The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1883-02-17

of the city, finished by one of the leading
decorators of New York, the staircase,
which is carried up four stories, is Of
polished mahogany, with panelings of the
same running up the entire height of the
wall, and there is no more noticeable por-
ton of the modern interior than the stair
way and hall Probably in course Of time
an educated public taste will insist upon
the absence of the narrow staircase which
disfgures most houses of moderate size,
and which even in the hands of the modern
decorator is an unsightly necessity. The
value of land in this city is, of course, one
reason for the narrowness of the dwellings
which people are delighted to own, but
WHY narrow house should excuse the in
PRODUCTION of staircase precisely at the
point where space is most desirable 1t
would be hard to tell Such, however, is
the present law of homes, and as it exists,
we may be grateful that carved balustrades
and deep, low stairs seem likely to replace
the plain straight lines of the stereotyped
staircase. In large houses, in mansions,
and in public buildings, as well as in many
cottages at the seaside resorts. the absence
of this offence to all beauty is a relief, or
where it is found absolutely impossible to
put the stairway out of sight it is treated
in such manner that, becoming in itself
beautiful, it ceases to be an eye-sore. This
can. of course, only be the case where out
lay is no great consideration. In some
such houses hall in dark woods will have
a stairway of polished white oak on shall
low steps cleaning in contrast to wall
wainscoated to the ceilings and terminal
ing in rich carved ratings. In others the
stairs are of polished mahogany and the
rails are beautifully carved or turned
The cost Of decoration in wood, of
course, varies greatly. One single room
in this city fitted up with carved mahog-
any cost 100000, but, as we have seen,
houses valuing under $4,000 are fitted
up in their degree in most satisfactory
manner. For tenants the modern style of
building has much to commend it. In
12-roomed house for example, cornices, or
even curtain poles, represent considerable
expense, and it must be great relief to
find how much of this indispensable
furnishing is supplied. The window
frames are no longer plain sashes, but in
the new houses are most elaborate speci
mems of decorative woodwork, extending
to the ceiling and embracing the entire
width of the room, mirror filling up the
space between the windows. This species
of decoration may be in a combination of
two or three woods and be repeated over
the three or four doors which are in the
apartment SO the bare look of an unfnish-
ed room is lost. The doors cOmmunicat-
ing with the next room and those of the
buffers pantry and dumbwaiter, as well as
that of the entrance, are all carried out In
the same way, and are most decorative in
effect While dining room is thus par
TALLY furnished by fittings, the reception
room in another style has received equal
attention, and there, too, the elaborately
carved window frames preclude the neces-
sity of cornice or pole, while large mir
ror in a carved frame of similar work oc
cupies the centre of the wall. Such dec
Grafton lessons the cost of furnishing very
considerably, to say nothing of the time
and worry of fitting windows with suitable
furnishings.
1t is impossible to give any definite
rules for the selection of woods for decor
alton. So much depends upon individual
taste and so much also upon the fashion
of the moment There is some danger
now of our having almost too much wood
work in our midst Small rooms are
easily over loaded with it, and it is a
mistake TO suppose that wainscotings and
panels are appropriate every where But
the most legitimate outlet for such decora-
tive effort is found in every house, how
ever small-that is the hearth. The sub
stitution of hard wood for marble, is un-
questionably great gain. In this respect
the carved and polished mantel is thing
of great beauty and is becoming increas-
inely popular. 1t affords such infinite
possibilities and can be used in COM
bination with so many materials that it Is
sure to become more and more used.
Even where, as is the case in smaller
dwellings, there is no upper mantel, great
deal is accomplished. Two or three light
woods, as white oak, ash and maple, are
used together, and the mantel shelf itself
is of the lightest and finished off with plain
polishing. Few people estimate the labor
of giving a fine polish to wood. In case
which recently came under our notice, it
required one mans time for ten days to
polish the surface of mahogany sideboard.
Probably in those coming days when we
find our tastes will be commented upon by
the severe criticism of those who will have
excelled us. our homes will be the subject
of much comment and of certain disap-
proval. 1t must be admitted that there is
degree of confusion in some of our dec
orative notions, which it may be satisfacto-
ry to us to lay to the account of progress"
or ''growth in artistic culture" but which,
from whatever cause, exists We have
not exactly reached the "severe" in orna-
mental style; neither are we passionately
given to the fanciful 1t seems as though,