TUDOR REVIVAL INTERIORS
House exteriors ran from somber to whimsical—but the interiors were thoroughly modern for the times. A less formal living room had replaced the parlor. The kitchen had electric appliances and an eating nook; the first floor boasted a powder room. Tudor sentiment might show up only in windows, a Tudor-arch fireplace mantel, or a “medieval” staircase newel.
The early wave of English Revival houses was upscale, often featuring two-storey Great Halls with baronial fireplaces and expensive paneled walls. Rich suburban examples might have a high-ceilinged (or step-down) great room, perhaps with a timbered ceiling. Many spec-built models ca. 1925–1945, however, had generic interiors much like those in late bungalows, Dutch Colonials, and Spanish Revival houses. Arched door openings, French doors, and coved ceilings were popular in all of these.
Ceiling beams, window and door casings, wainscots, and staircases tended to be dark and heavy, made of stained oak or chestnut dully finished with wax. As in Arts & Crafts dining rooms, wainscots were taller than those in Colonial Revival houses. Damask wall coverings were appropriate over wainscots. Mock age was suggested by rough troweled plaster or a textured wall finish, often painted an ivory color. Flooring was often wide oak boards, though slate and dark tile were used in halls and kitchens. Axminster or Persian rugs partly covered floors. Heavy iron hardware complemented heavy metal lighting fixtures. Tapestries, antlers, and taxidermy hung on walls. Motifs included shields and other heraldic imagery, quatrefoils, and oak leaves and acorns.
Bedrooms were softer and lighter than the wainscoted formal rooms. There was a minor fad in the late 1920s for glamorous bedrooms styled after European hotel rooms, with mirrors and crystal doorknobs.