DOI issue:
No. 56 (November, 1897)
DOI article:White, Gleeson: An epoch-making house
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18390#0134
An Epoch-Ma king House
viz., that the impression produced by it upon a visitor undertaking is also beyond praise. The beauty of
should not be too vivid at first. Its best achieve- complexity is one thing, the beauty of simplicity
ment is surely to be merely restful and pleasing on another, but both maybe beautiful,
first acquaintance, and gradually to disclose new Poor people do not realise how vulgar they
points of interest, and to yield new aspects by de- might be were economy not always their safeguard,
grees. If this be true (and it is undoubtedly even To do without bad ornament is far easier when you
of simple houses), it becomes still more important cannot afford the more expensive. It is only when
when all that money can achieve has been lavishly you are able to set aside the question of cost that
introduced without its cost intruding itself on your you realise how often the most expensive product
notice. Simplicity, whether the result of economy is also the least artistic.
or of a deliberate effort to be austere, may This is merely a roundabout way of saying that
accomplish this result; yet when an ornate and lack of taste is better worth having than bad taste,
sumptuously decorated interior is so cleverly and that good taste, inseparable from all artistic
managed that you are only conscious of harmonious successes, is not necessarily limited to simplicity,
schemes of colour and a general sense of comfort No. i Holland Park, which from a common-
and domesticity, the good taste that controlled the place villa was gradually evolved into a Victorian
interior destined to be
historic—that is the point
whence we started! Its
success is due chiefly to
three influences. First,
the wise judgment of its
owner in recognising the
genius of men who had not
then made world-wide re-
putations ; next, as we have
already seen, to William
Morris, whose handiwork
is everywhere; and thirdly,
but co-equally, to Mr. Philip
Webb, an architect whose
influence has not yet re-
ceived formally that appre-
ciation which all students
of architecture and design
so willingly acknowledge
it to deserve. To Mr.
Philip Webb the structural
changes are chiefly due, to
Mr. Morris the patterns on
the walls and fabrics, to
Mr. Ionides himself the
discrimination which recog-
nised the beauty of things
then unfamiliar.
In the hall a delightful
mosaic pavement is perhaps
the first thing which strikes
i
an interested visitor. To
the average person it may
(as an anecdote has it)
seem a very good imitation
of oil-cloth. To one who
FIREPLACE IN THE MORNING-ROOM NO. I HOLLAND PARK IS COnCemed with design it
106
viz., that the impression produced by it upon a visitor undertaking is also beyond praise. The beauty of
should not be too vivid at first. Its best achieve- complexity is one thing, the beauty of simplicity
ment is surely to be merely restful and pleasing on another, but both maybe beautiful,
first acquaintance, and gradually to disclose new Poor people do not realise how vulgar they
points of interest, and to yield new aspects by de- might be were economy not always their safeguard,
grees. If this be true (and it is undoubtedly even To do without bad ornament is far easier when you
of simple houses), it becomes still more important cannot afford the more expensive. It is only when
when all that money can achieve has been lavishly you are able to set aside the question of cost that
introduced without its cost intruding itself on your you realise how often the most expensive product
notice. Simplicity, whether the result of economy is also the least artistic.
or of a deliberate effort to be austere, may This is merely a roundabout way of saying that
accomplish this result; yet when an ornate and lack of taste is better worth having than bad taste,
sumptuously decorated interior is so cleverly and that good taste, inseparable from all artistic
managed that you are only conscious of harmonious successes, is not necessarily limited to simplicity,
schemes of colour and a general sense of comfort No. i Holland Park, which from a common-
and domesticity, the good taste that controlled the place villa was gradually evolved into a Victorian
interior destined to be
historic—that is the point
whence we started! Its
success is due chiefly to
three influences. First,
the wise judgment of its
owner in recognising the
genius of men who had not
then made world-wide re-
putations ; next, as we have
already seen, to William
Morris, whose handiwork
is everywhere; and thirdly,
but co-equally, to Mr. Philip
Webb, an architect whose
influence has not yet re-
ceived formally that appre-
ciation which all students
of architecture and design
so willingly acknowledge
it to deserve. To Mr.
Philip Webb the structural
changes are chiefly due, to
Mr. Morris the patterns on
the walls and fabrics, to
Mr. Ionides himself the
discrimination which recog-
nised the beauty of things
then unfamiliar.
In the hall a delightful
mosaic pavement is perhaps
the first thing which strikes
i
an interested visitor. To
the average person it may
(as an anecdote has it)
seem a very good imitation
of oil-cloth. To one who
FIREPLACE IN THE MORNING-ROOM NO. I HOLLAND PARK IS COnCemed with design it
106