Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/235

 1868.] Building Appliances. 191 munication, but not adapted for either comfort, convenience' or beauty in fur- nishing. When a gentleman builds a house for a permanent home, he should first consult the architect, for plans; and refer the architect to some respon- sible. cabinet-maker for i a consulta- tion to arrange spaces for the various articles required in a well-furnished house. This can all be done, without interfering in the least with the archi- tect's plans, or the owner's desire. The moving of a door or the arrangement of a pier, so as to accommodate the proper articles of furniture, may not serve to render the room so handsome unfur- nished ; but when the proper articles are put in their places, the effect is much better, as a whole, than if the cabinet- maker and upholsterer were restricted — "Cribbed, cabined and confined — " ■ in the proportion of their parts. When the interior of a room is planned, it is as easy to arrange for the necessary articles of furniture, and a proper convenient place for each, as it is to do all by hazard. Whatever assists to make a home cheerful should be of paramount import- ance, as the tone, whether cheerful or gloomy, is, to a great extent, the' reflex of its surroundings. ■ ■ ■ ■ There are many other inherited faults in our house architecture," which if dilated on, would unduly protract this article; but enough has been said, to expose prominent faults, and the good sense of the reader will' no doubt suggest reforms in other secondary ones. '• '• BUILDING APPLIANCES. IT is strange, that there has been so little added, for ages past, to the necessary facilities for the construction of buildings. The scaffolding used by masons and bricklayers is the same rude contrivance to-day, that it was in far distant time. We see, by the early wood-engravings, still extant, that this was the case. The hod, too, is no better than its earliest predecessor. In fact, the various tools are still retained, as of yore ; and human invention and art im- provement, in such matters, seem to stand still, in deference to the antique ideas, which have so thoroughly estab- lished pre-emption rights in the field referred to. Now and then, it is true, some adven- turous spirit presumes to try an im- provement in some one thing. For in- stance, some forty years ago, a London master builder, at a great expense, had fitted up for himself a scaffolding, so constructed, as to be capable of being drawn out, in the legs, like the joints of a telescope, and thus he elevated his scaffold tier by tier as he required it. Nobody took the hint ; and whether the poor inventor profited by his novel arrangement, or died in despair, history sayeth not. Some few efforts were made to introduce the telescope joint in interior scaffolding, however ; and Mi Byfield, the eminent artist in papiere mache ornamentation for ceil- ings, actually used such a contrivance with success. It has since been used by fresco painters; and always found to be a great improvement on the detest- able system of "horses The method of bracket-scaffolding, by means of triangular brackets secured by pins to putlocks, in the walls, is sometimes used ; but it is very danger- ous, as well as injurious to the green work it bears upon. The fact is, that this matter of scaffold- ing is a thing too little thought about ; and wherefore such neglect, we are at a loss to know. A master builder, expect-