Wood Panelling: Exclusive of wood panelling and wallpaper# there are five usual methods for treating or decorating walls in use today. These are:
Plain paint
Textural effects
Mural decorations
Draped or stretched textiles
Natural and synthetic materials
There were also other reasons for the elimination of wood-panelled walls. The introduction of coal as a fuel substitute for wood reduced the size of the fireplace and eliminated the necessity for lining walls with woodwork for purposes of insulation.^ With the development of railroading in the middle of the 19th century, coal could be easily transported
* Toward the end of the Middle Ages, the increase of population in Europe and the growing scarcity of fuel as a result of the destruction of the available forests, caused the invention of the iron stove in the 15th century, and the tile stoves of northern Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. The former were cast and often bore reliefs of biblical scenes or armorial and arabesque designs. The latter were beautiful specimens of the ceramic arts, and the early ones show traces of Moorish design. Many are preserved in the museums at Oslo? Amsterdam, and elsewhere, treated in wood panelling of English design produces a vigorous and dignified effect. |
