The West Parlor
This less formal parlor hosted family meals and casual gatherings. The Van Cortlandt children themselves may even have played here when foul weather kept them indoors. The bright orange and blue paneling is the exact color of the room at the end of the 18th century. In this less formal parlor, decoration was achieved with color rather than expensive carving, as in the East Parlor.
The kast of painted pine and tulip poplar was made in the Hudson River Valley c. 1700. Six grisaille kasten such as this are known to exist. The term grisaille refers to the monochromatic multi-tonal gray painted decoration found on these kasten as well as other types of furniture and architectural features. The peculiarly American kasten are markedly different from Dutch kasten such as the one on view in the Dutch Chamber. Kasten were used to store textiles, which held great value.