Monday, March 30, 2015

Federation Paint Colours

How to Pick the Right Paint Colours for Your Federation House


[Previous page: Architect Walter Liberty Vernon .. Next Post: ]

Roof colour, wall materials and emerging trends all come into play for Federation paint schemes that work

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Joanna Tovia
Houzz Editorial Team. I'm a journalist with a love of architecture

Federation homes are popular for good reason – who can resist those timeless asymmetrical designs and character-rich original features? But when it comes to keeping them in tiptop shape, this usually means painting. 

  • Even if it’s a brick house, the timber fretwork on gables, verandahs and windows need regular repainting, and if it’s a weatherboard, the task is that much bigger. 
  • The question is, should you stick with the tried-and-true heritage colours and respect the home’s past or bring it into the now with a more modern colour scheme?
  • We find out what’s hot, what’s not, and how to get the best results out of your next painting job.

Traditional Exterior by POC+P architects
Traditional Exterior by POC+P architects

POC+P architects

Federation-style houses emerged in Australia in the late 19th century and remained popular into the early 20th century – the ornate detailing a clear sign of the prosperity of the times. These solidly built homes are as sought after now as they were then for their charm and character, and sense of history.

While traditional, rich, deep creams with reds and greens go well with both brick and weatherboard Federation houses, contemporary schemes are more suited to weatherboards. The homeowners of this house have stuck with tried-and-true heritage colours, such as ‘Indian Red’, ‘Brunswick Green’ and cream – a combination that works beautifully with the red tiled roofing and bricks. This colour scheme is eternally on trend for this style of house so, if you love your house for its history, there’s no reason to depart from these colours.

PAINTING TIP: Paint downpipes in a colour that blends in rather than stands out as an architectural highlight.
Contemporary Exterior by Danny Broe Architect
Contemporary Exterior by Danny Broe Architect

Danny Broe Architect

Houses of historical significance, or even whole areas, can be protected by a heritage overlay, so check with your local council if you’re not sure about your house. As well as restricting what changes you can make to the facade and structure of the house, there may also be limits on what you can do with paint.

BONUS TIP: Most paint companies have a heritage range of colours that have been approved for use on homes with heritage overlays, as well as a variety of suggested schemes for Federation homes.
Traditional Exterior by Dulux Paint
Traditional Exterior by Dulux Paint

Dulux Paint

Some councils are beginning to relax their rules around paint colours, especially in areas where new homes are going up around older ones. If you are restricted by a heritage overlay, however, it may be still be possible to work within the mandated palette to deliver a more contemporary look. “If they are not wanting to go down the path of classic red and green, they can often use a mix of neutrals,” says Dulux colour planning and communication manager Andrea Lucena-Orr.

If your house is red brick or has terracotta roof tiling, such as the house above, Lucena-Orr warns that it’s important to take care with your choice of neutrals. Dulux ‘Regency White’, for example, has a beige undertone, so won’t look yellow against the brick or roof tile, whereas if you choose an ivory (which has more of a yellow base), the red brick or tile will bring out more of the yellow.

BONUS TIP: Use the gutter and fascia colours to separate a terracotta roof from the main house. “Then you don’t have to be too restricted with the colour on the main house because you have that separation; it takes you two steps away from the orange,”Lucena-Orr says.

Trim: Dulux ‘Vivid White’; Walls: Dulux ‘Hog Bristle’
Traditional Exterior by Horton & Co. Designers
Traditional Exterior by Horton & Co. Designers

Horton & Co. Designers

If you don’t have a heritage overlay restricting your colour choices, why not choose something bright and cheery? “White always looks beautiful against yellow,” Lucena-Orr says.

One factor to consider if you like the idea of yellow but haven’t yet taken the plunge, however, is its impact on your neighbours. “If you’re right on top of your neighbours, yellow can sometimes annoy them because it’s highly reflective,” Lucena-Orr warns.

She adds that a warm, soft yellow with a red undertone pairs well against a traditional white such as Dulux ‘Lime White’ and makes the yellow pop.
Traditional Exterior by Taubmans
Traditional Exterior by Taubmans

Taubmans

For Federation homes, Taubmans colour creative director Shaynna Blaze advises playing off the romantic and nostalgic feel of the exterior with a gentle palette that highlights the unique trims and roof lines.

“The use of blue as an accent colour, contrasted against white and soft greys is a great way to create this exterior mood,” she says. “Whenever you’re painting the exterior of your home it’s always important to complement the style of your house and highlight any unique architectural features.”

Walls: Taubmans Endure Exterior ‘January Dawn’; trim: Taubmans ‘Grey Moth’; door and stairs: Taubmans ‘Elegant Evening’
Traditional Exterior by POC+P architects
Traditional Exterior by POC+P architects

POC+P architects

Many Federation houses feature red brick on the front and less expensive brown bricks on the sides. According to Haymes Paint regional colour stylist Erin Hearns, Federation bricks often have blue and grey tones or flecks in them, so she suggests picking colours out of the brick for the fretwork. “That’s why the charcoals work really well,” she says.

Stone colours are also likely to work, but lean more towards red than yellow-toned hues for the trim if you want a more traditional look.
Traditional Exterior by Pasco Design
Traditional Exterior by Pasco Design

Pasco Design

“Start with the roof colour first before choosing the wall or trims,” Hearns advises. Roof tile colours, such as terracotta and brown, are easiest to match, while green is the trickiest. Tones of grey and stone work well with the tiled roofs, Hearns adds, while creams are more traditional, but always lovely.
Traditional Exterior by Haymes Paint
Traditional Exterior by Haymes Paint

Haymes Paint

Taupes and warm greys work well with a red roof, stone colours work nicely with a green roof, but with a grey roof, the world is your oyster. The walls on this weatherboard are painted with Haymes ‘Balance’ and the windows with Haymes ‘Marble Mist’. The roof is in ‘Woodland Grey’ from Colorbond.

Hearns recommends sticking to just two or three paint colours to prevent a weatherboard from looking too busy. “Contemporary looks are about keeping it simple,” she says.

PAINTING TIPS: Cement tile roofs should be high-pressure cleaned and cleared of any loose particles before painting. And the experts at Taubmans advise cleaning and sanding Colorbond and galvanised iron roofs before giving them a coat of paint.
Contemporary  by Bastille Homes
Contemporary by Bastille Homes

Bastille Homes

A light grey roof is even easier to match colours. If you are using light colours, however, be prepared to wash down the walls regularly with sugar soap and water to keep them looking fresh and bright. Pollution, dirt and cobwebs are much more obvious on lighter tones so take this into account when choosing colours.

PAINTING TIPS: Eaves tend to attract and show up the dirt so avoid painting them white. Whatever the shade of your house, choose a lighter colour in the same family for the eaves or go for a quarter strength. If your house is white, go for a grey-white or off-white on the eaves.
Traditional Exterior by Marris Building Concepts
Traditional Exterior by Marris Building Concepts

Marris Building Concepts

The white-on-white look is classic and crisp. Choose one shade of white for the whole house or build in slight variation with two tones of white – one for the walls, the other for the trim – and one brighter than the other.
Traditional Exterior by Whetstone Windows & Doors
Traditional Exterior by Whetstone Windows & Doors

Whetstone Windows & Doors

Hearns warns the shade of white you love in the hardware or paint store is likely to look dramatically different when you step outside with paint chip (or tins of paint) in hand. “Consider going a couple of shades darker because they do lighten a lot in the natural light,” she recommends.

Hearns also advises checking how samples look in sunlight and shade, in front and at the back of your house. “White will look brighter on a sunny day, and greyer on a cloudy day,” she says.

Once you narrow down your choice to one or two whites, get a sample pot of each and paint a 1m x 1m patch of each on the front and back of the house. “Make sure you do two coats with the sample pot, especially if you’re painting over a darker colour,” Hearns adds.
Traditional Exterior by POC+P architects
Traditional Exterior by POC+P architects

POC+P architects

As seen here, the Federation Queen Anne style, prominent from 1890 to 1915, features Tudor-style fretwork rather than the more elaborate wrought-iron styles popular in the Victorian-style houses of the mid to late 19th century.

Traditional Exterior by POC+P architects
Traditional Exterior by POC+P architects

POC+P architects

Because traditional homes often have so many more features than modern homes, Lucena-Orr suggests thinking about how best to bring them out. “It’s a balance between making them stand out elegantly and beautifully without picking out every detail and making them too overt,” she explains.

The detailed fretwork of the early Federation period can be seen not only in gables and windows, but is also echoed on gateways.
Traditional Exterior by POC+P architects
Traditional Exterior by POC+P architects

POC+P architects

The sunrise motif on front gables signified the dawning of a new century; highlighting these in a contrasting colour can make them more of a feature.
Traditional Exterior by POC+P architects
Traditional Exterior by POC+P architects

POC+P architects

If you’re thinking about repainting your house yourself, and it hasn’t been done in a while, keep in mind that any old oil enamel paint is likely to be brittle and cracked. Taubmans advises sanding, scraping and stripping back any peeling or flaking paint and removing as much dirt and dust as possible with sugar soap or other form of detergent.

Timber trim, doors and any shiny surfaces will likely have to be sanded and cleaned, too, before a new coat of paint goes on. The prep work often takes longer than the painting, but it’s worth your while if you don’t want to be doing the job all over again in just a few years.

Traditional Exterior by Look Design Group P/L
Traditional Exterior by Look Design Group P/L

Look Design Group P/L

The Edwardian-style Federation homes, common from 1900-1915, were less ornamental than Queen Annes and often featured roof shingles and decorative leadlight in the windows and the glass in the doors. This trend began with Australia’s Federation on 1 January, 1901, when the British colonies of Australia became known as states under the Commonwealth of Australia. Many motifs in glass and plaster are of Australian flora and fauna as a mark of national pride.

If you’re thinking about grey for your house, Haymes is forecasting warm greys such as ‘Refuge’ and ‘Minimalist’ (one of Hearns’s favourites) as being on trend, as well as the cooler grey ‘Pale Mushroom’.
Traditional Exterior by Haymes Paint
Traditional Exterior by Haymes Paint

Haymes Paint

It seems most people lean towards conservative choices when it comes to painting their house. “Usually they’ve seen something they like and want something similar,” says Hearns.

But the front door is a different story. “A highlighted front door can add a pop of colour or personality,” she adds. A glossy black front door works beautifully with a white-on-white colour scheme, as well as with grey or taupe.

Walls: Haymes ‘Koala Grey’; windows: Haymes ‘Fossil’; door: Haymes ‘Intrigue’
Traditional Exterior by renae barrass interior design
Traditional Exterior by renae barrass interior design

renae barrass interior design

According to Hearns, homeowners are moving away from reds and oranges for the front door towards yellow and even teal. “A Greek island blue looks really funky, too,” she says. Usually you’d match the architraves on the windows and front door and paint just the door itself a bright hue.
Traditional Exterior by Taubmans
Traditional Exterior by Taubmans

Taubmans

Blaze says a more classic and subtle exterior scheme works best on Federation homes. As this house shows, neutral colours such as Taubmans ‘Burma Buff’ work well contrasted against crisp whites, such as Taubmans ‘Cotton Ball’.

Blaze agrees that although most Australians choose a timeless exterior colour scheme, more homeowners are wanting to keep up with colour trends by embracing bold splashes of colour in their exterior schemes without having to repaint their entire house. Painting the front door creates a focal point and gives the home a strong street presence.“This small addition of colour will add personality to your home and can easily be repainted in seasonal trend colours,” she says.

Door: Taubmans ‘Poinciana Red’; walls: Taubmans Endure ‘Burma Buff’
Traditional Exterior by Dulux Paint
Traditional Exterior by Dulux Paint

Dulux Paint

Grey is the perfect backdrop for a bright front door, says Lucena-Orr, because it’s such a neutral base and “pretty much goes with everything”. Strong reds, deep charcoals, royal blue, teal green, and even hot pink, as seen here, all work well as front door colours, she says.

Door: Dulux Aquanamel ‘Scarlet Ribbons’
Eclectic Entry by Dulux Paint
Eclectic Entry by Dulux Paint

Dulux Paint

Door: Dulux ‘Teal Trip’; trim and walls: Dulux ‘White On White’

PAINTING TIPS: Dulux advises using a brush over a roller so you have greater control with intricate details. Remember to paint the top and bottom edges of the door to protect against rot and swelling. Removing the door from its hinges will achieve the best results but is not essential.
Traditional Exterior by Dulux Paint
Traditional Exterior by Dulux Paint

Dulux Paint

Door: Dulux ‘Symphony Red’; door frame: Dulux ‘Leadman’


SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your favourite Federation colour scheme? And for the front door? Share your ideas in the comment section.

MORE ON AUSSIE LOOKS
Roots of Style: How Did Your Australian Home Get Its Look?
7 Ways the Great Australian Landscape Can Inspire Your Colour Scheme
Aussie Rules: 10 Key Australian Looks We Know and Love
The Best Paints and Colours Under the Australian Sun

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Australiana

Australiana decoration in Federation houses

[Previous page: Killara Federation Home Next page: Architects of Federation Housing]
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Wunderlich CeilingsSee also page Federation CeilingsAustralian leadlightSee also pageFederation Leadlight WindowsHenry LucienRobert PrenzelFederation Leadlight glassSee also pageArt Nouveau and Federation style
Australiana is a term denoting items, people, places, flora, fauna and events of Australian origins. 
Anything pertaining to Australian culture, society, geography and ecology can fall under the term Australiana, especially if it is endemic to Australia. Australiana often borrows from Australian Aboriginal culture, or the stereotypical Australian culture of the early 1900s.
  • Objects can be Australiana in their own right, and Australiana can also refer to art with an Australian style or subject. Paintings, ceramics, crafts and coins that depict Australian imagery would fall under this category.
  • These images are often well-known Australian animals and birds, such as kangarooskoalas, the platypus,echidnas and budgerigars.
  • People are sometimes depicted in the artwork, such as Australian explorers, droversbushmenswagmen,Australian Aboriginesdiggers and the like.[1]

A list of significant Australiana

9 January 2012 by IACArchitecture; Art; Bushrangers; Clothes; Entertainment.....

Architecture

  • Australian War Memorial (Canberra)
  • Federation houses
  • Queenslander houses
  • Shrine of Remembrance (Melbourne)
  • Sydney Harbour Bridge
  • Sydney Opera House

Flora & fauna

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  • Kangaroos
  • Koalas
  • Platypuses
  • Waratah
  • Wattle

Art

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The Australiana Society is an incorporated association of collectors, researchers, dealers and auctioneers devoted to collecting, studying and preserving Australiana: art, decorative arts, antiques, historic items, collectables, buildings and sites, and portable heritage made in, or relating to, Australia.


The Discreet Charm of Federation

September 5, 2012 by Ingridweir

Sometimes it’s hard to really see something you’re so used to looking at. There’s so many Federation style houses in Australia, bricky, sitting squarely on the block- the old schoolmasters house seemed just one of many.
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But in redesigning a house, I like to work with the style- not fight it or try to make it into something it’s not. So I bought a copy of The Federation House by Ian Evans to start to grasp the logic of these homes. Not to do a perfect restoration job, but to find a way of reinterpreting the elements.
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And then a surprising thing; through looking intently at these houses- I came to really like them. Even though there are elements of English Queen Anne and American east coast– they express an emotional connection to Australia. Kangaroos & emus make their way into carved windows and stained glass and gargoyles. Waratahs and flannel flowers are transfered to wallpaper patterns & pressed metal ceilings. Sunrises are captured in wooden grilles. The political event of Federation, the states becoming Australia in 1901, changed the way people saw what was around them.
the front bedroom
the front bedroom
from The Federation House by Ian Evans
from The Federation House by Ian Evans
The front room of the old schoolmasters house has a beautiful bay window, customized now with a built in window seat. Found this splendid drawing in the Evans book, really an encouragement to go all the way!

The most popular element of the Federation era still used in interiors today has to be the pressed metal ceiling- they are being uncovered, put in new, the metal sheets used in bars in Sydney. Had carried a hope that some might be hiding under the new ceilings of the old schoolmasters house- but a roof investigation didn’t reveal any.
Wunderlich factory 1895- making pressed metal ceilings
Wunderlich factory 1895- making pressed metal ceilings

Along with the ceilings, the other inspiring part of Federation style are the windows- epecially the ones with coloured glass and patterns. The new sunroom was basically designed around these recycled windows – a beautiful reminder of the grace notes left behind from the Federation builders & the surprising vitality hidden in their craftsmanship.
Federation rose window in the bathroom
Federation rose window in the bathroom
coloured glass windows used in the new sunroom
coloured glass windows used in the new sunroom
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from "The Federation House" by Hugh Fraser and Ray Joyce
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Ballarat home PHOTOGRAPHY MARK ROPER


Federation Leadlight Glass

Ian Evans writes that:"Federation-style houses constitute a unique statement of patriotism in architectural form. 
  • The rising sun emblem that appeared on countless gable ends symbolised the dawn of a new age for Australia and was itself adopted as a national symbol.
  • After more than a century of British cultural domination Australians had begun to find inspiration in their own country and in its remarkable flora and fauna.
  • For the first time, the flowers, birds and animals of the bush were used to decorate plaster, pressed metal, glass, terracotta and fretworked timber."
1. Gallery from 'Art Nouveau Stained Glass' 
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Detail of a Stained Glass Window on a Lift Shaft in the Rendezvous Grand Hotel (former Commercial Travellers Association) - Flinders Street, Melbourne
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A Stained Glass Window on a Lift Shaft in the Rendezvous Grand Hotel (former Commercial Travellers Association) - Flinders Street, Melbourne
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Detail of a Stained Glass Window on a Lift Shaft in the Rendezvous Grand Hotel (former Commercial Travellers Association) - Flinders Street, Melbourne
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Detail of a Stained Glass Window on a Lift Shaft in the Rendezvous Grand Hotel (former Commercial Travellers Association) - Flinders Street, Melbourne
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Detail of a Stained Glass Window on a Lift Shaft in the Rendezvous Grand Hotel (former Commercial Travellers Association) - Flinders Street, Melbourne
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Detail of a Stained Glass Window on a Lift Shaft in the Rendezvous Grand Hotel (former Commercial Travellers Association) - Flinders Street, Melbourne
raaen99
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Detail of a Stained Glass Window on a Lift Shaft in the Rendezvous Grand Hotel (former Commercial Travellers Association) - Flinders Street, Melbourne
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Detail of a Stained Glass Window on a Lift Shaft in the Rendezvous Grand Hotel (former Commercial Travellers Association) - Flinders Street, Melbourne
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A Federation Stained Glass Window of a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo in the Kitchen Door of a Villa - Thornbury
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Detail of a Kookaburra in an Oeil de Boeuf Window of an Edwardian Weatherboard Villa - Ballarat
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A Federation Stained Glass Window of a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo in the Kitchen Door of a Villa - Thornbury
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A Federation Stained Glass Window of a Sulphur Crested Cockatoo in the Kitchen Door of a Villa - Thornbury
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An Oeil de Boeuf Window featuring a Kookaburra of an Edwardian Weatherboard Villa - Ballarat
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A Window featuring a pair of Kookaburras - Ballarat
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Detail of a Kookaburra Stained Glass Window - Brunswick
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2. Gallery from Bob Bush Leadlight Glass

  • 102 Smith St. Summer Hill NSW 2130. Call Sydney (02) 9799 6107
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Gallery of Federation Tiles

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An Art Nouveau Washstand tile of a Sturt's Desert Pea
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Detail of an Art Nouveau Washstand tile of a Sturt's Desert Pea
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A Stylised Floral Art Nouveau Washstand tile
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Detail of a Stylised Floral Art Nouveau Washstand tile
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Art Nouveau Hallstand tile of a Water Lily
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Art Nouveau Hallstand tile of a Water Lily
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Art Nouveau Hallstand tile of a Water Lily
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A Stylised Floral Art Nouveau Washstand Tile
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Robert Wilhelm Prenzel (1866-1941), woodcarver and cabinetmaker

He was the man of whom Mr. J. J. Simons, of the Young Australia League, said 'Some day connoisseurs will look at a magnificent wood carving and say with conviction, "That's a Prenzel", just as they say now, "That's a Rembrandt," or "That's a Corot." His wood carvings are the most perfect works of art I know.'[2] 
Detail of bed from Matthias Suite held at National Gallery of Victoria
Detail of bed from Matthias Suite held at National Gallery of Victoria

Robert Wilhelm Prenzel (1866-1941), woodcarver and cabinetmaker, was born on 30 March 1866 at Kittlitztreben, Prussia, son of Robert Wilhelm Prenzel, carpenter, and his wife Johanna.

  • After completing a four-year apprenticeship with the Elbing woodcarver Gebauer, he studied at the Düsseldorf Academy, and 'carved' his way through Europe for four years before arriving in Melbourne on 24 November 1888. On 28 November 1890 he married Mina Schelling; they had three children. He was naturalized in 1897.
  • In Melbourne Prenzel first worked for a shipbuilder and, as a modeller of terracotta architectural ornaments, for Otto Waschatz.
  • During the 1890s he designed furniture for Nunan Bros and was in partnership with Johann Treede.
  • Treede & Prenzel, architectural modellers, designers and woodcarvers, worked on such projects as the carvings of the ceiling and walls of St Patrick's Cathedral.
  • In the early 1900s Prenzel was in business on his own as a woodcarver in South Melbourne, and, from about 1910 to 1930, as a furniture manufacturer in Toorak Road, South Yarra.
Mr R. Prenzel at work on a Queenslandcoat of arms for the Young Australia League
Mr R. Prenzel at work on a Queenslandcoat of arms for the Young Australia League


Prenzel was a craftsman of great skill and facility and, during his long working-life, produced numerous carvings and great quantities of cabinet furniture. 

  • His early work was in the Continental Gothic-Renaissance and Rococo revival styles; but, encouraged by J. A. Panton 'to carve things which would be more readily understood … the flora and fauna of Australia', he became a champion of things Australian, establishing a native garden at Black Rock and becoming an adviser to the Commonwealth government on Australian timbers.[3]
Despite his acclaim as a leading artist, Robert Prenzel's `naturalisation' as an Australian citizen in 1897 did not save him from the effects of anti-German feeling during World War I. In the very different social climate after the war, his Australian Art Nouveau furniture was less in demand, and he found himself deserted by many of his `society' clients.

Robert Prenzel 1886-1941 Paperback– December 31, 1994  by Terence Lane (Author)
Robert Prenzel 1886-1941 Paperback– December 31, 1994 by Terence Lane (Author)
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Detail, Large wardrobe from the Mathias suite, blackbean, 1906
Things were going so well for him that he moved his workshop to 11 Toorak Road, South Yarra, to be near all his affluent customers.
Then things got tough for Prenzel during the war years. He would sit in his shop front window in Toorak Road carving these unique panels as a way to supplement his income.

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Robert Prenzel carved panel of two kookaburras on a eucalypt branch dated 1923
Robert Prenzel carved panel of two kookaburras on a eucalypt branch dated 1923
Mathias suite washstand
Mathias suite washstand
Matthias Suite wardrobe detail
Matthias Suite wardrobe detail
Three of the 36 double sided panels from the staircase of the Glenormiston homestead in the Western District of Victoria.
Three of the 36 double sided panels from the staircase of the Glenormiston homestead in the Western District of Victoria.

Henry, Lucien

Lucien Henry, who in Sydney in 1879 from political exile in New Caledonia, was an artist who, during his relatively short stay, pioneered the use of
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Australian motifs as a national style in decorative art. Henry worked in a wide range of media from painting, sculpture and architecture to stained glass and other decorative arts. He was particularly interested in the decorative form of the waratah, which he integrated into a number of his works. As a teacher and art instructor at the Working Men's College, and later the Sydney Technical College, he influenced a rising generation of Australian artists and, importantly, art teachers.

An Australian style

Henry's working life in Sydney coincided with a growing sense of national pride coupled with an increasing urgency for a national style, as the colony approached its centenary event. Artists such as Julian Ashton were urging fellow artists to paint contemporary Australian scenes to illustrate the Australia around them, while theBulletin was also in favour of an emerging Australian identity in the arts.
Henry saw the forms of Australian flora and fauna as ideal representations of the nation, and his work through the middle and late 1880s reflected this. Henry was particularly entranced by the waratah which he championed in a number of his own designs and templates for use in architectural and artistic works. was Henry's influence in the use of the native flora and fauna that in 1915, Richard Baker, Curator and Economic Botanist at the Technology Museum (now Powerhouse Museum) wrote

  • Visions of a Republic: the work of Lucien Henry
    Visions of a Republic: the work of Lucien Henry
    It is impossible to say now, or to give the name of individuals who idealised or conventionalised the Lotus, Acanthus, Honeysuckle or Iris, but in this young country of a little over a century's growth, a few of the artists' names may be mentioned who have introduced our native flora in decorative arts…Mr Lucien Henry, the first teacher in Art was par excellence a designer from nature…In Mr L Henry, Australia certainly had an artist possessing real genius, and his originality in design and other fields of fine and Applied Art will live long in the annals of New South Wales technical education. (His works) are a splendid proof of the fertility of his brain, for they cover original designs from our native fauna and flora in architecture, ironwork, wall-papers, glass, stained windows, jewellery, china, chandeliers, electric lights, tiles, horology &c. 
    [10]
Henry's contribution to the development of an Australian style was most dramatically shown in his book Australian Decorative Arts . Produced between 1889 and 1891, Henry's book was made up of 50 large format plates and 50 illustrations which he conceived as the foundation of a National School, and dedicated to the youth of Australasia. [11]Henry's book recast many classical architectural forms, such as a Corinthian column capital into a lyrebird capital, and placed native plants and animals into traditional formats such as cabbage palm rosettes, waratah panels or kookaburra lamp stands.


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Lucien HenrySelf portrait (1880s)237.1983
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Lucien Henry
Waratah (1887)238.1983
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Lucien Henry, Public Park Fountain,Hippocampus and waratah,
Watercolour over pencil, circa 1890. 
Henry designed this Islamic-style pleasure dome in the shape of a giant red waratah bloom. At its centre is a fountain.
Copyright: Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.
Lucien Henry design for wall paper 1915
Contributed by Internet Archive [The Australian flora in applied art (1915)]
This Beaux-Arts graduate and Paris Communard was exiled from France to New Caledonia, settling in Sydney after his reprieve in 1879. As both teacher and practising designer, Lucien Henry made a vital contribution to the Sydney art scene during two of its most active and experimental decades.Fascinated by the pictorial possibilities of native flora and fauna – especially the waratah, the floral emblem of New South Wales – Henry produced superlative designs for stained glass, interior décor, architecture and items of applied art. He also created this striking, highly-detailed painting, 'Waratah', with its scarlet bloom set against an intricate turquoise-and-gold geometric Islamic-style pattern. It was exhibited in 1887 at the Eighth Annual Exhibition of the Art Society of NSW.Stained glass figure representing Australia, Sydney Town Hall

  • Click here or on the first image above to read a transcript of John Docker's talk on Henry Lucien.

Galleries to visit on-line:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/40262251@N03/sets/

Collection: Powerhouse Museum
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(Image: Stained glass panel, eucalyptus, waratah, flannel flower and Christmas bush design, lead, glass, made by George Hulme, Sydney Technical College, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1900-1907)
- See more at: http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/insidethecollection/category/design-and-designers/page/6/#sthash.ZdhZBrLu.dpuf


Federation Cornice

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In 1910 the Commonwealth of Australia was created by the federation of the states. In a new spirit of nationalism an attempt was made to create a distinctive Australian style.
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The Federation style borrowed much from previous periods but some distinctive features evolved, particularly the use of motifs derived from native Australian plants and trees.
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CN454

Ceiling:300.00 mm
Wall:275.00 mm
Length:3.25 m
These scenes from 19th centurary Australia depict the spirit of the country at the time of federation. An historic and very Australian cornice.
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CN424

Ceiling:110.00 mm
Wall:110.00 mm
Length:3.60 m
Federation decoration often included images of Australian native flora. Cornice Cn424 shows wattle leaves.

CN451
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Ceiling:110.00 mm
Wall:120.00 mm
Length:3.60 m
The gum nut is essentially Australian.
Cornice CN451 uses the gum nut to express its Australian federation quality.
A great cornice for kids rooms or any room where you want something uniquely Australian.


CN35
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Ceiling:77.00 mm
Wall:95.00 mm
Length:3.60 m
Cornice CN35 is another gumnut themed cornice. It can be used on lower ceilings but other wise has the same Australian quality.


  1. ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australiana
  2. ^ 


    http://manins.net.au/black-rock/prenzel.html
  3. ^ http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/prenzel-robert-wilhelm-8104