My kitchen cabinets were damaged by the hurricane and I considered ornamenting the new doors with split spindles. While thinking about patterns, I got to musing about how ornamented turnings changed over the years. Old stuff to furniture designers, architects, and interior decorators who track changes in what is considered current good taste, but it's interesting that I am considering ornamenting severely plain doors that were once so up to date and popular.
The ornamentation pendulum swings and 'Victorian excess' gradually morphed into 'less is more' by way of 'craft movement' and 'art nouveau'. Holtzapffel's ornate turnings were supplanted by Osolnik's simple inverted cones. Along the way our high school shop table lamps were festooned with turned beads and coves. They are tacky now, but Mom was so proud of them then. Chair rail, crown mould, and interior columns are the 'in thing' for macmansions again; so are the high baseboards, tin ceilings and door frame rosettes in my Maine cottage.
Unadorned bowls like Stocksdale's were on the leading edge and are now timeless, but change is permanent. Ornamentation is again de rigueur with paint, fenestration and carving being the guidons instead of beads, coves and astragals of yesteryear.
Don't fight it Arch, get with the program! I'm gonna really gussey up my kitchen cabinet doors. That is, if Lorraine will let me. :)
Turn to Safety, Arch Fortiter