I well recall — it was my second day in London — a prominent designer offering me a bit of advice that I have never forgotten.
“Whenever you design furniture,” he said, “pin your faith on proportion and accuracy of detail. Do not trouble about decoration; keep that subsidiary; the first thing is repose.”
And he was surely right?
If we carefully analyze our own likes and dislikes, we will find that what appeals first is the graceful proportion of the article we are viewing. The question of style does not here arise. The piece may be a Jacobean sideboard on fairly heavy lines, or it may be a Sheraton table with thin tapering legs; if the proportion is good and the detail is correct it cannot fail to attract.
— The Woodworker, October 1925
"Accuracy of detail"? Does this refer to keeping design elements within an existing style? That’s a topic PWW could address style by style. For instance, Chuck Bender’s been writing about the William & Mary style, but what I missed is the article outlining what defines W&M (e.g bun feet).