Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-07-05
Home AdOrnment.

nome Adjournment.
t' D'r1 ooaooS on,r.
First of all, have a clearly defined idea as
20 what you want your rooms 20 look like
picture them to yourself tin you give them
character aud tone-adapt them TO yourself,
your means and your purposes Just as YOU do
your dresses or hats before buying these
you calculate something about the color. the
style OF making, and the service. If Won
have parlor, decide whether its tone shall
bc light or sombre, what color, or shade Of
color rather, shall prevail, and what usage
shall be eXacted of it; IL for family enjoy
mcnt as well as visitors, cheerful substantial
things should be chosen, even il delicate
colors and fragile furniture be very tempt
ing. Lavender walls and dainty reps are
exceedingly apt 10 soil, besides not being in
good taste in a room for general use-iust
as pearl-colored silk is exquisite ia ball
room and absurd for a promenade. Decide
all these particular, first. then attend TO the
walls.
a pure, white wall is always va good taste,
but since wall papers are made so exquisite,
and so generally used. and calcimining and
painting ia tiuts are so popular, the walls
are usually changed from white 10 desired
tone, corresponding with carpet aud furni-
ture. Green is not advisable because it is
rather conspicuous and startling, unless q
silver gray-green is chosen. and because 10
necessitates green in the furniture, which is
sure 20 fade and grow ugly Perhaps a soft
drab or gray or warm light hrown-uot
darker than coffee when richly creamed-
proves the most satisfactory tone Tor living
rooms pink, pearl, or blue Tor bedrooms.
Plain papers are vastly preferable to figured
ones, If pictures are TO be hung over them,
If no pictures, paper iu panels or columns
should be chosen.
The great red cord So invariably used to
hang pictures with j., So conspcg0us that
one hardly looks at the picture held 10y it,
and should be bani-hed at once and forever.
Either use fine cord of the same color as the
wall, and have it reach entirely 10 the top Of
il, or else completely hidden behind the
frame. A kind of .ilyered wire, or light
rope, inexpensive, very strong and almost
invisible is now sold for hanging pictures
with, and is very pretty As 10 the pictures
themselves, burn up every chrome, print on
imitation thing in your possession that has
not some redeeming feature, something es-
sentially good and true in it. DO not even
leave them for the children 10 play with.
They are lowering your taste, aud depreciat-
ing your art-perceptiou every time your eyes
fall upon them.
Cart all the family photographs (unless
You have one or two really lovely ones doing
justice to a fine face) into your bedrooms,
but do not hang them ON walls of rooms iu
oval black frames, eight and ten deep. where
people sit and are stared out Of countenauce
10y representations Of your husband whose
face is not natural even to YOU in its forced
repose; 10y innumerable auuts with their
hands crossed spasmodically over their per
sons, as if in pain, or stouty grasping an alb
surd railing or book 10y all the children and
nieces Of your family in every state of
misery and detection arising from the agony
Of having their pictures took Take
them into your own room, but DO not
torture people Of good taste into looking
into unjust representations, often amount
ing to downright caricatures Of those dear
10 YOU, but totally Indifferent 10 them.
One gets very queer and Incorrect ideas Of
anothers family and status from these very
photographic displays.
In place of these things hang a steel en-
craving always refined frequently more
beautiful than oil paintings), good chrome
Autographs of flowers or ferns, pair of
lovely chromos issued by reliable firm, and
some photographic copies of fine statuary,
Lovely flower pietures-true to nature, deli
cate and graceful, can he bought in odd,
pretty frames, very cheaply (ess than dol
lar will DO it), and what is a richer feast IN
color than the exquisite gems now chromoed
so perfectly that they rival nature in beauty
One lights up q whole room with It's rich
fame Of color.
True, these last are rather expensive, cost
ing about five dollars apiece without frames
and may not be within reach of all, but they
are mentioned merely as Illustrations, and
may be of service in the choosing of wall
decorations, so far as the idea of point OF
color is concerned. \ little rich, warm color
sparingly used in q room, is Of incalculablt
service in giving it tone If you cannot re-.
place your family photographs and premium
chromos by these expensive ones at once
wait till you can, but put them out of sight
Your clean, soft-toned walls are mucl
more refined pictureless, than so dishgured
or have but one, so it be good and true
then add to that others, as your purse length
ems collecting as you would a library.
In furnishing windows, regard you hous6
outside and in, and choose linen or muslin
roller shade-never paper; either white
/ brown dr1h, or very dark green, according
I to the color OF the house outside--if it be RED
1 hricl, or white frame, white or dark greer
shades; if drab or brown. the same colol
shonld be nsed at the windows. Curtain,
cannot he mentioned here. aud carpets mus
bide another time.
Above all. do not load YOUR mantel Will
vases and ornaments: one pair of the former
and those nerfectly plain. unless very hand
sone or with merely spray of flowers OF
10
mantel. nrettv clock. if Won possess one