THE DINING ROOM circa 1880

WALLS
Some Americans called the dining room the “eating room”. Ella Rodman Church wrote, “The common practice of furnishing dining-rooms in green has much to do with their cold appearance, for green is eminently a cold color ; and the absence of any play of flame, from the apertures in the wall that usually serve for heating purposes, gives a hard, set look to the stiff belongings“. On the other side of the Atlantic, Robert Eddis pleaded, “but, for goodness' sake, avoid the dreary commonplaceness of light apple and sage greens, which seem to be the only colours thought appropriate for dining-room walls”.


One recommendation for the dining room walls was for a darkly painted dado, with a chair rail or painted paneling about 3 to 4 feet high, then paint or paper above to within 2 or 3 feet of the ceiling. It was felt that a warm brown, or chocolate was a good background color for pictures.


Below is a picture of a dining room decorated by Robert Eddis, and his description.

“In this room the mantel-piece, with the étagère over, is made to form an important feature of the general design ; the wall space is divided by a high dado or picture rail slightly moulded with ½ inch gas piping under, as a picture rod. The frieze is painted in plain vellum tone of colour, and decorated with stencil pattern enrichment. The woodwork generally is of deal (pine)varnished, the panels of the doors and shutters filled in with stencil decoration in a light shade of brown under the varnish. The general wall surface is hung with an all-over pattern paper of good warm golden brown tone of colour, admirably adapted for pictures. The furniture throughout is executed in Spanish mahogany, and designed to harmonize with the general character of the decoration.
The use of what is called a flatting coat, or finishing coat, of paint mixed with turpentine only, for wall surfaces, so as to produce a dull flat or dead surface without gloss, is, I think, a mistake, for this kind of work does not last when exposed to the weather; it shows every mark of dirt, and will not stand washing. This picture-surface, if painted, should not be varnished, but the dado and all woodwork of the doors and windows will be made much more effective if varnished, as I have before recommended. The woodwork should be painted of similar colour, as a rule, to the walls, but of much darker tone in two shades, and the panels covered with good ornament, stenciled on, all of which is inexpensive, and adds materially to the general artistic effect. The broad frieze, above what I call the picture or general wall space, should be much lighter in tone, and here of course there is an opportunity for real art-work. A broad decorative painted frieze, painted in compartments or panels, with figure-subjects, is of course, to my mind, the most desirable finish.”

***
The American, Mrs. Church, admitted that for the average American homeowner, the illustrations and styles described in decorating books of the day were much too expensive. Chair and picture rails would not be found in a moderately priced American home of 1880.
She advised that a large room should have “dark, rich furnishings, while a smaller one requires lighter coloring and style”. Walnut, rosewood and dark mahogany were woods for a large room, while oak and other lighter colored woods were better suited for a smaller room. Many critics of the day suggested the use of crimson in dining rooms, though brown or green were the more often used colors.
Church described the following wall treatment. Place a picture rail 12 to 15” below the ceiling and a chair rail about 3 feet off the floor. These should be painted crimson, dulled slightly with Indian or Venetian red, using a flat paint. Between the picture and chair rails paint or paper the wall in a green-gray tint. Use a light olive-green, somewhat darker than the field color, and finish with a crimson line at the top, about one inch wide, of molding or paper. Use a dark, rich, maroon and gold or black and gold in the dado space.
An ad for lincrusta

I wanted to point out something on the subject of the chair rail or height of the dado. Nowadays people feel all too often that it must be 3 feet high. This is not necessarily so. In the dining room, most chair backs were approximately 3 feet high, so if they were pushed back against the walls of the room, the chair rail would stop them from causing any damage. If the chair backs were higher, a higher chair rail would be needed. In other rooms, the height of the dado or rail would depend on the overall look desired, they were a decorative element, as opposed to their function in the 18th century, when furniture was ranged along the walls of a room and only pulled out to the center of the room when needed.
Further on Mrs. Church points out that since “In all probability, neither chair-rail nor picture-rail will be found in a moderate-sized, inexpensive house, ……crimson lines may be placed to advantage on the flat surface. The wood-work where walls are so colored should be neutral-tinted green or black, with some of the moldings in crimson ; and a bright look would be given to the whole by papering the frieze, the space above the picture-rail, with a gay pattern of birds or flowers“.

FLOORS

Eddis advised the householder paint or stain and varnish the floor for 2 or 3 feet all around, then place a good Indian or Persian rug in the center.
Mrs. Church felt one could dispense with carpets in a dining room altogether, staining and varnishing the floor and using a drugget in the center under the table. She went on to describe a covering of painted burlap. “This home-made floor covering will look quite like an old-style Turkey carpet if worked in arabesques of light blue and scarlet, with a judicious mixture of black and white, and fringed on two sides with either of the bright colors scarlet being, perhaps, the more desirable. It is a very convenient fashion to do without carpets, for they are perfect locusts to a limited purse, and nowhere can they be better dispensed with than in the dining-room”. She did write that for those who feel they must have carpets, there were new designs with black backgrounds, some with Japanese figures and bordering, which would go well with a red and gold Japanese wall paper.
If you read the article about the front hall, you’ll recall that the Japanese style decorative touch was popular.
Parquet flooring

Church referred to parquet flooring several times in her book.” Parquet or inlaid floors, sometimes known as wood-carpeting consists of narrow strips of oak, ash, walnut, or other hard woods, kiln-dried, and cemented to heavy muslin. An ornamental border and center-piece in contrasted colors usually accompany each design. ……. Parquet borders are often laid in a room, with a carpet in the center. The material may also be used as wainscoting, and even ceilings and walls may be paneled with it. This flooring is a quarter of an inch thick, and can be rolled up like oilcloth”. These wood carpets were used to cover old softwood floors that were unsuitable for staining and varnishing, and I’ve mentioned them before.
An ad for "wood carpet".


If you’ve read the previous articles, you’ll know that until the 1870’s homeowners generally covered their floors with carpet, wall to wall. It was in the 1870’ and 80’s that the move toward varnished hardwood floors began. Design critics had been suggesting the use of hardwood floors for some time, but they took quite a while to catch on. Some could not afford to redo their old softwood floors in hardwoods, others liked their carpets.
One design critic exclaimed “It is a matter of astonishment to me, to find that there are still a large number of people who are content to keep this exceedingly bad arrangement of floor covering, and who object altogether to having a certain amount of plain floor space all round the sides of the room. In the first place, this covering of the whole surface is unhealthy ; in the second place, it is dirty; and, in the third place, the cost of the carpet is infinitely more than the cost of painting or staining the edges of the rooms.
By these last few words, one can safely assume that many were still purchasing new carpeting instead of replacing their old floorboards with hardwood flooring.

FIREPLACES




If one didn’t have a fireplace similar to one of these in their dining room, having only an old fashioned, outdated marble one. Mrs. Church had a suggestion, “…..the ordinary marble mantel-shelf will be much improved by a covering of maroon leather, or velveteen, finished with fringe. These coverings, when well made and harmonizing with the rest of the furniture, are extremely ornamental; and foundations of satin, felt, or momie cloth will also be found suitable“. She goes on describe how it was done.
“To make the cover fit smoothly, a board is cut the exact size of the mantel-shelf, and an under covering of cambric muslin is fitted carefully over it. The embroidery is put on the curtain, or lambrequin, which is usually made quite straight and without fullness. For a rich material, heavy fringe is sufficient ornament; while crewel or cretonne embroidery is very handsome on the last-mentioned fabrics, and affords scope for the exercise of artistic taste.”
To add additional ornament…..
“At the sides of the fireplace, tiles painted on a pale pink or green ground are a bright and suitable ornamentation. A skillful amateur could do this herself, and the numerous representations of mediaeval dining-tables and customs would furnish appropriate subjects. If tiles are impossible, small wooden panels, painted a dead white and ornamented with transferred French pictures, the whole highly varnished, and set in narrow maroon-colored frames or borders, will produce the desired effect. A legend across the front, in old English lettering, is very appropriate for a dining-room mantel, the ground-work being of the same color as that of the tiles or panels, and the letters either in black and gold or maroon and vermilion“.
If one could not have an open fire in the fireplace, a screening of ivy or other plants would do.
In another article, I mentioned the practice of using a curtain in front of a fireplace. Here's an example used in a dining room.


WINDOWS
Ella Rodman Church liked the colorful look of a bit of stained glass in dining room windows. If stained glass was out of the question, one could achieve a nice effect by pasting thin figured muslin or lace over each pane. One could go a step further by arranging ferns and autumn leaves over the lace, or perhaps pressed pansies or daisies.

A plain brass or wooden rod, or even iron gas pipe was considered more appropriate for hanging curtains than “the heavy lacquered brass or wood poles and unmeaning fringe valances, which only serve to show dirt and dust, and are execrable in taste“.
The curtains themselves could be made of almost any fabric.
“Unbleached muslin trimmed with parallel bands of blue and red has a macaw-like effect that is quite wonderful considering the material; horizontal stripes of Turkey-red and crash-toweling are very Oriental-looking ; our maroon-furnished room would be elegantly finished with curtains of horse-girths or netted twine, separated at intervals of half a yard or so by five-inch bands of maroon velveteen. All the pretty Oriental stuffs that are to be had at such fabulously low rates seem to find their natural sphere as dining-room draperies; while curtains of crewel-work, appliqué on Turkish toweling, cretonne-work almost everything that can be invented or made appear to be just the thing in the dining-room. Anything but lace draperies, on the one hand, or material that is too rich and heavy, on the other“.

FURNITURE
The most important article of furniture in a Victorian dining room was considered to be the sideboard. It was a massive piece, as a rule, and all the glittering best china, glassware and silver were arranged upon it.
In addition to the table and dining chairs buffet and sideboard, both Church and Eddis recommended a couple of comfortable lounge or arm chairs, perhaps with a hassock for each.
A dining room lounge


A sideboard

The normal lighting in a dining room was a gas chandelier, or gasolier, hung over the table. Out in the country it might be replaced by a lamp sitting directly on the table. Apparently neither was quite satisfactory.” Side-lights, or sconces, may be placed on either side of the sideboard and the mantel-piece, one or both. It is better to have them on two sides of the room. It is also very pleasant to have one set, those by the sideboard to burn gas, and those on the chimney-piece made for candles. Many designs are now produced, and many very good ones ; some are wholly of brass, some enclose a bit of mirror or a plaque of pottery. "
Some pleasant pictures were advisable for the walls of the room. Paintings of fruit or flowers were agreeable, pictures of dead animals were passé. Though portraits were often hung in the dining room, Mrs. Church felt they should be kept out of the dining room or parlor .
Finally, an example of a very simple dining room

THE FRONT HALL circa 1880

The information in this section is culled from two books, one British the other American, published in 1880 and 1882. Both were very similar, and expressed opinions I'd seen echoed in other, later books.
In both cases the books were geared toward the well to do for the most part, but they were also read by the budget-minded.


The above sketch shows an “inner” hall for a large, important house designed in a “modern Jacobean style….as a fair example of the kind of internal work suitable for the new style of architecture, yclept, for want of a better name, ' Queen Anne.'.” Just as a note of interest, the word yclept is not a misprint. It is a word that was already archaic in 1880, meaning, more or less, ‘called’ as in, called, for want of a better name, ‘Queen Anne’. I went and looked it up.

THE FRONT HALL
A Victorian era house’s front door was generally painted, then varnished for protection against the weather and for easier washing. A recommended color was chocolate or some other warm shade of brown.

FLOORS
Most London town houses apparently had stone floors in the front hall. Though stonework could be kept clean and white with judicious scrubbing, Robert W. Eddis suggested that it may be desirable to paint the stone margins in a soft brown or other similar color. The center of the hallway should be covered with a rug or thick felt drugget. Oilcloth and linoleum were also commonly used, but some didn’t feel that the painted pattern on the oilcloth bore up well under daily wear and tear, over time they could crack. Linoleum was a new product that found favor with many, and came in assorted colors and patterns.
Parquet floors, in squares of one inch thick solid wood were another option, though quite expensive, so not as often seen.
Ella Rodman Church suggested…
“A strip of cocoanut or Japanese matting looks very well …..and a brightly checked Canton matting also makes a pretty and inexpensive hall carpet. A band of color at either edge, blue or crimson flannel or felt, makes a very good finish. A width of carpet running through the hall, with a bordering of inlaid wood, wood-carpet, or the brown walnut stain of the floor, showing at either side, will also look well. The carpet itself, if in harmony with the walls and staircase, may be in two shades of green, crimson, or chocolate-brown, in small set figures. If the hall is square in shape, the carpet should be so also, with the bordering on the four sides.

Marble mosaics and plain or encaustic tiles had come into the forefront, and it was advised by some that when using tiles one should stick to simple patterns and plain colors like red, grey, or buff….“the all-over patterns, which are published in most of the pattern books laid before the public ; not only are these elaborate geometrical patterns unsatisfactory when laid, ….but they are infinitely more expensive than plain red 4 or 6 inch tiles laid over the whole space, with a simple border of black or buff. A plain red tile pavement of this kind is infinitely pleasanter, warmer, and more suitable for a town hall, than any of the elaborate patterns which are offered for the public choice, and repeated ad nauseam, in oilcloth and linoleum.” The marble mosaics and tiles were more expensive in America, and at this point were not often used

WALLS & CEILINGS
The walls of the front hall could be treated in several ways. One, which was considered the most suitable option, was to paint the walls about two thirds of their height with a pleasant color that wouldn’t show up finger marks. A pattern could be stenciled onto the painted wall, a dark over light or light over dark. The wall was then varnished to make it easier to clean. The upper third portion of the wall could be divided from the lower by a “plain wooden molding” which could, if desired be made in the form of a narrow shelf to display pieces of porcelain or stoneware, etc.
The question of how high the dado should be was a matter of personal choice. As stated above, some preferred the 2/3 height, while others specified a height of about 3 feet. The “plain wooden molding” mentioned, when lowered became what is known as a chair rail. The chair rail was sometimes dispensed with and a paper border was substituted.
Around this period the idea of a dado was a rather new one, and many still preferred the entire wall painted or papered as one. American critic Ella Rodman Church wrote,
“The field to choose from is so large, and so much is to be considered in the way of harmony with regard to the other furnishing, that the covering of walls is a subject for almost endless discussion. Among the things to be absolutely excluded, however, are " wall-papers in imitation of moldings, pilasters, and heavy carved cornices, which are vulgar in the extreme. In the vast majority of instances, the things imitated would be out of place; for no one wants a row of fluted pilasters with Corinthian capitals or elaborate cornices in an ordinary hall. If the reality would be objectionable, the cheap imitations are much more so ; and, if it is considered desirable to break up the blank walls, it can be done much better and at less cost by other means. Papers printed in imitation of marble,
granite, and wood graining are also in bad taste. Perfectly plain tints are very much handsomer."

Among Mrs. Church’s recommendations were “…. dado of paper, the ground of a dull red, with the pattern in black, and the wall above painted in pale buff, green, or gray. …
For a hall, the palest of greens or browns is usually the most pleasing in effect; or the walls may be paneled artistically.”

The upper portion of the wall under the cornice usually became discolored quickly from the effects of gas lighting. Robert W. Eddis recommended using distemper, a paint that could be washed off every year and redone cheaply.
“In the frieze might be panels containing birds and figures, which could be done in distemper with good effect, the general drawing being done in plain red outline, contrasting well with a cream-coloured general tone of ground. ………a plain running stencil pattern of foliage, shields, and birds, as an enriched border just below the cornice, might be judiciously introduced, or a good light-toned and simple pattern, or stamped paper…..may be hung over the whole space instead of distemper. …….Decorative wreaths of one or two colours, and pots of flowers or foliage sufficiently large to form a good decorative frieze in distemper colouring, may be done from 2s. 6d. to 3$. 6d. a yard run, and the patterns may be kept, so that the work may be renewed, if necessary, each year, or changed with new patterns, which can be cut out at a very small expenditure of time and money. The ceiling should be lightly tinted in a vellum, pink, or grey tone, with some slight stencil decoration to relieve it, and the cornice treated in very light shades in distemper.”
The author continued…….
“Remember these ceilings are certain in a little space to get dingy from ordinary town atmosphere, and the wretched impurities of gas. It is unfortunate that in this nineteenth century we are still obliged to burn gas which is generally impure and a disgrace to
modern science and civilisation. Consumers are made to pay a large price for this kind of light, and ought fairly to expect to be supplied with it free from all those impurities, which tend to destroy, not only the painting and decoration on our walls, but all pictures, gilding, and other works of the kind which are left unprotected by glass. At a little extra cost, plain deal or canvas plaster ribs might be laid over the existing plaster work, and the panels thus formed could be filled in with good flock paper to relieve the general flatness of the surface, and could be painted whenever required, or the whole surface may be covered with canvas plaster in a delicate all-over pattern of naturalistic or conventional leaf ornament cast in low relief, the ground work being tinted golden-yellow colour.”

Another wall treatment recommended for the hall was to panel it to a height of 6 or 7 feet with a plain inexpensive wood, like pine, then paint it in red or dark blue lacquer. Above
Use a flocked wallpaper, painted golden yellow, flecked with a bit or a reddish or golden color.
Polished marble or mosaic tiles or slabs were another wall recommendation. It was advised that the woodwork be painted in two colors, with the moldings done in a darker shade, “….if the mullions and framing of the door be done in a dark shade, let us say of chocolate or brown, the panels might be lighter in tone, with stencil decoration of flowers, birds, or fruit in a darker shade. Here let me say that all woodwork, such as doors, windows, and shutters, which are subject to the wear of not always clean hands, should be varnished throughout “.
Yet another decorating option…….
“A warm golden-brown or yellow forms a good general tone for a hall and staircase, with a Pompeian-red dado painted, with black skirting and rail, and a frieze of light pattern paper or cream-coloured distemper ground, with line enrichment in dark golden brown or red. The general woodwork should be painted black, where there is not too much of it, or in two shades of good red or brown, or the general tone might be peacock or light blue, with soft vellum grey and blue pattern papers or distemper. A deep frieze
of boldly designed painted or stencil ornament will assist much in breaking the usual bad proportion of the staircase wall, while panels may be formed in bold lines of paint or distemper, wherein may be framed pictures or other art work. A good neutral tint or warm grey ground, with ornament in green and vermilion, has a good effect if the colours be carefully treated; or a wide diaper, with patterns interchanged, and charged with shields and legends here and there. Any good photographs, sketches, or studies are useful to hang on the rake of the staircase, on the eye line, to take off the general coldness. Many varieties of tints will suggest themselves, which will help to give a bright and cheerful character to the passage-way of the whole house, in place of the cold and dreary, rightly called, well, to which we are so accustomed.”

There was, at this time, a great interest in Japanese and Chinese art. Markets were full of colorful, inexpensive Japanese fans and prints, etc., and they were considered to be good pieces with which to decorate halls and staircases. Stencils done in an Oriental style were also in favor.
These fish stencils were used to decorate the panels of a door. The stencil was done in dark chocolate over a light reddish brown. Mr. Eddis felt that a door stenciled in such a manner was a marked improvement over the “……dull monotony of imitation graining of oak, maple, or satin wood, to which we are so much accustomed. “


* * * * * *

Sometimes the front hall was divided in two, the front portion consisting of a vestibule.
The inner door, with perhaps sidelights, was often glazed in plain plate glass. Critics advised the use of leaded or stained glass panels. Lace and figured Swiss muslin were two popular glass coverings. Some people used their crafting skills and applied things like diaphane and vitromania. If you’d like more information about these crafts check this book.
HOUSEHOLD ELEGANCIES: suggestions in household art and tasteful home decorations.
1875

In larger homes, with larger front halls, there could be a small fireplace.
‘If you wish for places for china, have plain painted deal shelves, made in groups, gradually diminishing from the lower to the upper shelf, and fixed above the mantel-piece. Do not, as is so often done, cover the mantel-shelf with a wooden top, covered with cloth or velvet, nailed on with a fringe and brass nails ; this will be an endless source of annoyance, from the fact that it never can be kept free from dirt and dust, not to say anything of its spotty and unartistic effect.”

For the basic, garden variety hall, finishing touches included a hat rack and umbrella stand, which in those days was one, often fairly large piece of furniture. A massive hall table flanked by similar chairs was in order when there was room for it. If the hall was a small one, a chair and a wall hat rack would do.