file which includes the original illustrations4 ,see #adgae-;h4htm or #adgae-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/dirs_/#a_/ d_/g_/a_/adgae_/adgae-;h_/#adgae-;h4htm7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/dirs_/#a_/ d_/g_/a_/adgae_/adgae-;h4zip7 ,,the ,,house ,,in ,,good ,,taste by ,,elsie ,,de ,,wolfe ,illustrated with photographs in color and black and white ,new ,york ,the ,century ,co4 #aiac ,illustration ,,contents ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,development ,,of ,,the ,,modern ,,house ,,ii4 ,,suitability1 ,,simplicity ,,and ,,proportion ,,iii4 ,,the ,,old ,,washington ,,irving ,,house ,,iv4 ,,the ,,little ,,house ,,of ,,many ,,mirrors ,v4 ,,the ,,treatment ,,of ,,walls ,,vi4 ,,the ,,effective ,,use ,,of ,,color ,,vii4 ,,of ,,doors1 ,,and ,,windows1 ,,and ,,chintz ,,viii4 ,,the ,,problem ,,of ,,artificial ,,light ,,ix4 ,,halls ,,and ,,staircases ,x4 ,,the ,,drawing-,,room ,,xi4 ,,the ,,living-,,room ,,xii4 ,,sitting-,,room ,,and ,,boudoir ,,xiii4 ,a ,,light1 ,,gay ,,dining-,,room ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,bedroom ,,xv4 ,,the ,,dressing-,,room ,,and ,,the ,,bath ,,xvi4 ,,the ,,small ,,apartment ,,xvii4 ,,reproductions ,,of ,,antique ,,furniture ,,and ,,objects ,,of ,,art ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,trelliage ,,xix4 ,,villa ,,trianon ,,xx4 ,,notes ,,on ,,many ,,things ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,elsie de ,wolfe 7,frontispiece7 ,in this hall1 simplicity1 suitability and proportion are observed ,mennoyer drawings and old mirrors set in panelings ,a portrait by ,nattier inset above a fine old mantel ,the ,washington ,irving house was delightfully rambling ,a ,washington ,irving ,house bedroom ,miss ,marbury's bedroom ,the fore-court and entrance of the ,fifty-fifth ,street house ,a painted wall broken into panels by narrow moldings ,a wall paper of ,elizabethan design with oak furniture ,the scheme of this room grew from the jars on the mantel ,a ,louis ,seize bedroom in rose and blue and cream ,the writing corner of a chintz bedroom ,black chintz used in a dressing-room ,printed linen curtains over rose colored silk ,straight hangings of rose and yellow shot silk ,muslin glass curtains in the ,washington ,irving house ,here are many lighting fixtures harmoniously assembled in a drawing-room ,detail of a fine old ,french fixture of hand wrought metal ,lighting fixtures inspired by ,adam mirrors ,the staircase in the ,bayard ,thayer house ,the drawing-room should be intimate in spirit ,the fine formality of well-placed paneling ,the living-room in the ,c4,w4 ,harkness house at ,morristown1 ,new ,jersey ,miss ,anne ,morgan's ,louis ,,xvi boudoir ,miss ,morgan's ,louis ,,xvi lit de repos ,a ,georgian dining-room in the ,william ,iselin house ,mrs4 ,ogden ,armour's ,chinese paper screen ,mrs4 ,james ,warren ,lane's painted dining-table ,the private dining-room in the ,colony ,club ,an old painted bed of the ,louis ,,xvi period ,miss ,crocker's ,louis ,,xvi bed ,a ,colony ,club bedroom ,mauve chintz in a dull green room ,mrs4 ,frederick ,havemeyer's ,chinoiserie chintz bed ,mrs4 ,payne ,whitney's green feather chintz bed ,my own bedroom is built around a ,breton bed ,furniture painted with chintz designs ,miss ,morgan's ,louis ,,xvi dressing-room ,miss ,marbury's chintz-hung dressing-table ,a corner of my own boudoir ,built-in bookshelves in a small room ,mrs4 ,c4,w4 ,harkness's cabinet for objets d'art ,a banquette of the ,louis ,,xv period covered with needlework ,a ,chinese ,chippendale sofa covered with chintz ,the trellis room in the ,colony ,club ,mrs4 ,ormond ,g4 ,smith's trellis room at ,center ,island1 ,new ,york ,looking over the tapis vert to the trellis ,a fine old console in the ,villa ,trianon ,the broad terrace connects house and garden ,a proper writing-table in the drawing-room ,a cream-colored porcelain stove in a ,new ,york house ,mr4 ,james ,deering's wall fountain ,fountain in the trellis room of ,mrs4 ,ormond ,g4 ,smith ,i ,,the ,,development ,,of ,,the ,,modern ,,house ,i know of nothing more significant than the awakening of men and women throughout our country to the desire to improve their houses4 ,call it what you will--awakening1 development1 ,american ,renaissance--it is a most startling and promising condition of affairs4 ,it is no longer possible1 even to people of only faintly sthetic tastes1 to buy chairs merely to sit upon or a clock merely that it should tell the time4 ,home-makers are determined to have their houses1 outside and in1 correct according to the best standards4 ,what do we mean by the best standards8 ,certainly not those of the useless1 overcharged house of the average ,american millionaire1 who builds and furnishes his home with a hopeless disregard of tradition4 ,we must accept the standards that the artists and the architects accept1 the standards that have come to us from those exceedingly rational people1 our ancestors4 ,our ancestors built for stability and use1 and so their simple houses were excellent examples of architecture4 ,their spacious1 uncrowded interiors were usually beautiful4 ,houses and furniture fulfilled their uses1 and if an object fulfils its mission the chances are that it is beautiful4 ,it is all very well to plan our ideal house or apartment1 our individual castle in ,spain1 but it isn't necessary to live among intolerable furnishings just because we cannot realize our castle4 ,there never was a house so bad that it couldn't be made over into something worth while4 ,we shall all be very much happier when we learn to transform the things we have into a semblance of our ideal4 ,how1 then1 may we go about accomplishing our ideal8 ,by letting it go6 ,by forgetting this vaguely pleasing dream1 this evidence of our smug vanity1 and making ourselves ready for a new ideal4 ,by considering the body of material from which it is good sense to choose when we have a house to decorate4 ,by studying the development of the modern house1 its romantic tradition and architectural history4 ,by taking upon ourselves the duty of self-taught lessons of sincerity and common sense1 and suitability4 ,by learning what is meant by color and form and line1 harmony and contrast and proportion4 ,when we are on familiar terms with our tools1 and feel our vague ideas clearing into definite inspiration1 then we are ready to talk about ideals4 ,we are fit to approach the full art of home-making4 ,we take it for granted that every woman is interested in houses--that she either has a house in course of construction1 or dreams of having one1 or has had a house long enough wrong to wish it right4 ,and we take it for granted that this ,american home is always the woman's home3 a man may build and decorate a beautiful house1 but it remains for a woman to make a home of it for him4 ,it is the personality of the mistress that the home expresses4 ,men are forever guests in our homes1 no matter how much happiness they may find there4 ,you will express yourself in your house1 whether you want to or not1 so you must make up your mind to a long preparatory discipline4 ,you may have only one house to furnish in your life-time1 possibly1 so be careful and go warily4 ,therefore1 you must select for your architect a man who isn't too determined to have his way4 ,it is a fearful mistake to leave the entire planning of your home to a man whose social experience may be limited1 for instance1 for he can impose on you his conception of your tastes with a damning permanency and emphasis4 ,i once heard a certain ,boston architect say that he taught his clients to be ladies and gentlemen4 ,he couldn't1 you know4 ,all he could do is to set the front door so that it would reprove them if they weren't6 ,who does not know1 for instance1 those mistaken people whose houses represent their own or their architects' hasty visits to the fine old chteaux of the ,loire1 or the palaces of ,versailles1 or the fine old houses of ,england1 or the gracious villas of ,italy8 ,we must avoid such aspiring architects1 and visualize our homes not as so many specially designated rooms and convenient closets1 but as individual expressions of ourselves1 of the future we plan1 of our dreams for our children4 ,the ideal house is the house that has been long planned for1 long awaited4 ,illustration3 ,,in ,,this ,,hall1 ,,simplicity1 ,,suitability ,,and ,,proportion ,,are ,,observed ,fortunately for us1 our best architects are so very good that we are better than safe if we take our problems to them4 ,these men associate with themselves the hundred young architects who are eager to prove themselves on small houses4 ,the idea that it is economical to be your own architect and trust your house to a building contractor is a mistaken1 and most expensive1 one4 ,the surer you are of your architect's common sense and professional ability1 the surer you may be that your house will be economically efficient4 ,he will not only plan a house that will meet the needs of your family1 but he will give you inspiration for its interior4 ,he will concern himself with the moldings1 the light-openings1 the door-handles and hinges1 the unconsidered things that make or mar your house4 ,select for your architect a man you'd like for a friend4 ,perhaps he will be1 before the house comes true4 ,if you are both sincere1 if you both purpose to have the best thing you can afford1 the house will express the genius and character of your architect and the personality and character of yourself1 as a great painting suggests both painter and sitter4 ,the hard won triumph of a well-built house means many compromises1 but the ultimate satisfaction is worth everything4 ,i do not purpose1 in this book1 to go into the historic traditions of architecture and decoration--there are so many excellent books it were absurd to review them--but ,i do wish to trace briefly the development of the modern house1 the woman's house1 to show you that all that is intimate and charming in the home as we know it has come through the unmeasured influence of women4 ,man conceived the great house with its parade rooms1 its grands appartements but woman found eternal parade tiresome1 and planned for herself little retreats1 rooms small enough for comfort and intimacy4 ,in short1 man made the house3 woman went him one better and made of it a home4 ,the virtues of simplicity and reticence in form first came into being1 as nearly as we can tell1 in the ,grotta1 the little studio-like apartment of ,isabella d',este1 the ,marchioness of ,mantua1 away back in #adif4 ,the ,marchioness made of this little studio her personal retreat4 ,here she brought many of the treasures of the ,italian ,renaissance4 ,really1 simplicity and reticence were the last things she considered1 but the point is that they were considered at all in such a restless1 passionate age4 ,later1 in #aebb1 she established the ,paradiso1 a suite of apartments which she occupied after her husband's death4 ,so you see the idea of a woman planning her own apartment is pretty old1 after all4 ,the next woman who took a stand that revealed genuine social consciousness was that half-,french1 half-,italian woman1 ,catherine de ,vivonne1 ,marquise de ,rambouillet4 ,she seceded from court because the court was swaggering and hurly-burly1 with florid ,marie-de-,medicis at its head4 ,and with this recession1 she began to express in her conduct1 her feeling1 her conversation1 and1 finally1 in her house1 her awakened consciousness of beauty and reserve1 of simplicity and suitability4 ,this was the early ,seventeenth ,century1 mind you1 when the main salons of the ,french houses were filled with such institutions as rows of red chairs and boxed state beds4 ,she undertook1 first of all1 to have a light and gracefully curving stairway leading to her salon instead of supplanting it4 ,she grouped her rooms with a lovely diversity of size and purpose1 whereas before they had been vast1 stately halls with cubbies hardby for sleeping4 ,she gave the bedroom its alcove1 boudoir1 ante-chamber1 and even its bath1 and then as decorator she supplanted the old feudal yellow and red with her famous silver-blue4 ,she covered blue chairs with silver bullion4 ,she fashioned long1 tenderly colored curtains of novel shades4 ,reticence was always in evidence1 but it was the reticence of elegance4 ,it was through ,madame de ,rambouillet that the armchair received its final distribution of yielding parts1 and began to express the comfort of soft padded backward slope1 of width and warmth and color4 ,it was all very heavy1 very grave1 very angular1 this ,htel ,rambouillet1 but it was devised for and consecrated to conversation1 considered a new form of privilege6 ,the prcieuses in their later jargon called chairs the indispensables of conversation4 ,i have been at some length to give a picture of ,madame de ,rambouillet's htel because it really is the earliest modern house4 ,there1 where the society that frequented it was analyzing its soul in dialogue and long platonic discussion that would seem stark enough to us1 the word which it invented for itself was urbanit--the coinage of one of its own foremost figures4 ,it is unprofitable to follow on into the grandeurs of ,louis ,,xiv1 if one hopes to find an advance there in truth-telling architecture4 ,at the end of that splendid official success the squalor of ,versailles was unspeakable1 its stenches unbearable4 ,in spite of its size the ,palace was known as the most comfortless house in ,europe4 ,after the death of its owner society1 in a fit of madness1 plunged into the rocaille4 ,when the restlessness of ,louis ,,xv could no longer find moorings in this brilliancy1 there came into being little houses called folies1 garden hermitages for the privileged4 ,here we find ,madame de ,pompadour in calicoes1 in a wild garden1 bare-foot1 playing as a milkmaid1 or seated in a little gray-white interior with painted wooden furniture1 having her supper on an earthen-ware service that has replaced old silver and gold4 ,amorous alcoves lost their painted ,loves and took on gray and white decorations4 ,the casinos of little comdiennes did not glitter any more4 ,english sentiment began to bedim ,gallic eyes1 and so what we know as the ,louis ,,xvi style was born4 ,and so1 at that moment1 the idea of the modern house came into its own1 and it could advance--as an idea--hardly any further4 ,for with all the intrepidity and passion of the later ,eighteenth ,century in its search for beauty1 for all the magic-making of convenience and ingenuity of the ,nineteenth ,century1 the fundamentals have changed but little4 ,and now we of the ,twentieth ,century can only add material comforts and an expression of our personality4 ,we raise the house beyond the reach of squalor1 we give it measured heat1 we give it water in abundance and perfect sanitation and light everywhere1 we give it ventilation less successfully than we might1 and finally we give it the human quality that is so modern4 ,there are no dungeons in the good modern house1 no disgraceful lairs for servants1 no horrors of humidity4 ,illustration3 ,,mennoyer ,,drawings ,,and ,,old ,,mirrors ,,set ,,in ,,panelings ,and so we women have achieved a house1 luminous with kind purpose throughout4 ,it is finished--that is our difficulty6 ,we inherit it1 all rounded in its perfection1 consummate in its charms1 but it is finished1 and what can we do about a thing that is finished ,i ,doesn't it seem that we are back in the old position of ,isabella d',este--eager1 predatory1 and thingy8 ,and isn't it time for us to pull up short lest we sidestep the goal8 ,we are so sure of a thousand appetites we are in danger of passing by the amiable commonplaces4 ,we find ourselves dismayed in old houses that look too simple4 ,we must stop and ask ourselves questions1 and1 if necessary1 plan for ourselves little retreats until we can find ourselves again4 ,what is the goal8 ,a house that is like the life that goes on within it1 a house that gives us beauty as we understand it--and beauty of a nobler kind that we may grow to understand1 a house that looks amenity4 ,suppose you have obtained this sort of wisdom--a sane viewpoint4 ,i think it will give you as great a satisfaction to re-arrange your house with what you have as to re-build1 re-decorate4 ,the results may not be so charming1 but you can learn by them4 ,you can take your indiscriminate inheritance of ,victorian rosewood of ,eastlake walnut and cocobolo1 your pickle-and-plum colored ,morris furniture1 and make a civilized interior by placing it right1 and putting detail at the right points4 ,your sense of the pleasure and meaning of human intercourse will be clear in your disposition of your best things1 in your elimination of your worst ones4 ,when you have emptied the tables of rubbish so that you can put things down on them at need1 placed them in a light where you can write on them in repose1 or isolated real works of art in the middle of them2 when you have set your dropsical sofas where you want them for talk1 or warmth and reading2 when you can see the fire from the bed in your sleeping-room1 and dress near your bath2 if this sort of sense of your rights is acknowledged in your rearrangement1 your rooms will always have meaning1 in the end4 ,if you like only the things in a chair that have meaning1 and grow to hate the rest you will1 without any other instruction1 prefer--the next time you are buying--a good ,louis ,,xvi fauteuil to a stuffed velvet chair4 ,you will never again be guilty of the errors of meaningless magnificence4 ,to most of us in ,america who must perforce lead workaday lives1 the absence of beauty is a very distinct lack4 ,i think1 indeed1 that the present awakening has come to stay1 and that before very long1 we shall have simple houses with fireplaces that draw1 electric lights in the proper places1 comfortable and sensible furniture1 and not a gilt-legged spindle-shanked table or chair anywhere4 ,this may be a decorator's optimistic dream1 but let us all hope that it may come true4 ,,ii ,,suitability1 ,,simplicity ,,and ,,proportion ,when ,i am asked to decorate a new house1 my first thought is suitability4 ,my next thought is proportion4 ,always ,i keep in mind the importance of simplicity4 ,first1 ,i study the people who are to live in this house1 and their needs1 as thoroughly as ,i studied my parts in the days when ,i was an actress4 ,for the time-being ,i really am the chatelaine of the house4 ,when ,i have thoroughly familiarized myself with my part1 ,i let that go for the time1 and consider the proportion of the house and its rooms4 ,it is much more important that the wall openings1 windows1 doors1 and fireplaces should be in the right place and should balance one another than that there should be expensive and extravagant hangings and carpets4 ,my first thought in laying out a room is the placing of the electric light openings4 ,how rarely does one find the lights in the right place in our over-magnificent hotels and residences6 ,one arrives from a journey tired out and travel-stained1 only to find oneself facing a mirror as far removed from the daylight as possible1 with the artificial lights directly behind one1 or high in the ceiling in the center of the room4 ,in my houses ,i always see that each room shall have its lights placed for the comfort of its occupants4 ,there must be lights in sheltered corners of the fireplace1 by the writing-desk1 on each side of the dressing-table1 and so on4 ,then ,i consider the heating of the room4 ,we ,americans are slaves to steam heat4 ,we ruin our furniture1 our complexions1 and our dispositions by this enervating atmosphere of too much heat4 ,in my own houses ,i have a fireplace in each room1 and ,i burn wood in it4 ,there is a heating-system in the basement of my house1 but it is under perfect control4 ,i prefer the normal heat of sunshine and open fires4 ,but1 granted that open fires are impossible in all your rooms1 do arrange in the beginning that the small rooms of your house may not be overheated4 ,it is a distinct irritation to a person who loves clean air to go into a room where a flood of steam heat pours out of every corner4 ,there is usually no way to control it unless you turn it off altogether4 ,i once had the temerity to do this in a certain hotel room where there was a cold and cheerless empty fireplace4 ,i summoned a reluctant chambermaid1 only to be told that the chimney had never had a fire in it and the proprietor would rather not take such a risk6 ,illustration3 ,a ,,portrait ,,by ,,nattier ,,inset ,,above ,a ,,fine ,,old ,,mantel ,perhaps the guest in your house would not be so troublesome1 but don't tempt her6 ,if you have a fireplace1 see that it is in working order4 ,we are sure to judge a woman in whose house we find ourselves for the first time1 by her surroundings4 ,we judge her temperament1 her habits1 her inclinations1 by the interior of her home4 ,we may talk of the weather1 but we are looking at the furniture4 ,we attribute vulgar qualities to those who are content to live in ugly surroundings4 ,we endow with refinement and charm the person who welcomes us in a delightful room1 where the colors blend and the proportions are as perfect as in a picture4 ,after all1 what surer guarantee can there be of a woman's character1 natural and cultivated1 inherent and inherited1 than taste8 ,it is a compass that never errs4 ,if a woman has taste she may have faults1 follies1 fads1 she may err1 she may be as human and feminine as she pleases1 but she will never cause a scandal6 ,how can we develop taste8 ,some of us1 alas1 can never develop it1 because we can never let go of shams4 ,we must learn to recognize suitability1 simplicity and proportion1 and apply our knowledge to our needs4 ,i grant you we may never fully appreciate the full balance of proportion1 but we can exert our common sense and decide whether a thing is suitable2 we can consult our conscience as to whether an object is simple1 and we can train our eyes to recognize good and bad proportion4 ,a technical knowledge of architecture is not necessary to know that a huge stuffed leather chair in a tiny gold and cream room is unsuitable1 is hideously complicated1 and is as much out of proportion as the proverbial bull in the china-shop4 ,a woman's environment will speak for her life1 whether she likes it or not4 ,how can we believe that a woman of sincerity of purpose will hang fake works of art on her walls1 or satisfy herself with imitation velvets or silks8 ,how can we attribute taste to a woman who permits paper floors and iron ceilings in her house8 ,we are too afraid of the restful commonplaces1 and yet if we live simple lives1 why shouldn't we be glad our houses are comfortably commonplace8 ,how much better to have plain furniture that is comfortable1 simple chintzes printed from old blocks1 a few good prints1 than all the sham things in the world8 ,a house is a dead-give-away1 anyhow1 so you should arrange is so that the person who sees your personality in it will be reassured1 not disconcerted4 ,too often1 here in ,america1 the most comfortable room in the house is given up to a sort of bastard collection of gilt chairs and tables1 over-elaborate draperies shutting out both light and air1 and huge and frightful paintings4 ,this style of room1 with its museum-like furnishings1 has been dubbed ,marie ,antoinette1 why1 no one but the ,american decorator can say4 ,heaven knows poor ,marie ,antoinette had enough follies to atone for1 but certainly she has never been treated more shabbily than when they dub these mausoleums ,marie ,antoinette rooms4 ,i remember taking a clever ,englishwoman of much taste to see a woman who was very proud of her new house4 ,we had seen most of the house when the hostess1 who had evidently reserved what she considered the best for the last1 threw open the doors of a large and gorgeous apartment and said1 ,this is my ,louis ,,xvi ballroom4 ,my friend1 who had been very patient up to that moment1 said very quietly1 ,what makes you think so8 ,louis ,,xvi thought a salon well furnished with a few fine chairs and a table4 ,he wished to be of supreme importance4 ,in the immense salons of the ,italian palaces there were a few benches and chairs4 ,people then wished spaces about them4 ,nowadays1 people are swamped by their furniture4 ,too many centuries1 too many races1 crowd one another in a small room4 ,the owner seems insignificant among his collections of historical furniture4 ,whether he collects all sorts of things of all periods in one heterogeneous mass1 or whether he fills his house with the furniture of some one epoch1 he is not at home in his surroundings4 ,the furniture of every epoch records its history4 ,our ancestors of the ,fourteenth and ,fifteenth ,centuries inherited the troublous times of their fathers in their heavy oaken chests4 ,they owned more chests than anything else1 because a chest could be carried away on the back of a sturdy pack mule1 when the necessity arose for flight4 ,people never had time to sit down in the ,sixteenth ,century4 ,their feverish unrest is recorded in their stiff1 backed chairs4 ,it was not until the ,seventeenth ,century that they had time to sit down and talk4 ,we need no book of history to teach us this--we have only to observe the ample proportions of the arm-chairs of the period4 ,our ancestors of the ,seventeenth and ,eighteenth centuries worked with a faith in the permanence of what they created4 ,we have lost this happy confidence4 ,we are occupied exclusively with preserving and reproducing4 ,we have not succeeded in creating a style adapted to our modern life4 ,it is just as well6 ,our life1 with its haste1 its nervousness and its preoccupations1 does not inspire the furniture-makers4 ,we cannot do better than to accept the standards of other times1 and adapt them to our uses4 ,why should we ,american woman run after styles and periods of which we know nothing8 ,why should we not be content with the fundamental things8 ,the formal ,french room is very delightful in the proper place but when it is unsuited to the people who must live in it it is as bad as a sham room4 ,the woman who wears paste jewels is not so conspicuously wrong as the woman who plasters herself with too many real jewels at the wrong time6 ,this is what ,i am always fighting in people's houses1 the unsuitability of things4 ,the foolish woman goes about from shop to shop and buys as her fancy directs4 ,she sees something pretty and buys it1 though it has no reference either in form or color to the scheme of her house4 ,haven't you been in rooms where there was a jumble of mission furniture1 satinwood1 fine old mahogany and gilt-legged chairs8 ,and it is the same with color4 ,a woman says1 ,oh1 ,i love blue1 let's have blue6 regardless of the exposure of her room and the furnishings she has already collected4 ,and then when she has treated each one of her rooms in a different color1 and with a different floor covering1 she wonders why she is always fretted in going from one room to another4 ,don't go about the furnishing of your house with the idea that you must select the furniture of some one period and stick to that4 ,it isn't at all necessary4 ,there are old ,english chairs and tables of the ,sixteenth and ,seventeenth ,centuries that fit into our quiet1 spacious ,twentieth ,century country homes4 ,lines and fabrics and woods are the things to be compared4 ,there are so many beautiful things that have come to us from other times that it should be easy to make our homes beautiful1 but ,i have seen what ,i can best describe as apoplectic chairs whose legs were fashioned like aquatic plants2 tables upheld by tortured naked women2 lighting fixtures in the form of tassels1 and such horrors1 in many houses of to-day under the guise of being authentic period furniture4 ,only a connoisseur can ever hope to know about the furniture of every period1 but all of us can easily learn the ear-marks of the furniture that is suited to our homes4 ,i shan't talk about ear-marks here1 however1 because dozens of collectors have compiled excellent books that tell you all about curves and lines and grain-of-wood and worm-holes4 ,my business is to persuade you to use your graceful ,french sofas and your simple rush bottom ,new ,england chairs in different rooms--in other words1 to preach to you the beauty of suitability4 ,suitability6 ,suitability6 ,,suitability66 ,it is such a relief to return to the tranquil1 simple forms of furniture1 and to decorate our rooms by a process of elimination4 ,how many rooms have ,i not cleared of junk--this heterogeneous mass of ornamental period furniture and bric-a-brac bought to make a room look cozy4 ,once cleared of these1 the simplicity and dignity of the room comes back1 the architectural spaces are freed and now stand in their proper relation to the furniture4 ,in other words1 the architecture of the room becomes its decoration4 ,,iii ,,the ,,old ,,washington ,,irving ,,house ,i have always lived in enchanting houses4 ,probably when another woman would be dreaming of love affairs1 ,i dream of the delightful houses ,i have lived in4 ,and just as the woman who dreams of many lovers finds one dream a little dearer than all the rest1 so one of my houses has been dearer to me than all the others4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,washington ,,irving ,,house ,,was ,,delightfully ,,rambling ,this favorite love of mine is the old ,washington ,irving house in ,new ,york1 the quaint mansion that gave historic ,irving ,place its name4 ,for twenty years my friend1 ,elizabeth ,marbury1 and ,i made this old house our home4 ,two years ago we reluctantly gave up the old house and moved into a more modern one--also transformed from old into new--on ,east ,fifty-fifth ,street4 ,we have also a delightful old house in ,france1 the ,villa ,trianon1 at ,versailles1 where we spend our summers4 ,so you see we have had the rare experience of transforming three mistreated old houses into very delightful homes4 ,when we found this old house1 so many years ago1 we were very young1 and it is amusing now to think of its evolution4 ,we had so many dreams1 so many theories1 and we tried them all out on the old house4 ,and like a patient1 well-bred maiden aunt1 the old house always accepted our changes most placidly4 ,there never was such a house6 ,you could do anything to it1 because1 fundamentally1 it was good4 ,its wall spaces were inviting1 its windows were made for framing pleasant things4 ,when we moved there we had a broad sweep of view3 ,i can remember seeing the river from our dining-room4 ,now the city has grown up around the old house and jostled it rudely1 and shut out much of its sunshine4 ,there is a joy in the opportunity of creating a beautiful interior for a new and up-to-date house1 but best of all is the joy of furnishing an old house like this one4 ,it is like reviving an old garden4 ,it may not be just your idea of a garden to begin with1 but as you study it and deck its barren spaces with masses of color1 and fit a sundial into the spot that so needs it1 and give the sunshine a fountain to play with1 you love the old garden just a little more every time you touch it1 until it becomes to you the most beautiful garden in all the world4 ,gardens and houses are such whimsical things6 ,this old house of ours had been so long mistreated that it was fairly petulant and querulous when ,i began studying it4 ,it asked questions on every turn1 and seemed surprised when they were answered4 ,the house was delightfully rambling1 with a tiny entrance hall1 and narrow stairs1 and sudden up and down steps from one room to another like the old1 old house one associates with far-away places and old times4 ,the little entrance hall was worse than a question1 it was a problem1 but ,i finally solved it4 ,the floor was paved with little hexagon-shaped tiles of a wonderful old red4 ,a door made of little square panes of mirrors was placed where it would deceive the old hall into thinking itself a spacious thing4 ,the walls were covered with a green-and-white-stripe wall-paper that looked as old as ,rip ,van ,winkle4 ,this is the same ribbon-grass paper that ,i afterward used in the ,colony ,club hallway4 ,the woodwork was painted a soft gray-green4 ,finally1 ,i had my collection of faded ,french costume prints set flat against the top of the wall as a frieze4 ,the hall was so very narrow that as you went up stairs you could actually examine the old prints in detail4 ,another little thing3 ,i covered the handrail of the stairs with a soft gray-green velvet of the same tone as the woodwork1 and the effect was so very good and the touch of it so very nice that many of my friends straightway adopted the idea4 ,but ,i am placing the cart before the horse6 ,i should talk of the shell of the house before the contents1 shouldn't ,i8 ,it is hard to talk of this particular house as a thing apart from its furnishings1 however1 for every bit of paneling1 every lighting-fixture1 the placing of each mirror1 was worked out so that the shell of the house and its furnishings might be in perfect harmony4 ,the drawing-room and dining-room occupied the first floor of the house4 ,the drawing-room was a long1 narrow room with cream woodwork and walls4 ,the walls were broken into panels by the use of a narrow molding4 ,in the large panel above the mantel-shelf ,i had inset a painting by ,nattier4 ,you will see the same painting used in the ,fifty-fifth ,street house drawing-room1 in another illustration4 ,the color scheme of rose and cream and dull yellow was worked out from the rose and yellow ,persian rug4 ,most of the furniture we found in ,france1 but it fitted perfectly into this aristocratic and dignified room4 ,miss ,marbury and ,i have a perfect right to ,french things in our drawing-room1 you see1 for we are ,french residents for half the year4 ,and1 besides1 this gracious old house welcomed a fine old ,louis ,,xiv sofa as serenely as you please4 ,i have no idea of swallowing my words about unsuitability6 ,light1 air and comfort--these three things ,i must always have in a room1 whether it be drawing-room or servant's room4 ,this room had all three4 ,the chairs were all comfortable1 the lights well placed1 and there was plenty of sunshine and air4 ,the color of the room was so subdued that it was restful to the eye--one color faded into another so subtly that one did not realize there was a definite color-scheme4 ,the hangings of the room were of a deep rose color4 ,i used the same colors in the coverings of the chairs and sofas4 ,the house was curtained throughout with fine white muslin curtains4 ,no matter what the inner curtains of a room may be1 ,i use this simple stuff against the window itself4 ,there isn't any nicer material4 ,to me there is something unsuitable in an array of lace against a window1 like underclothes hung up to dry4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,washington ,,irving ,,house ,,bedroom ,the most delightful part of the drawing-room was the little conservatory1 which was a plain1 lamentable bay-window once upon a time4 ,i determined to make a little flower-box of it1 and had the floor of it paved with large tiles1 and between the hardwood floor of the drawing-room and the marble of the window space was a narrow curb of marble1 which made it possible to have a jolly little fountain in the window4 ,the fountain splashed away to its heart's content1 for there was a drain pipe under the curb4 ,at the top of the windows there were shallow white boxes filled with trailing ivy that hung down and screened the glass1 making the window as delightful to the passer-by without as to us within4 ,there were several pots of rose-colored flowers standing in a prim row on the marble curb4 ,you see how much simpler it is to make the best of an old bay window than to build on a new conservatory4 ,there are thousands of houses with windows like this one of ours1 an unfortunate space of which no use is made4 ,sometimes there is a gilt table bearing a lofty jar1 sometimes a timid effort at comfort--a sofa--but usually the bay window is sacred to its own devices1 whatever they may be6 ,why not spend a few dollars and make it the most interesting part of the room by giving it a lot of vines and flowers and a small fountain8 ,it isn't at all an expensive thing to do4 ,from the drawing-room you entered the dining-room4 ,this was a long room with beautifully spaced walls1 a high ceiling1 and quaint cupboards4 ,the arrangement of the mirrors around the cupboards and doors was unusual and most decorative4 ,this room was so beautiful in itself that ,i used very little color--but such color6 ,we never tired of the gray and white and ivory color-scheme1 the quiet atmosphere that made glorious the old ,chinese carpet1 with its rose-colored ground and blue-and-gold medallions and border4 ,the large ,india-ink sketches set in the walls are originals by ,mennoyer1 the delightful ,eighteenth ,century artist who did the overdoors of the ,petit ,trianon4 ,the mirror-framed lighting fixtures ,i brought over from ,france4 ,the dining-table too1 was ,french1 of a creamy ivory-painted wood4 ,the chairs had insets of cane of a deeper tone4 ,the recessed window-seat was covered with a soft velvet of a deep yellow1 and there were as many little footstools beside the window-seat as there were chairs in the room4 ,doesn't everyone long for a footstool at table8 ,i believe that everything in one's house should be comfortable1 but one's bedroom must be more than comfortable3 it must be intimate1 personal1 one's secret garden1 so to speak4 ,it may be as simple as a convent cell and still have this quality of the personality of its occupant4 ,there are two things that are as important to me as the bed in the bedrooms that ,i furnish1 and they are the little tables at the head of the bed1 and the lounging chairs4 ,the little table must hold a good reading light1 well shaded1 for who doesn't like to read in bed8 ,there must also be a clock1 and there really should be a telephone4 ,and the chaise-longue1 or couch1 as the case may be1 should be both comfortable and beautiful4 ,who hasn't longed for a comfortable place to snatch forty winks at midday8 ,my own bedroom in this house was very pleasant to me4 ,the house was very small1 you see1 and my bedroom had to be my writing-and reading-room too1 so that accounts for the bookshelves that fill the wall space above and around the mantel and the large writing-table4 ,the room was built around a wonderful old ,french bed which came from ,brittany4 ,this old bed is of carved mahogany1 with mirrored panels on the side against the wall1 and with tall columns at the ends4 ,it is always hung with embroidered silk in the rose color that ,i adore and has any number of pillows1 big and little4 ,the chaise-longue was covered with this same silk1 as were the various chair cushions4 ,the other furnishings were in keeping4 ,it was a delightfully comfortable room1 and it grew a little at a time4 ,i needed bookshelves1 and ,i built them4 ,a drop-light was necessary1 and ,i found the old brass lantern which hung from the ceiling4 ,and so it was furnished1 bit by bit1 need by need4 ,miss ,marbury's bedroom in this house was entirely different in type1 but exactly the same in comfort4 ,the furniture was of white enamel1 the walls ivory-white1 and the rug a soft dull blue4 ,the chintz used was the familiar ,bird of ,paradise1 gorgeous in design1 but so subdued in tone that one never tires of it4 ,the bed had a flat1 perfectly fitted cover of the chintz1 which is tucked under the mattress4 ,the box spring was also covered with the chintz1 and the effect was always tidy and satisfactory4 ,this is the neatest disposal of the bed-clothes ,i have seen4 ,i always advise this arrangement4 ,besides the bed there was the necessary little table1 holding a reading-light and so forth1 and at the head of the bed a most adorable screen of white enamel1 paneled with chintz below and glass above4 ,there was a soft couch of generous width in this room1 with covers and cushions of the chintz4 ,over near the windows was the dressing-table with the lighting-fixtures properly placed4 ,this table1 hung with chintz1 had a sheet of plate glass exactly fitting its top4 ,the writing-table1 near the window is also part of my creed of comfort4 ,there should be a writing-table in every bedroom4 ,my friends laugh at the little fat pincushions on my writing-tables1 but when they are covered with a bit of the chintz or tapestry or brocade of the room they are very pretty1 and ,i am sure pins are as necessary on the writing-table as on the dressing-table4 ,illustration3 ,,miss ,,marbury',s ,,bedroom ,another thing ,i like on every writing-table is a clear glass bowl of dried rose petals1 which gives the room the faintest spicy fragrance4 ,there is also a little bowl of just the proper color to hold pens and clips and odds and ends4 ,i get as much pleasure from planning these small details as from the planning of the larger furniture of the room4 ,the house was very simple1 you see1 and very small1 and so when the time came to leave it we had grown to love every inch of it4 ,you can love a small house so completely6 ,but we couldn't forgive the skyscrapers encroaching on our supply of sunshine1 and we really needed more room1 and so we said good-by to our beloved old house and moved into a new one4 ,now we find ourselves in danger of loving the new one as much as the old4 ,but that is another story4 ,,iv ,,the ,,little ,,house ,,of ,,many ,,mirrors ,one walks the streets of ,new ,york and receives the fantastic impression that some giant architect has made for the city thousands of houses in replica4 ,these dismal brownstone buildings are so like without1 and alas6 so like within1 that one wonders how their owners know their homes from one another4 ,i have had the pleasure of making over many of these gloomy barracks into homes for other people1 and when we left the old ,irving ,place house we took one of these dreary houses for ourselves1 and made it over into a semblance of what a city house should be4 ,you know the kind of house--there are tens of thousands of them--a four story and basement house of pinkish brownstone1 with a long flight of ugly stairs from the street to the first floor4 ,the common belief that all city houses of this type must be dark and dreary just because they always have been dark and dreary is an unnecessary superstition4 ,my object in taking this house was twofold3 ,i wanted to prove to my friends that it was possible to take one of the darkest and grimiest of city houses and make it an abode of sunshine and light1 and ,i wanted to furnish the whole house exactly as ,i pleased--for once6 ,the remaking of the house was very interesting4 ,i tore away the ugly stone steps and centered the entrance door in a little stone-paved fore-court on the level of the old area-way4 ,the fore-court is just a step below the street level1 giving you a pleasant feeling of invitation4 ,everyone hates to climb into a house1 but there is a subtle allure in a garden or a court yard or a room into which you must step down4 ,the fore-court is enclosed with a high iron railing banked with formal box-trees4 ,above the huge green entrance door there is a graceful iron balcony1 filled with green things1 that pulls the great door and the central window of the floor above into an impressive composition4 ,the faade of the house1 instead of being a commonplace rectangle of stone broken by windows1 has this long connected break of the door and balcony and window4 ,by such simple devices are happy results accomplished6 ,the door itself is noteworthy1 with its great bronze knob set squarely in the center4 ,on each side of it there are the low windows of the entrance hall1 with window-boxes of evergreens4 ,compare this orderly arrangement of windows and entrance door with the badly balanced houses of the old type1 and you will realize anew the value of balance and proportion4 ,from the fore-court you enter the hall4 ,once within the hall1 the1 house widens magically4 ,surely this cool black and white apartment cannot be a part of restless ,new ,york6 ,have you ever come suddenly upon an old ,southern house1 and thrilled at the classic purity of white columns in a black-green forest8 ,this entrance hall gives you the same thrill2 the elements of formality1 of tranquillity1 of coolness1 are so evident4 ,the walls and ceiling are a deep1 flat cream1 and the floor is laid in large black and white marble tiles4 ,exactly opposite you as you enter1 there is a wall fountain with a background of mirrors4 ,the water spills over from the fountain into ferns and flowers banked within a marble curb4 ,the two wall spaces on your right and left are broken by graceful niches which hold old statues4 ,an oval ,chinese rug and the white and orange flowers of the fountain furnish the necessary color4 ,the windows flanking the entrance doorway are hung with flat curtains of coarse white linen1 with inserts of old filet lace1 and there are side curtains of dead black silk with borderings of silver and gold threads4 ,in any house that ,i have anything to do with1 there is some sort of desk or table for writing in the hall4 ,how often ,i have been in other people's houses when it was necessary to send a message1 or to record an address1 when the whole household began scurrying around trying to find a pencil and paper6 ,this1 to my mind1 is an outward and visible sign of an inward--and fundamental6--lack of order4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,forecourt ,,and ,,entrance ,,of ,,the ,,fifty-,,fifth ,,street ,,house ,in this hall there is a charming desk particularly adapted to its place4 ,it is a standing desk which can be lowered or heightened at will1 so that one who wishes to scribble a line or so may use it without sitting down4 ,this desk is called a bureau d'architect4 ,i found it in ,biarritz4 ,it would be quite easy to have one made by a good cabinet-maker1 for the lines and method of construction are simple4 ,my hall desk is so placed that it is lighted by the window by day and the wall lights by night1 but it might be lighted by two tall candlesticks if a wall light were not available4 ,there is a shallow drawer which contains surplus writing materials1 but the only things permitted on the writing surface of the desk are the tray for cards1 the pad and pencils4 ,the only other furniture in the hall is an old porter's chair near the door1 a chair that suggests the sedan of old ,france1 but serves its purpose admirably4 ,a glass door leads to the inner hall and the stairway1 which ,i consider the best thing in the house4 ,instead of the usual steep and gloomy stairs with which we are all familiar1 here is a graceful spiral stairway which runs from this floor to the roof4 ,the stair hall has two walls made up of mirrors in the ,french fashion1 that is1 cut in squares and held in place by small rosettes of gilt1 and these mirrored walls seemingly double the spaciousness of what would be1 under ordinary conditions1 a gloomy inside hallway4 ,the house is narrow in the extreme1 and the secret of its successful renaissance is plenty of windows and light color and mirrors--mirrors--mirrors6 ,it has been called the ,little ,house of ,many ,mirrors1 for so much of its spaciousness and charm is the effect of skilfully managed reflections4 ,the stair-landings are most ingeniously planned4 ,there are landings that lead directly from the stairs into the rooms of each floor1 and back of one of the mirrored stair walls there is a little balcony connecting the rooms on that floor1 a private passageway4 ,the drawing-room and dining-room occupy the first floor4 ,the drawing-room is a pleasant1 friendly place1 full of quiet color4 ,the walls are a deep cream color and the floor is covered with a beautiful ,savonnerie rug4 ,there are many beautiful old chairs covered with ,aubusson tapestry1 and other chairs and sofas covered with rose colored brocade4 ,this drawing-room is seemingly a huge place1 this effect being given by the careful placing of mirrors and lights1 and the skilful arrangement of the furniture4 ,i believe in plenty of optimism and white paint1 comfortable chairs with lights beside them1 open fires on the hearth and flowers wherever they belong1 mirrors and sunshine in all rooms4 ,but ,i think we can carry the white paint idea too far3 ,i have grown a little tired of over-careful decorations1 of plain white walls and white woodwork1 of carefully matched furniture and over-cautious color-schemes4 ,somehow the feeling of homey-ness is lost when the decorator is too careful4 ,in this drawing-room there is furniture of many woods1 there are stuffs of many weaves1 there are candles and chandeliers and reading-lamps1 but there is harmony of purpose and therefore harmony of effect4 ,the room was made for conversation1 for hospitality4 ,a narrow landing connects the dining-room and the drawing-room4 ,the color of the dining-room has grown of itself1 from the superb ,chinese rug on the floor and the rare old ,mennoyer drawings inset in the walls4 ,the woodwork and walls have been painted a soft dove-like gray4 ,the walls are broken into panels by a narrow gray molding1 and the ,mennoyers are set in five of these panels4 ,in one narrow panel a beautiful wall clock has been placed4 ,above the mantel there is a huge mirror with a panel in black and white relief above it4 ,on the opposite wall there is another mirror1 with a console table of carved wood painted gray beneath it4 ,there is also a console table under one of the ,mennoyers4 ,the two windows in this room are obviously windows by day1 but at night two sliding doors of mirrors are drawn1 just as a curtain would be drawn1 to fill the window spaces4 ,this is a little bit tricky1 ,i admit1 but it is a very good trick4 ,the dining-table is of carved wood painted gray and covered with yellow damask1 which in turn is covered with a sheet of plate glass4 ,the chairs are covered with a blue and gold striped velvet4 ,the rug has a gold ground with medallions and border of blue1 ivory and rose4 ,near the door that leads to the service rooms there is a huge screen made of one piece of wondrous tapestry4 ,no other furniture is needed in the room4 ,the third floor is given over to my sitting-room1 bedroom1 dressing-room1 and so forth1 and the fourth floor to ,miss ,marbury's apartments4 ,these rooms will be discussed in other chapters4 ,the servants' quarters in this house are very well planned4 ,in the back yard that always goes with a house of this type ,i had built a new wing1 five stories high1 connected with the floors of the house proper by window-lined passages4 ,on the dining-room floor the passage becomes a butler's pantry4 ,on the bedroom floors the passages are large enough for dressing-rooms and baths1 connecting with the bedrooms1 and for outer halls and laundries connecting with the maids' rooms and the back stairs4 ,in this way1 you see1 the maids can reach the dressing-rooms without invading the bedrooms4 ,the kitchen and its dependencies occupy the first floor of the new wing1 the servants' bedrooms the next three floors1 and the top floor is made up of clothes closets1 sewing-rooms1 store rooms1 etc4 ,i firmly believe that the whole question of household comfort evolves from the careful planning of the service portion of the house4 ,my servants' rooms are all attractive4 ,the woodwork of these rooms is white1 the walls are cream1 the floors are waxed4 ,they are all gay and sweet and cheerful1 with white painted beds and chests of drawers and willow chairs1 and chintz curtains and bed-coverings that are especially chosen1 not handed down when they have become too faded to be used elsewhere6 ,v ,,the ,,treatment ,,of ,,walls ,surely the first considerations of the house in good taste must be light1 air and sanitation4 ,instead of ignoring the relation of sanitary conditions and decorative schemes1 the architect and client of to-day work out these problems with excellent results4 ,practical needs are considered just as worthy of the architect as artistic achievements4 ,he is a poor excuse for his profession if he cannot solve the problems of utility and beauty1 and work out the ultimate harmony of the house-to-be4 ,if one enters a room in which true proportion has been observed1 where the openings1 the doors1 windows and fireplace1 balance perfectly1 where the wall spaces are well planned and the height of the ceiling is in keeping with the floor-space1 one is immediately convinced that here is a beautiful and satisfactory room1 before a stick of furniture has been placed in it4 ,all questions pertaining to the practical equipment and the decorative amenities of the house should be approached architecturally4 ,if this is done1 the result cannot fail to be felicitous1 and our dream of our house beautiful comes true6 ,before you begin the decoration of your walls1 be sure that your floors have been finished to fulfil their purposes4 ,stain them or polish them to a soft glow1 keep them low in tone so that they may be backgrounds4 ,we will assume that the woodwork of each room has been finished with a view to the future use and decoration of the room4 ,we will assume that the ceilings are proper ceilings2 that they will stay in their place1 i4e41 the top of the room4 ,this is a most daring assumption1 because there are so many feeble and threatening ceilings overhanging most of us that good ones seem rare4 ,but the ceiling is an architectural problem1 and you must consider it in the beginning of things4 ,it may be beamed and have every evidence of structural beauty and strength1 or it may be beamed in a ridiculous fashion that advertises the beams as shams1 leading from nowhere to nowhere4 ,it may be a beautiful expanse of creamy modeled plaster resting on a distinguished cornice1 or it may be one of those ghastly skim-milk ceilings with distorted cupids and roses in relief4 ,it may be a rectangle of plain plaster tinted cream or pale yellow or gray1 and keeping its place serenely1 or it may be a villainous stretch of ox-blood1 hanging over your head like the curse of ,cain4 ,there are hundreds of magnificent painted ceilings1 and vaulted arches of marble and gold1 but these are not of immediate importance to the woman who is furnishing a small house1 and are not within the scope of this book4 ,so let us exercise common sense and face our especial ceiling problem in an architectural spirit4 ,if your house has structural beams1 leave them exposed1 if you like1 but treat them as beams2 stain them1 and wax them1 and color the spaces between them cream or tan or warm gray1 and then make the room beneath the beams strong enough in color and furnishings to carry the impressive ceiling4 ,if you have an architect who is also a decorator1 and he has ideas for a modeled plaster ceiling1 or a ceiling with plaster-covered beams and cornice and a fine application of ornament1 let him do his best for you1 but remember that a fine ceiling demands certain things of the room it covers4 ,if you have a simple little house with simple furnishings1 be content to have your ceilings tinted a warm cream1 keep them always clean4 ,when all these things are settled--floors and ceilings and woodwork--you may begin to plan your wall coverings4 ,begin1 you understand4 ,you will probably change your plans a dozen times before you make the final decisions4 ,i hope you will6 ,because inevitably the last opinion is best--it grows out of so many considerations4 ,the main thing to remember1 when you begin to cover your walls1 is that they are walls1 that they are straight up and down1 and have breadth and thickness1 that they are supposedly strong1 in other words1 that they are a structural part of your house4 ,a wall should always be treated as a flat surface and in a conventional way4 ,pictorial flowers and lifelike figures have no place upon it1 but conventionalized designs may be used successfully--witness the delighted use of the fantastic landscape papers in the middle of the ,eighteenth ,century4 ,walls should always be obviously walls1 and not flimsy partitions hung with gauds and trophies4 ,the wall is the background of the room1 and so must be flat in treatment and reposeful in tone4 ,walls have always offered tempting spaces for decoration4 ,our ancestors hung their walls with trophies4 ,our pioneer of to-day may live in an adobe hut1 but he hangs his walls with things that suggest beauty and color to him1 calendars1 and trophies and gaudy chromos4 ,the rest of his hut he uses for the hard business of living1 but his walls are his theater1 his literature1 his recreation4 ,the wolf skin will one day give place to a painting of the chase1 the gaudy calendars to better things1 when prosperity comes4 ,but now these crude things speak for the pioneer period of the man1 and therefore they are the right things for the moment4 ,how absurd would be the refined etching and the delicate water-color on these clay walls1 even were they within his grasp6 ,the first impulse of all of us is to hang the things we admire on our walls4 ,unfortunately1 we do not always select papers and fabrics and pictures we will continue to admire4 ,who doesn't know the woman who goes to a shop and selects wall papers as she would select her gowns1 because they are new and different and pretty8 ,she selects a rich paper for her hall and an elegant paper for her drawing-room--the chances are it is a nile green moire paper6 ,for her library she thinks a paper imitating an ,oriental fabric is the proper thing1 and as likely as not she buys gold paper for her dining-room4 ,she finds so many charming bedroom papers that she has no trouble in selecting a dozen of them for insipid blue rooms and pink rooms and lilac rooms4 ,she forgets that while she wears only one gown at a time she will live with all her wall papers all the time4 ,she decides to use a red paper of large figures in one room1 and a green paper with snaky stripes in the adjoining room1 but she doesn't try the papers out2 she doesn't give them the fair test of living with them a few days4 ,you can always buy1 or borrow1 a roll of the paper you like and take it home and live with it awhile4 ,the dealer will credit the roll when you make the final decisions4 ,you should assemble all the papers that are to be used in the house1 and all the fabrics1 and rugs1 and see what the effect of the various compositions will be1 one with another4 ,you can't consider one room alone1 unless it be a bedroom1 for in our modern houses we believe too thoroughly in spaciousness to separate our living rooms by ante-chambers and formal approaches4 ,we must preserve a certain amount of privacy1 and have doors that may be closed when need be1 but we must also consider the effect of things when those doors are open1 when the color of one room melts into the color of another4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,painted ,,wall ,,broken ,,into ,,panels ,,by ,,narrow ,,moldings ,to me1 the most beautiful wall is the plain and dignified painted wall1 broken into graceful panels by the use of narrow moldings1 with lighting fixtures carefully placed1 and every picture and mirror hung with classic precision4 ,this wall is just as appropriate to the six-room cottage as to the twenty-room house4 ,if ,i could always find perfect walls1 ,i'd always paint them1 and never use a yard of paper4 ,painted walls1 when very well done1 are dignified and restful1 and most sanitary4 ,the trouble is that too few plasterers know how to smooth the wall surface1 and too few workmen know how to apply paint properly4 ,in my new house on ,east ,fifty-fifth ,street ,i have had all the walls painted4 ,the woodwork is ivory white throughout the house1 except in the dining-room1 where the walls and woodwork are soft gray4 ,the walls of most of the rooms and halls are painted a very deep tone of cream and are broken into panels1 the moldings being painted cream like the woodwork4 ,with such walls you can carry out any color-plan you may desire4 ,you would think that every woman would know that walls are influenced by the exposure of the room1 but how often ,i have seen bleak north rooms with walls papered in cold gray1 and sunshiny south rooms with red or yellow wall papers6 ,dull tones and cool colors are always good in south rooms1 and live tones and warm colors in north rooms4 ,for instance1 if you wish to keep your rooms in one color-plan1 you may have white woodwork in all of them1 and walls of varying shades of cream and yellow4 ,the north rooms may have walls painted or papered with a soft1 warm yellow that suggests creamy chiffon over orange4 ,the south rooms may have the walls of a cool creamy-gray tone4 ,whether you paint or paper your walls1 you should consider the placing of the picture-molding most carefully4 ,if the ceiling is very high1 the walls will be more interesting if the picture-molding is placed three or four feet below the ceiling line4 ,if the ceiling is low1 the molding should be within two inches of the ceiling4 ,these measurements are not arbitrary1 of course4 ,every room is a law unto itself1 and no cut and dried rule can be given4 ,a fine frieze is a very beautiful decoration1 but it must be very fine to be worth while at all4 ,usually the dropped ceiling is better for the upper wall space4 ,it goes without saying that those dreadful friezes perpetrated by certain wall paper designers are very bad form1 and should never be used4 ,indeed1 the very principle of the ordinary paper frieze is bad2 it darkens the upper wall unpleasantly1 and violates the good old rule that the floors should be darkest in tone1 the side walls lighter1 and the ceiling lightest4 ,the recent vogue of stenciling walls may be objected to on this account1 though a very narrow and conventional line of stenciling may sometimes be placed just under the picture rail with good effect4 ,in a great room with a beamed ceiling and oak paneled walls a painted fresco or a frieze of tapestry or some fine fabric is a very fine thing1 especially if it has a lot of primitive red and blue and gold in it1 but in simple rooms--beware6 ,lately there has been a great revival of interest in wood paneling4 ,we go abroad1 and see the magnificent paneling of old ,english houses1 and we come home and copy it4 ,but we cannot get the workmen who will carve panels in the old patterns4 ,we cannot wait a hundred years for the soft bloom that comes from the constant usage1 and so our paneled rooms are apt to be too new and woody4 ,but we have such a wonderful store of woods1 here in ,america1 it is worth while to panel our rooms1 copying the simple rectangular ,english patterns1 and it is quite permissible to age our walls by rubbing in black wax1 and little shadows of water-color1 and in fact by any method we can devise4 ,wood paneled walls1 like beamed ceilings1 are best in great rooms4 ,they make boxes of little ones4 ,painted walls1 and walls hung with tapestries and leather1 are not possible to many of us1 but they are the most magnificent of wall treatments4 ,i know a wonderful library with walls hung in squares of ,spanish leather1 a cold northern room that merits such a brilliant wall treatment4 ,the primitive colors of the ,cordova leather workers1 with gold and crimson dominant1 glow from the deep shadows4 ,spanish and ,italian furniture and fine old velvets and brocades furnish this room4 ,the same sort of room invites wood paneling and tapestry1 whereas the ideal room for painted walls in a lighter key is the ballroom1 or some such large apartment4 ,i once decorated a ballroom with ,pillement panels1 copied from a beautiful ,eighteenth ,century room1 and so managed to bring a riot of color and decoration into a large apartment4 ,the ground of the paneling was deep yellow1 and all the little birds and flowers surrounding the central design were done in the very brightest1 strongest colors imaginable4 ,the various panels had quaint little scenes of the same ,chinese flavor4 ,of course1 in such an apartment as a ballroom there would be nothing to break into the decorative plan of the painted walls1 and the unbroken polished floor serves only to throw the panels into their proper prominence4 ,painted walls1 when done in some such broad and daring manner1 are very wonderful1 but they should not be attempted by the amateur1 or1 indeed1 by an expert in a room that will be crowded with furniture1 and curtains1 and rugs4 ,if your walls are faulty1 you must resort to wall papers or fabrics4 ,properly selected wall papers are not to be despised4 ,the woodwork of a room1 of course1 directly influences the treatment of its walls4 ,so many people ask me for advice about wall papers1 and forget absolutely to tell me of the finish of the framing of their wall spaces4 ,a pale yellowish cream wall paper is very charming with woodwork of white1 but it would not do with woodwork of heavy oak1 for instance4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,wall ,,paper ,,of ,,elizabethan ,,design ,,with ,,oak ,,furniture ,a general rule to follow in a small house is3 do not have a figured wall paper if you expect to use things of large design in your rooms4 ,if you have gorgeous rugs and hangings1 keep your walls absolutely plain4 ,in furnishing the ,colony ,club ,i used a ribbon grass paper in the hallway4 ,the fresh1 spring-like green and white striped paper is very delightful with a carpet and runner of plain dark-green velvet1 and white woodwork1 and dark mahogany furniture1 and many gold-framed mirrors4 ,in another room in this building where many chintzes and fabrics were used1 ,i painted the woodwork white and the walls a soft cream color4 ,in the bedrooms ,i used a number of wall papers1 the most fascinating of these1 perhaps1 is in the bird room4 ,the walls are hung with a daringly gorgeous paper covered with birds--birds of paradise and paroquets perched on flowery tropical branches4 ,the furniture in this room is of black and gold lacquer1 and the rug and hangings are of jade green4 ,it would not be so successful in a room one lived in all the year around1 but it is a good example of what one can do with a tempting wall paper in an occasional room1 a guest room1 for instance4 ,some of the figured wall papers are so decorative that they are more than tempting1 they are compelling4 ,the ,chinese ones are particularly fascinating4 ,recently ,i planned a small boudoir in a country house that depended on a gay ,chinoiserie paper for its charm4 ,the design of the paper was made up of quaint little figures and parasols and birds and twisty trees1 all in soft tones of green and blue and mauve on a deep cream ground4 ,the woodwork and ceiling repeated the deep cream1 and the simple furniture 7a day bed1 a chest of drawers1 and several chairs7 were of wood1 painted a flat blue green just the color of the twisty pine-trees of the paper4 ,we had a delightful time decorating the furniture with blue and mauve lines1 and we painted parasols and birds and flowers on chair backs and drawer-knobs and so forth4 ,the large rug was of pinky-mauve-gray1 and the coverings of the day bed and chairs were of a mauve and gray striped stuff1 the stripes so small that they had the effect of being threads of color4 ,there were no pictures1 of course1 but there was a long mirror above the chest of drawers1 and another over the mantel4 ,the lighting-fixtures1 candlesticks and appliqus1 were of carved and painted wood1 blue-green with shades of thin mauve silk over rose4 ,among the most enchanting of the new papers are the black and white ones1 fantastic ,chinese designs and startling ,austrian patterns4 ,black and white is always a tempting combination to the decorator1 and now that ,josef ,hoffman1 the great ,austrian decorator1 has been working in black and white for a number of years1 the more venturesome decorators of ,france1 and ,england and ,america have begun to follow his lead1 and are using black and white1 and black and color1 with amazing effect4 ,we have black papers patterned in color1 and black velvet carpets1 and white coated papers sprinkled with huge black polka dots1 and all manner of unusual things4 ,it goes without saying that much of this fad is freakish1 but there is also much that is good enough and refreshing enough to last4 ,one can imagine nothing fresher than a black and white scheme in a bedroom1 with a saving neutrality of gray or some dull tone for rugs1 and a brilliant bit of color in porcelain4 ,there is no hint of the mournful in the decorator's combination of black and white3 rather1 there is a nave quality suggestive of smartness in a gown1 or chic in a woman4 ,a white walled room with white woodwork and a black and white tiled floor2 a black lacquer bed and chest of drawers and chair2 glass curtains of white muslin and inside ones of black and white ,hoffman chintz2 a splash of warm orange-red in an oval rug at the bedside1 if it be winter1 or a cool green one in summer--doesn't this tempt you8 ,i once saw a little serving-maid wearing a calico gown1 black crosses on a white ground1 and ,i was so enchanted with the cool crispness of it that ,i had a glazed wall paper made in the same design4 ,i have used it in bedrooms1 and in bathrooms1 always with admirable effect4 ,one can imagine a girl making a ,pierrot and ,pierrette room for herself1 given whitewashed walls1 white woodwork1 and white painted furniture4 ,an ordinary white cotton printed with large black polka dots would make delightful curtains1 chair-cushions1 and so forth4 ,the rug might be woven of black and white rags1 or might be one of those woven from the old homespun coverlet patterns4 ,the landscape papers that were so popular in the ,new ,england and ,southern houses three generations ago were very wonderful when they were used in hallways1 with graceful stairs and white woodwork1 but they were distressing when used in living-rooms4 ,it is all very well to cover the walls of your hall with a hand-painted paper1 or a landscape1 or a foliage paper1 because you get only an impressionistic idea of a hall--you don't loiter there4 ,but papers of large design are out of place in rooms where pictures and books are used4 ,if there is anything more dreadful than a busy parlor paper1 with scrolls that tantalize or flowers that demand to be counted1 ,i have yet to encounter it4 ,remember1 above all things that your walls must be beautiful in themselves4 ,they must be plain and quiet1 ready to receive sincere things1 but quite good enough to get along without pictures if necessary4 ,a wall that is broken into beautiful spaces and covered with a soft creamy paint1 or paper1 or grasscloth1 is good enough for any room4 ,it may be broken with lighting fixtures1 and it is finished4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,scheme ,,of ,,this ,,room ,,grew ,,from ,,the ,,jars ,,on ,,the ,,mantel ,,vi ,,the ,,effective ,,use ,,of ,,color ,what a joyous thing is color6 ,how influenced we all are by it1 even if we are unconscious of how our sense of restfulness has been brought about4 ,certain colors are antagonistic to each of us1 and ,i think we should try to learn just what colors are most sympathetic to our own individual emotions1 and then make the best of them4 ,if you are inclined to a hasty temper1 for instance1 you should not live in a room in which the prevailing note is red4 ,on the other hand1 a timid1 delicate nature could often gain courage and poise by living in surroundings of rich red tones1 the tones of the old ,italian damasks in which the primitive colors of the ,middle ,ages have been handed down to us4 ,no half shades1 no blending of tender tones are needed in an age of iron nerves4 ,people worked hard1 and they got downright blues and reds and greens--primitive colors1 all4 ,nowadays1 we must consider the effect of color on our nerves1 our eyes1 our moods1 everything4 ,love of color is an emotional matter1 just as much as love of music4 ,the strongest1 the most intense1 feeling ,i have about decoration is my love of color4 ,i have felt as intimate a satisfaction at ,st4 ,mark's at twilight as ,i ever felt at any opera1 though ,i love music4 ,color6 ,the very word would suggest warm and agreeable arrangement of tones1 a pleasing and encouraging atmosphere which is full of life4 ,we say that one woman is so full of color1 when she is alert and happy and vividly alive4 ,we say another woman is colorless1 because she is bleak and chilling and unfriendly4 ,we demand that certain music shall be full of color1 and we always seek color in the pages of our favorite books4 ,one poet has color and to spare1 another is cynical and hard and--gray4 ,we think and criticize from the standpoint of an appreciation of color1 although often we have not that appreciation4 ,there is all the difference in the world between the person who appreciates color and the person who likes colors4 ,the child1 playing with his broken toys and bits of gay china and glass1 the ,american ,indian with his gorgeous blankets and baskets and beads--all these primitive minds enjoy the combination of vivid tones1 but they have no more feeling for color than a blind man4 ,the appreciation of color is a subtle and intellectual quality4 ,sparrow1 the ,englishman who has written so many books on housefurnishing1 says3 ,colors are like musical notes and chords1 while color is a pleasing result of their artistic use in a combined way4 ,so colors are means to an end1 while color is the end itself4 ,the first are tools1 while the other is a distinctive harmony in art composed of many lines and shades4 ,we are aware that some people are color-blind1 but we do not take the trouble to ascertain whether the majority of people see colors crudely4 ,i suppose there are as many color-blind people as there are people who have a deep feeling for color1 and the great masses of people in between1 while they know colors one from another1 have no appreciation of hue4 ,just as surely1 there are some people who cannot tell one tune from another and some people who have a deep and passionate feeling for music1 while the rest--the great majority of people--can follow a tune and sing a hymn1 but they can go no deeper into music than that4 ,surely1 each of you must know your own color-sense4 ,you know whether you get results1 don't you8 ,i have never believed that there is a woman so blind that she cannot tell good from bad effects1 even though she may not be able to tell why one room is good and another bad4 ,it is as simple as the problem of the well-gowned woman and the dowdy one4 ,the dowdy woman doesn't realize the degree of her own dowdiness1 but she knows that her neighbor is well-gowned1 and she envies her with a vague and pathetic envy4 ,if1 then1 you are not sure that you appreciate color1 if you feel that you1 like your children1 like the green rug with the red roses because it is so cheerful1 you may be sure that you should let color-problems alone1 and furnish your house in neutral tones1 depending on book-bindings and flowers and open fires and the necessary small furnishings for your color4 ,then1 with an excellent background of soft quiet tones1 you can venture a little way at a time1 trying a bit of color here for a few days1 and asking yourself if you honestly like it1 and then trying another color--a jar or a bowl or a length of fabric--somewhere else1 and trying that out4 ,you will soon find that your joy in your home is growing1 and that you have a source of happiness within yourself that you had not suspected4 ,i believe that good taste can be developed in any woman1 just as surely as good manners are possible to anyone4 ,and good taste is as necessary as good manners4 ,we may take our first lessons in color from ,nature1 on whose storehouse we can draw limitlessly4 ,nature1 when she plans a wondrous splash of color1 prepares a proper background for it4 ,she gives us color plans for all the needs we can conceive4 ,white and gray clouds on a blue sky--what more could she use in such a composition8 ,a bit of gray green moss upon a black rock1 a field of yellow dandelions1 a pink and white spike of hollyhocks1 an orange-colored butterfly poised on a stalk of larkspur--what color-plans are these6 ,illustration3 ,a ,,louis ,,seize ,,bedroom ,,in ,,rose ,,and ,,blue ,,and ,,cream ,i think that the first consideration after you have settled your building-site should be to place your house so that its windows may frame ,nature's own pictures4 ,with windows facing north and south1 where all the fluctuating and wayward charm of the season unrolls before your eyes1 your windows become the finest pictures that you can have4 ,when this has been arranged1 it is time to consider the color-scheme for the interior of the house1 the colors that shall be in harmony with the window-framed vistas1 the colors that shall be backgrounds for the intimate personal furnishings of your daily life4 ,you must think of your walls as backgrounds for the colors you wish to bring into your rooms4 ,and by colors ,i do not mean merely the primary colors1 red and blue and yellow1 or the secondary colors1 green and orange and violet1 ,i mean the white spaces1 the black shadows1 the gray halftones1 the suave creams1 that give you the feeling of color4 ,how often we get a more definite idea of brilliant color from a white-walled room1 with dark and severe furniture and no ornaments1 no actual color save the blue sky framed by the windows and the flood of sunshine that glorifies everything1 than from a room that has a dozen fine colors1 carefully brought together1 in its furnishings6 ,we must decide our wall colors by the aspect of our rooms4 ,rooms facing south may be very light gray1 cream1 or even white1 but northern rooms should be rich in color1 and should suggest warmth and just a little mystery4 ,some of you have seen the ,sala di ,cambio at ,perugia4 ,do you remember how dark it seems when one enters1 and how gradually the wonderful coloring glows out from the gloom and one is comforted and soothed into a sort of dreamland of pure joy1 in the intimate satisfaction of it all8 ,it is unsurpassable for sheer decorative charm1 ,i think4 ,for south rooms blues and grays and cool greens and all the dainty gay colors are charming4 ,do you remember the song ,edna ,may used to sing in ,the ,belle of ,new ,york8 ,i am not sure of quoting correctly1 but the refrain was3 ,follow the ,light6 ,i have so often had it in mind when ,i've been planning my color schemes--,follow the ,light6 ,but light colors for sunshine1 remember1 and dark ones for shadow4 ,for north rooms ,i am strongly inclined to the use of paneling in our native ,american woods1 that are so rich in effect1 but alas1 so little used4 ,i hope our architects will soon realize what delightful and inexpensive rooms can be made of pine and cherry1 chestnut and cypress1 and the beautiful ,california redwood4 ,i know of a library paneled with cypress4 ,the beamed ceiling1 the paneled walls1 the built-in shelves1 the ample chairs and long tables are all of the soft brown cypress4 ,here1 if anywhere1 you would think a monotony of brown wood would be obvious1 but think of the thousands of books with brilliant bindings6 ,think of the green branches of trees seen through the casement windows6 ,think of the huge1 red-brick fireplace1 with its logs blazing in orange and yellow and vermillion flame6 ,think of the distinction of a copper bowl of yellow flowers on the long brown table6 ,can't you see that this cypress room is simply glowing with color8 ,i wish that ,i might be able to show all you young married girls who are working out your home-schemes just how to work out the color of a room4 ,suppose you are given some rare and lovely jar1 or a wee rug1 or a rare old print1 or even a quaint old chair from long ago1 and build a room around it4 ,i have some such point of interest in every room ,i build1 and ,i think that is why some people like my rooms--they feel1 without quite knowing why1 that ,i have loved them while making them4 ,now there is a little sitting-room and bedroom combined in a certain ,new ,york house that ,i worked out from a pair of ,chinese jars4 ,they were the oddest things1 of a sort of blue-green and mauve and mulberry1 with flecks of black1 on a cream porcelain ground4 ,first ,i found a wee ,oriental rug that repeated the colors of the jugs4 ,this was to go before the hearth4 ,then ,i worked out the shell of the room3 the woodwork white1 the walls bluish green1 the plain carpet a soft green4 ,i designed the furniture and had it made by a skilful carpenter1 for ,i could find none that would harmonize with the room4 ,the day bed which is forty-two inches wide1 is built like a wide roomy sofa4 ,one would never suspect it of being a plain bed4 ,still it makes no pretensions to anything else1 for it has the best of springs and the most comfortable of mattresses1 and a dozen soft pillows4 ,the bed is of wood and is painted a soft green1 with a dark-green line running all around1 and little painted festoons of flowers in decoration4 ,the mattress and springs are covered with a most delightful mauve chintz1 on which birds and flowers are patterned4 ,there are several easy chairs cushioned with this chintz1 and the window hangings are also of it4 ,the chest of drawers is painted in the same manner4 ,there are glass knobs on the drawers1 and a sheet of plate glass covers the top of it4 ,an old painting hangs above it4 ,the open bookshelves are perfectly plain in construction4 ,they are painted the same bluish-green1 and the only decoration is the line of dark green about half an inch from the edge4 ,any woman who is skilful with her brush could decorate furniture of this kind1 and ,i daresay many women could build it4 ,there is another bedroom in this house1 a room in red and blue4 ,red and blue--you shudder4 ,i know it6 ,but such red and such blue6 ,will you believe me when ,i assure you that this room is called cool and restful-looking by everyone who sees it8 ,the walls are painted plain cream4 ,the woodwork is white4 ,the perfectly plain carpet rug is of a dull red that is the color of an old-fashioned rose--you know the roses that become lavender when they fade8 ,the mantel is of ,siena marble1 and over it there is an old mirror with an upper panel painted in colors after the manner of some of those delightful old rooms found in ,france about the time of ,louis ,,xvi4 ,if you have one very good picture and will use it in this way1 inset over the mantel with a mirror below it1 you will need no other pictures in your room4 ,illustration3 ,by permission of the ,butterick ,publishing ,co4 ,,the ,,writing ,,corner ,,of ,a ,,chintz ,,bedroom ,the chintz used in this room is patterned in the rose red of the carpet and a dull cool blue1 on a white ground4 ,this chintz is used on the graceful sofa1 the several chairs and the bed1 which are ivory in tone4 ,the hangings of the bed are lined with taffetas of rose red4 ,the bedcover is of the same silk1 and the inner curtains at the window are lined with it4 ,the small table at the head of the bed1 the kidney table beside the sofa1 and the small cabinets near the mantel1 are of mahogany4 ,there is a mahogany writing-table placed at right angles to the windows4 ,from this rose and blue bedroom you enter a little dressing-room that is also full of color4 ,here are the same cream walls1 the dull red carpet1 the old blue silk shades on lamps and candles1 but the chintz is different3 the ground is black1 and gray parrots and paroquets swing in blue-green festoons of leaves and branches4 ,the dressing-table is placed in front of the window1 so that you can see yourself for better or for worse4 ,there is a three-fold mirror of black and gold lacquer1 and a ,chinese cabinet of the same lacquer in the corner4 ,the low seat before the dressing-table is covered with the chintz4 ,a few costume prints hang on the wall4 ,you can imagine how impossible it would be to be ill-tempered in such a cheerful place4 ,,vii ,,of ,,doors1 ,,and ,,windows1 ,,and ,,chintz ,what a sense of intimacy1 of security1 encompasses one when ushered into a living room in which the door opens and closes6 ,who that has read ,henry ,james's remarkable article on the vistas dear to the ,american hostess1 our portiere-hung spaces1 guiltless of doors and open to every draft1 can fail to feel how much better our conversation might be were we not forever conscious that between our guests and the greedy ears of our servants there is nothing but a curtain6 ,all that curtains ever were used for in the ,eighteenth ,century was as a means of shutting out drafts in large rooms inadequately heated by wood fires4 ,how often do we see masses of draperies looped back and arranged with elaborate dust-catching tassels and fringes that mean nothing4 ,these curtains do not even draw6 ,i am sure that a good1 well-designed door with a simple box-lock and hinges would be much less costly than velvet hangings4 ,a door is not an ugly object1 to be concealed for very shame1 but a fine architectural detail of great value4 ,consider the ,french and ,italian doors with their architraves4 ,how fine they are1 how imposing1 how honest1 and how well they compose6 ,of course1 if your house has been built with open archways1 you will need heavy curtains for them1 but there are curtains and curtains4 ,if you need portieres at all1 you need them to cut off one room from another1 and so they should hang in straight folds4 ,they should be just what they pretend to be--honest curtains with a duty to fulfil4 ,for the simple house they may be made of velvet or velveteen in some neutral tone that is in harmony with the rugs and furnishings of the rooms that are to be divided4 ,they should be double1 usually1 and a faded gilt gimp may be used as an outline or as a binding4 ,there are also excellent fabrics reproducing old brocades and even old tapestries1 but it is well to be careful about using these fabrics4 ,there are machine-made tapestries of foliage designs in soft greens and tans and browns on a dark blue ground that are very pleasing4 ,many of these stuffs copy in color and design the verdure tapestries1 and some of them have fine blues and greens suggestive of ,gobelin4 ,these stuffs are very wide and comparatively inexpensive4 ,i thoroughly advise a stuff of this kind1 but ,i heartily condemn the imitations of the old tapestries that are covered with large figures and intricate designs4 ,these old tapestries are as distinguished for their colors1 their textures1 and their very crudities as for their supreme beauty of coloring4 ,it would be foolish to imitate them4 ,as for windows and their curtains--,i could write a book about them6 ,a window is such a gay1 animate thing4 ,by day it should be full of sunshine1 and if it frames a view worth seeing1 the view should be a part of it4 ,by night the window should be hidden by soft curtains that have been drawn to the side during the sunshiny hours4 ,in most houses there is somewhere a group of windows that calls for an especial kind of curtain4 ,if these windows look out over a pleasant garden1 or upon a vista of fields and trees1 or even upon a striking sky-line of housetops1 you will be wise to use a thin1 sheer glass curtain through which you can look out1 but which protects you from the gaze of passers-by4 ,if your group of windows is so placed that there is no danger of people passing and looking in1 then a short sash curtain of swiss muslin is all that you require1 with inside curtains of some heavier fabric--chintz or linen or silk--that can be drawn at night4 ,if you are building a new house ,i strongly advise you to have at least one room with a group of deep windows1 made up of small panes of leaded glass1 and a broad window-seat built beneath them4 ,there is something so pleasant and mellow in leaded glass1 particularly when the glass itself has an uneven1 colorful quality4 ,when windows are treated thus architecturally they need no glass curtains4 ,they need only side curtains of some deep-toned fabric4 ,illustration3 ,by permission of the ,butterick ,publishing ,co4 ,,black ,,chintz ,,used ,,in ,a ,,dressing-,,room ,as for your single windows1 when you are planning them you will be wise to have the sashes so placed that a broad sill will be possible4 ,there is nothing pleasanter than a broad window sill at a convenient height from the floor4 ,the tendency of ,american builders nowadays is to use two large glass sashes instead of the small or medium-sized panes of older times4 ,this is very bad from the standpoint of the architect1 because these huge squares of glass suggest holes in the wall1 whereas the square or oblong panes with their straight frames and bars advertise their suitability4 ,the housewife's objection to small panes is that they are harder to clean than the large ones1 but this objection is not worthy of consideration4 ,if we really wish to make our houses look as if they were built for permanency we should consider everything that makes for beauty and harmony and hominess4 ,there is nothing more interesting than a cottage window sash of small square panes of glass unless it be the diamond-paned casement window of an old ,english house4 ,such windows are obviously windows4 ,the huge sheets of plate glass that people are so proud of are all very well for shops1 but they are seldom right in small houses4 ,i remember seeing one plate glass window that was well worth while4 ,it was in the mountain studio of an artist and it was fully eight by ten feet--one unbroken sheet of glass which framed a marvelous vista of mountain and valley4 ,it goes without saying that such a window requires no curtain other than one that is to be drawn at night4 ,the ideal treatment for the ordinary single window is a soft curtain of some thin white stuff hung flat and full against the glass4 ,this curtain should have an inch and a half hem at the bottom and a narrow hem at the sides4 ,it should be strung on a small brass rod1 and should be placed as close to the glass as possible1 leaving just enough space for the window shade beneath it4 ,the curtain should hang in straight folds to the window sill1 escaping it by half an inch or so4 ,i hope it is not necessary for me to go into the matter of lace curtains here4 ,i feel sure that no woman of really good taste could prefer a cheap curtain of imitation lace to a simple one of white swiss-muslin4 ,i have never seen a house room that was too fine for a swiss-muslin curtain1 though of course there are many rooms that would welcome no curtains whatever wherein the windows are their own excuse for being4 ,lace curtains1 even if they may have cost a king's ransom1 are in questionable taste1 to put it mildly4 ,use all the lace you wish on your bed linen and table linen1 but do not hang it up at your windows for passers-by to criticize4 ,illustration3 ,,printed ,,linen ,,curtains ,,over ,,rose-,,colored ,,silk ,many women do not feel the need of inside curtains4 ,indeed1 they are not necessary in all houses4 ,they are very attractive when they are well hung1 and they give the window a distinction and a decorative charm that is very valuable4 ,i am using many photographs that show the use of inside curtains4 ,you will observe that all of these windows have glass curtains of plain white muslin1 no matter what the inside curtain may be4 ,chintz curtains are often hung with a valance about ten or twelve inches deep across the top of the window4 ,these valances should be strung on a separate rod1 so that the inside curtains may be pulled together if need be4 ,the ruffled valance is more suitable for summer cottages and bedrooms than for more formal rooms4 ,a fitted valance of chintz or brocade is quite dignified enough for a drawing-room or any other4 ,in my bedroom ,i have used a printed linen with a flat valance4 ,this printed linen is in soft tones of rose and green on a cream ground4 ,the side curtains have a narrow fluted binding of rose-colored silk4 ,under these curtains are still other curtains of rose-colored shot silk1 and beneath those are white muslin glass curtains4 ,with such a window treatment the shot silk curtains are the ones that are drawn together at night1 making a very soft1 comforting sort of color arrangement4 ,you will observe in this photograph that the panels between doors and windows are filled with mirrors that run the full length from the molding to the baseboard4 ,this is a very beautiful setting for the windows1 of course4 ,it is well to remember that glass curtains should not be looped back4 ,inside curtains may be looped when there is no illogical break in the line4 ,it is absurd to hang up curtains against the glass and then draw them away1 for glass curtains are supposed to be a protection from the gaze of the passers-by4 ,if you haven't passers-by you can pull your curtains to the side so that you may enjoy the out-of-doors4 ,do not lose sight of the fact that your windows are supposed to give you sunshine and air2 if you drape them so that you get neither sunshine nor air you might as well block them up and do away with them entirely4 ,to me the most amazing evidence of the advance of good taste is the revival of chintzes1 printed linens1 cottons and so forth1 of the ,eighteenth ,century4 ,ten years ago it was almost impossible to find a well-designed cretonne2 the beautiful chintzes as we know them were unknown4 ,now there are literally thousands of these excellent fabrics of old and new designs in the shops4 ,the gay designs of the printed cottons that came to us from ,east ,india1 a hundred years ago1 and the fantastic chintzes known as ,chinese ,chippendale1 that were in vogue when the ,dutch ,east ,india ,company supplied the world with its china and fabrics2 the dainty ,french toiles de ,jouy that are reminiscent of ,marie ,antoinette and her bewitching apartments1 and the printed linens of old ,england and later ones of the ,england of ,william ,morris1 all these are at our service4 ,there are charming cottons to be had at as little as twenty cents a yard1 printed from old patterns4 ,there are linens hand-printed from old blocks that rival cut velvet in their lustrous color effect and cost almost as much4 ,there are amazing fabrics that seem to have come from the land of the ,arabian nights--they really come from ,austria and are dubbed ,futurist and ,cubist and such4 ,some of them are inspiring1 some of them are horrifying1 but all of them are interesting4 ,old-time chintzes were usually very narrow1 and light in ground1 but the modern chintz is forty or fifty inches wide1 with a ground of neutral tone that gives it distinction1 and defies dust4 ,when ,i began my work as a decorator of houses1 my friends1 astonished and just a little amused at my persistent use of chintz1 called me the ,chintz decorator4 ,the title pleased me1 even though it was bestowed in fun1 for my theory has always been that chintz1 when properly used1 is the most decorative and satisfactory of all fabrics4 ,at first people objected to my bringing chintz into their houses because they had an idea it was poor and mean1 and rather a doubtful expedient4 ,on the contrary1 ,i feel that it is infinitely1 better to use good chintzes than inferior silks and damasks1 just as simple engravings and prints are preferable to doubtful paintings4 ,the effect is the thing6 ,one of the chief objections to the charming fabric was that people felt it would become soiled easily1 and would often have to be renewed1 but in our vacuum-cleaned houses we no longer feel that it is necessary to have furniture and hangings that will conceal dirt4 ,we refuse to have dirt6 ,of course1 chintzes in rooms that will have hard wear should be carefully selected4 ,they should be printed on linen1 or some hard twilled fabric1 and the ground color should be darker than when they are to be used in bedrooms4 ,many of the newer chintzes have dark grounds of blue1 mauve1 maroon or gray1 and a still more recent chintz has a black ground with fantastic designs of the most delightful colorings4 ,the black chintzes are reproductions of fabrics that were in vogue in #ahcj4 ,they are very good in rooms that must be used a great deal1 and they are very decorative4 ,some of them suggest old cut velvets--they are so soft and lustrous4 ,my greatest difficulty in introducing chintzes here was to convert women who loved their plush and satin draperies to a simpler fabric4 ,they were unwilling to give up the glories they knew for the charms they knew not4 ,i convinced them by showing them results6 ,my first large commission was the ,colony ,club1 and ,i used chintzes throughout the ,club3 ,chintzes of cool grapes and leaves in the roof garden1 hand-blocked linens of many soft colors in the reading-room1 rose-sprigged and ,english posy designs in the bedrooms1 and so on throughout the building4 ,now ,i am using more chintz than anything else4 ,it is as much at home in the ,new ,york drawing-room as in the country cottage4 ,i can think of nothing more charming for a room in a country house than a sitting-room furnished with gray painted furniture and a lovely chintz4 ,illustration3 ,,straight ,,hangings ,,of ,,rose ,,and ,,yellow ,,shot ,,silk ,not long ago ,i was asked to furnish a small sea-shore cottage4 ,the whole thing had to be done in a month1 and the only plan ,i had to work on was a batch of chintz samples that had been selected for the house4 ,i extracted the colorings of walls1 woodwork1 furniture1 etc41 from these chintzes4 ,instead of buying new furniture ,i dragged down a lot of old things that had been relegated to the attic and painted them with a dull ground color and small designs adapted from the chintzes4 ,the lighting fixtures1 wall brackets1 candle sticks1 etc4--were of carved wood1 painted in polychrome to match the general scheme4 ,one chintz in particular ,i would like to have every woman see and enjoy4 ,it had a ground of old blue1 patterned regularly with little ,persian pears1 the old rug design1 you know4 ,the effect of this simple chintz with white painted walls and furniture and woodwork and crisp white muslin glass curtains was delicious4 ,the most satisfactory of all chintzes is the ,toile de ,jouy4 ,the designs are interesting and well drawn1 and very much more decorative than the designs one finds in ordinary silks and other materials4 ,the chintzes must be appropriate to the uses of the room1 well designed1 in scale with the height of the ceilings1 and so forth4 ,it is well to remember that self-color rugs are most effective in chintz rooms4 ,wilton rugs woven in carpet sizes are to be had now at all first class furniture stores4 ,painted furniture is very popular nowadays and is especially delightful when used in chintz rooms4 ,the furniture we see now is really a revival and reproduction of the old models made by ,angelica ,kaufman1 ,heppelwhite1 and other furniture-makers of their period4 ,the old furniture is rarely seen outside of museums nowadays1 but it has been an inspiration to modern decorators who are seeking ideas for simple and charming furniture4 ,a very attractive room can be made by taking unfinished pieces of furniture--that is1 furniture that has not been stained or painted--and painting them a soft field color1 and then adding decorations of bouquets or garlands1 or birds1 or baskets1 reproducing parts of the design of the chintz used in the room4 ,of course1 many of these patterns could be copied by a good draftsman only1 but others are simple enough for anyone to attempt4 ,for instance1 ,i decorated a room in soft cream1 gray1 yellow and cornflower blue4 ,the chintz had a cornflower design that repeated all these colors4 ,i painted the furniture a very soft gray1 and then painted little garlands of cornflowers in soft blues and gray-greens on each piece of furniture4 ,the walls were painted a soft cream color4 ,the carpet rug of tan was woven in one piece with a blue stripe in the border4 ,the color illustrations of this book will give you a very good idea of how ,i use chintzes and painted furniture4 ,one of the illustrations shows the use of a black chintz in the dressing-room of a city house4 ,the chintz is covered with parrots which make gorgeous splashes of color on the black ground4 ,the color of the foliage and leaves is greenish-blue1 which shades into a dozen blues and greens4 ,this greenish-blue tone has been used in the small things of the room4 ,the chintz curtains are lined with silk of this tone1 and the valance at the top of the group of windows is finished with a narrow silk fringe of this greenish-blue4 ,the small candle shades1 the shirred shade of the drop-light1 and the cushion of the black lacquer chair are also of this blue4 ,the walls of the room are a deep cream in tone1 and there are a number of old ,french prints from some ,eighteenth ,century fashion journals hung on the cream ground4 ,the dressing-table is placed against the windows1 over the radiator1 so that there is light and to spare for dressing4 ,half curtains of white muslin are shirred on the sashes back of the dressing-table4 ,the quaint triplicate mirror is of black lacquer decorated with ,chinese figures in gold1 and the little1 three-cornered cabinet in the corner is also of black and gold4 ,the chintz is used as a covering for the dressing-seat4 ,another illustration shows the writing-corner of the bedroom which leads into this dressing-room4 ,the walls and the rose-red carpet are the same in both rooms1 as you see4 ,this bedroom depends absolutely on the rose and blue chintz for its decoration4 ,there is a quaint bed painted a pale gray1 with rose-red taffeta coverlet4 ,the bed curtains are of the chintz lined with the rose-red silk4 ,there are several white-enamel chairs upholstered with the chintz1 and there is a comfortable ,french couch with a kidney table of mahogany beside it4 ,the corner of the room shown in the illustration is the most convenient writing-place4 ,the desk is placed at right angles to the wall between the two windows4 ,the small furnishings of the writing-desk repeat the queer blues and the rose-red of the chintz4 ,a very comfortable stool with a cushion of old velvet is an added convenience4 ,the chintz curtains at the windows hang in straight1 full folds4 ,a flat valance1 cut the length of the design of the chintz1 furnishes the top of the two windows4 ,some windows do not need these valances1 but these windows are very high and need the connecting line of color4 ,the long curtains are lined with the rose-red silk1 which also shows in a narrow piping around the edges4 ,illustration3 ,,muslin ,,glass ,,curtains ,,in ,,the ,,washington ,,irving ,,house ,the other two color illustrations are of the most popular room ,i have done1 a bedroom and sitting room combined4 ,everyone likes the color plan of soft greens1 mauve and lavender4 ,there is a large day bed of painted wood1 with mattress1 springs and cushions covered with a chintz of mauve ground and gay birds4 ,the rug is a self-toned rug of very soft green1 and the walls are tinted with the palest of greens4 ,the woodwork is white1 and the furniture is painted a greenish-gray that is just a little deeper than pearl4 ,a darker green line of paint outlines all the furniture1 which is further decorated with prim little garlands of flowers painted in dull rose1 blue1 yellow and green4 ,the mauve chintz is used for the curtains1 and for the huge armchair and one or two painted chairs4 ,there is a little footstool covered with brocaded violet velvet1 with just a thread of green showing on the background4 ,the lighting fixtures are of carved wood1 painted in soft colors to match the garlands on the furniture1 with shirred shades of lavender silk4 ,two lamps made of quaint old green jars with lavender decorations have shirred shades of the same silk4 ,one of these lamps is used on the writing-table and the other on the little chest of drawers4 ,this little chest of drawers1 by the way1 is about the simplest piece of furniture ,i can think of1 for any girl who can use her brushes at all4 ,an ordinary chest of drawers should be given several coats of paint--pale yellow1 green or blue1 as may be preferred4 ,then a thin stripe of a darker tone should be painted on it4 ,this should be outlined in pencil and then painted with a deeper tone of green color2 for instance1 an orange or brown stripe should be used on pale yellow1 and dark green or blue on the pale green4 ,a detail of the wall paper or the chintz design may be outlined on the panels of the drawers and on the top of the chest by means of a stencil1 and then painted with rather soft colors4 ,the top of the chest should be covered with a piece of plate glass which will have the advantage of showing the design of the cover and of being easily cleaned4 ,old-fashioned glass knobs add interest to this piece of furniture4 ,a mirror with a gilt frame1 or an unframed painting similar to the one shown in the illustration would be very nice above the chest of drawers4 ,illustration3 ,,here ,,are ,,many ,,lighting ,,fixtures ,,harmoniously ,,assembled ,,in ,a ,,drawing-,,room ,,viii ,,the ,,problem ,,of ,,artificial ,,light ,in all the equipment of the modern house1 ,i think there is nothing more difficult than the problem of artificial light4 ,to have the light properly distributed so that the rooms may be suffused with just the proper glow1 but never a glare2 so that the base outlets for reading-lamps shall be at convenient angles1 so that the wall lights shall be beautifully balanced1--all this means prodigious thought and care before the actual placing of the lights is accomplished4 ,in domestic architecture light is usually provided for some special function2 to dress by1 to read by1 or to eat by4 ,if properly considered1 there is no reason why one's lighting fixtures should not be beautiful as well as utilitarian4 ,however1 it is seldom indeed that one finds lights that serve the purposes of utility and beauty4 ,i have rarely1 ,i might say never1 gone into a builder's house 7and indeed ,i might say the same of many architects' houses7 but that the first things to require changing to make the house amenable to modern ,american needs were the openings for lighting fixtures4 ,usually1 side openings are placed much too near the trim of a door or window1 so that no self-respecting bracket can be placed in the space without encroaching on the molding4 ,another favorite mistake is to place the two wall openings in a long wall or large panel so close together that no large picture or mirror or piece of furniture can be placed against that wall4 ,there is also the tendency to place the openings too high1 which always spoils a good room4 ,i strongly advise the woman who is having a house built or re-arranged to lay out her electric light plan as early in the game as possible1 with due consideration to the uses of each room4 ,if there is a high chest of drawers for a certain wall1 the size of it is just as important in planning the lighting fixtures for that wall as is the width of the fireplace important in the placing of the lights on the chimney-breast4 ,i advise putting a liberal number of base openings in a room1 for it costs little when the room is in embryo4 ,later on1 when you find you can change your favorite table and chair to a better position to meet the inspiration of the completed room and that your reading-lamp can be moved1 too1 because the outlet is there ready for it1 will come the compensating moments when you congratulate yourself on forethought4 ,there are now1 fortunately1 few communities in ,america that have not electric power-plants4 ,indeed1 ,i know of many obscure little towns of a thousand inhabitants that have had the luxury of electric lights for years1 and have as yet no gas or water-works6 ,miraculously1 also1 the smaller the town the cheaper is the cost of electricity4 ,this is not a cut-and-dried statement1 but an observation from personal experience4 ,the little town's electricity is usually a byproduct of some manufacturing plant1 and current is often sold at so much per light per month1 instead of being measured by meter4 ,it is pleasant to think that many homes have bridged the smelly gap between candles and electricity in this magic fashion4 ,gas light is more difficult to manage than electricity1 for there is always the cumbersome tube and the necessity for adding mechanical accessories before a good clear light is secured4 ,gas lamps are hideous1 for some obscure reason1 whereas there are hundreds of simple and excellent wall fixtures1 drop lights and reading lamps to be bought already equipped for electricity4 ,the electric wire is such an unobtrusive thing that it can be carried through a small hole in any good vase1 or jar1 and with a suitable shade you have an attractive and serviceable reading light4 ,candlesticks are easily equipped for electricity and are the most graceful of all fixtures for dressing-tables1 bedside tables1 tea tables1 and such4 ,it is well to remember that if a room is decorated in dark colors the light will be more readily absorbed than in a light-colored room1 and you should select and place your lighting-fixtures accordingly4 ,bead covers1 fringes and silk shades all obscure the light and re-absorb it1 and so require a great force of light to illuminate properly4 ,the subject of the selection of lighting-fixtures is limitless4 ,there are so many fixtures to be had nowadays--good1 bad and indifferent--that it were impossible to point out the merits and demerits of them all4 ,there are copies of all the best lamps and lanterns of old ,europe and many new designs that grew out of modern ,american needs4 ,there are ,louis ,,xvi lanterns simple enough to fit well into many an ,american hallway1 that offer excellent lessons in the simplicity of the master decorators of old times4 ,contrast one of these fine old lanterns with the mass of colored glass and beads and crude lines and curves of many modern hall lanterns4 ,i like a ceiling bowl of crystal or alabaster with lights inside1 for halls1 but the expense of such a bowl is great4 ,however1 ,i recently saw a reproduction of an old alabaster bowl made of soft1 cloudy glass1 not of alabaster1 which sold at a fraction of the price of the original1 and it seemed to meet all the requirements4 ,of course1 one may easily spend as much money on lighting-fixtures as on the remainder of the house1 but that is no reason why people who must practise economy should admit ugly fixtures into their homes4 ,there are always good and bad fixtures offered at the lowest and highest prices4 ,you have no defense if you build your own house4 ,if you are making the best of a rented house or an apartment1 that is different4 ,but good taste is sufficient armor against the snare of gaudy beads and cheap glass4 ,illustration3 ,,detail ,,of ,a ,,fine ,,old ,,french ,,fixture ,,of ,,hand-,,wrought ,,metal ,there was recently an exhibition in ,new ,york of the craftsmanship of the students of a certain school of design4 ,there were some really beautiful lanterns and wall brackets and reading lamps shown1 designed and executed by young women who are self supporting by day and can give only a few evening hours1 or an occasional day1 to the pursuit of their avocation4 ,one hanging lantern of terra cotta was very fine indeed1 and there were many notable fixtures4 ,there must be easily tens of thousands of young people who are students in the various schools of design1 manual training high schools and normal art schools4 ,why doesn't some far-seeing manufacturer of lighting-fixtures give these young people a chance to adapt the fine old ,french and ,italian designs to our modern needs8 ,why not have your daughter or son copy such an object that has use and beauty1 instead of encouraging the daubing of china or the piercing of brass that leads to nothing8 ,and if you haven't a daughter or son1 encourage the young artisan1 your neighbor1 who is trying to find himself4 ,let him copy a few good old fixtures for you4 ,they will cost no more than the gaudy vulgar fixtures that are sold in so many shops4 ,the photograph shown on page #ajh illustrates the possibility of using a number of lighting-fixtures in one room4 ,the room shown is my own drawing-room4 ,you will observe that in this picture there are many different lights4 ,the two old ,french fixtures of wrought gilt1 which flank the mantel mirror1 hold wax candles4 ,the two easy chairs have little tables beside them holding three-pronged silver candlesticks4 ,there is also a small table holding an electric reading-lamp1 made of a ,chinese jar1 with a shade of shirred silk4 ,the chandelier is a charming old ,french affair of gracefully strung crystal globules4 ,for a formal occasion the chandelier is lighted1 but when we are few1 we love the fire glow and candlelight4 ,if we require a stronger light for reading there is the lamp4 ,the photograph here given may suggest a superfluous number of lights1 but the room itself does not4 ,the wall fixtures are of gilt1 you see1 the candlesticks of silver1 the chandelier of crystal and the lamp of ,chinese porcelain and soft colored silk2 so one is not conscious of the many lights4 ,if all the lights were screened in the same way the effect would be different4 ,i use this picture for this very reason--to show how many lights may be assembled and used in one place4 ,in considering the placing of these lights1 the firelight was not forgotten1 nor the effect of the room by day when the sunlight floods in and these many fixtures become objects of decorative interest4 ,a lamp1 or a wall fixture1 or a chandelier1 or a candlestick1 must be beautiful in itself--beautiful by sunlight1--if it is really successful4 ,the soft glow of night light may make commonplace things beautiful1 but the final test of a fixture is its effect in relation to the other furnishings of the room in sunlight4 ,illustration3 ,,lighting ,,fixtures ,,inspired ,,by ,,adam ,,mirrors ,the picture on page #aah shows the proper placing of wall fixtures when a large picture is the chief point of interest4 ,these wall fixtures are particularly interesting because they are in the style of the ,adam mirrors that hang on the recessed wall spaces flanking the chimney wall4 ,this photograph is a lesson in the placing of objects of art4 ,the large painting is beautifully spaced between the line of the mantel shelf and the lower line of the cornice4 ,the wall fixtures are correctly placed1 and anyone can see why they would be distressingly out of key if they were nearer the picture1 or nearer the line of the chimney wall4 ,the picture was considered as an important part of the chimney-piece before the openings for the fixtures were made4 ,another good lamp is shown on the small table in this picture4 ,there is really a reading-lamp beside a comfortable couch1 which cannot be seen in the picture4 ,this lamp1 like the one in the drawing-room1 is made from a porcelain vase1 with a shirred silk shade on a wire frame4 ,an electric light cord is run through a hole bored for it4 ,if electricity were not available1 an oil receptacle of brass could be fitted into the vase and the beauty of the lamp would be the same4 ,there are so many possibilities for making beautiful lamps of good jars and vases that it is surprising the shops still sell their frightful lamps covered with cabbage roses and dragons and monstrosities4 ,a blue and white ginger jar1 a copper loving-cup1 or even a homely brown earthenware bean-pot1 will make a good bowl for an oil or electric lamp1 but of the dreadful bowls sold in the shops for the purpose the less said the better4 ,how can one see beauty in a lurid bowl and shade of red glass6 ,better stick to wax candles the rest of your life than indulge in such a lamp6 ,i know people plead that they have to buy what is offered2 they cannot find simple lamps and hanging lanterns at small prices and so they must buy bad ones4 ,the manufacturer makes just the objects that people demand4 ,so long as you accept these things1 just so long will he make them4 ,if all the women who complain about the hideous lighting-fixtures that are sold were to refuse absolutely to buy them1 a few years would show a revolution in the designing of these things4 ,there has been of late a vulgar fashion of having a huge mass of colored glass and beads suspended from near-brass chains in the dining-rooms of certain apartments and houses4 ,these monstrous things are called domes--no one knows why4 ,for the price of one of them you could buy a three pronged candlestick1 equipped for electricity1 for your dining-room table4 ,it is the sight of hundreds of these dreadful domes in the lamp shops that gives one a feeling of discouragement4 ,the humblest kitchen lamp of brass and tin would be beautiful by contrast4 ,when all is said and done1 we must come back to wax candles for the most beautiful light of all4 ,electricity is the most efficient1 but candlelight is the most satisfying4 ,for a drawing-room1 or any formal room where a clear light is not required1 wax candles are perfect4 ,there are still a few houses left where candlesticks are things of use and are not banished to the shelves as curiosities4 ,certainly the clear1 white light of electricity seems heaven-sent when one is dressing or working1 but for between-hours1 for the brief periods of rest1 the only thing that rivals the comfort of candlelight is the glow of an open fire4 ,,ix ,,halls ,,and ,,staircases ,in early days the hall was the large formal room in which the main business of the house was transacted4 ,it played the part of court-room1 with the lord of the manor as judge4 ,it was used for dining1 living1 and for whatever entertainment the house afforded4 ,the stairs were not a part of it3 they found a place as best they could4 ,from the times of the primitive ladder of the adobe dwelling to the days of the spiral staircase carried up in the thickness of the wall1 the stairway was always a primitive affair1 born of necessity1 with little claim to beauty4 ,with the ,renaissance in ,italy came the forerunner of the modern entrance hall1 with its accompanying stair4 ,considerations of comfort and beauty began to be observed4 ,the ,italian staircase grew into a magnificent affair1 ,l'escalier d'honneur1 and often led only to the open galleries and salons de parade of the next floor4 ,i think the finest staircases in all the world are in the ,genoese palaces4 ,the grand staircase of the ,renaissance may still be seen in many fine ,italian palaces1 notably in the ,bargello in ,florence4 ,this staircase has been splendidly reproduced by ,mrs4 ,gardner in ,fenway ,court1 her ,italian palace in ,boston4 ,this house is1 by the way1 the finest thing of its kind in ,america4 ,mrs4 ,gardner has the same far-seeing interest in the furtherance of an ,american appreciation of art as had the late ,pierpont ,morgan4 ,she has assembled a magnificent collection of objects of art1 and she opens her house to the public occasionally and to artists and designers frequently1 that they may have the advantage of studying the treasures4 ,to return to our staircases3 ,in ,france the intermural1 or spiral1 staircase was considered quite splendid enough for all human needs1 and in the finest chteaux of the ,french ,renaissance one finds these practical staircases4 ,possibly in those troublous times the ,french architects planned for an aristocracy living under the influence of an inherited tradition of treachery and violence1 they felt more secure in the isolation and ready command of a small1 narrow staircase where one man well nigh single-handed could keep an army at bay4 ,a large wide staircase of easy ascent might have meant many uneasy moments1 with plots without and treachery within4 ,gradually1 however1 the old feudal entrance gave way to its sub-divisions of guardroom1 vestibule1 and salon4 ,england was last to capitulate1 and in the great ,tudor houses still extant one finds the entrance door opening directly into the ,hall4 ,often in these ,english houses there was a screen of very beautiful carved wood1 behind which was the staircase4 ,inigo ,jones introduced the ,palladian style into ,england1 and so brought in the many-storied central salon which served as means of access to all the house4 ,the old ,english halls and staircases designed by ,inigo ,jones would be perfect for our more elaborate ,american country houses4 ,the severe beauty of ,english paneling and the carving of newel-post and spindles are having a just revival4 ,the pendulum swings--and there is nothing new under the sun6 ,wooden staircases with carved wooden balustrades were used oftenest in ,england1 while in the ,french chteaux marble stairs with wrought-iron stair-rails are generally found4 ,the perfection to which the art of iron work may be carried is familiar to everyone who knows the fairy-like iron work of ,jean ,l',amour in the ,stanislas ,palace at ,nancy4 ,this staircase in the ,htel de ,ville is supreme4 ,if you are ever in ,france you should see it4 ,it has been copied often by ,american architects4 ,infinite thought and skill were brought to bear on all the iron work door-handles1 lanterns1 and so forth4 ,the artistic excellence of this work has not been equaled since this period of the ,eighteenth ,century4 ,the greatest artists of that day did not think it in the least beneath their dignity and talent to devote themselves to designing the knobs of doors1 the handles of commodes1 the bronzes for the decorations of fireplaces1 the shaping of hinges and locks4 ,they were careful of details1 and that is the secret of their supremacy4 ,nowadays1 we may find a house with a beautiful hall1 but the chances are it is spoiled by crudely designed fittings4 ,i have written somewhat at length of the magnificent staircases of older countries and older times than our own1 because somehow the subject is one that cannot be considered apart from its beginnings4 ,all our halls and stairs1 pretentious or not1 have come to us from these superb efforts of masterly workmen1 and perhaps that is why we feel instinctively that they must suggest a certain formality1 and restraint4 ,this feeling is indirectly a tribute to the architects who gave us such notable examples4 ,we do not1 however1 have to go abroad for historic examples of stately halls and stairs4 ,there are fine old houses scattered all through the old thirteen states that cannot be surpassed for dignity and simplicity4 ,one of the best halls in ,america is that of ,westover1 probably the most famous house in ,virginia4 ,this old house was built in #agcg by ,colonel ,byrd on the ,james ,river1 where so many of the ,colonial aristocrats of ,virginia made their homes4 ,the plan of the hall is suggestive of an old ,english manor house4 ,the walls are beautifully paneled from an old ,english plan4 ,the turned balusters are representative of the late ,seventeenth or early ,eighteenth ,century4 ,the fine old ,jacobean chairs and tables have weathered two centuries1 and are friendly to their new neighbors1 ,oriental rugs older than themselves4 ,the staircase has two landings1 on the first of which stands an old ,grandfather's-clock1 marking the beginning of a custom that obtains to this day4 ,this hall is characteristic of ,american houses of the ,colonial period1 and indeed of the average large country house of to-day1 for the straightaway hall1 cutting the house squarely in two1 is so much a part of our architecture that we use it as a standard4 ,it is to be found1 somewhat narrower and lower of ceiling1 in ,new ,england farmhouses and in ,eastern city houses4 ,the ,southern house of ante-bellum days varied the stair occasionally by patterning the magnificent winding staircases of old ,england1 but the long hall open at both ends1 and the long stair1 with one or two landings1 is characteristic of all old ,american houses4 ,the customary finish for these old halls was a landscape wall paper1 a painted wall broken into panels by molding1 a high white wainscoting with white plaster above1 or possibly a gay figured paper of questionable beauty4 ,mahogany furniture was characteristic of all these halls--a grandfather's-clock1 a turn-top table1 a number of dignified chairs1 and a quaint old mirror4 ,sometimes there was a fireplace1 but oftener there were doors opening evenly into various rooms of the first floor4 ,these things are irreproachable to-day4 ,why did we have to go through the period of the walnut hat-rack and shiny oak hall furniture1 only to return to our simplicities8 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,staircase ,,in ,,the ,,bayard ,,thayer ,,house ,when ,i planned the main hall of the ,colony ,club ,i determined to make it very ,colonial1 very ,american1 very inviting and comfortable1 the sort of hall you like to remember having seen in an old ,virginia house4 ,one enters from the street into a narrow hall that soon broadens into a spacious and lofty living-hall4 ,the walls are1 of course1 white1 the paneled spaces being broken by quaint old ,colonial mirrors and appropriate lighting-fixtures4 ,there is a great fireplace at one end of the hall1 with a deep1 chintz-covered davenport before it4 ,there are also roomy chairs covered with the same delightful chintz1 a green and white glazed ,english chintz that is as serviceable as it is beautiful4 ,besides the chintz-covered chairs1 there are two old ,english chairs covered with ,english needlework4 ,these chairs are among the treasures of the ,club4 ,there are several long mahogany tables1 and many small tea tables4 ,the rugs are of a spring green--,i can think of no better name for it4 ,in modern ,english and ,american houses of the smaller class the staircase is a part of an elongated entrance hall1 and there is often no vestibule4 ,in many of the more important new houses the stairs are divided from the entrance hall1 so that one staircase will do for the servants1 family and all1 and the privacy of the entrance hall will be secured4 ,in my own house in ,new ,york1 you enter the square hall directly1 and the staircase is in a second hall4 ,this entrance hall is a real breathing-space1 affording the visitor a few moments of rest and calm after the crowded streets of the city4 ,the hall is quite large1 with a color-plan of black and white and dark green4 ,you will find a description of this hall in another chapter4 ,i have used this same plan in many other city houses1 with individual variations1 of course4 ,the serene quality of such a hall is very valuable in the city4 ,if you introduced a lot of furniture the whole thing would be spoiled4 ,i used an old porcelain stove1 creamy and iridescent in glaze1 in such a hall in an uptown house very similar to my own4 ,the stove is very beautiful in itself1 but it was used for use as well as beauty4 ,it really holds a fire and furnishes an even heat4 ,the stove was flanked by two pedestals surmounted with baskets spilling over with fruits1 carved from wood and gilded and painted in polychrome4 ,everything in this hall is arranged with precision of balance4 ,the stove is flanked by two pedestals4 ,the niche that holds the stove and the corresponding niche on the other wall1 which holds a statue1 are flanked by narrow panels holding lighting-fixtures4 ,the street wall is broken by doors and its two flanking windows4 ,the opposite wall has a large central panel flanked by two glass doors1 one leading to the stairway and the other to a closet1 beneath it4 ,everything is paired1 with resulting effect of great formality and restraint4 ,very little furniture is required3 ,a table to hold cards and notes1 two low benches1 and a wrought iron stand for umbrellas4 ,the windows have curtains of ,italian linen1 coarse homespun stuff that is very lovely with white walls and woodwork4 ,there are no pictures on the wall1 but there are specially designed lighting-fixtures in the small panels that frame the niches4 ,in several of the finer houses that have been built recently1 notably that of ,mrs4 ,o4,h4,p4 ,belmont1 the staircase is enclosed1 and is in no way an architectural feature1 merely a possible means of communication when needed4 ,this solution of the staircase problem has no doubt brought about our modern luxury of elevators4 ,in another fine private house recently built the grand staircase only goes so far as the formal rooms of the second floor1 and a small iron staircase enclosed in the wall leads to the intimate family rooms of the bedroom floor4 ,the advantage of this gain in space can easily be appreciated4 ,all the room usually taken up by the large wall of the staircase halls1 and so forth1 can be thrown into the bedrooms upstairs4 ,the illustrations of the ,bayard ,thayer hall and staircase speak for themselves4 ,here lighting-fixtures1 locks1 hinges1 have been carefully planned1 so that the smallest part is worthy of the whole4 ,this hall is representative of the finer private houses that are being built in ,america to-day4 ,i had the pleasure of working with the architect and the owners here1 and so was able to fit the decorations and furnishings of the hall to the house and to the requirements of the people who live in it4 ,the present tendency of people who build small houses is to make a living-room of the hall4 ,i am not in favor of this4 ,i think the hall should be much more formal than the rest of the house4 ,it is1 after all1 of public access1 not only to the living-rooms but to the street4 ,the servant who answers the front door must of necessity constantly traverse it1 so must anyone--the guest or tradesman--admitted to the house4 ,the furniture should be severe and architectural in design4 ,a column or pedestal surmounted with a statue1 a fountain1 an old chest to hold carriage-rugs1 a carved bench1 a good table1 a standing desk1 may be used in a large house4 ,nothing more is admissible4 ,in a small house a well-shaped table1 a bench or so1 possibly a wall clock1 will be all that is necessary4 ,the wall should be plain in treatment4 ,the stair carpet should be plain in color4 ,the floor should be bare1 if in good condition1 with just a small rug for softness at the door4 ,a tiled floor is especially beautiful in a hall1 if you can afford it4 ,if your house happens to have the hall and living-room combined1 and no vestibule1 you can place a large screen near the entrance door and obtain a little more privacy4 ,a standing screen of wooden panels is better than a folding screen1 for the folding screen is rarely well-built1 and will be blown down by the draft of the open door4 ,a standing screen may be made by any carpenter1 and painted or stained to match the woodwork of the room4 ,a straight bench or settle placed against it will make the screened space seem more like a vestibule4 ,another objection to the staircase leading from the living-room of a small house is that such an arrangement makes it almost impossible to heat the house properly in winter4 ,i have seen so many bewildered people whose spacious doorless downstairs rooms were a joy in summer1 shivering all winter long in a polar atmosphere4 ,the stair well seems to suck all the warmth from the living-room1 and coal bills soar4 ,above all1 don't try to make your hall pretty4 ,remember that a hall is not a living-room1 but a thoroughfare open and used by all the dwellers in the house4 ,don't be afraid of your halls and stairs looking cold4 ,it is a good idea to have one small space in your house where you can go and sit down and be calm and cool6 ,you can't keep the rest of the house severe and cool looking1 but here it is eminently appropriate and sensible4 ,the visitor who enters a white and green hall and gets an effect of real reserve and coolness is all the more appreciative of the warmth and intimacy of the living-rooms of the house4 ,after all1 for simple ,american houses there is nothing better than a straightaway staircase of broad and easy treads1 with one or two landings4 ,there may be a broad landing with a window and window-seat1 if there is a real view1 but the landing-seat that is built for no especial purpose is worse than useless4 ,it is not at all necessary to have the stairs carpeted1 if the treads are broad enough1 and turned balusters painted white with a mahogany hand rail are in scheme4 ,such a staircase adds much to the home-quality of a house4 ,x ,,the ,,drawing-,,room ,a drawing-room is the logical place for the elegancies of family life4 ,the ideal drawing-room1 to my mind1 contains many comfortable chairs and sofas1 many softly shaded lights by night1 and plenty of sunshine by day1 well-balanced mirrors set in simple paneled walls1 and any number of small tables that may be brought out into the room if need be1 and an open fire4 ,the old idea of the drawing-room was a horrible apartment of stiffness and formality and discomfort4 ,no wonder it was used only for weddings and funerals6 ,the modern drawing-room is intended1 primarily1 as a place where a hostess may entertain her friends1 and it must not be chill and uninviting1 whatever else it may be4 ,it should not be littered up with personal things--magazines1 books and work-baskets and objects that belong in the living-room--but it welcomes flowers and objets d'art1 collections of fans1 or miniatures1 or graceful mirrors1 or old ,french prints1 or enamels1 or porcelains4 ,it should be a place where people may converse without interruption from the children4 ,most houses1 even of the smaller sort1 have three day rooms--the dining-room1 the parlor and the sitting-room1 as they are usually called4 ,people who appreciate more and more the joy of living have pulled hall and sitting-room together into one great family meeting place1 leaving a small vestibule1 decreased the size of the dining-room and built in many windows1 so that it becomes almost an outdoor room1 and given the parlor a little more dignity and serenity and its right name--the drawing-room4 ,we use the terms drawing-room and salon interchangeably in ,america--though we are a bit more timid of the salon--but there is a subtle difference between the two that is worth noting4 ,the withdrawing room of old ,england was the quiet room to which the ladies retired1 leaving their lords to the freer pleasures of the great hall4 ,indeed1 the room began as a part of my lady's bedroom1 but gradually came into its proper importance and took on a magnificence all its own4 ,the salon of ,france also began as a part of the great hall1 or grande salle4 ,then came the need for an apartment for receiving and so the great bed chamber was divided into two parts1 one a real sleeping-room and the other a chambre de parade1 with a great state bed for the occasional visitors of great position4 ,the great bed1 or lit de parade1 was representative of all the salons of the time of ,louis ,,xiii4 ,gradually the owners of the more magnificent houses saw the opportunity for a series of salons1 and so the state apartment was divided into two parts3 a salon de famille1 which afforded the family a certain privacy1 and the salon de compagnie1 which was sacred to a magnificent hospitality4 ,and so the salon expanded until nowadays we use the word with awe1 and appreciate its implication of brilliant conversation and exquisite decoration1 of a radiant hostess1 an amusing and distinguished circle of people4 ,the word has a graciousness1 a challenge that we fear4 ,if we have not just the right house we should not dare risk belittling our pleasant drawing-room by dubbing it salon4 ,in short1 a drawing-room may be a part of any well regulated house4 ,a salon is largely a matter of spirit and cleverness4 ,a drawing-room has no place in the house where there is no other living-room4 ,indeed1 if there are many children1 and the house is of moderate size1 ,i think a number of small day rooms are vastly better than the two usual rooms1 living-room and drawing-room1 because only in this way can the various members of the family have a chance at any privacy4 ,the one large room so necessary for the gala occasions of a large family may be the dining-room1 for here it will be easy to push back tables and chairs for the occasion4 ,if the children have a nursery1 and mother has a small sitting-room1 and father has a little room for books and writing1 a living-room may be eliminated in favor of a small formal room for visitors and talk4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,drawing-,,room ,,should ,,be ,,intimate ,,in ,,spirit ,no matter how large your drawing-room may be1 keep it intimate in spirit4 ,there should be a dozen conversation centers in a large room4 ,there should be one or more sofas1 with comfortable chairs pulled up beside them4 ,no one chair should be isolated1 for some bashful person who doesn't talk well anyway is sure to take the most remote chair and make herself miserable4 ,i have seen a shy young woman completely changed because she happened to sit upon a certain deep cushioned sofa of rose-colored damask4 ,whether it was the rose color1 or the enforced relaxation the sofa induced1 or the proximity of some very charming people in comfortable chairs beside her1 or all of these things--,i don't know6 ,but she found herself4 ,she found herself gay and happy and unafraid4 ,i am sure her personality flowered from that hour on4 ,if she had been left to herself she would have taken a stiff chair in a far corner1 and she would have been miserable and self-conscious4 ,i believe most firmly in the magic power of inanimate objects6 ,don't litter your drawing-room with bric-a-brac4 ,who hasn't seen what ,i can best describe as a souvenir drawing-room1 a room filled with curiosities from everywhere6 ,i shall never forget doing a drawing-room for a woman of no taste4 ,i persuaded her to put away her heavy velvets and gilt fringes and to have one light and spacious room in the house4 ,she agreed4 ,we worked out a chintz drawing-room that was delicious4 ,i was very happy over it and you can imagine my amazement when she came to me and said1 ,but ,miss de ,wolfe1 what am ,i to do with my blue satin tidies8 ,in my own drawing-room ,i have so many objects of art1 and yet ,i think you will agree with me that the room has a great serenity4 ,over the little desk in one corner ,i have my collection of old miniatures and fans of the golden days of the ,french court4 ,there are ever so many vases and bowls for flowers1 but they are used4 ,there are dozens of lighting-fixtures1 brackets1 and lamps1 and a chandelier1 and many candlesticks1 and they are used1 also4 ,somehow1 when a beautiful object becomes a useful object1 it takes its place in the general scheme of things and does not disturb the eye4 ,the ideal drawing-room has a real fireplace1 with a wood fire when there is excuse for it4 ,an open fire is almost as great an attribute to a drawing-room as a tactful hostess2 it puts you at ease1 instantly1 and gives you poise4 ,and just as an open fire and sunshine make for ease1 so do well placed mirrors make for elegance4 ,use your mirrors as decorative panels1 not only for the purpose of looking at yourself in them1 and you will multiply the pleasures of your room4 ,i have the wall space between mantel and frieze-line filled with a large mirror1 in my ,new ,york drawing-room1 and the two narrow panels between the front windows are filled with long narrow mirrors that reflect the color and charm of the room4 ,whenever you can manage it1 place your mirror so that it will reflect some particularly nice object4 ,given plenty of chairs and sofas1 and a few small tables to hold lights and flowers1 you will need very little other furniture in the drawing-room4 ,you will need a writing-table1 but a very small and orderly one4 ,the drawing room desk may be very elegant in design and equipment1 for it must be a part of the decoration of the room1 and it must be always immaculate for the visitor who wants to write a note4 ,the members of the family are supposed to use their own desks1 leaving this one for social emergencies4 ,a good desk is a godsend in a drawing-room1 it makes a room that is usually cold and formal at once more livable and more intimate4 ,in my own drawing-room ,i have a small ,french writing-table placed near a window1 so that the light falls over one's left shoulder4 ,the small black lacquer desks that are now being reproduced from old models would be excellent desks for drawing-rooms1 because they not only offer service1 as all furniture should1 but are beautiful in themselves4 ,many of the small tables of walnut and mahogany that are sold as dressing-tables might be used as writing-tables in formal rooms1 if the mirrors were eliminated4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,fine ,,formality ,,of ,,well-,,placed ,,paneling ,there is a great difference in opinion as to the placing of the piano in the drawing-room4 ,i think it belongs in the living-room1 if it is in constant use1 though of course it is very convenient to have it near by the one big room1 be it drawing-room or dining-room1 when a small dance is planned4 ,i am going to admit that in my opinion there is nothing more abused than the piano1 ,i have no piano in my own house in ,new ,york4 ,i love music--but ,i am not a musician1 and so ,i do not expose myself to the merciless banging of chance callers4 ,besides1 my house is quite small and a good piano would dwarf the other furnishings of my rooms4 ,i think pianos are for musicians1 not strummers1 who spoil all chance for any real conversation4 ,if you are fortunate enough to have a musician in your family1 that is different4 ,go ahead and give him a music room4 ,musicians are not born every day1 but lovers of music are everywhere1 and ,i for one am heartily in favor of doing away with the old custom of teaching every child to bang a little1 and instead1 teaching him to listen to music4 ,oh1 the crimes that are committed against music in ,american parlors6 ,i prefer the good mechanical cabinet that offers us canned music to the manual exercise of people who insist on playing wherever they see an open piano4 ,of course the mechanical instrument is new1 and therefore1 subject to much criticism from a decorative standpoint1 but the music is much better than the amateur's4 ,we are still turning up our noses a little at the mechanical piano players1 but if we will use our common sense we must admit that a new order of things has come to pass1 and the new canned music is not to be despised4 ,certainly if the instrument displeases you1 you can say so1 but if a misguided friend elects to strum on your piano you are helpless4 ,so ,i have no piano in my ,new ,york house4 ,i have a cabinet of canned music that can be turned on for small dances when need be1 and that can be hidden in a closet between times4 ,why not8 ,but suppose you have a piano1 or need one3 do give it a chance6 ,its very size makes it tremendously important1 and if you load it with senseless fringed scarfs and bric-a-brac you make it the ugliest thing in your room4 ,give it the best place possible1 against an inside wall1 preferably4 ,i saw a new house lately where the placing of the piano had been considered by the architect when the house was planned4 ,there was a mezzanine floor overhanging the great living-room1 and one end of this had been made into a piano alcove1 a sort of modern minstrel gallery4 ,the musician who used the piano was very happy1 for your real musician loves a certain solitude1 and those of us who listened to his music in the great room below were happy because the maker of the music was far enough away from us4 ,we could appreciate the music and forget the mechanics of it4 ,for a concert1 or a small dance1 this balcony music-room would be most convenient4 ,another good place for the piano is a sort of alcove1 or small room opening from the large living or drawing-room1 where the piano and a few chairs may be placed4 ,of course if you are to have a real music-room1 then there are great possibilities4 ,a piano may be a princely thing1 properly built and decorated4 ,the old spinets and harpsichords1 with their charming inlaid cases1 were beautiful1 but they gave forth only tinkly sounds4 ,now we have a magnificent mechanism1 but the case which encloses it is too often hideous4 ,there is an old double-banked harpsichord of the early ,eighteenth ,century in the ,morgan collection at the ,metropolitan ,museum that would be a fine form for a piano1 if it would hold the works4 ,it is long and narrow1 fitting against the wall so that it really takes up very little room4 ,the case is painted a soft dark gray and outlined in darker gray1 and the panels and the long top are in soft colors4 ,the legs are carved and pointed in polychrome4 ,this harpsichord was made when the beauty of an object was of as real importance as the mechanical perfection4 ,occasionally one sees a modern piano that has been decorated by an artist4 ,sir ,edward ,burne-,jones1 ,sir ,alma ,tadema1 and many of the other ,english artists of our generation have made beautiful pianos4 ,sir ,robert ,lorimer recently designed a piano that was decorated1 inside and out1 by ,mrs4 ,traquair4 ,from time to time a great artist interests himself in designing and decorating a piano1 but the rank and file1 when they decide to build an extraordinary piano1 achieve lumpy masses of wood covered with impossible nymphs and too-realistic flowers1 pianos suggestive of thin and sentimental tunes1 but never of music4 ,when you are furnishing your music-room or drawing-room1 be careful always of your colors4 ,remember that not only must the room be beautiful in its broad spaces and long lines and soft colors1 but it must be a background for the gala gowns of women4 ,i once saw a music-room that was deliberately planned as a background to the gay colors of women's gowns and the heavy black masses of men's evening clothes1 a soft shimmering green and cream room that was incomplete and cold when empty of the color of costume4 ,such a room must have an architectural flavor4 ,the keynote must be elegant simplicity and aristocratic reserve4 ,walls broken into panels1 and panels in turn broken by lighting-fixtures1 a polished floor1 a well-considered ceiling1 any number of chairs1 and the room is furnished4 ,this room1 indeed1 may evolve into a salon4 ,,xi ,,the ,,living-,,room ,the living-room6 ,shut your eyes a minute and think what that means3 ,a room to live in1 suited to all human needs2 to be sick or sorry or glad in1 as the day's happenings may be2 where one may come back from far-reaching ways1 for ,east or ,west1 ,hame's best4 ,listen a minute while ,i tell you how ,i see such a room3 ,big and restful1 making for comfort first and always2 a little shabby here and there1 perhaps1 but all the more satisfactory for that--like an old shoe that goes on easily4 ,lots of light by night1 and not too much drapery to shut out the sunlight by day4 ,big1 welcoming chairs1 rather sprawly1 and long sofas4 ,a big fire blazing on the open hearth4 ,perhaps1 if we are very lucky we may have some old logs from long since foundered ships1 that will flame blue and rose and green4 ,he must indeed be of a poor spirit who cannot call all sorts of visions from such a flame6 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,living-,,room ,,in ,,the ,c4,w4 ,,harkness ,,house ,,at ,,morristown1 ,,new ,,jersey ,there should be a certain amount of order1 because you cannot really rest in a disorderly place1 but there should be none of the formality of the drawing-room4 ,formality should be used as a sort of foundation on which the pleasant workaday business of the living-room is planned4 ,the living-room should always have a flavor of the main hobby of the family1 whether it be books1 or music1 or sport1 or what not4 ,if you live in the real country there should be nothing in the room too good for all moods and all weather--no need to think of muddy boots or wet riding-clothes or the dogs that have run through the dripping fields4 ,i wonder if half the fathers and mothers in creation know just what it means later on to the boys and girls going out from their roof-tree to have the memory of such a living-room8 ,a living-room may be a simple place used for all the purposes of living1 or it may be merely an official clearing-house for family moods1 one of a dozen other living apartments4 ,the living-room in the modern bungalow1 for instance1 is often dining-room1 library1 hall1 music-room1 filling all the needs of the family1 while in a large country or city house there may be the central family room1 and ever so many little rooms that grow out of the overflow needs--the writing-room1 the tea room that is also sun and breakfast room1 the music-room and the library4 ,in more elaborate houses there are also the great hall1 the formal drawing-room and music-room1 and the intimate boudoir4 ,to all these should be given a goodly measure of comfort4 ,whether it be one or a dozen rooms1 the spirit of it must be the same--it must offer comfort1 order1 and beauty to be worth living in4 ,just as when a large family is to be considered ,i believe in one big meeting-room and a number of smaller rooms for special purposes1 so ,i believe that when a family is very small there should be one great living-room and no other day room4 ,two young people who purpose to live in a small cottage or a bungalow will be wise to have this one big room that will serve for dining-room1 living-room1 and all4 ,the same house divided into a number of tiny rooms would suffocate them3 there would be no breathing-space4 ,in furnishing such a room it is well to beware of sets of things3 of six dining-room chairs1 of the conventional dining-table1 serving-table1 and china closet4 ,i advocate the use of a long table--four by seven feet is not too long--and a number of good chairs that are alike in style1 but not exactly alike4 ,the chairs should not be the conventional dining-chairs4 ,the idea that the only dining-room chair possible is a perfectly straight up and down stiff-backed chair is absurd4 ,in a large house where there is a family dining-room the chairs should be alike1 but in an informal living-room the chairs may be perfectly comfortable and useful between meals and serve the purposes of dining-room chairs when necessary4 ,for instance1 with a long oak table built on the lines of the old ,english refectory tables you might have a long bench of oak and cane2 a large high back chair with arms of the ,stuart order1 that is1 with graceful1 turned legs1 carved frame work1 and cane insets2 two ,cromwellian chairs covered in some good stuff2 and two or three straight oak-and-cane chairs of a simple type4 ,these chairs may be used for various purposes between meals1 and will not give the room the stiff and formal air that straight-backed chairs invariably produce4 ,one could imagine this table drawn up to a window-seat1 with bench and chairs beside it1 and a dozen cheerful people around it4 ,there will be little chance of stiffness at such a dining-table4 ,it should be remembered that when a part of the living-room is used for meals1 the things that suggest dining should be kept out of sight between meals4 ,all the china and so forth should be kept in the pantry or in kitchen cupboards4 ,the table may be left bare between meals4 ,in a room of this kind the furniture should be kept close to the walls1 leaving all the space possible for moving around in the center of the room4 ,the book shelves should be flat against the wall2 there should be a desk1 not too clumsy in build near the book shelves or at right angles to some window2 there should be a sofa of some kind near the fireplace with a small table at the head of it1 which may be used for tea or books or what not4 ,if there is a piano1 it should be very carefully placed so that it will not dominate the room1 and so that the people who will listen to the music may gather in the opposite corner of the room4 ,of course1 a living-room of this kind is the jolliest place in the world when things go smoothly1 but there are times when a little room is a very necessary place to retreat4 ,this little room may be the study1 library1 or a tea room1 but it is worth while sacrificing your smallest bedroom in order to have one small place of retreat4 ,if you can have a number of living-rooms1 you can follow more definite schemes of decoration4 ,if you have a little enclosed piazza you can make a breakfast room or a trellis room of it1 or by bringing in many shelves and filling them with flowers you can make the place a delightful little flower box of a room for tea and talk4 ,of course1 if you live in the real country you will be able to use your garden and your verandas as additional living-rooms4 ,with a big living-porch1 the one indoor living-room may become a quiet library1 for instance4 ,but if you haven't a garden or a sun-room1 you should do all in your power to bring the sunshine and gaiety into the living-room1 and take your books and quiet elsewhere4 ,a library eight by ten feet1 with shelves all the way around and up and down1 and two comfortable chairs1 and one or two windows1 will be a most satisfactory library4 ,if the room is to be used for reading smallness doesn't matter1 you see4 ,we ,americans love books--popular books6--and we have had sense enough to bring them into our living-rooms1 and enjoy them4 ,but when you begin calling a room a library it should mean something more than a small mahogany bookcase with a hundred volumes hidden behind glass doors4 ,i think there is nothing more amusing than the unused library of the nouveau riche1 the pretentious room with its monumental bookcases and its slick area of glass doors and its thousands of unread volumes1 caged eternally in their indecent newness4 ,some day when you have nothing better to do visit the de luxe book shops of some department store1 and then visit a dusky old second hand shop1 and you will see what books can do6 ,in the de luxe shop they are leathern covered things1 gaudy and snobbish in their newness4 ,in the old book shop they are books that have lived1 books that invite you to browse4 ,you'd rather have them with all their germs and dust than the soulless tomes of uncut pages4 ,you can judge people pretty well by their books1 and the wear and tear of them4 ,open shelves are good enough for any house in these days of vacuum cleaners4 ,in the ,bayard ,thayer house ,i had the pleasure of furnishing a wonderful library of superb paneled walls of mahogany of a velvety softness1 not the bright red wood of commerce4 ,the open bookshelves were architecturally planned1 they filled shallow recesses in the wall1 and when the books were placed upon them they formed a glowing tapestry of bindings1 flush with the main wall4 ,i think the nicest living-room ,i know is the reading room of the ,colony ,club4 ,i never enjoyed making a room more1 and when the ,club was first opened ,i was delighted to hear one woman remark to another3 ,doesn't it make you feel that it has been loved and lived in for years8 ,the room is large and almost square4 ,the walls are paneled in cream and white1 with the classic mantel and mirror treatment of the ,adam period4 ,the large carpet rug is of one tone1 a soft green blue4 ,the bookcases which run around the walls are of mahogany1 as are the small1 occasional tables1 and the large table in the center of the room4 ,in this room ,i have successfully exploded the old theory that all furniture in a well planned room must be of the same kind6 ,in this room there are several ,marlborough chairs1 a davenport and a semi-circular fireside seat upholstered in a soft green leather1 several chairs covered in a chintz of bird and blossom design1 and other chairs covered with old ,english needle-work4 ,the effect is not discord1 but harmony4 ,perhaps it is not wise to advise the use of many colors and fabrics unless one has had experience in the combining of many tones and hues1 but if you are careful to keep your walls and floors in subdued tones1 you may have great license in the selecting of hangings and chair coverings and ornament4 ,i gave great attention to the details of this room4 ,under the simple mantel shelf there is inset a small panel of blue and white ,wedgwood4 ,on the mantel there are two jars of ,chinese porcelain1 and between them a bronze jardiniere of the ,adam period2 four figures holding a shallow1 oblong tray1 which is filled with flowers4 ,the lamp on the center-table is made of a hawthorn jar1 with a flaring shade4 ,there are many low tables scattered through the room and beside every chair is a reading-lamp easily adjusted to any angle4 ,the fireplace fittings are simple old brasses of the ,colonial period4 ,there is only one picture in this room1 and that is the portrait of a long gone lady1 framed in a carved gilt frame1 and hung against the huge wall-mirror which is opposite the fireplace end of the room4 ,i believe1 given plenty of light and air1 that comfortable chairs and good tables go further toward making a living-room comfortable than anything else4 ,in the ,harkness living-room you will see this theory proven4 ,there are chairs and tables of all sizes1 from the great sofas to the little footstools1 from the huge ,italian tables to the little table especially made to hold a few flower pots4 ,wherever there is a large table there is a long sofa or a few big chairs2 wherever there is a lone chair there is a small table to hold a reading-light1 or flowers1 or what not4 ,the great size of the room1 the fine ,english ceiling of modeled plaster1 the generous fireplace with its paneled over-mantel1 the groups of windows1 all these architectural details go far toward making the room a success4 ,the comfortable chairs and sofas and the ever useful tables do the rest4 ,so many people ask me3 ,how shall ,i furnish my living-room8 ,what paper shall ,i use on the walls8 ,what woodwork and curtains--and rugs8 ,one woman asked me what books she should buy6 ,your living-room should grow out of the needs of your daily life4 ,there could be no two living-rooms exactly alike in scheme if they were lived in4 ,you will have to decide on the wall colors and such things1 it is true1 but the rest of the room should grow of itself4 ,you will not make the mistake of using a dark paper of heavy figures if you are going to use many pictures and books1 for instance4 ,you will not use a gay bed-roomy paper covered with flowers and birds4 ,you will know without being told that your wall colors must be neutral3 that your woodwork must be stained and waxed1 or painted some soft tone of your wall color4 ,then1 let the rugs and curtains and things go until you decide you have to have them4 ,the room will gradually find itself1 though it may take years and heartache and a certain self-confession of inadequacy4 ,it will express your life1 if you use it1 so be careful of the life you live in it6 ,,xii ,,sitting-,,room ,,and ,,boudoir ,in some strange way the word boudoir has lost its proper significance4 ,people generally think of it as a highfalutin' name for the bedroom1 or for a dressing-room1 whereas really a proper boudoir is the small personal sitting-room of a woman of many interests4 ,it began in old ,france as the private sitting-room of the mistress of the house1 a part of the bedroom suite1 and it has evolved into a sort of office de luxe where the house mistress spends her precious mornings1 plans the routine of her household for the day1 writes her letters1 interviews her servants1 and so forth4 ,the boudoir has a certain suggestion of intimacy because it is a personal and not a general room1 but while it may be used as a lounging-place occasionally1 it is also a thoroughly dignified room where a woman may receive her chosen friends when she pleases4 ,nothing more ridiculous has ever happened than the vogue of the so-called boudoir cap1 which is really suited only to one's bedroom or dressing-room4 ,such misnomers lead to a mistaken idea of the real meaning of the word4 ,some of the ,eighteenth ,century boudoirs were extremely small4 ,i recall one charming little room in an old ,french house that was barely eight feet by eleven1 but it contained a fireplace1 two windows1 a day bed1 one of those graceful desks known as a bonheur du jour1 and two arm-chairs4 ,an extremely symmetrical arrangement of the room gave a sense of order1 and order always suggests space4 ,one wall was broken by the fireplace1 the wall spaces on each side of it being paneled with narrow moldings4 ,the space above the mantel was filled with a mirror4 ,on the wall opposite the fireplace there was a broad paneling of the same width filled with a mirror from baseboard to ceiling4 ,in front of this mirror was placed the charming desk4 ,on each side of the long mirror were two windows exactly opposite the two long panels of the mantel wall4 ,the two narrow end walls were treated as single panels1 the day bed being placed flat against one of them1 while the other was broken by a door which led to a little ante-chamber4 ,old gilt appliques holding candles flanked both mantel mirror and desk mirror4 ,two of those graceful chairs of the ,louis ,seize period and a small footstool completed the furnishing of this room4 ,illustration3 ,,miss ,,anne ,,morgan',s ,,louis ,,xvi4 ,,boudoir ,the boudoir should always be a small room1 because in no other way can you gain a sense of intimacy4 ,here you may have all the luxury and elegance you like1 you may stick to white paint and simple chintzes1 or you may indulge your passion for pale-colored silks and lace frills4 ,here1 of all places1 you have a right to express your sense of luxury and comfort4 ,the boudoir furnishings are borrowed from both bedroom and drawing-room traditions4 ,there are certain things that are used in the bedroom that would be ridiculous in the drawing-room1 and yet are quite at home in the boudoir4 ,for instance1 the chaise-longue is part of the bedroom furnishing in most modern houses1 and it may also be used in the boudoir1 but in the drawing-room it would be a violation of good taste1 because the suggestion of intimacy is too evident4 ,nothing is more comfortable in a boudoir than a day bed4 ,it serves so many purposes4 ,in my own house my boudoir is also my sitting-room1 and ,i have a large ,louis ,,xv day bed there which may be used by an overnight guest if necessary4 ,in a small house the boudoir fitted with a day bed becomes a guest-room on occasion4 ,i always put two or three of these day beds in any country house ,i am doing1 because ,i have found them so admirable and useful in my own house4 ,as you will see by the photographs1 this bed in no way resembles an ordinary bed in the daytime1 and it seems to me to be a much better solution of the extra-bed problem than the mechanical folding-bed1 which is always hideous and usually dangerous4 ,a good day bed may be designed to fit into any room4 ,this one of mine is of carved walnut1 a very graceful one that ,i found in ,france4 ,in a small sitting-room in an uptown house1 an illustration of which is shown1 ,i had a day bed made of white wood that was painted to match the chintzes of the room4 ,the mattress and springs were covered with a bird chintz on a mauve ground1 and the pillows were all covered with the same stuff4 ,the frame of the bed was painted cream and decorated with a dull green line and small garlands of flowers extracted from the design of the chintz4 ,when the mattress and springs have been properly covered with damask1 or chintz1 or whatever you choose to use1 there is no suggestion of the ordinary bed4 ,i suppose there isn't a more charming room in ,new ,york than ,miss ,anne ,morgan's ,louis ,,xvi boudoir4 ,the everyday sitting-room of a woman of many interests1 it is radiant with color and individuality1 as rare rugs are radiant1 as jewels are radiant4 ,the cream walls1 with their carved moldings and graceful panelings1 are a pleasant background for all this shimmering color4 ,the carvings and moldings are pointed in blue4 ,the floor is covered with a ,persian rug which glows with all the soft tones of the old ,persian dye-pots4 ,the day bed1 a few of the chairs1 and the chest of drawers1 are of a soft brown walnut4 ,there are other chairs covered with ,louis ,,xvi tapestries1 brocade and needlework1 quite in harmony with the modern chintz of the day bed and the hangings4 ,above the day bed there is a portrait of a lady1 hung by wires covered with shirred blue ribbons1 and this blue is again used in an old porcelain lamp jar on the bedside table4 ,the whole room might have been inspired by the lady of the portrait1 so essentially is it the room of a fastidious woman4 ,but to go back to my own boudoir3 it is really sitting-room1 library1 and rest-room combined1 a home room very much like my down-town office in the conveniences it offers4 ,in the early morning it is my office1 where ,i plan the day's routine and consult my servants4 ,in the rare evenings when ,i may give myself up to solid comfort and a new book it becomes a haven of refuge after the business of the day4 ,when ,i choose to work at home with my secretary1 it is as business-like a place as my down-town office4 ,it is a sort of room of all trades1 and good for each of them4 ,the walls of the room are pretty well filled with built-in bookshelves1 windows1 chimney-piece1 and doors1 but there is one long wall space for the day bed and another for the old secretary that holds my porcelain figurines4 ,the room is really quite small1 but by making the furniture keep its place against the walls an effect of spaciousness has been obtained4 ,the walls of the room are painted the palest of egg-shell blue-green4 ,the woodwork is ivory white1 with applied decorations of sculptured white marble4 ,the floor is entirely covered with a carpet rug of jade green velvet1 and there is a smaller ,persian rug of the soft1 indescribable colors of the ,orient4 ,the day bed1 of which ,i spoke in an earlier paragraph1 is covered with an old brocade1 gray-green figures on a black ground4 ,a large armchair is also covered with the brocade1 and the window curtains1 which cannot be seen in the picture1 are of black chintz1 printed with birds of pale greens and blues and grays1 with beaks of rose-red4 ,there is always a possibility for rose-red in my rooms1 ,i love it so4 ,i manage the other colors so that they will admit a chair or a stool or a bowl of rose color4 ,in this room the two chairs beside the couch are covered with rose-colored damask1 and this brings out the rose in the rug and in the chintz1 and accents the deep red note of the leathern book-bindings4 ,the rose red is subordinated to the importance of the book-bindings in this room1 but there is still opportunity for its use in so many small things4 ,in this room1 you will notice1 ,i have used open shelves for my books1 and the old secretary which was once a combination desk and bookcase1 is used for the display of my little treasures of porcelain and china1 and its drawers are used for papers and prints4 ,the built in shelves have cupboards beneath them for the flimsy papers and pamphlets that do not belong on open shelves4 ,if the same room were pressed into service as a guest room ,i should use the drawers in the secretary instead of the usual chest of drawers1 and the day bed for sleeping4 ,illustration3 ,,miss ,,morgan',s ,,louis ,,xvi4 ,,lit ,,de ,,repos ,the writing-table is placed at right angles to one of the book-filled panels between the front windows4 ,i have used a writing-table in this room because ,i like tables better than heavy desks1 and because in this small apartment a desk would seem heavy and ponderous4 ,the fittings of the desk are of dark red leather1 like that of many of the book-bindings1 and the personal touch that makes the desk mine is a bowl of roses4 ,between the two windows in the shallow recess1 ,i have placed an aquarium1 a recent acquisition that delights my soul4 ,the aquarium is simply an oblong glass box mounted on a teak stand1 with a tracery of teak carving outlining the box1 which is the home of the most gorgeous fan-tailed goldfish4 ,there are water plants in the box1 too1 and funny little ,chinese temples and dwarf trees4 ,i love to house my little people happily--my dogs and my birds and my fish4 ,wee ,toi1 my little ,chinese dog1 has a little house all his own1 an old ,chinese lacquer box with a canopy top and little gold bells4 ,it was once the shrine of some little ,chinese god1 ,i suppose1 but ,wee ,toi is very happy in it1 and you can see that it was meant for him in the beginning4 ,it sits by the fireplace and gives the room an air of real hominess4 ,i was so pleased with the aquarium and the ,chinese lacquer bed for ,wee ,toi that ,i devised a birdcage to go with them1 a square cage of gilt wires1 with a black lacquer pointed canopy top1 with little gilt bells at the pointed eaves4 ,the cage is fixed to a shallow lacquer tray1 and is the nicest place you can imagine for a whistling bullfinch to live in4 ,i suppose ,i could have a ,persian cat on a gorgeous cushion to complete the place1 but ,i can't admit cats into the room4 ,i plan gorgeous cushions for other people's little people1 when they happen to be cats4 ,miss ,marbury's sitting-room is on the next floor1 exactly like mine1 architecturally1 but we have worked them out differently4 ,i think there is nothing more interesting than the study of the different developments of a series of similar rooms1 for instance1 a dozen drawing-rooms1 twelve stories deep1 in a modern apartment house6 ,each room is left by the builder with the same arrangement of doors and windows1 the same wall spaces and moldings1 the same opportunity for good or bad development4 ,it isn't often our luck to see all twelve of the rooms1 but sometimes we see three or four of them1 and how amazingly different they are6 ,how amusing is the suggestion of personality1 or lack of it6 ,now in these two sitting-rooms in our house the rooms are exactly the same in size1 in exposure1 in the placing of doors and windows and fireplaces1 and we have further paralleled our arrangement by placing our day beds in the same wall space1 but there the similarity ends4 ,miss ,marbury's color plan is different3 her walls are a soft gray1 the floor is covered in a solid blue carpet rug1 rather dark in tone1 the chintz also has a black ground1 but the pattern is entirely different in character from the room below4 ,there is a day bed1 similar to mine1 but where my bed has been upholstered with brocade1 ,miss ,marbury's has a loose slip cover of black chintz4 ,the spaces between the windows in my room are filled with bookshelves1 and in ,miss ,marbury's room the same spaces are filled with mirrors4 ,the large wall-space that is background to my old secretary is in her room given up to long open bookshelves of mahogany4 ,my over-mantel is mirrored1 and hers is filled with an old painting4 ,the recessed spaces on each side of the chimney breast hold small semi-circular tables of marquetry1 with a pair of long ,adam mirrors hanging above them4 ,another ,adam mirror hangs above the bookshelves on the opposite wall4 ,these mirrors are really the most important things in the room1 because the moldings and lighting-fixtures and picture frames have been made to harmonize with them4 ,the lighting-fixtures are of wood carved in the ,adam manner and painted dark blue and gold4 ,the writing-table has been placed squarely in front of the center window1 in which are hung ,miss ,marbury's bird cages4 ,there are a number of old ,french prints on the wall4 ,the whole room is quieter in tone than my room1 which may be because her chosen color is old-blue1 and mine rose-red4 ,in a small house where only one woman's tastes have to be considered1 a small downstairs sitting-room may take the place of the more personal boudoir1 but where there are a number of people in the household a room connecting with the bedroom of the house mistress is more fortunate4 ,here she can be as independent as she pleases of the family and the guests who come and go through the other living-rooms of the house4 ,here she can have her counsels with her children1 or her tradespeople1 or her employees1 without the distractions of chance interruptions1 for this one room should have doors that open and close1 doors that are not to be approached without invitation4 ,the room may be as austere and business-like as a down-town office1 or it may be a nest of comfort and luxury primarily planned for relaxation1 but it must be so placed that it is a little apart from the noise and flurry of the rest of the house or it has no real reason-for-being4 ,whenever it is possible1 ,i believe the man of the house should also have a small sitting-room that corresponds to his wife's boudoir4 ,we ,americans have made a violent attempt to incorporate a room of this kind in our houses by introducing a den or a study1 but somehow the man of the house is never keen about such a room4 ,a den to him means an airless cubby-hole of a room hung with pseudo-,turkish draperies and papier-mch shields and weapons1 and he has a mighty aversion to it4 ,who could blame him8 ,and as for the study1 the average man doesn't want a study when he wants to work2 he prefers to work in his office1 and he'd like a room of his own big enough to hold all his junk1 and he'd like it to have doors and windows and a fireplace4 ,the so-called study is usually a heavy1 cheerless little room that isn't any good for anything else4 ,the ideal arrangement would be a room of average size opening from his bedroom1 a room that would have little suggestion of business and a great flavor of his hobbies4 ,his wife's boudoir must be her office also1 but he doesn't need a house office1 unless he be a writer1 or a teacher1 or some man who works at home4 ,after all1 ,i think the painters and illustrators are the happiest of all men1 because they have to have studios1 and their wives generally recognize the fact1 and give them a free hand4 ,the man who has a studio or a workshop all his own is always a popular man4 ,he has a fascination for his less fortunate friends1 who buzz around him in wistful admiration4 ,,xiii ,a ,,light1 ,,gay ,,dining-,,room ,first of all1 ,i think a dining-room should be light1 and gay4 ,the first thing to be considered is plenty of sunshine4 ,the next thing is the planning of a becoming background for the mistress of the house4 ,the room should always be gay and charming in color1 but the color should be selected with due consideration of its becomingness to the hostess4 ,every woman has a right to be pretty in her own dining-room4 ,i do not favor the dark1 heavy treatments and elaborate stuff hangings which seem to represent the taste of most of the men who go in for decorating nowadays4 ,nine times out of ten the dining-room seems to be the gloomiest room in the house4 ,i think it should be a place where the family may meet in gaiety of spirit for a pause in the vexatious happenings of the day4 ,i think light tones1 gay wallpapers1 flowers and sunshine are of more importance than storied tapestries and heavily carved furniture4 ,these things are all very well for the house that has a small dining-room and a gala dining-room for formal occasions as well1 but there are few such houses4 ,we ,new ,yorkers have been so accustomed to the gloomy basement dining-rooms of the conventional brown-stone houses of the late eighties we forgot how nice a dining-room can be4 ,even though the city dining-room is now more fortunately placed in the rear of the second floor it is usually overshadowed by other houses1 and can be lightened only by skilful use of color in curtains1 china1 and so forth4 ,therefore1 ,i think this is the one room in the city house where one can afford to use a boldly decorative paper4 ,i like very much the ,chinese rice-papers with their broad1 sketchy decorations of birds and flowers4 ,these papers are never tiresomely realistic and are always done in very soft colors or in soft shades of one color1 and while if you analyze them they are very fantastic1 the general effect is as restful as it is cheerful4 ,you know you can be most cheerful when you are most rested6 ,the quaint landscape papers which are seen in so many ,new ,england dining-rooms seem to belong with ,american ,colonial furniture and white woodwork1 prim silver and gold banded china4 ,these landscape papers are usually gay in effect and make for cheer4 ,there are many new designs less complicated than the old ones4 ,then1 too1 there are charming foliage papers1 made up of leaves and branches and birds1 which are very good4 ,while we may find color and cheer in these gay papers for gloomy city dining-rooms1 if we have plenty of light we may get more distinguished results with paneled walls4 ,a large dining-room may be paneled with dark wood1 with a painted fresco1 or tapestry frieze1 and a ceiling with carved or painted beams1 or perhaps one of those interesting cream-white ceilings with plaster beams judiciously adorned with ornament in low relief4 ,given a large dining-room and a little money1 you can do anything3 you can make a room that will compare favorably with the traditional rooms on which we build4 ,you have a right to make your dining-room as fine as you please1 so long as you give it its measure of light and air4 ,but one thing you must have3 simplicity6 ,it may be the simplicity of a marble floor and tapestried walls and a painted ceiling1 it may be the simplicity of white paint and muslin and fine furniture1 but simplicity it must have4 ,the furniture that is required in a dining-room declares itself3 a table and chairs4 ,you can bring side tables and china closets into it1 or you can build in cupboards and consoles to take their place1 but there is little chance for other variation1 and so the beginning is a declaration of order and simplicity4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,georgian ,,dining-,,room ,,in ,,the ,,william ,,iselin ,,house ,the easiest way to destroy this simplicity is to litter the room with displays of silver and glass1 to dot the walls with indifferent pictures4 ,if you are courageous enough to let your walls take care of themselves and to put away your silver and china and glass1 the room will be as dignified as you could wish4 ,remember that simplicity depends on balance and space4 ,if the walls balance one another in light and shadow1 if the furniture is placed formally1 if walls and furniture are free from mistaken ornament1 the room will be serene and beautiful4 ,in most other rooms we avoid the pairing of things1 but here pairs and sets of things are most desirable4 ,two console tables are more impressive than one4 ,there is great decorative value in a pair of mirrors1 a pair of candlesticks1 a pair of porcelain jars1 two cupboards flanking a chimney-piece4 ,you would not be guilty of a pair of wall fountains1 or of two wall clocks1 just as you would not have two copies of the same portrait in a room4 ,but when things pair logically1 pair them6 ,they will furnish a backbone of precision to the room4 ,the dining-room in the ,iselin house is a fine example of stately simplicity4 ,it is extremely formal1 and yet there is about it none of the gloominess one associates with ,new ,york dining-rooms4 ,the severely paneled walls1 the fine chimney-piece with an old master inset and framed by a ,grinling ,gibbons carving1 the absence of the usual mantel shelf1 the plain dining-table and the fine old lion chairs all go to make up a ,georgian room of great distinction4 ,the woman who cannot afford such expensive simplicity might model a dining-room on this same plan and accomplish a beautiful room at reasonable expense4 ,paneled walls are always possible2 if you can't afford wood paneling1 paint the plastered wall white or cream and break it into panels by using a narrow molding of wood4 ,you can get an effect of great dignity by the use of molding at a few cents a foot4 ,a large panel would take the place of the ,grinling ,gibbons carving1 and a mirror might be inset above the fireplace instead of the portrait4 ,the dining-table and chairs might give place to good reproductions of ,chippendale1 and the marble console to a carpenter-made one painted to match the woodwork4 ,the subject of proper furniture for a dining-room is usually settled by the house mistress before her wedding bouquet has faded1 so ,i shall only touch on the out-of-ordinary things here4 ,everyone knows that a table and a certain number of chairs and a sideboard of some kind go together4 ,the trouble is that everyone knows these things too well1 and dining-room conventions are so binding that we miss many pleasant departures from the usual4 ,my own dining-room in ,new ,york is anything but usual1 and yet there is nothing undignified about it4 ,the room was practically square1 so that it had a certain orderly quality to begin with4 ,the rooms of the house are all rather small1 and so to gain the greatest possible space ,i have the door openings at the extreme end of the wall1 leaving as large a wall space as possible4 ,you enter this room1 then1 through a door at the extreme left of the south wall of the room4 ,another door at the extreme right of the same wall leads to a private passage4 ,the space left between the doors is thereby conserved1 and is broken into a large central panel flanked by two narrow panels4 ,the space above the doors is also paneled4 ,this wall is broken by a console placed under the central panel4 ,above it one of the ,mennoyer originals1 which you may remember in the ,washington ,irving dining-room1 is set in the wall1 framed with a narrow molding of gray4 ,the walls and woodwork of the room are of exactly the same tone of gray--darker than a silver gray and lighter than pewter4 ,everything1 color1 balance1 proportion1 objects of art1 has been uniformly considered4 ,continuing1 the east wall is broken in the center by the fireplace1 with a mantel of white and gray marble4 ,a large mirror1 surmounted with a bas-relief in black and white1 fills the space between mantel shelf and cornice4 ,this mirror and bas-relief are framed with the narrow carved molding painted gray4 ,here again there is the beauty of balance3 two ,italian candlesticks of carved and gilded wood flank a marble bust on the mantel shelf4 ,there is nothing more4 ,on the right of the mirror1 in a narrow panel1 there is a wall clock of carved and gilded wood which also takes its place as a part of the wall1 and keeps it4 ,the north wall is broken by two mirrors and a door leading to the service-pantry4 ,a large1 four-fold screen1 made of an uncut tapestry1 shuts off the door4 ,we need all the light the windows give1 so there are no curtains except the orange-colored taffeta valances at the top4 ,i devised sliding doors of mirrors that are pulled out of the wall at night to fill the recessed space of the windows4 ,ventilation is afforded by the open fireplace1 and by mechanical means4 ,you see we do not occupy this house in summer1 so the mirrored windows are quite feasible4 ,the fourth wall has no openings1 and it is broken into three large paneled spaces4 ,a console has the place of honor opposite the fireplace1 and above it there is a mirror like that over the mantel4 ,in the two side panels are the two large ,mennoyers4 ,there are five of these in the room1 the smaller ones flanking the chimney piece4 ,you see that the salvation of this room depends on this careful repetition and variation of similar objects4 ,color is brought into the room in the blue and yellow of the ,chinese rug1 in the chairs1 and in the painted table4 ,the chairs are painted a creamy yellow1 pointed with blue1 and upholstered with blue and yellow striped velvet4 ,i do not like high-backed chairs in a dining-room4 ,their one claim to use is that they make a becoming background1 but this does not compensate for the difficulties of the service when they are used4 ,an awkward servant pouring soup down one's back is not an aid to digestion1 or to the peace of mind engendered by a good dinner4 ,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,,ogden ,,armour',s ,,chinese-,,paper ,,screen ,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,,james ,,warren ,,lane',s ,,painted ,,dining-,,table ,the painted table is very unusual4 ,the legs and the carved under-frame are painted cream and pointed with blue1 like the chairs1 but the top is as gay as an old-fashioned garden1 with stiff little medallions1 and urns spilling over with flowers1 and conventional blossoms picked out all over it4 ,the colors used are very soft1 blue and cream being predominant4 ,the table is covered with a sheet of plate glass4 ,this table is1 of course1 too elaborate for a simple dining-room1 but the idea could be adapted and varied to suit many color and furniture schemes4 ,painted furniture is a delight in a small dining-room4 ,in the ,colony ,club ,i planned a very small room for little dinners that is well worth reproducing in a small house4 ,this little room was very hard to manage because there were no windows6 ,there were two tiny little openings high on the wall at one end of the room1 but it would take imagination to call them windows4 ,the room was on the top floor1 and the real light came from a skylight4 ,you can imagine the difficulty of making such a little box interesting4 ,however1 there was one thing that warmed my heart to the little room3 a tiny ante-room between the hall proper and the room proper4 ,this little ante-room ,i paneled in yellowish tan and gray4 ,i introduced a sofa covered with an old brocade just the color of dried rose leaves--ashes of roses1 the ,french call it--and the little ante-room became a fitting introduction to the dining-room within4 ,the walls of the rooms were paneled in a delicious color between yellow and tan1 the wall proper and the moldings being this color1 and the panels themselves filled with a gray paper painted in pinky yellows and browns4 ,these panels were done by hand by a man who found his inspiration in the painted panels of an old ,french ballroom4 ,as the walls were unbroken by windows there was ample space for such decoration4 ,a carpet of rose color was chosen1 and the skylight was curtained with shirred silk of the same rose4 ,the table and chairs were of painted wood1 the chairs having seats of the brocade used on the ante-room sofa4 ,the table was covered with rose colored brocade1 and over this1 cobwebby lace1 and over this1 plate glass4 ,there are two consoles in the room1 with small cabinets above which hold certain objets d'art in keeping with the room4 ,under the two tiny windows were those terrible snags we decorators always strike1 the radiators4 ,wrongly placed1 they are capable of spoiling any room4 ,i concealed these radiators by building two small cabinets with panels of iron framework gilded to suggest a graceful metal lattice1 and lined them with rose-colored silk4 ,i borrowed this idea from a fascinating cabinet in an old ,french palace1 and the result is worth the deception4 ,the cabinets are nice in themselves1 and they do not interfere with the radiation of the heat4 ,i have seen many charming country houses and farm houses in ,france with dining-rooms furnished with painted furniture4 ,somehow they make the average ,american dining-room seem very commonplace and tiresome4 ,for instance1 ,i had the pleasure of furnishing a little country house in ,france and we planned the dining-room in blue and white4 ,the furniture was of the simplest1 painted white1 with a dark blue line for decoration4 ,the corner cupboard was a little more elaborate1 with a gracefully curved top and a large glass door made up of little panes set in a quaint design4 ,there were several drawers and a lower cupboard4 ,the drawers and the lower doors invited decorations a little more elaborate than the blue lines of the furniture1 so we painted on gay little medallions in soft tones of blue1 from the palest gray-blue to a very dark blue4 ,the chair cushions were blue1 and the china was blue sprigged4 ,three little pitchers of dark-blue luster were on the wall cupboard shelf and a mirror in a faded gold frame gave the necessary variation of tone4 ,a very charming treatment for either a country or small city dining-room is to have corner cupboards of this kind cutting off two corners4 ,they are convenient and unusual and pretty as well4 ,they can be painted in white with a colored line defining the panels and can be made highly decorative if the panels are painted with a classic or a ,chinese design4 ,the decoration1 however1 should be kept in variations of the same tone as the stripe on the panels4 ,for instance1 if the stripe is gray1 then the design should be in dark and light gray and blue tones4 ,the chairs can be white1 in a room of this kind1 with small gray and blue medallions and either blue and white1 or plain blue1 cushions4 ,another dining-room of the same sort was planned for a small country house on ,long ,island4 ,here the woodwork was a deep cream1 the walls the same tone1 and the ceiling a little lighter4 ,we found six of those prim ,duxbury chairs1 with flaring spindle-backs1 and painted them a soft yellow-green4 ,the table was a plain pine one1 with straight legs4 ,we painted it cream and decorated the top with a conventional border of green adapted from the design of the china--a thick creamy ,danish ware ornamented with queer little wavy lines and figures4 ,i should have mentioned the china first1 because the whole room grew from that4 ,the rug was a square of velvet of a darker green4 ,the curtains were soft cream-colored net4 ,one wall was made up of windows1 another of doors and a cupboard1 and against the other two walls we built two long1 narrow consoles that were so simple anyone could accomplish them3 simply two wide shelves resting on good brackets1 with mirrors above4 ,the one splendid thing in the room was a curtain of soft green damask that was pulled at night to cover the group of windows4 ,everything else in the room was bought for a song4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,private ,,dining-,,room ,,in ,,the ,,colony ,,club ,i have said much of cupboards and consoles because ,i think they are so much better than the awkward1 heavy china closets and buffets and sideboards that dominate most dining-rooms4 ,the time has come when we should begin to do fine things in the way of building fitment furniture1 that is1 furniture that is actually or apparently a part of the shell of the room4 ,it would be so much better to build a house slowly1 planning the furniture as a part of the architectural detail4 ,with each succeeding year the house would become more and more a part of the owner1 illustrating his life4 ,of course1 this would mean that the person who planned the developing of the house must have a certain architectural training1 must know about scale and proportion1 and something of general construction4 ,certainly charming things are to be created in this way1 things that will last1 things immeasurably preferable to the cheap jerry-built furniture which so soon becomes shabby1 which has to be so constantly renewed4 ,people accept new ideas with great difficulty1 and my only hope is that they may grow to accept the idea of fitment furniture through finding the idea a product of their own2 a personal discovery that comes from their own needs4 ,i have constantly recommended the use of our native ,american woods for panelings and wall furniture1 because we have both the beautiful woods of our new world and tried and proven furniture of the old world1 and what couldn't we achieve with such material available8 ,why do people think of a built-in cupboard as being less important than a detached piece of furniture8 ,isn't it a braggart pose1 a desire to show the number of things you can buy8 ,of course it is a very foolish pose1 but it is a popular one1 this display of objects that are ear-marked expensive4 ,it is very easy to build cupboards on each side of a fireplace1 for instance1 making the wall flush with the chimney-breast4 ,this is always good architectural form4 ,one side could have a desk which opens beneath the glass doors1 and the other could have cupboards1 both presenting exactly the same appearance when closed4 ,fitted corner cupboards1 triangular or rounded1 are also excellent in certain dining rooms4 ,wall tables1 or consoles1 may be of the same wood as the woodwork or of marble1 or of some dark polished wood4 ,there are no more useful pieces of furniture than consoles1 and yet we only see them in great houses4 ,why8 ,because they are simple1 and we haven't yet learned to demand the simple4 ,i have had many interesting old console-tables of wrought iron support and marble tops copied1 and ,i have designed others that were mere semi-circles of white painted wood supported by four slender legs1 but whether they be marble or pine the effect is always simple4 ,there are charming consoles that have come to us from the ,eighteenth ,century1 consoles made in pairs1 so that they may stand against the wall as serving-tables1 or be placed together to form one round table4 ,this is a very good arrangement where people have one large living room or hall in which they dine and which also serves all the purpose of daily intercourse4 ,this entirely removes any suggestion of a dining-room1 as the consoles may be separated and stand against the wall during the day4 ,many modern houses are being built without the conventional dining-room we have known so long1 there being instead an open-air breakfast room which may be glazed in winter and screened in summer4 ,people have come to their senses at last1 and realize that there is nothing so pleasant as eating outdoors4 ,the annual migration of ,americans to ,europe is responsible for the introduction of this excellent custom4 ,french houses are always equipped with some outdoor place for eating4 ,some of them have1 in addition to the inclosed porch1 a fascinating pavilion built in the garden1 where breakfast and tea may be served4 ,modern mechanical conveniences and the inexpensive electric apparatus make it possible to serve meals at this distance from the house and keep them hot in the meantime4 ,one may prepare one's own coffee and toast at table1 with the green trees and flowers and birds all around4 ,eating outdoors makes for good health and long life and good temper1 everyone knows that4 ,the simplest meal seems a gala affair when everyone is radiant and cheerful1 whereas a long and elaborate meal served indoors is usually depressing4 ,,xiv ,,the ,,bedroom ,in olden times people rarely slept in their bedrooms1 which were mostly chambres de parade1 where everyone was received and much business was transacted4 ,the real bedroom was usually a smallish closet nearby4 ,these chambres de parade were very splendid1 the beds raised on a dais1 and hung with fine damasks and tapestries--tapestries thick with bullion fringes4 ,the horror of fresh air felt by our ancestors was well illustrated here4 ,no draughts from ill-constructed windows or badly hung doors could reach the sleeper in such a bed4 ,illustration3 ,,an ,,old ,,painted ,,bed ,,of ,,the ,,louis ,,xvi4 ,,period ,this was certainly different from our modern ideas of hygiene3 ,in those days furniture that could not be hastily moved was of little importance4 ,the bed was usually a mere frame of wood1 made to be covered with valuable hangings which could easily be packed and carried away on occasions that too often arose in the troublous days of the early ,middle ,ages4 ,the benches and tables one sees in many foreign palaces to-day are covered with gorgeous lengths of velvet and brocade4 ,this is a survival of the custom when furniture was merely so much baggage4 ,with the early ,eighteenth ,century1 however1 there came into being les petits appartements1 in which the larger space formerly accorded the bedroom was divided into ante-chamber1 salon or sitting-room1 and the bedroom4 ,very often the bed was placed in an alcove1 and the heavy brocades and bullion embroideries were replaced by linen or cotton hangings4 ,when ,oberkampf established himself at ,jouy in #agfj ,france took first place in the production of these printed linens and cottons4 ,this was the beginning of the age of chintz and of the delightful decorative fabrics that are so suited to our modern ideas of hygiene4 ,it seems to me there are no more charming stuffs for bedroom hangings than these simple fabrics1 with their enchantingly fanciful designs4 ,think of the changes one could have with several sets of curtains to be changed at will1 as ,marie ,antoinette used to do at the ,petit ,trianon4 ,how amusing it would be in our own modern houses to change the bed coverings1 window curtains1 and so forth1 twice or three times a year6 ,i like these loose slip covers and curtains better than the usual hard upholstery1 because if properly planned the slips can be washed without losing their color or their lines4 ,charming ,eighteenth ,century prints that are full of valuable hints as to furniture and decorations for bedrooms can be found in most ,french shops4 ,the series known as ,moreau le ,jeun is full of suggestion4 ,some of the interiors shown are very grand1 it is true1 but many are simple enough to serve as models for modern apartments4 ,a set of these pictures will do much to give one an insight into the decoration of the ,eighteenth ,century1 a vivid insight that can be obtained in no other way1 perhaps4 ,i do not like the very large bedrooms1 dear to the plans of the ,american architect4 ,i much prefer the space divided4 ,i remember once arriving at the ,ritz ,hotel in ,london and being given temporarily a very grand royal suite1 overlooking the park1 until the smaller quarters ,i had reserved should be ready for me4 ,how delighted ,i was at first with all the huge vastness of my bedroom6 ,my appreciation waned1 however1 after a despairing morning toilet spent in taking many steps back and forth from dressing-table to bathroom1 and from bathroom to hang-closets1 and ,i was glad indeed1 when1 at the end of several hours1 ,i was comfortably housed in my smaller and humbler quarters4 ,i think the ideal bedroom should be planned so that a small ante-chamber should separate it from the large outside corridor4 ,the ideal arrangement is an ante-chamber opening on the boudoir1 or sitting-room1 then the bedroom1 with its dressing-room and bath in back4 ,this outer chamber insures quiet and privacy1 no matter how small it may be4 ,it may serve as a clothes-closet1 by filling the wall with cupboards1 and concealing them with mirrored doors4 ,the ante-chamber need not be a luxury1 if you plan your house carefully4 ,it is simply a little well of silence and privacy between you and the hall outside4 ,illustration3 ,,miss ,,crocker',s ,,louis ,,xvi4 ,,bed ,to go on with my ideal bedroom3 the walls1 ,i think1 should be simply paneled in wood1 painted gray or cream or white1 but if wood cannot be afforded a plastered wall1 painted or distempered in some soft tone1 is the best solution4 ,you will find plain walls and gay chintz hangings very much more satisfying than walls covered with flowered papers and plain hangings1 for the simple reason that a design repeated hundreds of times on a wall surface becomes very1 very tiresome1 but the same design in a fabric is softened and broken by the folds of the material1 and you will never get the annoying sense of being impelled to count the figures4 ,one of the bedrooms illustrated in this book shows an ,elizabethan paper that does not belong to the busy class1 for while the design is decorative in the extreme you are not aware of an emphatic repeat4 ,this is really an old chintz design1 and is very charming in blues and greens and grays on a cream ground4 ,i have seen bedrooms papered with huge scrolls and sea shells1 many times enlarged1 that suggest the noisy and methodical thumping of a drum4 ,i cannot imagine anyone sleeping calmly in such a room6 ,this bedroom is eminently suited to the needs of a man4 ,the hangings are of a plain1 soft stuff1 accenting one of the deep tones of the wall covering1 and the sash curtains are of white muslin4 ,the furniture is of oak1 of the ,jacobean period4 ,the bed is true to its inspiration1 with turned legs and runners1 and slatted head and foot boards4 ,the legs and runners of the bed were really inspired by the chairs and tables of the period4 ,this is an excellent illustration of the modern furniture that may be adapted from old models4 ,it goes without saying that the beds of that period were huge1 cumbersome affairs1 and this adapted bed is really more suitable to modern needs in size and weight and line than an original one4 ,there are so many inspirations for bedrooms nowadays that one finds it most difficult to decide on any one scheme4 ,one of my greatest joys in planning the ,colony ,club was that ,i had opportunity to furnish so many bedrooms4 ,and they were small1 pleasant rooms1 too1 not the usual impersonal boxes that are usually planned for club houses and hotels4 ,i worked out the plan of each bedroom as if ,i were to live in it myself1 and while they all differed in decorative schemes the essentials were the same in each room3 a comfortable bed1 with a small table beside it to hold a reading light1 a clock1 and a telephone2 a chaise-longue for resting2 a long mirror somewhere2 a dressing table with proper lights and a glass covered top2 a writing table1 carefully equipped1 and the necessary chairs and stools4 ,some of the bedrooms had no connecting baths1 and these were given wash stands with bowls and pitchers of clear glass4 ,most of these bedrooms were fitted with mahogany four post beds1 pie crust tables1 colonial highboys1 gay chintzes1 and such1 but there were several rooms of entirely different scheme4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,colony ,,club ,,bedroom ,perhaps the most fascinating of them all is the bird room4 ,the walls are covered with an ,oriental paper patterned with marvelous blue and green birds1 birds of paradise and paroquets perched on flowering branches4 ,the black lacquer furniture was especially designed for the room4 ,the rug and the hangings are of jade green4 ,i wonder how this seems to read of--,i can only say it is a very gay and happy room to live in6 ,there is another bedroom in pink and white1 which would be an adorable room for a young girl4 ,the bed is of my own design1 a simple white painted metal bed4 ,there is a chaise-longue1 upholstered in the pink and white striped chintz of the room4 ,the same chintz is used for window hangings1 bed spread1 and so forth4 ,there is a little spindle legged table of mahogany1 and another table at the head of the bed which contains the reading light4 ,there is also a little white stool1 with a cushion of the chintz1 beside the bed4 ,the dressing-table is so simple that any girl might copy it--it is a chintz-hung box with a sheet of plate glass on top1 and a white framed mirror hung above it4 ,the electric lights in this room are cleverly made into candlesticks which are painted to match the chintz4 ,the writing-table is white1 with a mahogany chair in front of it4 ,another bedroom has a narrow four post bed of mahogany1 with hangings of ,china blue sprigged with small pink roses4 ,there was another in green and white4 ,in every case these bedrooms were equipped with rugs of neutral and harmonious tone4 ,the dressing-tables were always painted to harmonize with the chintzes or the furniture4 ,wherever possible there was an open fireplace4 ,roomy clothes closets added much to the comfort of each room1 and there was always a couch of delicious softness1 or a chaise-longue1 and lounging chairs which invited repose4 ,illustration3 ,by permission of the ,butterick ,publishing ,co4 ,,mauve ,,chintz ,,in ,a ,,dull-,,green ,,room ,nothing so nice has happened in a long time as the revival of painted furniture1 and the application of quaint designs to modern beds and chairs and chests4 ,you may find inspiration in a length of chintz1 in an old fan1 in a faded print--anywhere6 ,the main thing is to work out a color plan for the background--the walls1 the furniture1 and the rugs--and then you can draw or stencil the chosen designs wherever they seem to belong1 and paint them in with dull tones and soft colors1 rose and buff and blue and green and a little bit of gray and cream and black4 ,or1 if you aren't even as clever as that 7and you probably are67 you can decorate your painted furniture with narrow lines of color3 dark green on a light green ground2 dark blue on yellow2 any color on gray or cream--there are infinite possibilities of color combinations4 ,in one of the rooms shown in the illustrations the posy garlands on the chest of drawers were inspired by a lamp jar4 ,this furniture was carefully planned1 as may be seen by the little urns on the bedposts1 quite in the manner of the ,brothers ,adam1 but delightful results may be obtained by using any simple modern cottage furniture and applying fanciful decorations4 ,be wary of hanging many pictures in your bedroom4 ,i give this advice cheerfully1 because ,i know you will hang them anyway 7,i do7 but ,i warn you you will spoil your room if you aren't very stern with yourself4 ,somehow the pictures we most love1 small prints and photographs and things1 look spotty on our walls4 ,we must group them to get a pleasant effect4 ,keep the framed photographs on the writing table1 the dressing table1 the mantel1 etc41 but do not hang them on your walls4 ,if you have small prints that you feel you must have1 hang them flat on the wall1 well within the line of vision4 ,they should be low enough to be examined1 because usually such pictures are not decorative in effect1 but exquisite in detail4 ,the fewer pictures the better1 and in the guest-room fewer still6 ,i planned a guest-room for the top floor of a ,new ,york house that is very successful4 ,the room was built around a pair of appliques made from two old ,chinese sprays of metal flowers4 ,i had small electric light bulbs fitted among the flowers1 mounted them on carved wood brackets on each side of a good mantel mirror and worked out the rest of the room from them4 ,the walls were painted bluish green1 the woodwork white4 ,just below the molding at the top of the room there was a narrow border 7four inches wide7 of a mosaic-like pattern in blue and green4 ,the carpet rug is of a blue-green tone4 ,the hangings are of an alluring ,chinoiserie chintz1 and there are several ,chinese color prints framed and hanging in the narrow panels between the front windows4 ,the furniture is painted a deep cream pointed with blue and green1 and the bed covering is of a pale turquoise taffeta4 ,another guest room was done in gentian blue and white1 with a little buff and rose-color in small things4 ,this room was planned for the guests of the daughter of the house1 so the furnishings were naively and adorably feminine4 ,the dressing-table was made of a long1 low box1 with a glass top and a valance so crisp and flouncing that it suggested a young lady in crinoline4 ,the valance was of chintz in gentian blue and white4 ,the white mirror frame was decorated with little blue lines and tendrils4 ,surely any girl would grow pretty with dressing before such an enchanting affair6 ,and simple--why1 she could hinge the mirrors together1 and make the chintz ruffle1 and enamel the shelves white1 and do every bit of it except cut the plate glass4 ,of course the glass is very clean and nice1 but an enameled surface with a white linen cover would be very pleasant4 ,the same blue and white chintz was used for the hangings and bed coverings4 ,everything else in the room was white except the thick cream rug with its border of blue and rose and buff1 and the candlesticks and appliques which repeated those colors4 ,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,,frederick ,,havemeyer',s ,,chinoiserie ,,chintz ,,bed ,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,,payne ,,whitney',s ,,green ,,feather ,,chintz ,,bed ,there is a chintz ,i love to use called the ,green ,feather chintz4 ,it is most decorative in design and color1 and such an aristocratic sort of chintz you can use it on handsome old sofas and your post beds that would scorn a more commonplace chintz4 ,mrs4 ,payne ,whitney has a most enchanting bed covered with the ,green ,feather chintz1 one of those great beds that depend entirely on their hangings for effect1 for not a bit of the wooden frame shows4 ,mrs4 ,frederick ,havemeyer has a similar bed covered with a ,chinoiserie chintz4 ,these great beds are very beautiful in large rooms1 but they would be out of place in small ones4 ,there are draped beds1 however1 that may be used in smaller rooms4 ,i am showing a photograph of a bedroom in the ,crocker house in ,burlingame1 ,california1 where ,i used a small draped bed with charming effect4 ,this bed is placed flat against the wall1 like a sofa1 and the drapery is adapted from that of a ,louis ,,xvi room4 ,the bed is of gray painted wood1 and the hangings are of blue and cream chintz lined with blue taffetas4 ,i used the same idea in a rose and blue bedroom in a ,new ,york house4 ,in this case1 however1 the bed was painted cream white and the large panels of the head and foot boards were filled with a rose and blue chintz4 ,the bedspread was of deep rose colored taffetas1 and from a small canopy above the bed four curtains of the rose and blue chintz1 lined with the taffetas1 are pulled to the four corners of the bed4 ,this novel arrangement of draperies is very satisfactory in a small room4 ,in my own house the bedrooms open into dressing-rooms1 so much of the usual furniture is not necessary4 ,my own bedroom1 for instance1 is built around the same old ,breton bed ,i had in the ,washington ,irving house4 ,the bed dominates the room1 but there are also a chaise-longue1 several small tables1 many comfortable chairs1 and a real fireplace4 ,the business of dressing takes place in the dressing-room1 so there is no dressing-table here1 but there are long mirrors filling the wall spaces between windows and doors4 ,miss ,marbury's bedroom is just over mine1 and is a sunshiny place of much rose and blue and cream4 ,her rooms are always full of blue1 just as my rooms are always full of rose color4 ,this bedroom has cream woodwork and walls of a bluish-gray1 cream painted furniture covered with a mellow sort of rose-and-cream chintz1 and a ,persian rug made up of blue and cream4 ,the curtains at the windows are of plain blue linen bordered with a narrow blue and white fringe4 ,the lighting-fixtures are of carved wood1 pointed in polychrome4 ,the most beautiful thing in the room is a ,fifteenth ,century painting1 the ,madonna of ,bartolomeo ,montagna1 which has the place of honor over the mantel4 ,i haven't said a word about our nice ,american ,colonial bedrooms1 because all of you know their beauties and requirements as well as ,i4 ,the great drawback to the stately old furniture of our ancestors is the space it occupies4 ,haven't you seen a fine old four post bed simply overflowing a poor little room8 ,fortunately1 the furniture-makers are designing simple beds of similar lines1 but lighter build1 and these beds are very lovely4 ,the owner of a massive old four-post bed is justly proud of it1 but our new beds are built for a new service and a new conception of hygiene1 and so must find new lines and curves that will be friendly to the old dressing tables and highboys and chests of drawers4 ,when we are fortunate enough to inherit great old houses1 of course we will give them proper furniture--if we can find it4 ,i remember a house in ,new ,orleans that had a full dozen spacious bedrooms1 square1 closetless chambers that opened into small dressing-rooms4 ,one of them1 ,i remember1 was absolutely bare of wall and floor1 with a great ,napoleon bed set squarely in the center of it4 ,there was the inevitable mosquito net canopy1 here somehow endowed with an unexpected dignity4 ,one felt the room had been made for sleeping1 and nothing but sleeping1 and while the bed was placed in the middle of the floor to get all the air possible1 its placing was a master stroke of decoration in that great white walled room4 ,it was as impressive as a royal bed on a dais4 ,we are getting more sensible about our bedrooms4 ,there is no doubt about it4 ,for the last ten years there has been a dreadful epidemic of brass beds1 a mistaken vogue that came as a reaction from the heavy walnut beds of the last generation4 ,white painted metal beds came first1 and will last always1 but they weren't good enough for people of ostentatious tastes1 and so the vulgar brass bed came to pass4 ,why we should suffer brass beds in our rooms1 ,i don't know6 ,the plea is that they are more sanitary than wooden ones4 ,hospitals must consider sanitation first1 last1 and always1 and they use white iron beds4 ,and why shouldn't white iron beds1 which are modest and unassuming in appearance1 serve for homes as well8 ,the truth is that the glitter of brass appeals to the untrained eye4 ,but that is passing4 ,go into the better shops and you will see6 ,recently there was a spasmodic outbreak of silver-plated beds1 but ,i think there won't be a vogue for this newest object of bad taste4 ,it is a little too much6 ,if your house is clean and you intend to keep it so1 a wooden bed that has some relation to the rest of your furniture is the best bed possible4 ,otherwise1 a white painted metal one4 ,there is never an excuse for a brass one4 ,indeed1 ,i think the three most glaring errors we ,americans make are rocking-chairs1 lace curtains1 and brass beds4 ,illustration3 ,,my ,,own ,,bedroom ,,is ,,built ,,around ,a ,,breton ,,bed ,,xv ,,the ,,dressing-,,room ,,and ,,the ,,bath ,dressing-rooms and closets should be necessities1 not luxuries1 but alas6 our architects' ideas of the importance of large bedrooms have made it almost impossible to incorporate the proper closets and dressing-places a woman really requires4 ,in the foregoing chapter on bedrooms ,i advised the division of a large bedroom into several smaller rooms3 ante-chamber1 sitting-room1 sleeping-room1 dressing-room and bath4 ,the necessary closets may be built along the walls of all these little rooms1 or1 if there is sufficient space1 one long1 airy closet may serve for all one's personal belongings4 ,of course1 such a suite of rooms is possible only in large houses4 ,but even in simple houses a small dressing-room can be built into the corner of an average-sized bedroom4 ,in ,france every woman dresses in her cabinet de toilette2 it is one of the most important rooms in the house4 ,no self-respecting ,french woman would dream of dressing in her sleeping-room4 ,the little cabinet de toilette need not be much larger than a closet1 if the closets are built ceiling high1 and the doors are utilized for mirrors4 ,such an arrangement makes for great comfort and privacy4 ,here ,i find that most of my countrywomen dress in their bedrooms4 ,i infinitely prefer the separate dressing-room1 which means a change of air1 and which can be thoroughly ventilated4 ,if one sleeps with the bedroom windows wide open1 it is a pleasure to have a warm dressing-room to step into4 ,i think the first thing to be considered about a dressing-room is its utility4 ,here no particular scheme of decoration or over-elaboration of color is in place4 ,everything should be very simple1 very clean and very hygienic4 ,the floors should not be of wood1 but may be of marble or mosaic cement or clean white tiles1 with a possible touch of color4 ,if the dressing-room is bathroom also1 there should be as large a bath as is compatible with the size of the room4 ,the combination of dressing-room and bathroom is successful only in those large houses where each bedroom has its bath4 ,i have seen such rooms in modern ,american houses that were quite as large as bedrooms1 with the supreme luxury of open fireplaces4 ,think of the comfort of having one's bath and of making one's toilet before an open fire6 ,this is an outgrowth of our passion for bedrooms that are so be-windowed they become sleeping-porches1 and we may leave their chill air for the comfortable warmth of luxurious dressing-rooms4 ,illustration3 ,by permission of the ,butterick ,publishing ,co4 ,,furniture ,,painted ,,with ,,chintz ,,designs ,if ,i were giving advice as to the furnishing of a dressing-room1 in as few words as possible1 ,i should say3 ,put in lots of mirrors1 and then more mirrors1 and then more6 ,indeed1 ,i do not think one can have too many mirrors in a dressing-room4 ,long mirrors can be set in doors and wall panels1 so that one may see one's self from hat to boots4 ,hinged mirrors are lovely for sunny wall spaces1 and for the tops of dressing-tables4 ,i have made so many of them4 ,one of green and gold lacquer was made to be used on a plain green enameled dressing-table placed squarely in the recess of a great window4 ,i also use small mirrors of graceful contour to light up the dark corners of dressing-rooms4 ,have your mirrors so arranged that you get a good strong light by day1 and have plenty of electric lights all around the dressing-mirrors for night use4 ,in other words1 know the worst before you go out6 ,in my own dressing-room the lights are arranged just as ,i used to have them long ago in my theater dressing-room when ,i was on the stage4 ,i can see myself back1 front and sides before ,i go out4 ,really1 it is a comfort to be on friendly terms with your own back hair6 ,i lay great stress on the mirrors and plenty of lights1 and yet more lights4 ,oh1 the joy1 the blessing of electric light6 ,i think every woman would like to dress always by a blaze of electric light1 and be seen only in the soft luminosity of candle light--how lovely we would all look1 to be sure6 ,it is a great thing to know the worst before one goes out1 so that even the terrors of the arc lights before our theaters will be powerless to dismay us4 ,if there is room in the dressing-room1 there should be a sofa with a slip cover of some washable fabric that can be taken off when necessary4 ,this sofa may be the simplest wooden frame1 with a soft pad1 or it may be a chaise-longue of elegant lines4 ,the chaise-longue is suitable for bedroom or dressing-room1 but it is an especially luxurious lounging-place when you are having your hair done4 ,a man came to me just before ,christmas1 and said1 ,do tell me something to give my wife4 ,i cannot think of a thing in the world she hasn't already4 ,i asked1 ,is she a lady of habits8 ,what6 he said1 astonished4 ,does she enjoy being comfortable8 ,i asked4 ,well1 rather6 he smiled4 ,and so ,i suggested a couvre-pieds for her chaise-longue4 ,now ,i am telling you of the couvre pieds because ,i know all women love exquisite things1 and surely nothing could be more delicious than my couvre-pieds4 ,literally1 it is a cover for the feet1 a sort of glorified and diminutive coverlet1 made of the palest of pink silk1 lined with the soft long-haired white fur known as mountain tibet1 and interlined with down4 ,the coverlet is bordered with a puffing of ,french lace1 and the top of it is encrusted with little flowers made of tiny ,french picot ribbons1 and quillings of the narrowest of lace4 ,it is supposed to be thrown over your feet1 fur side down1 when you are resting or having your hair done4 ,illustration3 ,,miss ,,morgan',s ,,louis ,,xvi4 ,,dressing-,,room ,you may devise a little coverlet for your own sofa1 whether it be in your bedroom1 your boudoir1 or your dressing-room1 that will be quite as useful as this delectable couvre-pieds4 ,i saw some amusing ones recently1 made of gay ,austrian silks1 lined with astonishing colors and bound with puffings and flutings of ribbon of still other colors4 ,a coverlet of this kind would be as good as a trip away from home for the woman who is bored and wearied4 ,no matter how drab and commonplace her house might be1 she could devise a gay quilt of one of the enchanting new stuffs and wrap herself in it for a holiday hour4 ,one of the most amusing ones was of turquoise blue silk1 with stiff flowers of violet and sulphur yellow scattered over it4 ,the flowers were quite large and far apart1 so that there was a square expanse of the turquoise blue with a stiff flower at each corner4 ,the lining was of sulphur yellow silk1 and the binding was a puffing of violet ribbons4 ,the color fairly made me gasp1 at first1 but then it became fascinating1 and finally irresistible4 ,i sighed as ,i thought of the dreary patchwork quilts of our great-grandmothers4 ,how they would have marveled at our audacious use of color1 our frank joy in it6 ,of course the most important thing in the dressing-room is the dressing-table4 ,i place my dressing-tables against a group of windows1 not near them1 whenever it is possible4 ,i have used plate glass tops on many of them1 and mirrors for tops on others1 for you can't have too many mirrors or too strong a light for dressing4 ,we must see ourselves as others will see us4 ,my own dressing-table contains many drawers1 one of which is fitted with an ink-well1 a tray for pens and pencils1 and a sliding shelf on which ,i write4 ,this obviates going into another room to answer hurried notes when one is dressing4 ,beside the dressing-table stands the tall hat-stand for the hat ,i may be wearing that day4 ,when the maid prepares the dress that is to be worn1 she puts the hat that goes with the toilette on the tall single stand4 ,another idea is the little hollow table on casters that can easily be slipped under the dressing-table1 where it is out of the way4 ,all the little ugly things that make one lovely can be kept in this table1 which can have a lid if desired1 and even a lock and key4 ,i frequently make them with a glass bottom1 as they do not get stained or soiled1 and can be washed4 ,there are lots of little dodges that spell comfort for the dressing-room of the woman who wants comfort and can have luxury4 ,there is the hot-water towel-rack1 which is connected with the hot-water system of the house and which heats the towels1 and incidentally the dressing-room4 ,this a boon if you like a hot bath sheet after a cold plunge on a winter's morning4 ,another modern luxury is a wall cabinet fitted with glass shelves for one's bottles and sponges and powders4 ,there seems to be no end to the little luxuries that are devised for the woman who makes a proper toilet4 ,who can blame her for loving the business of making herself attractive1 when every one offers her encouragement8 ,a closet is absolutely necessary in the dressing-room1 and if space is precious every inch of its interior may be fitted with shelves and drawers and hooks1 so that no space is wasted4 ,the outside of the closet door may be fitted with a mirror1 and narrow shelves just deep enough to hold one's bottles1 may be fitted on the inside of the door4 ,if the closet is very shallow1 the inner shelves should be hollowed out to admit the bottle shelves when the door is closed4 ,otherwise the bottles will be smashed the first time a careless maid slams the door4 ,this bottle closet has been one of my great successes in small apartments1 where bathroom and dressing-room are one1 and where much must be accomplished in a small space4 ,in the more modern apartments the tub is placed in a recess in the wall of the bathroom1 leaving more space for dressing purposes4 ,this sort of combination dressing-room should have waterproof floor and wall1 and no fripperies4 ,there should be a screen large enough to conceal the tub1 and a folding chair that may be placed in the small closet when it is not in use4 ,when the bathroom is too small to admit a dressing-table and chair and the bedroom is quite large1 a good plan is the building of a tiny room in one corner of the bedroom4 ,of course this little dressing-box must have a window4 ,i have used this plan many times with excellent results4 ,another scheme1 when the problem was entirely different1 and the dressing-room was too large for comfort1 was to line three walls of it with closets1 the fourth wall being filled with windows4 ,these closets were narrow1 each having a mirrored panel in its door4 ,this is the ideal arrangement1 for there is ample room for all one's gowns1 shoes1 hats1 veils1 gloves1 etc41 each article having its own specially planned shelf or receptacle4 ,the closets are painted in gay colors inside1 and the shelves are fitted with thin perfumed pads4 ,they are often further decorated with bright lines of color1 which is always amusing to the woman who opens a door4 ,hat stands and bags are covered with the same chintzes employed in the dressing-room proper4 ,certain of the closets are fitted with the ,english tray shelves1 and each tray has its sachet4 ,the hangers for gowns are covered in the chintz or brocade used on the hat stands4 ,this makes an effective ensemble whether brocades or printed cottons are used1 if the arrangement is orderly and full of gay color4 ,illustration3 ,,miss ,,marbury',s ,,chintz-,,hung ,,dressing-,,table ,one of the most successful gown closets ,i have done is a long narrow closet with a door at each end1 really a passageway between a bedroom and a boudoir4 ,long poles run the length of the closet1 with curtains that enclose a passage from door to door4 ,back of these curtains are long poles that may be raised or lowered by pulleys4 ,each gown is placed on its padded hanger1 covered with its muslin bag1 and hung on the pole4 ,the pole is then drawn up so that the tails of the gowns will not touch the dust of the floor4 ,this is a most orderly arrangement for the woman of many gowns4 ,the straightaway bathroom that one finds in apartments and small houses is difficult to make beautiful1 but may be made airy and clean-looking1 which is more important4 ,i had to make such a bathroom a little more attractive recently1 and it was a very pleasant job4 ,i covered the walls with a waterproof stuff of white1 figured with a small black polkadot4 ,the woodwork and the ceiling were painted white4 ,all around the door and window frames ,i used a two-inch border of ivy leaves1 also of waterproof paper1 and although ,i usually abominate borders ,i loved this one4 ,a plain white framed mirror was also painted with green ivy leaves1 and a glass shelf above the wash bowl was fitted with glass bottles and dishes with labels and lines of clear green4 ,white muslin curtains were hung at the window1 and a small white stool was given a cushion covered with green and white ivy patterned chintz4 ,the floor was painted white1 and a solid green rug was used4 ,the towels were cross-stitched with the name of the owner in the same bright green4 ,the room1 when finished1 was cool and refreshing1 and had cost very little in money1 and not so very much in time and labor4 ,i think that in country houses where there is not a bathroom with each bedroom there should be a very good washstand provided for each guest4 ,when a house party is in progress1 for instance1 and every one comes in from tennis or golf or what not1 eager for a bath and fresh clothes1 washstands are most convenient4 ,why shouldn't a washstand be just as attractively furnished as a dressing-table8 ,just because they have been so ugly we condemn them to eternal ugliness1 but it is quite possible to make the washstand interesting to look upon as well as serviceable4 ,it isn't necessary to buy a set of dreadful crockery4 ,you can assemble the necessary things as carefully as you would assemble the outfit for your writing-table4 ,go to the pottery shops1 the glass shops1 the silversmiths1 and you will find dozens of bowls and pitchers and small things4 ,a clear glass bowl and pitcher and the necessary glasses and bottles can be purchased at any department store4 ,the ,french peasants make an apple-green pottery that is delightful for a washstand set4 ,so many of the china shops have large shallow bowls that were made for salad and punch1 and pitchers that were made for the dining-table1 but there is no reason why they shouldn't be used on the washstand4 ,i know one wash basin that began as a ,russian brass pan of flaring rim4 ,with it is used an old water can of hammered brass1 and brass dishes glass lined1 to hold soaps and sponges4 ,it is only necessary to desire the unusual thing1 and you'll get it1 though much searching may intervene between the idea and its achievement4 ,the washstand itself is not such a problem4 ,a pair of dressing-tables may be bought1 and one fitted up as a washstand1 and the other left to its usual use4 ,in the ,colony ,club there are a number of bathrooms1 but there are also washstands in those rooms that have no private bath4 ,each bathroom has its fittings planned to harmonize with the connecting bedroom1 and the clear glass bottles are all marked in the color prevailing in the bedroom4 ,each bathroom has a full-length mirror1 and all the conveniences of a bathroom in a private house4 ,in addition to these rooms there is a long hall filled with small cabinets de toilette which some clever woman dubbed prinkeries4 ,these are small rooms fitted with dressing-tables1 where out-of-town members may freshen their toilets for an occasion4 ,these little prinkeries would be excellent in large country houses1 where there are so many motoring guests who come for a few hours only1 dust-laden and travel-stained1 only to find that all the bedrooms and dressing-rooms in the house are being used by the family and the house guests4 ,a description of the pool of the ,colony ,club is hardly within the province of this chapter1 but so many amazing ,americans are building themselves great houses incorporating theaters and ,roman baths1 so many women are building club houses1 so many others are building palatial houses that are known as girls' schools1 perhaps the swimming-pool will soon be a part of all large houses4 ,this pool occupies the greater part of the basement floor of the ,club house1 the rest of the floor being given over to little rooms where one may have a shampoo or massage or a dancing lesson or what not before or after one's swim4 ,the pool is twenty-two by sixty feet1 sunken below the level of the marble floor4 ,the depth is graded from four feet to deep water1 so that good and bad swimmers may enjoy it4 ,the marble margin of floor surrounding the pool is bordered with marble benches1 placed between the white columns4 ,the walls of the great room are paneled with mirrors1 so that there are endless reflections of columned corridors and pools and shimmering lights4 ,the ceiling is covered with a light trellis hung with vines1 from which hang great greenish-white bunches of grapes holding electric lights4 ,one gets the impression of myriads of white columns1 and of lights and shadows infinitely far-reaching4 ,surely the old ,romans knew no pleasanter place than this city-enclosed pool4 ,,xvi ,,the ,,small ,,apartment ,this is the age of the apartment4 ,not only in the great cities1 but in the smaller centers of civilization the apartment has come to stay4 ,modern women demand simplified living1 and the apartment reduces the mechanical business of living to its lowest terms4 ,a decade ago the apartment was considered a sorry makeshift in ,america1 though it has been successful abroad for more years than you would believe4 ,we ,americans have been accustomed to so much space about us that it seemed a curtailment of family dignity to give up our gardens1 our piazzas and halls1 our cellars and attics1 our front and rear entrances4 ,now we are wiser4 ,we have just so much time1 so much money and so much strength1 and it behooves us to make the best of it4 ,why should we give our time and strength and enthusiasm to drudgery1 when our housework were better and more economically done by machinery and co-operation8 ,why should we stultify our minds with doing the same things thousands of times over1 when we might help ourselves and our friends to happiness by intelligent occupations and amusements8 ,the apartment is the solution of the living problems of the city1 and it has been a direct influence on the houses of the towns1 so simplifying the small-town business of living as well4 ,of course1 many of us who live in apartments either have a little house or a big one in the country for the summer months1 or we plan for one some day6 ,so hard does habit die--we cannot entirely divorce our ideas of ,home from gardens and trees and green grass4 ,but ,i honestly think there is a reward for living in a slice of a house3 women who have lived long in the country sometimes take the beauty of it for granted1 but the woman who has been hedged in by city walls gets the fine joy of out-of-doors when she is out of doors1 and a pot of geraniums means more to her than a whole garden means to a woman who has been denied the privilege of watching things grow4 ,the modern apartment is an amazing illustration of the rapid development of an idea4 ,the larger ones are quite as magnificent as any houses could be4 ,i have recently furnished a ,chicago apartment that included large and small salons1 a huge conservatory1 and a great group of superb rooms that are worthy of a palace4 ,there are apartment houses in ,new ,york that offer suites of fifteen to twenty rooms1 with from five to ten baths1 at yearly rentals that approximate wealth to the average man1 but these apartments are for the few1 and there are hundreds of thousands of apartments for the many that have the same essential conveniences4 ,one of the most notable achievements of the apartment house architects is the duplex apartment1 the little house within a house1 with its two-story high living room1 its mezzanine gallery with service rooms ranged below and sleeping rooms above1 its fine height and spaciousness4 ,most of the duplex apartments are still rather expensive1 but some of them are to be had at rents that are comparatively low--rents are always comparative1 you know4 ,fortunately1 although it is a far cry financially from the duplex apartment to the tidy three-room flat of the model tenements1 the modern improvements are very much the same4 ,the model tenement offers compact domestic machinery1 and cleanliness1 and sanitary comforts at a few dollars a week that are not to be had at any price in many of the fine old houses of ,europe4 ,the peasant who has lived on the plane of the animals with no thought of cleanliness1 or indeed of anything but food and drink and shelter1 comes over here and enjoys improvements that our stately ancestors of a few generations ago would have believed magical4 ,enjoys them--they do say he puts his coal in the bath tub1 but his grandchildren will be different1 perhaps6 ,but enough of apartments in general4 ,this chapter is concerned with the small apartment sought by you young people who are beginning housekeeping4 ,you want to find just the proper apartment1 of course1 and then you want to decorate and furnish it4 ,let me beg of you to demand only the actual essentials3 a decent neighborhood1 good light and air1 and at least one reasonably large room4 ,don't demand perfection1 for you won't find it4 ,make up your mind just what will make for your happiness and comfort1 and demand that4 ,you can make any place livable by furnishing it wisely4 ,and1 oh1 let me beg of you1 don't buy your furniture until you have found and engaged your apartment6 ,it is bad enough to buy furniture for a house you haven't seen1 but an apartment is a place of limitations1 and you can so easily mar the place by buying things that will not fit in4 ,an apartment is so dependent upon proper fittings1 skilfully placed1 that you may ruin your chances of a real home if you go ahead blindly4 ,before you sign your lease1 be sure that the neighborhood is not too noisy4 ,be sure that you will have plenty of light and air and heat4 ,you can interview the other tenants1 and find out about many things you haven't time or the experience to anticipate4 ,be sure that your landlord is a reasonable human being who will consent to certain changes1 if necessary1 who will be willing for you to build in certain things1 who will co-operate with you in improving his property1 if you go about it tactfully4 ,be sure that the woodwork is plain and unpretentious1 that the lighting-fixtures are logically placed1 and of simple construction4 7,is there anything more dreadful than those colored glass domes1 with fringes of beads1 that landlords so proudly hang over the imaginary dining-table87 ,be sure that the plumbing is in good condition1 and beware the bedroom on an air shaft--better pay a little more rent and save the doctor's bills4 ,beware of false mantels1 and grotesque grille-work1 and imitation stained glass1 and grained woodwork4 ,you couldn't be happy in a place that was false to begin with4 ,having found just the combination of rooms that suggests a real home to you1 go slowly about your decorating4 ,it is almost imperative that the woodwork and walls should have the same finish throughout the apartment1 unless you wish to find yourself living in a crazy-quilt of unfriendly colors4 ,i have seen four room apartments in which every room had a different wall paper and different woodwork4 ,the parlor was papered with poisonous-looking green paper1 with imitation mahogany woodwork2 the dining-room had walls covered with red burlap and near-oak woodwork2 the bedroom was done in pink satin finished paper and bird's-eye maple woodwork1 and the kitchen was bilious as to woodwork1 with bleak gray walls4 ,could anything be more mistaken8 ,you can make the most commonplace rooms livable if you will paint all your woodwork cream1 or gray1 or sage green1 and cover your walls with a paper of very much the same tone4 ,real hard wood trim isn't used in ordinary apartments1 so why not do away with the badly-grained imitation and paint it8 ,you can look through thousands of samples of wall papers1 and you will finally have to admit that there is nothing better for every day living than a deep cream1 a misty gray1 a tan or a buff paper4 ,you may have a certain license in the papering of your bedrooms1 of course1 but the living-rooms--hall1 dining-room1 living-room1 drawing-room1 and so forth--should be pulled together with walls of one color4 ,in no other way can you achieve an effect of spaciousness--and spaciousness is the thing of all other things most desirable in the crowded city4 ,you must have a place where you can breathe and fling your arms about6 ,when you have it really ready for furnishing1 get the essentials first2 do with a bed and a chest of drawers and a table and a few chairs1 and add things gradually1 as the rooms call for them4 ,make the best of the opportunities offered for built-in furniture before you buy another thing4 ,if you have a built-in china closet in your dining-room1 you can plan a graceful built-in console-table to serve as a buffet or serving-table1 and you will require only a good table--not too heavily built--and a few chairs for this room4 ,there is rarely a room that would not be improved by built-in shelves and inset mirrors4 ,of course1 ,i do not advise you to spend a lot of money on someone else's property1 but why not look the matter squarely in the face8 ,this is to be your home4 ,you will find a number of things that annoy you--life in any city furnishes annoyances4 ,but if you have one or two reasonably large rooms1 plenty of light and air1 and respectable surroundings1 make up your mind that you will not move every year4 ,that you will make a home of this place1 and then go ahead and treat it as a home6 ,if a certain recess in the wall suggests bookshelves1 don't grudge the few dollars necessary to have the bookshelves built in6 ,you can probably have them built so that they can be removed1 on that far day when this apartment is no longer your home1 and if you have a dreadful wall paper don't hide behind the silly plea that the landlord will not change it4 ,go without a new gown1 if necessary1 and pay for the paper yourself4 ,few apartments have fireplaces1 and if you are fortunate enough to find one with a real fireplace and a simple mantel shelf you will be far on the way toward making a home of your group of rooms4 ,of course your apartment is heated by steam1 or hot air1 or something1 but an open fire of coal or wood will be very pleasant on chilly days1 and more important still your home will have a point of departure--the ,hearth4 ,if the mantel shelf is surmounted by one of those dreadful monstrosities made up of gingerbread woodwork and distressing bits of mirrors1 convince your landlord that it will not be injured in the removing1 and store it during your residence here4 ,have the space above the mantel papered like the rest of the walls1 and hang one good picture1 or a good mirror1 or some such thing above your mantel shelf1 and you will have offered up your homage to the ,spirit of the ,hearth4 ,when you do begin to buy furniture1 buy compactly1 buy carefully4 ,remember that you will not require the furniture your mother had in a sixteen-room house4 ,you will have no hall or piazza furnishings to buy1 for instance1 and therefore you many put a little more into your living-room things4 ,the living-room is the nucleus of the modern apartment4 ,sometimes it is studio1 living-room and dining-room in one4 ,sometimes living-room1 library and guest-room1 by the grace of a comfortable sleeping-couch and a certain amount of drawer or closet space4 ,at any rate1 it will be more surely a living-room than a similar room in a large house1 and therefore everything in it should count for something4 ,do not admit an unnecessary rug1 or chair1 or picture1 lest you lose the spaciousness1 the dignity of the room4 ,an over-stuffed chair will fill a room more obviously than a grand piano--if the piano is properly1 and the chair improperly placed4 ,in one of the illustrations of this chapter you will observe a small sitting-room in which there are dozens of things1 and yet the effect is quiet and uncrowded4 ,the secretary against the plain wall serves as a cabinet for the display of a small collection of fine old china1 and the drawers serve the chance guest--for while this is library and sitting-room1 it has a most comfortable couch bed1 and may be used as a guest-room as well4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,corner ,,of ,,my ,,own ,,boudoir ,the bookshelves are built high on each side of the mantel and between the windows1 thus giving shelf room to a goodly collection of books1 with no appearance of heaviness4 ,the writing-table is placed at right angles to the windows1 so that the light may fall on the writer's left shoulder4 ,there is a couch bed--over three feet wide1 in this room1 with frame and mattress and pillows covered in a dark brocaded stuff1 and a fireside chair1 a small chair at the head of the couch and a low stool all covered with the same fabric4 ,it really isn't a large room1 and yet it abundantly fills a dozen needs4 ,i think it unwise to try to work out a cut-and-dried color plan in a small apartment4 ,if your floors and walls are neutral in tone you can introduce dozens of soft colors into your rooms4 ,don't buy massive furniture for your apartment6 ,remember that a few good chairs of willow will be less expensive and more decorative than the heavy1 stuffy chairs usually chosen by inexperienced people4 ,indeed1 ,i think one big arm chair1 preferably of the wing variety1 is the only big chair you will require in the living-room4 ,a fireside chair is like a grandfather's clock2 it gives so much dignity to a room that it is worth a dozen inferior things4 ,suppose you have a wing chair covered with dull-toned corduroy1 or linen1 or chintz2 a large willow chair with a basket pocket for magazines or your sewing things2 a stool or so of wood1 with rush or cane seats2 and a straight chair or so--perhaps a painted ,windsor chair1 or a rush-bottomed mahogany chair1 or a low-back chair of brown oak--depending on the main furniture of the room1 of course4 ,you won't need anything more1 unless you have space for a comfortable couch4 ,if you have mahogany things1 you will require a little mahogany table at the head of the couch to hold a reading-lamp--a sewing-table would be excellent4 ,a pie-crust or turn top table for tea1 or possibly a nest of three small mahogany tables4 ,a writing table or book table built on very simple lines will be needed also4 ,if you happen to have a conventional writing-desk1 a gate-leg table would be charming for books and things4 ,the wing chair and willow chairs1 and the hour-glass ,chinese chairs1 will go beautifully with mahogany things or with oak things4 ,if most of your furniture is to be oak1 be sure and select well-made pieces stained a soft brown and waxed4 ,oak furniture is delightful when it isn't too heavy4 ,a large gate-leg table of dark brown oak is one of the most beautiful tables in the world4 ,with it you would need a bench of oak1 with cane or rush seat2 a small octagonal1 or butterfly oak table for your couch end1 and one or two ,windsor chairs4 ,oak demands simple1 wholesome surroundings1 just as mahogany permits a certain feminine elegance4 ,oak furniture invites printed linens and books and brass and copper and pewter and gay china4 ,while mahogany may be successfully used with such things1 it may also be used with brocade and fragile china and carved chairs4 ,use chintzes in your apartment1 if you wish1 but do not risk the light ones in living-rooms4 ,a chintz or printed linen of some good design on a ground of mauve1 blue1 gray or black will decorate your apartment adequately1 if you make straight side curtains of it1 and cover one chair and possibly a stool with it4 ,don't carry it too far4 ,if your rooms are small1 have your side curtains of coarse linen or raw silk in dull blue1 orange1 brown1 or whatever color you choose as the key color of your room1 and then select a dark chintz with your chosen color dominant in its design1 and cover your one big chair with that4 ,the apartment hall is most difficult1 usually long and narrow and uninteresting4 ,don't try to have furniture in a hall of this kind4 ,a small table near the front door1 a good tile for umbrellas1 etc41 a good mirror--that is all4 ,perhaps a place for coats and hats1 but some halls are too narrow for a card table4 ,the apartment with a dining-room entirely separated from the living-room is very unusual1 therefore ,i am hoping that you will apply all that ,i have said about the treatment of your living-room to your dining-room as well4 ,people who live in apartments are very foolish if they cut off a room so little used as a dining-room and furnish it as if it belonged to a huge house4 ,why not make it a dining-and book-room1 using the big table for reading1 between meals1 and having your bookshelves so built that they will be in harmony with your china shelves8 ,keep all your glass and silver and china in the kitchen1 or butler's pantry1 and display only the excellent things--the old china1 the pewter tankard1 the brass caddy1 and so forth1--in the dining-room4 ,however1 if you have a real dining-room in your apartment1 do try to have chairs that will be comfortable1 for you can't afford to have uncomfortable things in so small a space6 ,windsor chairs and rush bottom chairs are best of all for a simple dining-room1 ,i think1 though the revival of painted furniture has brought about a new interest in the old flare-back chairs1 painted with dull1 soft colored posies on a ground of dull green or gray or black4 ,these chairs would be charming in a small cottage dining-room1 but they might not wear well in a city apartment4 ,illustration3 ,,built-,,in ,,bookshelves ,,in ,a ,,small ,,room ,if your apartment has two small bedrooms1 why not use one of them for two single beds1 with a night stand between1 and the other for a dressing-room8 ,apartment bedrooms are usually small1 but charming furniture may be bought for small rooms4 ,single beds of mahogany with slender posts2 beds of painted wood with inset panels of cane2 white iron beds1 wooden beds painted with quaint designs on a ground of some soft color--all these are excellent for small rooms4 ,it goes without saying that a small bedroom should have plain walls1 papered or painted in some soft color4 ,flowered papers1 no matter how delightful they may be1 make a small room seem smaller4 ,self-toned striped papers and the gingham papers are sometimes very good4 ,the nicest thing about such modest walls is that you can use gay chintz with them successfully4 ,use your bedrooms as sleeping-and dressing-rooms1 and nothing more4 ,do not keep your sewing things there--a big sewing-basket will add to the homelike quality of your living-room4 ,keep the bedroom floor bare1 except for a bedside rug1 and possibly one or two other rugs4 ,this1 of course1 does not apply to the large bedroom--,i am prescribing for the usual small one4 ,place your bed against the side wall1 so that the morning light will not be directly in your eyes4 ,a folding screen covered with chintz or linen will prove a ,god-send4 ,perhaps you will have a guest-room1 but ,i doubt it4 ,most women find it more satisfactory and less expensive to send their guests to a nearby hotel than to keep an extra room for a guest4 ,the guest room is impractical in a small apartment1 but you can arrange to take care of an over-night guest by planning your living-room wisely4 ,as for the kitchen--that is another story4 ,it is impossible to go into that subject4 ,and anyway1 you will find the essentials supplied for you by the landlord4 ,you won't need my advice when you need a broom or a coffee pot or a saucepan--you'll go buy it6 ,,xvii ,,reproductions ,,of ,,antique ,,furniture ,,and ,,objects ,,of ,,art ,one must have preserved many nave illusions if one may believe in all the antiques that are offered in the marketplaces of the world to-day4 ,even the greatest connoisseurs are caught napping sometimes1 as in the case of the famous crown supposedly dating to the ,fifth ,century1 ,b4,c41 which was for a brief period one of the treasures of the ,louvre4 ,its origin was finally discovered1 and great was the outcry6 ,it had been traced to a ,viennese artisan1 a worker in the arts and crafts4 ,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,c4,w4 ,,harkness',s ,,cabinet ,,for ,,objets ,d',,art ,surely1 if the great men of the ,louvre could be so deceived it is obvious that the amateur collector has little chance at the hands of the dealers in old furniture and other objects of art4 ,fortunately1 the greatest dealers are quite honest4 ,they tell you frankly if the old chair you covet is really old1 if it has been partially restored1 or if it is a copy1 and they charge you accordingly4 ,at these dealers a small table of the ,louis ,,xvi period1 or a single chair covered in the original tapestry1 may cost as much as a man in modest circumstances would spend on his whole house4 ,almost everything outside these princely shops 7salons is a better word7 is false1 or atrociously restored4 ,please remember ,i am not referring to reputable dealers1 but to the smaller fry1 whose name is legion1 in whose shops the unwary seeker after bargains is sure to be taken in4 ,italy is1 ,i think1 the greatest workshop of fraudulent reproductions4 ,it has an output that all ,europe and ,america can never exhaust4 ,little children on the streets of ,naples still find simpletons of ardent faith who will buy scraps of old plaster and bits of paving stones that are alleged to have been excavated in ,pompeii4 ,in writing about antiques it is not easy to be consistent1 and any general conclusion is impossible4 ,certain reproductions are objectionable1 and yet they are certainly better than poor originals1 after all4 ,the simplest advice is the best and easiest to follow3 ,the less a copy suggests an attempt at artistic reproduction1 the more literal and mechanical it is in its copy of the original1 the better it is4 ,a good photograph of a fine old painting is superior to the average copy in oils or watercolors4 ,a chair honestly copied from a worm eaten original is better for domestic purpose than the original4 ,the original1 the moment its usefulness is past1 belongs in a museum4 ,a plaster cast of a great bust is better than the same object copied in marble or bronze by an average sculptor4 ,and so it goes4 ,think it out for yourself4 ,it may be argued that the budding collector is as happy with a false object and a fake bauble as if he possessed the real thing1 and therefore it were better to leave him to his illusions2 that it is his own fault2 that it is so much the worse for him if he is deceived4 ,but--you can't leave the innocent lamb to the slaughter1 if you can give him a helping hand4 ,if he must be a collector1 let him be first a collector of the many excellent books now published on old furniture1 china1 rugs1 pewter1 silver1 prints1 the things that will come his way4 ,you can't begin collecting one thing without developing an enthusiasm for the contemporary things4 ,let him study the museum collections1 visit the private collections1 consult recognized experts4 ,if he is serious1 he will gradually acquire the intuition of knowing the genuine from the false1 the worth-while from the worthless1 and once he has that knowledge1 instinct1 call it what you will1 he can never be satisfied with imitations4 ,the collection and association of antiques and reproductions should be determined by the collector's sense of fitness1 it seems to me4 ,every man should depend on whatever instinct for rightness1 for suitability1 he may possess4 ,if he finds that he dare not risk his individual opinion1 then let him be content with the things he knows to be both beautiful and useful1 and leave the subtler decisions for someone else4 ,for instance1 there are certain objects that are obviously the better for age1 the objects that are softened and refined by a bloom that comes from usage4 ,an old rug has a softness that a new one cannot imitate4 ,an old copper kettle has an uneven quality that has come from years of use4 ,a new kettle may be quite as useful1 but age has given the old one a certain quality that hanging and pounding cannot reproduce4 ,a pewter platter that has been used for generations is dulled and softened to a glow that a new platter cannot rival4 ,what charm is to a woman1 the vague thing called quality is to an object of art4 ,we feel it1 though we may not be able to explain it4 ,an old ,etruscan jar may be reproduced in form1 but it would be silly to attempt the reproduction of the crudenesses that gave the old jar its real beauty4 ,in short1 objects that depend on form and fine workmanship for their beauty may be successfully reproduced1 but objects that depend on imperfections of workmanship1 on the crudeness of primitive fabrics1 on the fading of vegetable dyes1 on the bloom that age alone can give1 should not be imitated4 ,we may introduce a reproduction of a fine bust into our rooms1 but an imitation of a ,persian tile or a ,venetian vase is absurd on the face of it4 ,the antiques the average ,american householder is interested in are the old mahogany1 oak and walnut things that stand for the oldest period of our own particular history4 ,it is only the wealthy collector who goes abroad and buys masses of old ,european furniture1 real or sham1 who is concerned with the merits and demerits of ,french and ,italian furniture4 ,the native problem is the so-called ,colonial mahogany that is always alleged to be ,chippendale or ,heppelwhite1 or ,sheraton1 regardless6 ,there must be thousands of these alleged antiques in ,new ,york shops alone6 ,it goes without saying that only a very small part of it can be really old4 ,as for it having been made by the men whose names it bears1 that is something no reputable dealer would affirm4 ,the ,chippendales1 father1 son and grandson1 published books of designs which were used by all the furniture-makers of their day4 ,no one can swear to a piece of furniture having been made in the workshops of the ,chippendales4 ,even the pieces in the ,metropolitan ,museum are marked ,chippendale ,style or ,in the ,sheraton manner1 or some such way4 ,if the furniture is in the style of these makers1 and if it is really old1 you will pay a small fortune for it4 ,but even then you cannot hope to get more than you pay for1 and you would be very silly to pay for a name6 ,after all1 ,chippendale is a sort of god among amateur collectors of ,american furniture1 but among more seasoned collectors he is not by any means placed first4 ,he adapted and borrowed and produced some wonderful things1 but he also produced some monstrosities1 as you will see if you visit the ,english museums4 ,why then lend yourself to possible deception8 ,why pay for names when museums are unable to buy them8 ,if your object is to furnish your home suitably1 what need have you of antiques8 ,the serious amateur will fight shy of miracles4 ,if he admires the beauty of line of a fine old ,heppelwhite bed or ,sheraton sideboard1 he will have reproductions made by an expert cabinet-maker4 ,the new piece will not have the soft darkness of the old1 but the owner will be planning that soft darkness for his grandchildren1 and in the meantime he will have a beautiful thing to live with4 ,the age of a piece of furniture is of great value to a museum1 but for domestic purposes1 use and beauty will do4 ,how fine your home will be if all the things within it have those qualities6 ,look through the photographs shown on these pages3 there are many old chairs and tables1 but there are more new ones4 ,i am not one of these decorators who insist on originals4 ,i believe good reproductions are more valuable than feeble originals1 unless you are buying your furniture as a speculation4 ,you can buy a reproduction of a ,chippendale ladder back chair for about twenty-five dollars1 but an original chair would cost at least a hundred and fifty1 and then it would be in the style and period of ,chippendale4 ,it might amuse you to ask the curator of one of the ,british museums the price of one of the ,chippendales by ,chippendale4 ,it would buy you a tidy little acreage4 ,stuart and ,cromwellian chairs are being more and more reproduced4 ,these chairs are made of oak1 the ,stuart ones with seats and backs of cane1 the ,cromwellian ones with seats and backs of tapestry1 needlework1 corded velvet1 or some such handsome fabric4 ,these reproductions may be had at from twenty-five to seventy-five dollars each4 ,of course1 the cost of the ,cromwellian chairs might be greatly increased by expensive coverings4 ,there is a graceful ,louis ,,xv sofa in the ,petit ,trianon that ,i have copied many times4 ,the copy is as beautiful as the original1 because this sort of furniture depends upon exquisite design and perfect workmanship for its beauty4 ,it is possible that a modern craftsman might not have achieved so graceful a design1 but the perfection of his workmanship cannot be gainsaid4 ,the frame of the sofa must be carved and then painted and guilded many times before it is ready for the brocade covering1 and the cost of three hundred dollars for the finished sofa is not too much4 ,the original could not be purchased at any price4 ,then there is the ,chinese lacquer furniture of the ,chippendale period that we are using so much now4 ,the process of lacquering is as tedious to-day as it ever was1 and the reproductions sell for goodly sums4 ,a tall secretary of black and gold lacquer may cost six hundred dollars4 ,you can imagine what an ,eighteenth ,century piece would cost6 ,the person who said that a taste for old furniture and bibelots was worse than a passion1 it was a vice1 was certainly near the truth6 ,it is an absorbing pursuit1 an obsession1 and it grows with what it feeds on4 ,as in objects of art1 so in old furniture1 the supply will always equal the demand of the unwary4 ,the serious amateur will fight shy of all miracles and content himself with excellent reproductions4 ,nothing later than the furniture of the ,eighteenth ,century is included in the term1 old furniture4 ,there are many fine cabinet makers in the early ,nineteenth ,century1 but from them until the last decade the horrors that were perpetrated have never been equaled in the history of household decorations4 ,i fancy the furniture of the mid-,victorian era will never be coveted by collectors1 unless someone should build a museum for the freakish objects of house furnishing4 ,america could contribute much to such a collection1 for surely the black walnut era of the ,nineteenth ,century will never be surpassed in ugliness and bad taste1 unless--rare fortune--there should be a sudden epidemic of appreciation among cabinet-makers1 which would result in their taking the beautiful wood in the black walnut beds and wardrobes and such and make it over into worth-while things4 ,it would be a fine thing to release the mistreated1 velvety wood from its grotesqueries1 and give it a renaissance in graceful cabinets1 small tables1 footstools1 and the many small things that could be so easily made from huge unwieldy wardrobes and beds and bureaux4 ,the workmen of to-day have their eyes opened4 ,they have no excuse for producing unworthy things1 when the greatest private collections are loaned or given outright to the museums4 ,the new wing of the ,metropolitan ,museum in ,new ,york houses several fine old collections of furniture1 the ,hoentschel collection1 for which the wing was really planned1 having been given to the people of ,new ,york by ,mr4 ,pierpont ,morgan4 ,this collection is an education in the ,french decorative arts4 ,then1 too1 there is the ,bolles collection of ,american furniture presented to the museum by ,mrs4 ,russell ,sage4 ,i have no quarrel with the honest dealers who are making fine and sincere copies of such furniture1 and selling them as copies4 ,there is no deception here1 we must respect these men as we respect the workers of the ,eighteenth ,century3 we give them respect for their masterly workmanship1 their appreciation of the best things1 and their fidelity to the masterpieces they reproduce4 ,not so long ago the ,new ,york papers published the experience of a gentleman who bought a very beautiful divan in a ,european furniture shop4 ,he paid for it--you may be sure of that6--and he could hardly wait for its arrival to show it to his less fortunate neighbors4 ,within a few months something happened to the lining of the divan1 and he discovered on the inside of the frame the maker's name and address4 ,imagine his chagrin when he found that the divan had been made at a furniture factory in his own country4 ,you can't be sorry for him1 you feel that it served him right4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,banquette ,,of ,,the ,,louis ,,xv4 ,,period ,,covered ,,with ,,needlework ,illustration3 ,a ,,chinese ,,chippendale ,,sofa ,,covered ,,with ,,chintz ,this is an excellent example of the vain collector who cannot judge for himself1 but will not admit it4 ,he has not developed his sense of beauty1 his instinct for excellence of workmanship4 ,he thinks that because he has the money to pay for the treasure1 the treasure must be genuine--hasn't he chosen it8 ,i can quite understand the pleasure that goes with furnishing a really old house with objects of the period in which the house was built4 ,a ,new ,england farmhouse1 for instance1 may be an inspiration to the owner1 and you can understand her quest of old fashioned rush bottomed chairs and painted settles and quaint mirrors and blue homespun coverlets4 ,you can understand the man who falls heir to a good1 square old ,colonial house who wishes to keep his furnishings true to the period1 but you cannot understand the crying need for ,eighteenth ,century furniture in a modern shingle house1 or the desire for old spinning wheels and battered kitchen utensils in a ,spanish stucco house1 or ,chippendale furniture in a forest bungalow4 ,i wish people generally would study the oak and walnut furniture of old ,england1 and use more reproductions of these honest1 solid pieces of furniture in their houses4 ,its beauty is that it is at home in simple ,american houses1 and yet by virtue of its very usefulness and sturdiness it is not out of place in a room where beautiful objects of other periods are used4 ,the long oak table that is so comfortably ample for books and magazines and flowers in your living-room may be copied from an old refectory table--but what of it8 ,it fulfils its new mission just as frankly as the original table served the monks who used it4 ,the soft brown of oak is a pleasure after the over-polished mahogany of a thousand rooms4 ,i do not wish to condemn ,colonial mahogany furniture1 you understand4 ,i simply wish to remind you that there are other woods and models available4 ,french furniture of the best type represents the supreme art of the cabinet-maker1 and is incomparable for formal rooms1 but ,i am afraid the time will never come when ,french furniture will be interchangeable with the oak and mahogany of ,england and ,america4 ,in short1 the whole thing should be a matter of taste and suitability4 ,if you have a few fine old things that have come to you from your ancestors--a grandfather's clock1 an old portrait or two--you are quite justified in bringing good reproductions of similar things into your home4 ,the effect is the thing you are after1 isn't it8 ,then1 too1 you will escape the awful fever that makes any antique seem desirable1 and in buying reproductions you can select really comfortable furniture4 ,you will be independent of the dreadful vases and candelabra and steel engravings of the period1 and will feel free to use modern prints and ,chinese porcelains and willow chairs and anything that fits into your home4 ,i can think of no slavery more deadly to one's sense of humor than collecting antiques indiscriminately6 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,trellis ,,room ,,in ,,the ,,colony ,,club ,,xviii ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,trelliage ,when ,i planned the trellis room of the ,colony ,club in ,new ,york ,i had hard work finding workmen who could appreciate the importance of crossing and recrossing little strips of green wood1 of arranging them to form a mural decoration architectural in treatment4 ,this trellis room was1 ,i believe1 the first in ,america to be so considered1 though the use of trellis is as old as architecture in ,japan1 ,china1 ,arabia1 ,egypt1 ,italy1 ,france and ,spain4 ,the earliest examples of trellis work shown are in certain ,roman frescoes4 ,in ,pompeii the mural paintings give us a very good idea of what some of the ,roman gardens were like4 ,in the entrance hall of the house of ,sallust is represented a garden with trellised niches and bubbling fountains4 ,representations that have come down to us in documents show that ,china and ,japan both employed the trellis in their decorative schemes4 ,you will find a most daring example on your old blue willow plate1 if you will look closely enough4 ,the bridge over which the flying princess goes to her lover is a good model1 and could be built in many gardens4 ,even a tiny modern garden1 yours or mine1 might hold this fairy bridge4 ,almost all ,arabian decorations have their basis in trellis design or arabesques filled in with the intricate tracery that covers all their buildings4 ,if we examine the details of the most famous of the old ,moorish buildings that remain to us1 the mosque at ,cordova and the ,alhambra at ,granada1 we shall find them full of endless trellis suggestions4 ,indeed1 there are many documents still extant showing how admirably trellis decoration lends itself to the decoration of gardens and interiors4 ,there are dozens of examples of niches built to hold fine busts4 ,pavilions and summer houses1 the quaint gazebos of old ,england1 the graceful screens of trellis that terminate a long garden path1 the arching gateways crowned with vines--all these may be reproduced quite easily in ,american gardens4 ,the first trellis work in ,france was inspired by ,italy1 but the ,french gave it a perfection of architectural character not found in other countries4 ,the manuscript of the ,romance of the ,rose1 dating back to the ,fifteenth ,century1 contains the finest possible example of trellis in a medieval garden4 ,most of the old ,french gardens that remain to us have important trellis construction4 ,at ,blois one still sees the remains of a fine trellis covering the walls of the kitchen gardens4 ,wonderful and elaborate trellis pavillons1 each containing a statue1 often formed the centers of very old gardens4 ,these garden houses were called gazebos in ,england1 and ,temples d',amour 7,temples of ,love7 in ,france1 and the statue most often seen was the god of ,love4 ,in the ,trianon gardens at ,versailles there is a charming ,temple d',amour standing on a tiny island1 with four small canals leading to it4 ,a knowledge of the history of trelliage 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 pleasure4 ,you may give your trellis any poetic shape your vision may take4 ,you may dream and realize enchanting gardens1 with clipped hedges and trellis walls4 ,you may transform a commonplace porch into a gay garden room1 with a few screens of trellis and many flower boxes of shrubs and vines4 ,here indeed is a delightful medium for your fancy6 ,trelliage and lattice work are often used as interchangeable terms1 but mistakenly1 for any carpenter who has the gift of precision can build a good lattice1 but a trellis must have architectural character4 ,trellis work is not necessarily flimsy construction2 the light chestnut laths that were used by the old ,frenchmen and still remain to us prove that4 ,always in a garden ,i think one must feel one has not come to the end1 one must go on and on in search of new beauties and the hidden delights we feel sure must be behind the clipped hedges or the trellis walls4 ,even when we come to the end we are not quite sure it is the end1 and we steep ourselves in seclusion and quiet1 knowing full well that to-morrow or to-night perhaps when the moon is up and we come back as we promise ourselves to do1 surely we shall see that ideal corner that is the last word of the perfection of our dream garden--that delectable spot for which we forever seek6 ,we can bring back much of the charm of the old-time gardens by a judicious use of trellis4 ,it is suitable for every form of outdoor construction4 ,a new garden can be subdivided and made livable in a few months with trellis screens1 where hedges1 even of the quick growing privet1 would take years to grow4 ,the entrance to the famous maze at ,versailles1 now1 alas1 utterly destroyed1 was in trellis1 and ,i have reproduced in our own garden at ,villa ,trianon1 in ,versailles1 the entrance arch and doors1 all in trellis4 ,our high garden fence with its curving gate is also in trellis1 and you can imagine the joy with which we watched the vines grow1 climbing over the gatetop as gracefully as if they too felt the charm of the curving tracery of green strips1 and cheerfully added the decoration of their leaves and tendrils4 ,illustration3 ,,mrs4 ,,ormond ,g4 ,,smith',s ,,trellis ,,room ,,at ,,center ,,island1 ,,new ,,york ,our outdoor trellis is at the end of the ,villa ,trianon garden1 in line with the terrace where we take our meals4 ,this trellis was rebuilt many times before it satisfied me1 but now it is my greatest joy4 ,the niches are planned to hold two old statues and several prim box trees4 ,i used very much the same constructive design on one of the walls of the ,colony ,club trellis room1 but there a fountain has the place of honor4 ,formal pedestals surmounted by gracefully curved urns1 box trees1 statues1 marble benches1 fountains--all these belong to the formal outdoor trellis4 ,the trellis is primarily suitable for garden architecture1 but it may be fitted to interior uses most skilfully4 ,pictures of the trellis room in the ,colony ,club have been shown so often it is not necessary to repeat more than one of them4 ,the room is long and high1 with a floor of large red tiles4 ,the walls and ceiling are covered with rough gray plaster1 on which the green strips of wood are laid4 ,the wall space is entirely covered with the trellis design broken into ovals which hold lighting-fixtures--grapes and leaves in cloudy glass and green enamel4 ,the long room leads up to the ivy-covered trellis of the fountain wall1 a perfect background for the fountain1 a bowl on the brim of which is poised a youthful figure1 upheld by two dolphins4 ,the water spills over into a little pool1 banked with evergreens4 ,ivy has been planted in long boxes along the wall1 and climbs to the ceiling1 where the plaster is left bare1 save for the trellised cornice and the central trellis medallion1 from which is suspended an enchanting lantern made up of green wires and ivy leaves and little white flames of electric light4 ,the roof garden of the ,colony ,club is latticed in a simple design we all know4 ,this is lattice1 not trellis1 and in no way should be confounded with the trellis room on the entrance floor4 ,this white-painted lattice covers the wall space4 ,growing vines are placed along the walls and clamber to the beams4 ,the glass ceiling is supported by white beams4 ,there are always blossoming flowers and singing birds in this room4 ,the effect is springlike and joyous on the bleakest winter day4 ,the room is heated by two huge stoves of green ,majolica brought over from ,germany when other heating systems failed4 ,much of the furniture is covered with a grape-patterned chintz and a green and white striped linen4 ,the ceiling lights are hidden in huge bunches of pale green grapes4 ,i recently planned a most beautiful trellis room for a ,new ,york ,city house4 ,the room is long and narrow1 with walls divided into panels by upright classic columns4 ,the lower wall space between the columns is covered with a simple green lattice1 and the upper part is filled with little mirrors framed in narrow green moldings1 arranged in a conventional design which follows the line of the trellis4 ,one end of the room is made up of two narrow panels of the trellis with a fireplace between4 ,on the opposite wall the middle panel is a background for a delightful wall fountain4 ,the fretwork of mirrors which takes the place of frieze in the room is continued all around the four walls4 ,one of the walls is filled entirely with ,french doors of plate glass1 beneath the mirrored frieze2 the other long wall has the broad1 central panel cut into two doors of plate glass1 and stone benches placed against the two trellised panels flanking the doors4 ,the ceiling is divided into three great panels of trellis1 and from each of the three panels a lantern is suspended4 ,in the ,guinness house in ,new ,york there is a little hallway wainscoted in white with a green trellis covering the wall space above4 ,against this simple trellis--it is really a lattice--a number of plaster casts are hung4 ,in one corner an old marble bowl holds a grapevine1 which has been trained over the walls4 ,the floor is of white tiles1 with a narrow ,greek border of black and white4 ,this decoration of a little hall might be copied very easily4 ,the architects are building nowadays many houses that have a sun-room1 or conservatory1 or breakfast room4 ,the smallest cottage may have a little breakfast room done in green and white lattice1 with green painted furniture and simple flower boxes4 ,i have had furniture of the most satisfactory designs made for my trellis rooms4 ,green painted wood with cane insets seems most suitable for the small rooms1 and the marbles of the old trellised ,temples d',amour may be replaced by cement benches in our modern trellis pavillions4 ,there is so much of modern furniture that is refreshing in line and color1 and adapted to these sun-rooms4 ,there is a desk made by ,aitchen1 a notable furniture designer in ,london1 which ,i have used in a sun-room4 ,the desk is painted white1 and is decorated with heavy lines of dark green4 ,the drawer front and the doors of the little cupboard are filled with cane4 ,the knobs are of green4 ,this desk would be nice in a white writing-room in a summer cottage1 though it was planned for a trellis room4 ,it could be used as a dressing table1 with a bench or chair of white1 outlined in green1 and a good mirror in white and green frame4 ,another desk ,i have made is called a jardiniere table1 and was designed for ,mrs4 ,ogden ,armour's garden room at ,lake ,forest4 ,the desk1 or table1 is painted gray1 with faint green decorations4 ,at each end of the long top there is a sunken zinc-lined box to hold growing plants4 ,between the flower boxes there is the usual arrangement of the desk outfit1 blotter pad1 paper rack1 ink pots1 and so forth4 ,the spaces beneath the flower boxes are filled with shelves for books and magazines4 ,this idea is thoroughly practicable for any garden room1 and is so simple that it could be constructed by any man who knows how to use tools4 ,illustration3 ,,looking ,,over ,,the ,,tapis ,,vert ,,to ,,the ,,trellis ,i had the pleasure recently of planning a trellis room for ,mrs4 ,ormond-,smith's house at ,center ,island1 ,new ,york4 ,here indeed is a garden room with a proper environment4 ,it is as beautiful as a room very well can be within1 and its great arched windows frame vistas of trees and water which take their place as a part of the room1 ever changing landscapes that are always captivating4 ,this trellis room is beautifully proportioned1 and large enough to hold four long sofas and many chairs and tables of wicker and painted wood4 ,the grouping of the sofas and the long tables made to fit between them is most interesting4 ,these tables are extremely narrow and just the length of the sofas1 and are built after the idea of ,mrs4 ,armour's garden room desk1 with flower boxes sunk in the ends4 ,the backs of two sofas are placed against the long sides of the table1 which holds a reading lamp and books in addition to its masses of flowers at the ends4 ,two such groups divide the room into three smaller rooms1 as you can see by the illustration4 ,small tables and chairs are pulled up to the sofas1 making conversation centers1 or comfortable places for reading4 ,the trellis work covers the spaces between windows and doors1 and follows the contour of the arches4 ,the ceiling is bordered with the trellis1 and from a great square of it in the center a lamp is suspended4 ,the wall panels are broken by appliques that suggest the bounty of summer1 flowers and leaves and vines in wrought and painted iron4 ,there are pedestals surmounted by marbles against some of the panels1 and a carved bracket supporting a magnificent bust high on one of the wider panels4 ,the room is classic in its fine balance and its architectural formality1 and modern in its luxurious comfort and its refreshing color4 ,surely there could be no pleasanter room for whiling away a summer day4 ,,xix ,,villa ,,trianon ,the story of the ,villa ,trianon is a fairy-tale come true4 ,it came true because we believed in it--many fairy stories are ready and waiting to come true if only people will believe in them long enough4 ,for many years ,elizabeth ,marbury and ,i had spent our summers in that charming ,french town1 ,versailles1 before we had any hope of realizing a home of our own there4 ,we loved the place1 with its glamour of romance and history1 and we prowled around the old gardens and explored the old houses1 and dreamed dreams and saw visions4 ,one old house that particularly interested us was the villa that had once been the home of the ,duc de ,nemours1 son of ,louis ,philippe4 ,it was situated directly on the famous ,park of ,versailles which is1 as everyone knows1 one of the most beautiful parks in all the world4 ,the villa had not been lived in since the occupancy of de ,nemours4 ,before the villa came to de ,nemours it had been a part of the royal property that was portioned out to ,mesdames de ,france1 the disagreeable daughters of ,louis ,,xv4 ,you will remember how disagreeable they were to ,marie ,antoinette1 and what a burden they made her life4 ,i wish our house had belonged to more romantic people2 ,madame du ,barry or ,madame de ,pompadour would have suited me better6 ,how many1 many times we peeped through the high iron railing at this enchanted domain1 sleeping like the castle in the fairy tale4 ,the garden was overgrown with weeds and shrubbery1 the house was shabby and sadly in need of paint4 ,we sighed and thought how happy would be our fortune if we might some day penetrate the mysteries of the tangled garden and the abandoned villa4 ,little did we dream that this would one day be our home4 ,we first went to ,versailles as casual summer visitors and our stay was brief4 ,we loved it so much that the next summer we went again1 this time for the season1 and found ourselves members of a happy pension family4 ,then we decided to rent an apartment of our own1 for the next year1 and soon we were considering the leases of houses1 and finally we arrived at the supreme audacity of negotiating for the purchase of one4 ,we had a great friend in ,versailles1 ,victorien ,sardou1 the novelist and playwright so honored by the people of ,france4 ,his wonderful house at ,marly le ,roi was a constant joy to us1 and made us always more eager for a permanent home of our own in the neighborhood4 ,sardou was as eager for the finding of our house as we were1 and it was he who finally made it possible for us to buy our historic villa4 ,he did everything for us1 introduced us to his friends1 wonderful and brilliant people1 gave us liberally of his charm and knowledge1 and finally gave us the chance to buy this old house and its two acres of gardens4 ,the negotiations for the house were long and tedious4 ,our offer was an insult1 a joke1 a ridiculous affair to the man who had the selling of it6 ,he laughed at us1 and demanded twice the amount of our offer4 ,we were firm1 outwardly1 and refused to meet him halfway1 but secretly we spent hours and hours in the old house1 sitting patiently on folding camp-stools1 and planning the remaking of the house as happily as children playing make-believe4 ,i remember vividly the three of us1 ,miss ,marbury1 ,sardou1 and ,i1 standing in the garden on a very rainy day4 ,sardou was bounding up and down1 saying3 ,buy it1 buy it6 ,if you don't buy it before twelve o'clock to-morrow ,i will buy it myself6 ,we were standing there soaking wet1 perfectly oblivious to the downpour1 wondering if we dared do such an audacious thing as to purchase property so far from our ,american anchorage4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,fine ,,old ,,console ,,in ,,the ,,villa ,,trianon ,well1 we bought it1 and at our own price1 practically1 and for eight years we have been restoring the house and gardens to their ,seventeenth ,century beauty4 ,sardou was our neighbor1 and his wonderful chteau at ,marly1 overlooking the valley and terraces of ,st4 ,germain1 was a never-failing surprise to us1 so full was it of beauty and charm1 so flavored with the personality of its owner4 ,sardou was of great help to us when we finally purchased our house4 ,his fund of information never failed us1 there seemed to be no question he could not answer4 ,he was quite the most erudite man ,i have ever known4 ,he had as much to say about the restoration of our house as we4 ,he introduced us to ,monsieur de ,nolhac1 the conservator of the ,chteau de ,versailles1 who gave us the details of our villa as it had been a century and a half ago1 and helped us remake the garden on the lines of the original one4 ,he loaned us pictures and documents1 and we felt we were living in a modern version of the ,sleeping ,beauty1 with the sleeping villa for heroine4 ,our house had always been called ,villa ,trianon1 and so we kept the name1 but it should not be confused with the ,grand ,trianon or the ,petit ,trianon4 ,of course everyone knows about the ,park at ,versailles1 but everyone forgets1 so ,i shall review the history of the ,park briefly1 that you may appreciate our thrills when we really owned a bit of it4 ,louis ,,xiv selected ,versailles as the site for the royal palace when it was a swampy1 uninteresting little farm4 ,louis ,,xiii had built a chteau there in #afbg1 but had done little to beautify the flat acres surrounding it4 ,louis the ,magnificent lavished fortunes on the laying out of his new park4 ,the ,grand ,trianon was built for ,madame de ,main tenon in #afhe1 and from this time on1 for a full century1 the ,park of ,versailles was the most famous royal residence in the world4 ,the ,petit ,trianon was built by ,louis ,,xv for ,madame du ,barry4 ,later1 during the reign of ,louis ,,xvi1 ,marie ,antoinette1 who was then ,queen1 tiring of court etiquette and scorning the stately rooms of ,versailles1 persuaded her husband to make over to her the ,petit ,trianon4 ,here she built a number of little rustic cottages1 where she and the ladies of her court1 dressed in calicoes1 played at being milkmaids4 ,they had a little cottage called the ,laiterie1 where the white cows with their gilded horns were brought in to be milked4 ,here1 too1 little plays were presented in a tiny theater where only the members of the court were admitted4 ,the ,queen and her brother1 ,comte de ,provence1 were always the chief actors4 ,our villa adjoins the ,park proper4 ,in our deeds to the two acres there is a clause which reserves a right-of-way for the ,king6 ,the deed is worded like the old lease that dates back to #agej1 and so one day we may have to give a ,king a right-of-way through our garden1 if ,france becomes a monarchy again4 ,anyone who knows ,french people at all knows how dearly they cherish the dream of a monarchy4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,broad ,,terrace ,,connects ,,house ,,and ,,garden ,one of the small houses we found on our small estate had once been a part of the hameau of ,marie ,antoinette4 ,we have had this little house rebuilt and connected with the villa1 and now use it as a guest house4 ,it is very charming1 with its walls covered with lattices and ivy4 ,villa ,trianon1 like most ,french houses1 is built directly on the street1 leaving all the space possible for the garden4 ,the faade of the villa is very simple1 it reminds you of the square houses of the ,american ,colonial period1 except that there is no front porch1 as is inevitable with us in ,america4 ,the entrance gate and the stone wall that surround the place give an interest that our detached and hastily built ,american houses lack4 ,the wall is really a continuation of the faade of the villa1 and is surmounted by a black iron railing4 ,vines and flowers that have flourished and died and flourished again for over a century climb over the wall and through the graceful railing1 and give our home an air of permanence that is very satisfying4 ,after all1 that is the secret of ,europe's fascination for us ,americans--the ever-present suggestion of permanence4 ,we feel that houses and gardens were planned and built for centuries1 not for the passing pleasure of one brief lifetime4 ,we people them with ghosts that please us1 and make histories for them that are always romantic and full of happiness4 ,the survival of an old house and its garden through centuries of use and misuse is always an impressive and dramatic discovery to us3 it gives us courage to add our little bit to the ultimate beauty and history1 it gives us excuse to dream of the fortunate people who will follow us in other centuries1 and who will1 in turn1 bless us for our part in the remaking of one old house and garden4 ,there was much to do6 ,we hardly knew where to begin1 the house was in such wretched condition4 ,the roof was falling in1 and the debris of years was piled high inside1 but the walls and the floors were still very beautiful and as sound as ever1 structurally4 ,we had the roof restored1 the debris removed1 and the underbrush weeded out of the garden1 and then we were ready to begin the real business of restoration4 ,the house is very simply planned4 ,there is a broad hall that runs straight through it1 with dining-room and servants' hall on the right1 and four connecting salons on the left4 ,these salons are charming rooms1 with beautiful panelings and over-doors1 and great arches framed in delicate carvings4 ,first comes the writing-room1 then the library1 then the large and small salons4 ,the rooms opening on the back of the house have long ,french windows that open directly upon the terrace1 where we have most of our meals4 ,the note of the interior of the house is blue1 and there are masses of blue flowers in the garden4 ,the interior woodwork is cream1 pointed with blue1 and there are blues innumerable in the rugs and curtains and objets d'art4 ,there must be a hundred different shades of blue on this living-floor1 ,i think4 ,we have tried to restore the rooms to a ,louis ,,xv scheme of decoration4 ,the tables and cabinets are of the fine polished woods of the period4 ,some of the chairs are roomy affairs of carved and painted wooden frames and brocade coverings1 but others are modern easychairs covered in new linens of old designs1 linens that were designed for just such interiors when ,oberkampf first began his designing at ,jouy4 ,the mirrors and lighting-fixtures are1 of course1 designed to harmonize with the carvings of the woodwork4 ,monsieur de ,nolhac and ,sardou were most helpful to us when such architectural problems had to be solved4 ,we have not used the extravagant lace curtains that seem to go with brocades and carvings1 because we are modern enough not to believe in lace curtains4 ,and we find that the thin white muslin ones give our brocades and tapestries a chance to assert their decorative importance4 ,somehow1 lace curtains give a room such a dressed-up-for-company air that they quite spoil the effect of beautiful fabrics4 ,we have a few fine old ,savonnerie carpets that are very much at home in this house1 and so many interesting ,eighteenth ,century prints we hardly know how to use them4 ,our bedrooms are very simple1 with their white panelings and chintz hangings4 ,we have furnished them with graceful and feminine things1 delicately carved mirror frames and inlaid tables1 painted beds1 and chests of drawers of rosewood or satinwood4 ,we feel that the ghosts of the fair ladies who live in the ,park would adore the bedrooms and rejoice in the strange magic of electric lights4 ,if the ghosts should be confronted with the electric lights their surprise would not be greater than was the consternation of our builders when we demanded five bathrooms4 ,they were astounded1 and assured us it was not necessary1 it was not possible4 ,indeed1 it seemed that it was hardly legal to give one small ,french house five ,american bathrooms4 ,we fought the matter out1 and got them1 however4 ,we determined to make the house seem a part of the garden1 and so we built a broad terrace across the rear of the villa4 ,you step directly from the long windows of the salon and dining-room upon the terrace1 and before you is spread out our little garden1 and back of that1 through an opening in the trees1 a view of the ,chteau1 our never-failing source of inspiration4 ,the terrace is built of tiles on a cement foundation4 ,vines are trained over square column-like frames of wire1 erected at regular intervals4 ,between the edge of the terrace and the smooth green lawn there is a mass of blue flowers4 ,we have a number of willow chairs and old stone tables here1 and you can appreciate the joy of having breakfast and tea on the terrace with the birds singing in the boughs of the trees4 ,i have written at length in the other chapters of my ideas of house-furnishing1 and in this one ,i want to give you my ideas of garden guilding4 ,true1 we had the old garden plan to work from1 and trees two hundred years old1 and old vine-covered walls4 ,who couldn't accomplish a perfect garden with such essentials1 people said6 ,well1 it wasn't so easy as it seems4 ,you can select furnishings for a room with fair success1 because you can see and feel textures1 and colors1 and the lines of the furniture and curtains4 ,but gardens are different--you cannot make grass and flowers grow just so on short notice6 ,you plant and dig and plant again1 before things grow as you have visualized them4 ,there was a double ring of trees in one corner of our domain1 enclosing the salle de verdure1 or outdoor drawing-room4 ,in the center of this enchanted circle there was a statue by ,clodion1 a joyous nymph1 holding a baby faun in her arms4 ,there were several old stone benches under the trees that must have known the secrets of the famous ladies of the ,eighteenth ,century courts4 ,the salle de verdure looked just as it did when the little daughters of ,louis ,,xv came here to have their afternoon cakes and tea1 so we did not try to change this bit of our garden4 ,my idea of making over the place was to leave the part of the garden against the stone walls in the rear in its tangled1 woodsy state1 and to build against it a trellis that would be in line with the terrace4 ,between the trellis and the terrace there was to be a smooth expanse of greensward1 bordered with flowers4 ,it seemed very simple1 but ,i hereby confess that ,i built and tore down the trellis three times before it pleased me6 ,i had to make it worthy of the statue by ,pradier that was given us by ,sardou1 and finally it was done to please me4 ,painted a soft green1 with ivy growing over it1 and a fountain flanked by white marbles outlined against it1 this trellis represents 7to me1 at least7 my best work4 ,the tapis vert occupies the greater part of the garden1 and it is bordered by gravel walks bordered in turn with white flowerbeds4 ,between the walks and the walls there are the groups of trees1 the statues with green spaces about them1 the masses of evergreen trees1 and finally the great trees that follow the lines of the wall4 ,indeed1 the tapis vert is like the arena of an ample theater1 with the ascending flowers and shrubs and trees representing the ascending tiers of seats4 ,one feels that all the trees and flowers look down upon the central stretch of greensward1 and perhaps there is a fairy ring here where plays take place by night4 ,nothing is impossible in this garden4 ,certainly the fairies play in the enchanted ring of the trees of the salle de verdure4 ,we are convinced of that4 ,so formal is the tapis vert1 with its blossoming borders of larkspur and daisies and its tall standard roses1 you are surprised to find that that part of the garden outside this prim rectangle has mysteries4 ,there are winding paths that terminate in marble seats4 ,there is the pavilion1 a little house built for outdoor musicales1 with electric connections that make breakfast and tea possible here4 ,there is the guest house1 and the motor house--quite as interesting as any other part of the garden4 ,and everywhere there are blue and white and rose-colored flowers1 planted in great masses against the black-green evergreens4 ,we leave ,america early in ,june1 tired out with the breathless business of living1 and find ourselves in our old-world house and garden4 ,we fall asleep to the accompaniment of the tiny piping of the little people in bur garden4 ,we awake to the matins of the birds4 ,we breakfast on the stone terrace1 with boughs of trees and clouds for our roof1 and as we look out over the masses of blue flowers and the smooth green tapis vert1 over the arched trelliage with its fountains and its marbles1 the great trees back of our domain frame the supremely beautiful towers of the ,chteau le ,magnificent1 and we are far happier than anyone deserves to be in this wicked world6 ,,xx ,,notes ,,on ,,many ,,things ,a ,,little ,,talk ,,on ,,clocks4 ,the selection of proper clocks for one's house is always long-drawn-out1 a pursuit of real pleasure4 ,clocks are such necessary things the thoughtless woman is apt to compromise1 when she doesn't find exactly the right one4 ,how much wiser and happier she would be if she decided to depend upon an ordinary alarm clock until the proper clock was discovered6 ,if she made a hobby of her quest for clocks she would find much amusement1 many other valuable objects by-the-way1 and finally exactly the right clocks for her rooms4 ,everyone knows the merits and demerits of the hundreds of clocks of commerce1 and it isn't for me to go into the subject of grandfather-clocks1 bracket clocks1 and banjo clocks1 when there are so many excellent books on the subject4 ,i plead for the graceful clocks of old ,france1 the objets d'art so lovingly designed by the master sculptors of the ,eighteenth ,century4 ,i plead particularly for the wall clocks that are so conspicuous in all good ,french houses1 and so unusual in our own country4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,proper ,,writing-,,table ,,in ,,the ,,drawing-,,room4 ,just as surely as our fine old ,english and ,american clocks have their proper niches1 so the ,french clocks belong inevitably in certain rooms4 ,you may never find just the proper clock for this room1 but that is your fault4 ,there are hundreds of lovely old models available4 ,why shouldn't some manufacturer have them reproduced8 ,i feel that if women generally knew how very decorative and distinguished a good wall clock may be1 the demand would soon create a supply of these beautiful objects4 ,it would be quite simple for the manufacturers to make them from the old models4 ,the late ,mr4 ,pierpont ,morgan gave to the ,metropolitan ,museum the magnificent ,hoentschel collection of objets d'art1 hoping to stimulate the interest of ,american designers and artisans in the fine models of the ,seventeenth and ,eighteenth ,centuries4 ,there are some very fine examples of wall clocks in this collection which might be copied in carved wood by the students of manual training schools1 if the manufacturers refuse to be interested4 ,wall clocks first came into ,france in the early part of the ,seventeenth ,century1 and are a part of the furnishing of all the fine old ,french houses4 ,a number of the most interesting clocks ,i have picked up were the wooden models which served for the fine bronze clocks of the ,eighteenth ,century4 ,the master designer first worked out his idea in wood before making the clock in bronze1 and the wooden models were sold for a song4 ,i have one of these clocks in my dining-room4 ,it is as much a part of the wall decoration as the lights or the mirrors4 ,the wall clocks ,i like best are fixed directly on the wall1 the dial glass opening so that the clock may be wound with a key4 ,you will notice such a clock in the photograph of one of my dining-rooms4 ,this fine old clock is given the place of honor in the main panel of the wall1 above the console table4 ,i often use such a clock in a dining-room1 just as ,i use the fine old ,french mantel clocks in my drawing-rooms4 ,you will observe a very quaint example of the ,empire period in the illustration of my drawing-room mantel4 ,this clock is happily placed1 for the marble of the mantel1 the lighting-fixtures near by and the fine little bronze busts are all in key with the exquisite workmanship of the clock4 ,in another room in my house1 a bedroom1 there is a beautiful little ,french clock that is the only object allowed on the mantel shelf4 ,the beautiful carving of the mirror frame back of it seems a part of the clock1 a deliberate background for it4 ,this is one of the many wall clocks which were known as bracket clocks1 the bracket being as carefully designed and carved as the clock itself4 ,most of the clocks we see nowadays grew out of the old bracket models4 ,the ,american clockmakers of the ,eighteenth ,century made many of those jolly little wall clocks called ,wag-on-the-,wall4 ,these clocks may be still picked up in out-of-the-way towns4 ,in construction they are very much like the old cuckoo clock which has come to us from ,switzerland1 and the tile clock which comes from ,holland4 ,these clocks with long1 exposed weights and pendulum1 have not the dignity of the ,french wall clocks1 which were as complete in themselves as fine bas reliefs1 and of even greater decorative importance4 ,every room in my house has its clock1 and to me these magic little instruments have an almost human interest4 ,they seem always friendly to me1 whether they mark off the hours that weigh so heavily and seem never-ending1 or the happy hours that go all too quickly4 ,i love clocks so much myself that it always astonishes me to go into a room where there is none1 or1 if there is1 it is one of those abortive1 exaggerated1 gilded clocks that are falsely labeled ,french and sold at a great price in the shops4 ,somehow1 one never expects a clock of this kind to keep time--it is bought as an ornament and if it runs at all it wheezes1 or gasps1 or makes a dreadful noise1 and invariably stops at half-past three4 ,i am such a crank about good clocks that ,i take my own with me1 even on a railway train4 ,i think ,i have the smallest clock in the world which strikes the hours4 ,there are many tiny clocks made which strike if one touches a spring1 but my clock always strikes of itself4 ,cartier1 who designed and made this extraordinary timepiece1 assures me that he has never seen so small a clock which strikes4 ,it is very pleasant to have this little clock with its friendly chime with me when ,i am in some desolate hotel or some strange house4 ,there are traveling clocks in small leather cases which can be bought very cheaply indeed now1 and one of these clocks should be a part of everyone's traveling equipment4 ,the humble nickeled watch with a leather case is infinitely better than the pretentious clocks1 monstrosities of marble and brass and bad taste4 ,a ,,corner ,,for ,,writing4 ,one of my greatest pleasures1 when ,i am planning the furnishing of a house1 is the selection and equipment of the necessary writing-tables4 ,every room in every house has its own suggestion for an original treatment1 and ,i enjoy working out a plan for a writing-corner that will offer maximum of convenience1 and beauty and charm1 for in these busy days we need all these qualities for the inspiration of a pleasant note4 ,you see1 ,i believe in proper writing-tables1 just as ,i believe in proper chairs4 ,i have so many desks in my own house that are in constant use1 perhaps ,i can give you my theory best by recording my actual practice of it4 ,i have spoken of the necessity of a desk in the hallway1 and indeed1 ,i have said much of desks in other rooms1 but ,i have still to emphasize my belief in the importance of the equipment of desks4 ,of course1 one needs a desk in one's own room4 ,here there is infinite latitude1 for there are dozens of delightful possibilities4 ,i always place my desks near the windows4 ,if the wall space is filled1 ,i place an oblong table at right angles to a window1 and there you are4 ,in my own private sitting-room ,i have a long desk so placed1 in my own house4 ,in a guest-room ,i furnished recently1 ,i used a common oblong table of no value1 painting the legs a soft green and covering it with a piece of sage-green damask4 ,this is one of the nicest writing-tables ,i know1 and it could be copied for a song4 ,the equipment of it is what counts4 ,i used two lamps1 dull green jars with mauve silk shades1 a dark green leather rack for paper and envelopes1 and a great blotter pad that will save the damask from ink-spots4 ,the small things are of green pottery and crystal4 ,in a young girl's bedroom ,i used a sweet little desk of painted wood1 a desk that has the nave charm of innocence4 ,i do hope it inspires the proper love-letters4 ,i always make provision for writing in dressing-rooms--a sliding shelf in the dressing-table1 and a shallow drawer for pencils and paper--and ,i have adequate writing facilities in the servants' quarters1 so that there may be no excuse for forgetting orders or messages4 ,this seems to me absolutely necessary in our modern domestic routine3 it is part of the business principle we borrow from the efficient office routine of our men folk4 ,the dining-room and the bathrooms are the only places where the writing-table1 in one form or another1 isn't required4 ,i like the long flat tables or small desks much better than the huge roll-top affairs or the heavy desks built after the fashion of the old armoire4 ,if the room is large enough1 a secretary after an ,eighteenth ,century model will be a beautiful and distinguished piece of furniture4 ,i have such a secretary in my own sitting-room1 a chest of drawers surmounted by a cabinet of shelves with glass doors1 but ,i do not use it as a desk4 ,i use the shelves for my old china and porcelains1 and the drawers for pamphlets and the thousand and one things that are too flimsily bound for bookshelves4 ,of course1 if one has a large correspondence and uses one's home as an office1 it is better to have a large desk with a top which closes4 ,i prefer tables1 and ,i have them made big enough to hold all my papers1 big enough to spread out on4 ,there are dozens of enchanting small desks that are exactly right for guest-rooms1 the extremely feminine desks that come from old ,france4 ,one of the most fascinating ones is copied from a bureau de toilette that belonged to ,marie ,antoinette4 ,in those days the writing of letters and the making of a toilet went together4 ,this old desk has a drawer filled with compartments for toilet things1 powders and perfumes and patches1 and above this vanity-drawer there is the usual shelf for writing1 and compartments for paper and letters4 ,the desk itself suggests brocade flounces and powdered hair1 so exquisitely is it constructed of tulipwood and inlaid with other woods of many colors4 ,then there are the small desks made by modern furniture-makers1 just large enough to hold a blotting-pad1 a paper rack1 and a pair of candlesticks4 ,there is always a shallow drawer for writing materials4 ,such a desk may be decorated to match the chintzes of any small bedroom4 ,if it isn't possible for you to have a desk in each guest-room1 there should be a little writing-room somewhere apart from the family living-room4 ,if you live in one of those old-fashioned houses intersected by great halls with much wasted space on the upper floors1 you may make a little writing-room of one of the hall-ends1 and screen it from the rest of the hall with a high standing screen4 ,if you have a house of the other extreme type1 a city house with little hall bedrooms1 use one of these little rooms for a writing-room4 ,you will require a desk well stocked with stationery1 and all the things the writer will need2 a shelf of address books and reference books--with a dictionary1 of course2 many pens and pencils and fresh blotters1 and so forth4 ,of course1 you may have ever so many more things1 but it isn't necessary4 ,better a quiet corner with one chair and a desk1 than the elaborate library with its superb fittings where people come and go4 ,given the proper desk1 the furnishing of it is most important4 ,the blotting-pad should be heavy enough to keep its place1 and the blotting-paper should be constantly renewed4 ,i know of nothing more offensive than dusty1 ink-splotched blotting-paper4 ,there are very good sets to be had1 now1 made of brass1 bronze1 carved wood1 porcelain1 silver or crystal1 and there are leather boxes for holding stationery and leather portfolios to be had in all colors4 ,i always add to these furnishings a good pair of scissors1 stationery marked with the house address or the monogram of the person to whom the desk especially belongs1 an almanac1 and a pincushion6 ,my pincushions are as much a part of the equipment of a desk as the writing things1 and they aren't frilly1 ugly things4 ,they are covered with brocade or damask or some stuff used elsewhere in the room and ,i assure you they are most useful4 ,i find that pins are almost as necessary as pens in my correspondence2 they are much more expedient than pigeon-holes4 ,in country houses ,i think it shows forethought and adds greatly to the comfort of the guests to have a small framed card showing the arrival and departure of trains and of mails1 especially if the house is a great distance from the railway-station4 ,this saves much inquiry and time4 ,in the paper rack there should be not only stamped paper bearing the address of the house1 telephone number1 and so forth1 but also telegraph blanks1 post cards1 stamps1 and so forth4 ,very often people who have beautiful places have post cards made showing various views of the house and garden4 ,test the efficiency of your writing-tables occasionally by using them yourself4 ,this is the only way to be sure of the success of anything in your house--try it yourself4 ,,stools ,,and ,,benches4 ,i often wonder1 when ,i grope my way through drawing-rooms crowded and jammed with chairs and sofas1 why more women do not realize the advantages of stools and benches4 ,a well-made stool is doubly useful3 it may be used to sit upon or it may be used to hold a tray1 or whatever you please4 ,it is really preferable to a small table because it is not always full of a nondescript collection of ornaments1 which seems to be the fate of all small tables4 ,it has also the advantage of being low enough to push under a large table1 when need be1 and it occupies much less space than a chair apparently 7not actually7 because it has no back4 ,i have stools1 or benches1 or both in all my rooms1 because ,i find them convenient and easily moved about1 but ,i have noticed an amusing thing3 ,whenever a fat man comes to see me1 he always sits on the smallest stool in the room4 ,i have many fat friends1 and many stools1 but invariably the fattest man gravitates to the smallest stool4 ,the stools ,i like best for the drawing-room are the fine old ones1 covered with needlework or brocade1 but there are many simpler ones of plain wood with cane insets that are very good for other rooms4 ,then there are the long banquettes1 or benches1 which are so nice in drawing-rooms and hallways and nicest of all in a ballroom4 ,indeed1 a ballroom needs no other movable furniture2 given plenty of these long benches4 ,they may be of the very simplest description1 but when used in a fine room should be covered with a good damask or velvet or some rich fabric4 ,i have a fine ,eighteenth ,century banquette in my drawing-room1 the frame being carved and gilded and the seat covered with ,venetian red velvet4 ,you will find these gilded stools all over ,england4 ,there are a number at ,hampton ,court ,palace4 ,at ,hardwick there are both long and short stools1 carved with the dolphin's scroll and covered with elaborate stuffs4 ,the older the ,english house1 the more stools are in evidence4 ,in the early ,sixteenth ,century joint stools were used in every room4 ,in the bedrooms they served the purposes of small tables and chairs as well4 ,there are ever so many fine old walnut stools and the lower stools used for bed-steps to be bought in ,london shops that make a specialty of old ,english furniture1 and reproductions of them may be bought in the better ,american shops4 ,i often wonder why we do not see more bedside stools4 ,they are so convenient1 even though the bed be only moderately high from the floor4 ,many of mine are only six inches high1 about the height of a fat floor cushion4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,cream-,,colored ,,porcelain ,,stove ,,in ,a ,,new ,,york ,,house ,which reminds me3 the floor cushion1 made of the same velvet made for carpeting1 is a modern luxury we can't afford to ignore4 ,lately ,i have seen such beautiful ones1 about three feet long and one foot wide1 covered with tapestry1 with great gold tassels at the corners4 ,the possibilities of the floor cushion idea are limitless4 ,they take the place of the usual footstool in front of the boudoir easy chair1 or beside the day bed or chaise-longue1 or beside the large bed1 for that matter4 ,they are no longer unsanitary1 because with vacuum cleaners they may be kept as clean as chair cushions4 ,they may be made to fit into almost any room4 ,i saw a half dozen of them in a dining-room1 recently1 small square hard ones1 covered with the gold colored velvet of the carpet4 ,they were not more than four or five inches thick1 but that is the ideal height for an under-the-table cushion4 ,try it4 ,,porcelain ,,stoves4 ,when the ,colony ,club was at last finished we discovered that the furnace heat did not go up to the roof-garden1 and immediately we had to find some way of heating this very attractive and very necessary space4 ,even from the beginning we were sadly crowded for room1 so popular was the club-house1 and the roof-garden was much needed for the overflow4 ,we conferred with architects1 builders and plumbers1 and found it would be necessary to spend about seven thousand dollars and to close the club for about two months in order to carry the heating arrangements up to the roof4 ,this was disastrous for a new club1 already heavily in arrears and running under heavy expenses4 ,i worried and worried over the situation1 and suddenly one night an idea came to me3 ,i remembered some great porcelain stoves ,i had seen in ,germany4 ,i felt that these stoves were exactly what we needed1 and that we should be rescued from an embarrassing situation without much trouble or expense4 ,i was just leaving for ,europe1 so ,i hurried on to the manufacturers of these wonderful stoves and found1 after much difficulty1 a model that seemed practicable1 and not too huge in proportion4 ,the model1 unfortunately1 was white with gilded garlands1 far too ,french and magnificent for our sun-room4 ,i persuaded them to make two of the stoves for me in green ,majolica1 with garlands of soft-toned flowers1 and finally we achieved just the stoves for the room4 ,but my troubles were not over3 ,when the stoves reached ,new ,york1 we tried to take them up to the roof1 and found them too large for the stairs4 ,we couldn't have them lifted up by pulleys1 because the glass walls of the roof garden and the fretwork at the top of the roof made it impossible for the men to get purchase for their pulleys4 ,finally we persuaded a gentleman who lived next door to let us take them over the roof of his house1 and the deed was accomplished4 ,the stoves were equal to the occasion4 ,they heated the roof garden perfectly1 and were of great decorative value4 ,encouraged by this success ,i purchased another porcelain stove1 this time a cream-colored porcelain one1 and used it in a hallway in an uptown house4 ,it was the one thing needed to give the hall great distinction4 ,since then ,i have used a number of these stoves1 and ,i wonder why our ,american manufacturers do not make them4 ,they are admirable for heating difficult rooms--outdoor porches1 and draughty halls1 and rooms not heated by furnaces4 ,the stoves are becoming harder and harder to find1 though ,i was fortunate enough to purchase one last year from the ,marchioness of ,anglesey1 who was giving up her home at ,versailles4 ,this stove was of white ,majolica with little ,loves in terra cotta adorning it4 ,the new ones are less attractive1 but it would be perfectly simple to have any tile manufacturer copy an old one1 given the design4 ,,the ,,charm ,,of ,,indoor ,,fountains4 ,wall fountains as we know them are introduced into our modern houses for their decorative interest and for the joy they give us1 the joyous sound and color of falling water4 ,we use them because they are beautiful and cheerful1 but originally they had a most definite purpose4 ,they were built into the walls of the dining-halls in medieval times1 and used for washing the precious plate4 ,if you look into the history of any objet d'art you will find that it was first used for a purpose4 ,all the superb masterly things that have come to us had logical beginnings4 ,it has remained for the thoughtless designer of our times to produce things of no use and no meaning4 ,the old designers decorated the small objects of daily use as faithfully as they decorated the greater things1 the wall spaces and ceilings and great pieces of furniture1 and so this little wall basin which began in such a homely way soon became a beautiful thing4 ,europe has countless small fountains built for interior walls and for small alcoves and indoor conservatories1 but we are just beginning to use them in ,america4 ,american sculptors are doing such notable work1 however1 that we shall soon plan our indoor fountains as carefully as we plan our fireplaces4 ,the fact that our houses are heated mechanically has not lessened our appreciation of an open fire1 and running water brought indoors has the same animate charm4 ,illustration3 ,,fountain ,,in ,,the ,,trellis ,,room ,,of ,,mrs4 ,,ormond ,g4 ,,smith ,illustration3 ,,mr4 ,,james ,,deering',s ,,wall ,,fountain ,i am showing a picture of the wall fountain in the entrance hall of my own ,new ,york house in ,east ,fifty-fifth ,street4 ,i have had this wall fountain built as part of the architectural detail of the room1 with a background of paneled mirrors4 ,it spills over into a marble curbed pool where fat orange-colored goldfish live4 ,i keep the fountain banked with flowers4 ,you can imagine the pleasure of leaving the dusty city streets and entering this cool1 pleasant entrance hall4 ,our modern use of indoor fountains is perfectly legitimate3 we use them to bring the atmosphere of outdoors in4 ,in country houses we use fountains in our gardens1 but in the city we have no gardens1 and so we are very wise to bring in the outdoor things that make our lives a little more gay and informal4 ,the more suggestive of out-of-doors the happier is the effect of the sun room4 ,occasionally one sees a rare house where a glass enclosed garden opens from one of the living-rooms4 ,there is a house in ,nineteenth ,street that has such an enclosed garden1 built around a wall fountain4 ,the garden opens out of the great two-storied music-room4 ,lofty windows flank a great door1 and fill the end of the room with a luminous composition of leaded glass4 ,through the door you enter the garden1 with its tiled floor1 its glass ceiling1 and its low brick retaining walls4 ,the wall fountain is placed exactly in front of the great door1 and beneath it there is a little semi-circular pool bordered with plants and glittering with goldfish4 ,evergreens are banked against the brick walls1 and flat reliefs are hung just under the glass ceiling4 ,the garden is quite small1 but takes its place as an important part of the room4 ,it rivals in interest the massive ,gothic fireplace1 with its huge logs and feudal fire irons4 ,the better silversmiths are doing much to encourage the development of indoor fountains4 ,they display the delightful fountains of our young ,american sculptors1 fountains that would make any garden room notable4 ,there are so many of these small bronze fountains1 with ,pan piping his irresistible tune of outdoors2 children playing with frogs or geese or lizards or turtles2 gay little figures prancing in enchanted rings of friendly beasties4 ,why don't we make use of them8