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Interior Design, an Ethnic Approach
04/28/2008, 04:41 | Wood ShuttersSo what do we mean by ethnic?
Ethnic basically means native or indigenous people from a particular area so in relation to Interior Design it means to bring the natural elements that are representative of whatever culture, land or peoples you choose to portray into your own home to define your space.
Naturally the world is your oyster as they say so there are countless cultures to choose from, all you have to do is bring a particular ensemble of colours, patterns, materials and artifacts together to create a "look" that is recognisable and distinctive. What about a Mediterranean flavour, Native American Indian symbolism, or perhaps Tibetan Buddhism? Popular themes include African, Mexican, and Asian but you can go with whatever inspires or appeals to you. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
African Theme
Think of Africa and all that it conjures up in your mind, the landscape, the sounds, the smells, the colours, the mood, and then if you try to pick out the key points, what would they be? Colour schemes might include earthy colours like green, beige, browns and tans, set off with orange and splashes of red. Think about floor and wall coverings, natural substances would probably work best. Finishing touches can include wall hangings, African artifacts, drums, rugs, African fabrics and prints, animals made of stone, clay or wood, ceremonial masks hung on the wall, brightly coloured African bowls and pots, and so on.
Mexican Theme
What does Mexico mean to you? Perhaps desert colours with sandy tones, beige and khaki, along with reddish, rustic colours and hues. Blankets and woven fabrics in bright colours, perhaps terra cotta pots and bowls, pine wood is popular for furniture. Artifacts can include symbols of the South West or from the Spanish influence, or from the Aztecs, Mayans and other ancient civilisations, all of which can add an interesting and authentic Mexican look and feel.
Asian Theme
There are many variations within an Asian theme but two quite popular ones are Japanese and Chinese. Japanese themes tend to lean towards a more minimalist look and have a tranquil and peaceful feel. Consider a futon and using screens to get that Japanese ambiance. Colours tend to be natural and objects from nature often feature as focal points, for example, smooth stones and pebbles, water fountains and bonsai trees. Chinese themes on the other hand might involve brighter and bolder colours, lanterns, dragons and other mythological creatures, artwork depicting the traditional people colours and landscapes and Chinese handwriting.
How to get started
Once you have established which particular ethnic culture appeals to you, browse through books and magazines and the Internet to get ideas that will spark off your own imaginative flair. Identify what elements go together to make up that particular look or feel that you want to create.
Consider the walls, ceilings and floors carefully as this will provide a base for you to work from and then you can add in the details to finish it off. For example, is the texture and appearance of the walls and ceilings rough or smooth? What floor covering is appropriate, should it be wood, stone, tiles or carpets? Will rugs and mats make a difference and if so what are they made of? Are the windows better suited to drapes, blinds or shutters? What style of furniture works? What about plants, motifs, pictures and wall hangings?
The theme you adopt and the way that you choose to portray specific elements of that theme is entirely up to you and your imagination, the end result will be your own unique interpretation of a culture or a place and you will have added a touch of the exotic to your home.
David McEvoy is an expert in interior design. If you are looking for a leather sofa to give the finishing touches to a newly decorated room then please come and visit our site http://www.leathersofa.uk.com/
Nicholson Bench
03/06/2008, 17:32 | Arts & Mysteries with Adam Cherubini - Blog The "Nicholson" or "English" bench is a simple workbench, possibly made using 2 by construction lumber, that features a characteristic deep front apron drilled to enable to the use of holdfasts or pegs to support work vertically. It lacks any penetration through its top save a single planing stop. A simple and ineffectual face vise adorns the front left side of the bench. No tail vise or additional means of support are shown.
The bench gets its name by its depiction in Peter Nicholson's early 19th c text "Mechanic's Companion...." (the real title is a paragraph long, typical of the period). Nicholson's text is much in the same form as Moxon's late 17th c text "Mechanic's Exercises..." and contains much of the same sort of information. Nicholson covered a variety of trades, and republished the manuscript over a period of years in various forms, very like Moxon. One of the biggest differences between the authors is that Nicholson was actually a workman whereas Joseph Moxon was a chronicler.
The image of Nicholson's bench should be familiar to woodworkers. It appeared in Landis' coffee table book "The Workbench Book" (Taunton Press) and Chris Schwarz included a reprint in his vastly superior text "Workbenches" (FW publications). This oft republished image also shows the surface plane trinity: fore, try, and smoother, as well as a plow, sash and moving fillester planes, all essential to the work of a house joiner.
The entire text of Nicholson is available on line, thanks to the good folks at Google Books. You are free to download a pdf copy to your hard drive (highly recommended). Google "Mechanic's Companion" and choose the 1845 edition, as its a better scan and the pdf includes hyper links. The image of the bench is on page ii in the opening pages of the book. Don't miss the description of the construction of this bench including its hidden "locker", which I've never seen reproduced.
In addition to the engraving in Nicholson, similar benches are shown in contemporaneous paintings of English woodshops (see Landis' or better yet, Gaynor's (see below) book for reprints of these paintings). Slightly earlier texts by Frenchmen Roubo and Diderot depict benches that are similar to each other, yet contrast starkly with the Nicholson bench. These, now called "French" benches, feature thick, monolithic tops mounted to stout legs with no evidence of aprons. Roubo also showed a variant of these benches with an elaborate face and tail vise, and identified it as a "German" bench. Perhaps due to Roubo's regionalized identification, combined with the corroborating English paintings and contrary French images, some have taken to referring to Nicholson's bench as an "English" bench.
One problem with the use of the term "English Bench" is that it suggests that regionalism was the cause of the form as opposed to typical use, materials, or available technology etc. Thus obscured is the fact that the Nicholson bench is always depicted in association with joineries, not cabinetshops. Interestingly, the lid of an English joiner's tool chest circa 1790 (he may have been a cabinetmaker) shown in Jay Gaynor's fine must-have text depicts a thick topped bench with no tail vise (so far similar to a "French" bench) with a twin screw vise applied to the front left. The Dominy bench is somewhat similar in form. What I like best about the tool chest lid (which I believe resides in Jane Rees' personal collection) is that it shows the workman holding a tankard of what must be beer, thereby engaging in an apparently ancient woodworking tradition that I hold dear and sacred.
The advantages of the Nicholson bench appear to be its simple and inexpensive construction, light yet stiff design, and easily achievable extreme length. These features, along with its apron, suggest a particular superiority for the work of a house joiner, responsible for long runs of moldings, and the fabrication of household doors and windows.
I don't personally consider the bench to be universally superior to any other style. It works for its intended use. But I appreciate the inexpensive materials required, simplicity of its joinery, and its light weight. All of which would certainly be attractive to joiners who required little else, may be called upon to transport or construct a bench on site, and who had access to wide, sawn, often softwood timbers.
I recall one woodcentral.com participant bemoaning the then fad quality of the Nicholson bench, suggesting we were a fickle bunch to switch from French bench devotees to English bench devotees and back again, possibly with a layover in Scandinavia in between. Though the thread died shortly thereafter, I think the poster had a good point. Workbenches do indeed seem to come in and out of style, seemingly for no good reason. In my opinion, the reason for bench fads is the lack of real and basic analysis. Schwarz has provided more and better analysis than anyone has to date. But he also left a fair bit up to the reader, and instead focused on more useful subjects like how to actually build the darn thing, what works and what doesn't.
I think if you have a question about what a Nicholson bench and whether its right for you, you should do the following:
1) Read Landis' book at the public library (or neighborhood Woodcraft!)
2) Read Nicholson on line
3) Buy a copy of Schwarz' book (if for no other reason than to encourage the only guy giving serious thought to such subjects)
4) Add Gaynor's book to your personal WW library
5) Consider that form probably more often reflects use than geography
6) But most importantly, consider what sort of work you do, intend or wish to do, whether you'll ever need to transport your bench, and honestly assess your woodworking skill, budget, and time available for bench construction. And while you're considering all of that, build a Nicholson bench next weekend using Schwarz' book as a guide so you can get some woodworking done in the meantime.
? Adam Cherubini
Roubo Volumes Now Available in the United States
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Woodworking blog Woodworking Magazine
Most of you know how much I like Andre Roubo's "L'Art du Menuisier" – probably the
best and most complete books on woodworking from the 18th century. Heck, I've even
considered taking up my French studies again just to be able to read it (more on that
later).
However, getting copies of Roubo in this country has been nothing less than frustrating.
I got a couple modern reprints through a bookstore in Quebec. And several French web
sites carry them (with ghastly hoops to jump through to get them into this country).
And all of my efforts to get a reliable and reasonable source in North America have
proved fruitless.
Until today.
Thanks entirely to Joel Moskowitz at Tools
for Working Wood, reprints of all five volumes of Roubo are now available for
sale. These books are immense fun to page through, even if you don't read French.
That's because the plates – hundreds and hundreds of glorious line drawings – will
teach you more about furniture, marquetry and hand tools than I can. Plus you likely
will be inspired to build one of Roubo's benches once you see them in use throughout
the book. That's what sold me.
The volumes sell
for $70 to $90, which sounds like a lot, but it's worth it. When I was importing
these from Canada, that's about what I ended up paying (maybe a bit more once you
included international fees). These books will be with you forever, and who knows
how long they'll be available.
The other news is that we have some more exciting news about Roubo that we'll be announcing
on my personal blog this weekend, LostArtPress.com.
This is a personal project that I and another woodworker have been slaving over for
a while. So do drop by LostArtPress.com this
weekend and check it out. I think you'll be glad you did.
— Christopher Schwarz