The trellis is carved in the style of North African and Middle Eastern mashrabiya lattice windows. These projecting window boxes helped regulate light and airflow in hot climates, as well as affording privacy. Intricate lattice designs in the Islamic or 'Moorish' style drew the attention of European collectors and in the last decades of the nineteenth century, panels were acquired for western interiors or incorporated into other items of furniture such as folding screens and chairs. Other pieces were made to order for fashionable retailers such as Liberty & Co, who sold them in London.