The Rural Voice, 2002-04, Page 52Home Decorating
The storg behind old-time sagings
Patti
Robertson
operates
Classic
Interiors in
Wingham.
By Patti Robertson
"Sleep tight ... don't let the
bedbugs bite!" Did you ever ponder
the origin of this expression? Well
allow me to enlighten you with the
anecdote and a few others that crop
up in the interesting realm of
decorating.
Years ago mattresses were stuffed
with straw, Spanish moss and even
horse hair. More times than not
wayward varmints, such as fleas and
gnats, etc. would get caught up in the
stuffing or make themselves at home
within the mattress, and more often
than not would nip the napper -ergo
"Don't let the bedbugs bite!"
While on the subject of bedding
did you know that in early colonial
days the Armoire often served as the
bedchamber for the parents at
nighttime, segregating them from the
children, in a small cabin homestead.
The enclosure would keep you up off
the drafty floor. During the day the
armoire would serve as storage for
not only the bedding but other
household possessions in need of
storing.
Many furnishings during the
Napoleonic period came to be called
"Campaign Furniture" as many
pieces, armoires, settees, highboys,
tables, etc. were all made to be
dismantled easily and to stack in
transportable units as Napoleon was
famous for his continuous campaigns
and his desire for high -styled
presentations while on location.
If you are touring in the Southern
states you will often see carved wood
in a rope design around entrance
ways. The rope signifies wealth. The
thicker the carved roping the more
connotation of the owner's wealth.
Wrought iron columns, gates, fencing
and window grills featuring acorns
and oak leaves are the silent symbol
for an establishment which serves
food and supplies sleeping .
accommodations. An establishment
sporting grapevines and grapes
signifies spirited beverages are
available within along with food and
lodging. Pineapples, included within
the home, either fresh or carved from
wood or of brass, is always a symbol
of hospitality. Fresh lemons, sunny
yellow and spilling out of a beautiful
bowl was also recognized as a
symbol of wealth.
Now how about a "widows walk".
Do you know the'origin of this
feature? A widows walls is the flat
platform constructed on the very peak
of homes in seaport towns. Most men
being sailors were away at sea. Their
women would climb to the rooftop
promenade to see if they could spot
the return of their loved ones' ships,
especially after a violent storm. Often
the hubby had been lost at sea, hence
the term widows walk.
How about a "whistlers walk"?
PATTI ROBERTSON'S
Unique Residential and
Commercial Interiors
135 Victoria St., WINGHAM
357-2872
• Custom-made Window
Fashions, Bedspreads
& Accessories
• Fine Domestic &
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• Select Wallcoverings
• Furnishings, Lighting
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any interior...
48 THE RURAL VOICE
This is the area, in olden days,
between the kitchen and the dining
room where slaves were required to
whistle as they brought the food from
the kitchen to the dining area. Having
the slaves whistle ensured that they
would not be snacking on the food
about to be served.
A "keeping room" is actually what
many of us refer to as a pantry: a
walk-in area which holds foodstuffs
and tableware. A "receiving room" is
the small yet formal room directly off
the front door where callers were
received and offered a seat, while the
person they were calling upon was
summoned to this area.
If your visit was a welcome one
you'd be shown to the inner living
room. If, however your presence was
not exactly welcome you were
allowed only as far as the receiving
room.
The term "salt box house" refers
to a colonial -styled home in which
the facade of the home boasts two
full stories while the rear drops to a
single storey and resembles an old-
fashioned salt box. A shot gun house
is a home styled so the front door and
rear door line up exactly opposite
each other, so if one chose to do so,
you could stand in your front yard,
aim your shotgun and shoot clear
through the house and out into the
backyard. No this was not someone's
- idea of entertainment: long before the
days of modern air conditioning, it
actually served as a method for
effectively cooling one's home.
Those long lanes bordered on each
side by large oaks, look oh so
picturesque in the movies, but did as
well serve an ingenious purpose.
These homes were built facing the
river, and the trees would blow in the
breezes that blew in off the river,
fanning the breezes up to and through
the houses with their central
"shotgun" hallways.
So many of our age old •
expressions, means, and methods
have very quaint, and subtle
connotations which add interest to
our homes' histories, and our
knowledge of home decor.0