Trellis in Decorating

Change is good, as the saying goes, although change and anxiety are known associates. In 1905, when Elsie de Wolfe decorated the Colony Club in New York, she meted out change in spades. In those days, post-Victorian tastes held sway and de Wolfe's plans for the tony women's association brought about some hand-wringing among its members. Among other unorthodox decorating decisions for the club, she chose to deck the walls and ceiling of one room in little, green, crisscrossed strips of wood -- indeed, in panels of garden trellis.

A century later, the doubting whispers have given way to admiration. As is often the case with avant-garde gestures, the Colony Club has become a legend of shared awareness. In the design lexicon, it is virtually synonymous with de Wolfe's aesthetic. She addressed the glamorous connotations in her landmark book, The House in Good Taste: "This trellis room was, I believe, the first in America to be so considered, though the use of trellis is as old as architecture in Japan, China, Arabia, Egypt, Italy, France, and Spain. A knowledge of the history of trelliage (sic) and an appreciation of its practical application to modern needs is a conjurer's wand -- you can wave it and create all sorts of ephemeral constructions that will last your time and pleasure."

Born of the universal desire to manage light and air flow, trellis typically takes the form of an open framework or loose mesh of wooden or metal laths, though adaptations proliferate in a decorative medley. Delicate fretwork and flowing botanical tracery define Asian versions. In Moorish interpretations, pierced and peaked wooden screens call forth the Alhambra's exotic flavor. Continental versions evolved from medieval pavilions and gazebos, eventually migrating indoors to assume ornamental roles.

This transformation from implement to embellishment is a key distinction, according to de Wolfe. "Trelliage and latticework are often used as interchangeable terms, but mistakenly, for any carpenter who has the gift of precision can build a good lattice, but a trellis must have architectural character," she observes in her book.

Designers have embraced trelliswork's figurative qualities, which translate naturally in sunlit spaces, such as garden rooms, breakfast rooms, or solariums. "It works well in a room with access to the outdoors. Trellis brings the outside in, and the light patterns and shadows it creates look wonderful at night," says designer Carolyn Malone. For a client's Palm Beach house, Malone created a trellis-sheathed breakfast room. Treillage pilasters and arches were placed in relief against white plaster walls for a cool, refined setting. "That was a classical treatment, but it's not too serious -- it has a lightness and a playfulness," says Malone.

There is a dichotomy about the presence of trelliswork. It occupies the intersection of symmetry and whimsy, possessing a rather novel stock in trade. Designer Paul Garzotto channeled the effect in a Regency-style pool house. "It was a funny space, with a lap pool and a series of French doors. It didn't have anything going for it, and the trellis grew out of a need to provide order. We had to invent a narrative," he says. "That's the great irony. The effect must appear effortless but requires maximum effort to achieve."

Brimming with imagery, trellis is also refreshingly versatile. Designers Paul Sherrill and José Solís Betancourt used it thematically in a Virginia farmhouse. Built in the Greek Revival style, the house included an octagonal garden room with sprawling vistas. Betancourt and Sherrill applied grand friezes, egg-and-dart moldings, and open trellis forms between the banks of floor-to-ceiling windows. The resulting treillage patterns mirrored iron accent rails. "The walls were painted to emphasize the trellis, and we added medallions to match the railings. The scale allowed us to use the wider trellis, which had the effect of anchoring the space architecturally," says Sherrill.

Trellis expressions are not limited to traditional, three-dimensional installations. Designer Jennifer Feldman notes a range of possibilities. "We have done painted ceilings, floor stencils inspired by the inlaid floors of Russian palaces, grilles with fabric behind them on closet doors, and exercise rooms with wood lattice over mirrors," she says. Trelliswork's essence may be abstracted in fabric, duplicated in wallpaper, or mimicked in trompe l'oeil murals. The concept remains open to interpretation, and fittingly so -- after all, de Wolfe flexed creative license to make it part of the American design vernacular. "You may give your trellis any poetic shape your vision may take," she proclaimed. "Here indeed is a delightful medium for your fancy!"

TRELLIS TIDBITS

• Depending on the style, trellis laths may be woven or finished flush, aligned straight or set on the bias. Designs may include embellishments such as pilasters, arches, ovals, circles, keystones, niches, and medallions. These may be made of wood (pierced, carved, sawed, or planed), drawn or cast plaster, or metal.

• There are grades of trellis. "There's a giveaway with the garden-store variety -- check the interior angles," says designer Paul Garzotto. Prefab panels, which are common in exterior applications, often feature square, 45-degree diamond patterns. Custom interior-grade panels are more likely to have 30- or 60-degree diamonds.

• Complex interior treillage is commonly installed as a "room within a room." After a design is finalized and resolved mathematically, the panels are custom-built. Paint, stain, sealants, and other finishes are applied before installation. Final assembly occurs inside the space, via clamps or specialized hangers.

• An interesting twist on its history of functional ornamentation is that trellis admirably masks unsightly air vents and registers without obstructing air flow. Designer Paul Sherrill employed the tactic recently, disguising an air return within a clever trelliswork frieze. "It was a real problem-solver," he says. 

RESOURCES: Paul Garzotto, Green Garzotto, 214/528-0400, www.greengarzottoathome.com; Carolyn Malone, Carolyn Malone Interiors, 404/264-9509; José Solís Betancourt and Paul Sherrill, Solís Betancourt, 202/659-8734, www.solisbetancourt.com; Jennifer Feldman, Bunny Willams, Inc., 212/207-4040, www.bunnywilliams.com.