Huyze Herkert, morning room: the fire grate and the coal scuttle
Ah, those British Victorians with their morally high standards and their pursuit for conformity! The home became a refuge and at the same time a means of expressing Victorian core values, with the fireplace as its heart – the ultimate symbol of domesticity and the importance of family. It therefore became the norm to have a fireplace in every room, with all the disadvantages that came with it. Fireplaces were expensive and time-consuming – in a large house, a maid could spend an entire day tending to the fires and lighting. They were inefficient – those standing close to the fire were half roasted, while those farther away were half frozen – and above all, they were dirty. Very dirty. But the British Victorians stubbornly clung to the idea of an open fire, fueled with coal (although steam heat was already being used in America at the time and closed stoves existed in Germany). I already showed you the fireplace I made for my morning room, but a fireplace also required quite a ...