems to be overcome in designing furniture that can be combined in dozens of different ways result in a welcome simplification of outline and—though perhaps not so inevitably—in a suppression of unnecessary detail and ornament. Practically all the sectional furniture I have seen has been good to look at. It takes more than mere simplicity to achieve this. Rob a piece of furniture of the bulk of its ornament, and little but its material and its bare lines are left—to make an impression all the more definite for the prominence into which they are forced. The proportions of such pieces must be good ; the material must be well chosen and well used. The layman is often astonished to learn that plain, simple furniture is actually more expensive to make than grossly over-ornamented stuff (lacking the element of costly craftsmanship) ; but this is so. Not only has the timber to be far more carefully chosen, but the actual workmanship has to be of a higher standard : the slightest blemish shows up in a way it would never do in the company of crude machine-made carving. We see, then, that the new style takes us a few steps further along the road towards the ideal of furniture designed simply to do its job well, to make the best possible use of its material, and to depend for its beauty on a true expression of these purposes.
The largest range of sectional furniture at present on the market is that made and sold by the Compactorn Company, who are up to the present better known, perhaps, for their fitted wardrobes. From the twenty or so units they catalogue, the wants of almost anyone who is not actually requiring a grand piano or a billiard table could be supplied. Every piece is made in oak, walnut and mahogany, each in several finishes and with various differences of detail. So that the total number of units to choose from must be well over the hundred. There is even a so-called Sheraton range, complete with satin-wood bandings—to be a comfort, perhaps, to the faint-hearted with a half-regretful eye on the past. Possibly the handles fitted as standard on the oak models were designed for the same customer—they appeared to me distinctly reminiscent of the days of art nouveau ; but I was told they are very generally appreciated. In any case, it would be a small matter to have their bewildered ivy leaves replaced by a more common-sense grip of wood or metal. On the other hand, one of the ranges in mahogany, with an attractive banding of what is called " coral," has handles entirely suited to the general design.
" Combunit " sections are also made in oak, mahogany and walnut, and in several colours and finishes. Unlike the " Compactom " units, they are not bolted together, in most cases being supported on plinth bases. These are of darker wood, matching the handles, which are sufficiently curved to give a good grip and to mitigate any severity that plain rectangles might be thought to possess. The number of pieces available is almost as large as that of " Compactom " ; the prices are, perhaps, slightly higher on the whole, but both ranges are entirely reasonable.
Coming to hand-made—and therefore more expensive - furniture, we find something of the same idea executed by the Maurice Adams Studio. This furniture (which is by no means the only product of this firm) is made of British pine, very simply and naturally used. It is fmished in either of two colours, and banded either with black or with light figured walnut. A very large number of designs can be seen ; but comparatively few of these are actually sectional units, though all arc so much of the type as to fit in perfectly with them. A most interesting idea here is that of sectional units of sprung and upholstered pieces, which can be com- bined either with each other or with bookcases and tables to form easy chairs and settees of various sizes and shapes. Almost all of them are good to look at and extremely com- fortable to sit in.
Two other ranges of furniture, not sectional but designed specially to suit the depleted pockets of 1932, are Gooch's " Cotswold " and Hears " New Type." These are carried out mainly in weathered oak, and continue the tradition which has come to be thought of as peculiarly " Heal's "- though this firm has moved well beyond it for those whose tastes incline them to follow. My principal criticism of both types is that they seem more particularly suited to cottage interiors. There is little to be said for the thin square legs extending some six inches above the floor, which are found rather frequently. A plinth would give a welcome effect of solidity and would simplify the problem of sweeping and cleaning underneath.
The Minty " Isis " chairs and settees are sectional in the
sense that their seats and backs (and not only the cushions) are easily removable for dusting purposes. My eye was first caught by their clean lines. Most " easy " furniture— apart from the more or less specialized products of the smaller firms—is reminiscent in outline of a hippopotamus dropped from a height : it was a welcome change to find a thoroughly commercial " quantity " production so good to look at. The " Isis " chairs are made in three lengths of seat. -Of these the largest gives all the luxury that could be wanted, while the medium should suit those with rather shorter legs than mine. The settee is made in various widths, but only with the medium depth of seat—which seems a reflection either on the discrimination or the stature. of the public, since I am a full inch or so under six feet. The demountable back and seat in no way weaken the con- struction, and the chair is perfectly rigid when reassembled. In addition to simplifying dusting and cleaning (and the ordinary easy chair or settee has dust-traps that only the imagination of the most optimistic seller of vacuum-cleaners could tackle), this device also makes the fitting and removal of loose covers much simpler. The upholstery is good and the prices low : £6 19s. 6d. for the largest chair (uncovered).
G. M. BOUMPHREY.
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