In this blog, I will continue to read and analyse Edwardian house style : an architectural and interior design source book by Hilary Hockman, which has so far been invaluable.
On doors and interior detail
Door furniture materials:
- China
- Glass
- Wood
- Metals (silver or enamelled metal set with precious stones for the upper classes)
Roller blinds became popular due to their inability to collect dust
- An interest grew in stained glass windows in receptions and bedrooms (insp. Glasgow school of art) and occasionally lightly coloured leaded elements around the glass
- Elaborate curtain decoration in velvet etc. had gone out of fashion in the Edwardian quest for light, being replaced by an interest in:
- Sash windows
- Simple brass curtain poles
- Floor-length chintz curtains with an off-white background
- Or Tapestry, damask silk or wool curtains
Lace curtains beneath the main curtains were considered "old fashioned", though occasionally a muslin / lace 'short blind' "hung next to the lower pane of a sash window"
- Stained glass Edwardian windows were more simplified than their Victorian counterparts, with paler colours and often expanses of plain glass to avoid coloured crowding of stained-glass panels
On the contemporary fireplace
Pg. 168
'Inglenooks' could act as the solution for my issues with the fireplace composition
Fireplace accessories became increasingly popular. Eg:
- Grates, which were often splayed outwards to transfer heat to the rest of the room
- Fenders (occasionally upholstered for extra seating)
- Coal scuttle
- Coal pusher
- Brass stand for a kettle
- Brushes, pokers, shovels, tongs (many of which were left unused according to Musethius)
Other features of the Edwardian fireplace:
- Deep overmantels
- Surrounds in glazed tiles or briquettes (greens, reds etc)
On contemporary lighting
Pg. 172
Electric lighting was the norm for Edwardian households, following its invention in the late Victorian period. Due to the rush to create electric light fittings (and the neglect of gas fittings), options were limited and often based on earlier styles (eg. old gas styles, the Georgian candelabra or 17th century lanterns.
Other styles available were those of the Art Nouveau movement, stylised flower shapes; or the mosaic stained glass of northern America.
I am patricularly interested in the floral motifs and whiplash lines of the contemporary Art Nouveau lighting fixture, seen below:
"Floor lamps sometimes had as many as [three lights] ..."
Having now finished 'Edwardian house style : an architectural and interior design source book', I feel as though I have a much better grasp on the contexts and interiors of the Edwardian home than I did before, alongside class considerations and inter-continental influence. It has been an excellent source, though at times I had wished there was clearer cataloguing of illustrated sources (there is a bibliography at the end of the text, which is also an excellent resource).
From this point onwards, I need to:
read The elements of style : an encyclopaedia of domestic architectural detail by Richmond Hill
read Victorian and Edwardian décor : from the gothic revival to art nouveau by Jeremy Cooper
read British interior design by Paul Atterbury
read other Edwardian architectural source books
Find a comprehensive source for Edwardian living room plans
Analyse the Edwardian styling of 5 films (Mary Poppins, etc.)
Characterise the figures living within the space and my chosen aesthetic
From this point onward, I can begin to thoroughly finalize the design process.
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