THE · APPLICATION · OF · GRILLE · WORK
Grille work, fret work or lattice work, as it is variously termed, may, when properly applied, serve a very useful and decorative purpose. Like many other decorative articles, however, its uses are not always governed by its limitations, and it is frequently misapplied.
As an aid to decorative fabrics in the artistic reduction of large openings, or as a partial screen or division that will not altogether obstruct either the vision or the light, it is unequalled by any other upholstery adjunct. Setting aside its uses for office railings, partitions, etc., in which we are not particularly interested, we consider it solely as a household fitment.
Unlike other furnishings, such as draperies, chairs, tables, etc., the grille is essentially a part of the room itself, and should conform to the style, color and composition of the wood trimmings of the room, which practically means that the fitment must be made to order.
There are scores of ready-made stock grilles and patterns on the market, some of which can be applied with comparatively little trouble to different purposes, but their greatest drawback as a general decorative stock is their set style and finish, and consequent lack of sympathy or relation to other furnishings.
We have been continuously advocating uniformity or conformity as the foundation of decorative thought, and in no branch of the trade is this more necessary than in the application of grille work. Few people would have the courage to advocate the use of quartered-oak polished doors in a room with white enameled wood trims, and yet grille work made and finished in natural oak is confidently shown by some salesmen as equally suitable for weathered oak dining-rooms, Oriental dens or Louis XVI drawing-rooms.
This, of course, is the salesman or check-book holder’s end of the business, and with incentives in the way of tally sheets and selling percentage, small wonder if he considers the amount of the sale rather than the suitability of the article. It would be better for the trade generally if every salesman could have expert training in the application of the goods he sells, and we believe this is possible to the man who studies and profits by experience. “There is always information for the man who is willing to dig,” but until this is considered possible the decision as to fitness rests with the decorator.
We illustrate suggestively a few designs in which the practical element is as much considered as the decorative.
Fig 156
Fig 157
Fig 158
Fig 159
In Figure [156] grille work is used to break the length of a room and form a partial division. The weight of the whole treatment should be carried out in keeping with the woodwork of the room, and also with due consideration of the size of the room itself, a large room requiring the use of heavier woodwork than a small one, and the columns properly proportioned to the amount of woodwork in the upper portion of the grille which they support.
Fig 160
Fig 161
This treatment can be effectually employed to divide a large bay window from the room proper, to divide a hallway, or to reduce the size of a large opening between two rooms.
Figure [157] illustrates another application of the same idea, with one side only supported from the floor. While it is not absolutely necessary that the pattern in grill work should be exactly duplicated on each side of the centre, the balance or symmetry must be retained by having the same body or expanse of woodwork on each side of the centre, or when a drapery is used, as in this case, it should be so disposed as to equalize the appearance of the grille by having the heaviest part of the drapery opposite to the heaviest side of the grille work.
Figure [158] illustrates an archway treated with a grille and drapery forming an entrance to a bow window. Both sides of this treatment balance, and the depth of the whole is determined by the height of the room, sufficient room being provided for a comfortable passage beneath.
High doorways may be reduced in height by using a straight panel of grille work, as Figure [159], and when used in conjunction with a pair of portières the slim appearance imparted to an opening by long, straight portières may be avoided.
Rope portières, as shown in Figure [159], serve much the same purpose of transparent decoration as grille work, and may be effectively employed for doorways, archways, alcoves, etc., and as they can be so easily procured in special colors to match their surroundings, they have become quite popular.
Fig 162
In Figure [160] we illustrate a combination of scarf drapery and grille corners. This idea can be employed in a great many ways, and with different designs of corners (which can be finished to match the desired woodwork), some very effective trims can be produced.
The metal grille shown in Figure [161] is made of strap iron or brass, bent to shape and riveted together in a frame. It is provided with two incandescent lights, serving for illumination as well as decoration, and squaring the arch for straight portières.
This idea of doorway illumination has recently been elaborately introduced by the Parisian decorators in the form of festoons of electric jewels, which scintillate and glow with beautiful prismatic colors.
A door treatment after the style of Figure [162] would form an attractive treatment for club, hotel or ballrooms, and the idea admits of almost endless variation.
Grilles are also made of rattan, the patterns made up in the scrolls and spindles common to rattan furniture, and ordinary manila rope, stiffened with glue, while bent into circles and scrolls, can be assembled into very attractive grilles, which are shellacked and varnished in natural or tinted colors.
Some of the mistakes most frequently made in the application of grille work are characterized as follows:
“Using a design foreign to the style of the room.”
“Using too much grille for the size of the space.”
“Using diminutive designs for large spaces, and vice versa.”
“Poorly-balanced, top-heavy or lop-sided designs.”
“Inharmonious coloring.”
Always use a rule or rod when measuring for grille work; never a tape. Take a pattern of all irregular spaces and fit the pattern into the space to insure its correctness before making the grille.
The prettiest design may be hopelessly spoiled by a poor fit, and measurements should be absolutely accurate.
