For the mouldings to make sense, is there a specific relation/ratio between the length of the flat area in the siluette of the shape in the Colonial Revival casing and the Colonial Revival chair rail? Let's take kuiken-brothers KB118 and KB401 as an example.
Yes, there is, but it takes practice and discernment that comes from seeing and studying historic homes. Standing in spaces that are beautiful and then sketching out the details. The KB moldings you mention are tight, a lot crammed together. A better molding would have longer flat spaces in between. I hope that helps. Good luck.
Very interesting! I have to say, I personally really like the Georgian style, although I can see why the smaller scale of the Federal period might work better in a lot of homes. Has anyone ever done Georgian style mouldings on a smaller scale, or would that not work?
To show high Federal style from wealthy homes is not representative of Federal America style. But rather the simpler examples from Asher Benjamin's early books AS they were INTERPRETED by common builders of the time scattered around the East. THAT IS representative of the federal style in America. All sorts of small and medium sized farmhouses and village homes. They were not academic but rather much more intuitive. If I could discipline architectural historians to do one thing, it would be this: to define the style as it existed in its many incarnations in COMMON homes without resorting to focusing on a single wealthy home. If they can't do that, then they are unfit to describe the wealthy examples. Books today ARE SO SKEWED in the mansion example that it is the lazy way out for teachers. Even the White Pine series was guilty in this way. And what books ever show Federal-Greek transitions so common in many places? As to color, no they were not a riot of color but rather the paints were all pastel versions and they ALL had a small amount of gray added not perceptible to most. This was known from color books of the day, and is found in paint analysis today. In fact by the Greek Revival period these became grisailles which are toned gray pastels in olive, gray blue, and gray itself. In fact Ash Gray made from white, lamp black, and a bit of Prussian blue was one of the most popular interior wall colors in the Federal era, usually for the wainscoting and trim, often varnished with copal varnish. Possibly the most important Federal detail in home interiors was left out entirely, and this is something people have gradually become entirely ignorant of, namely wallpapers. This was when the great rise of wallpapers occurred. Here it was not the English who determined the style but the French since Americans were now free to buy them without English tariffs. In fact English papers became rare overnight. That and the French wallpapers were far superior in style. Also at this time occurred the rise in simple attractive American made wallpapers so that hardly a simple home lacked them. Wealthier homes had sometimes every room originally papered including the ceilings of the hallways, and border papers running around doors and windows and along ceilings. Federal era carpets are a whole 'nother subject.
