Page:An Encyclopædia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture.djvu/346

 322 COTTAGE, FARM, AND VILLA ARCHITECTURE. 647. Elbow Parlour Chairs in the Grecian Style. Figs. 658, 659, and 660, p. 314, are Grecian elbow chairs with stuffed seats. Fig. 660, has a workbag under the seat, which draws out on one side ; and on the other a slide, which serves as a table. Tlicse chairs may also be made of beech or birch, and stained or painted like the otlier. The silk or glazed cotton, for the workbag and the covers for the cushions, should be of the same colour as the window curtains and the cover of the sofa, if there be one in the room. 648. Gothic Parlour Chairs. Fig. 661 to 666, p. 323, are Designs for chairs made of beech ; the first with a rush bottom ; the second, third, and last with cane bottoms, and the two others with stuffed bottoms. Figs. 667 and 668, p. 323, are Gothic elbow chairs with stuffed bottoms. Fig. 669 is a Gothic chair, with a workbag and sliding board for table. All these chairs may be made of any strong fine-grained wood, mortised together, and afterwards painted and grained in imitation of oak. In the construction of chairs, care should be taken that the feet of the back legs shoula always spread out an inch at least more than the top rail of the back, in order to keep the latter from touching the wall, or paper, or window, when set against it. 649. Bed-room Chairs. These are of two kinds ; a light sort for common use, and strong elbow or easy chairs for times of sickness. The light chairs may be any of those frames figured in p. 314, but with rush instead of cane bottoms. Figs. 670 and 671 are two strong elbow chairs for the use of a labouring man, when confined to his bed-room. Pillows may be put in them as cushions, both for the seat and back. Fig. 672 is a bedside chair of the same description, with a cupboard beneath for containing a night convenience of the simplest description. Such a chair ought to be in the bed- room of every cottage. Fig. 673 is a very comfortable easy chair, stuflTed in the back and sides, vnth a movable cushion as a seat ; beneath which is a night convenience. 650. ^ Sofa is a piece of furniture which affords a great source of comfort to its possessor ; and therefore the cottager ought to have one as well as the rich man. Let him strive to obtain it, for no parlour is completely furnished without one ; and he will certainly succeed. We shall give some Designs for sofas, and also for sofa-bedsteads, which we hope will come within the reach of many cottagers ; and shall commence with figs. 674 and 675, p. 3&4, which are Designs for sofas of a superior description. Fig. 674 is in the Gothic style, with castors sunk in its legs, a great improvement with regard to appearance. We may here observe, generally, that good castors are essential to the convenient use of every piece of furniture to which they are applied. Many persons, by saving a few shillings in castors, deprive themselves of the full enjoyment of what, if easily moved, would be a most useful piece of furniture ; besides which, bad castors destroy the carpets of sitting-rooms, and scratch the boards of bed-rooms. Purchasers of furniture, who are no judges in this respect, are often deceived ; for of two articles of furniture, exactly the same in size and appearance, one may