Blacker Side Chair

This is an interpretative version of a Greene and Greene Side Chair from the Blacker House. As you can see from the images, the many details make this piece very labor intensive.

It is the subtle and thoughtful rendering of those details that can make or break a good Greene and Greene piece. If the details are not given sufficient thought, they can at best appear lifeless or at worst appear as a mere afterthought – not relating to the design as a whole.

The “brackets” come to life with a slight pillowing of the surface. I see them as giving visual strength (in reality not much real support). If they are flat, undersized or not properly shaped they appear (to my eye) anemic.

I see the “leg indent” detail as a device used to anchor the design to the ground, just as the classic claw and ball foot does. The “indent” pushes down and transfers the weight of the piece to the very bottom of the leg. That bottom portion of the leg (below the indent) is thus receiving the entire weight of the piece. There must also be a sufficient amount of mass below the indent to visually support the given weight. The slight taper below the supporting mass serves to visually contain the weight and not disperse it to the floor.