, 1877-03-10
WALL PAPERS.
Hints for their Proper Selection and
Arrangement.

Hints for their Proper Selection and
Arrangements.
There are those who think that if their
walls are covered with paper-hangi of a
design st once marked aod snowy, the enI
snd object Of wall decoration has been at
tanned; that they have bst to select some
bright, clearly defined pattern, heightened
by /. touch or two Of gold, TO secure u speedy
recognition of their taste and judgment in
such matters. OF course there will be found
many who will admire & rOum 50 papered.
and wonder where the hsngings were OBJ
tsined and there are those. too. who, going
10 The other extreme, will be amazed that
sny one could content himself in nom 50
decked with hnery.
Color is essential to our happiness there
can be no question about that. Even the
birds recognize it; and man in every stage,
from the lowest in the scale TO the most cul-
tivated Of his race, has acknowledged its
potency. Ii matters not how degenerate he
NAV be, how faz removed from civilization,
of one thing we may be certain: The visage
of the savage, wherever found, will be
daubed with the strongest colUrs, and his
bark canoe and murderous club will be in
cised with red and yellow ochres. A higher
civilization finds expression in a more
thorough appreciation of color; and the ex-
amples left US by the Egyptians; the Greeks,
and the Pumpeiians tear witness 10 their
love and skill in :he decorative arts.
When wall pnper first Appeared it Wns
thought 10 be, as it really Was, great sd-
vance on the old custom then in Vosue-ihat
of decorating with the painters brush, or
covering the walls with tapestry. Both these
modes OF decorating were beyond the reach
Of all but the wealthy and when it was
found that house-paper, although loaded
down with a burdensome tax, could be pro-
duced at & cost mnch below that of painting
OF arras, it at once came into favor. and has
continued to be deservedly popular. On the
history Of wall paper, ils steady Development
and its present status, il IL not necessary 10
dwell but, while we recognize It's position,
aud the good it has done, We are not uu-
mindful of It's shortcomings or what it has
vet to accomplish. That the manufacturers
are not wholly to blame for the effects OF
their products We are free to admit. The
public, hungry for display. demand the
greatest amount of show for the least money,
which has led them TO bring out designs
intended to catch the eye. rather than appeal
to our sense Of prOpriety and the fitness OF
things.
No man can give rules for selecting house
paper. or aid one in that work, if be be not
present when the selection is made, and has
no knowledge of the room IN which It is TO
be hung. To do this successfully, be must
be advised of the size of the room, It's aspect,
its use, and what the paper Is to be brought
into contact with in the way OF carpets, fur
niture and pictures. Lacking this inforna-
tion he could not say whether the rooIn
should have a cright and gay paper, or one
pluiu aud subdued. 1t might require IA de-
sign calculated to give it height; the ceilings
may be already too high, in which Case
something TO reduce the apparent height
would be needed. Through lack of win
dows or from being on the shady side OF the
house, it may he dull and unattractive
without some fresh and spirited design on
the walls OF, bssking in the sunshine, 1t
may need subdued eolUrs TO counteraet an
excess Of light. Que pattern looks bes. an
the roll another appears 10 better advantage
OH the walls. A bright bouquet may strike
one as pleasing; but a REPETITION OF set
pattern makes wall look blotchy; figures
in the round arc not to be tolerated, and
fat desigus-well, some of them are good; l
wish could say il of all.
How can one give rnles that will meet all
these coudltiousS 1t is impossible; bat L
NAV caution all who may have this matter
at heart to study it carefully, and not rely
too much on their own Judgment till they
have strengthened it by experience. A
woman studies the dress OF every other
woman, and sees through and through
every detail Of her intricate make up 1t Is
with her inruirive; nothing escapes ber
scrutiny, and even a casual glance enable-
her TO describe dress with an accuracy that
attests her skill in unravelling such enigmas-
The same amount Of attention TO the subject
under consideration would enable her TO
make iudicious selections when the time
came TO re-paper her walls and re-furnI-h
her rooms.-dRlericGn architect.