Home > assh > kunapipi > Vol. 30 (2008) > Iss. 2
Abstract
The floors are carpeted, often with the high pile carpet locally termed ‘plush’. The furniture consists of thick foam-based seats covered in a fake velvet, arranged in sets of one or often two couches, plus armchairs often providing upholstered seating… The maroon of the upholstery may be picked up in curtains, carpets, coverings for tables, artificial flowers such as roses and countless other decorations, amounting to a general ‘any colour as long as it’s maroon’ principle, or its equivalent in gold/brown arrays. Artificial flowers are extremely common, often set into elaborate arrangements with perhaps half a dozen examples within the living room. There is a buffet which is a glass-fronted cabinet filled with china and glassware. It may also have internal lining of white or maroon plush. Wall decorations will be dominated by a machine-made tapestry with a religious theme, such as the Last Supper … prints of oil paintings with gilt surrounds… Prints with a West Indian theme would very rarely be found in the normative living room. (Miller 1996 136)
Recommended Citation
McMillan, Michael, The ‘West Indian’ front room: Reflections on a diasporic phenomenon, Kunapipi, 30(2), 2008.
Available at:https://ro.uow.edu.au/kunapipi/vol30/iss2/7
