The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-03
HOME DECORATIONS.

Some Suggestions of What Nor to Do-Thas
General Avoidance of Incongruity.
Author of Don't in Christian Union.
Don't forget this elementary princple-that
room must not consist of unrelated colors and
objects but possess harmonious unity in ita
plan of furnishing and decoration.
Don't put high colors on your walls or in your
carpets or tapestry-and very little of it any
where else. Wall papers must DO quiet liz tOHo
if you desire to produce pleasant effect Pie
lures cannot look well if hung against loud pat
terms or positive eoors; your bric a brac is sure
to DE ineffective and tasteless if it's designs ara
confused with the designs and colors against
which it is placed.
is very well forarge halls grand saloons but the
effect is not good for domestic rooms Color en-
the walls in this way is sure to be in conflict
with whatever color may be brought in. whether
in pictures, furniture, hangings decorative
objects.
Don't select carpets with gay tints or pro-
nounced designs 1t is impossible for furniture
to appear to good advantage set upon ford PAL
terms, clamoring, so TO speak, TO be seem Carpets
and wall colors should be as foiis for color and
ornament, rather than color and ornament iu
themselves. 1t is impossible to furnish a room
agreeably unless this principles kept in mind
Don't have white handicapped tables
marble mantles in your rooms, for objects of
this kind are enough to chill the heart of a
bronze statue. White walls in room ara
equally chilling 1t is impossible to do anything
with them. Cold and unrelated surfaces thew
will remain, plan as one may. A touch of
gray or brown in the tint is a great help. but
white is absolutely fatal to decorative effect
Don't be persuaded into vanished floors aud
rugs, instead of carpets. Floors treated in thia
manner are serious nuisance, Every football
mars them, and it costs more to keep them in
good order than to pay for carpets at the outset
If, however, they are repeatedly oiled and var
nished and ceaseless pains taken to keep thems
in good condition, the effect is very pleasing
Articles of furniture stand out against the dark
varnsh in rich and artistic contrast
Don't be induced to lay upon your floors Turk
ish or Persian rugs. The figures and colors Of
these rugs are considered very artistic, but tina
fact is that they usurp the attention altogether
too much, and it is difficult to get them in har-
mony with walls or furniture rug made from
wellselected Brussels carpet is much more salts
factory. rug of this kind, with quiet center
piece and a broad border, in which a little color
is introduced and made so as to leave about two
feet of stained floor space around it, gives much
the effect OF rug furnishing, without the annoy
ances that pertain to floors with large space un-
covered.
Don't put up elaborate brass CRATES in your
rooms unless you intend to use them. snowy
brass CRATE unstained by smoke or ashes, sug-
gests in all its gitrerng newness show room
and not home. A fire place not consecrated TO
to a fire. that has neither warmth nor sugees-
ton of warmth is dreadful sham; it is not artist
ic; it is not decorative; kills rather than gives
pleasure.
Don't hang upon your walls hugo black CO.
cravings set IN vast spaces of white margin
Pictures of this sort are very depressing In
stead of white margins substitute a gray paper.
and IL you must have black prints, select thoss
that have good deal of gray in them-pictures
with tone and mellow effects. Etchings COM
monty have more softnesS and artistic effect
than engravings Don't hang chromos on your
walls, or colored prints; don't display long lines
OF family photographs; don't hang MOSES or
col0red leaves, or dried grasses about.
Don. have fancy devices for picture frames
Picture frames should be of gilt, or oak, wal
nut-neve- of velvet, never of ornamentsd
ather-work, never of shells or burrs. or of any
thing fantastic. Whatever the material Lee
ornament be sparingly used Picture frames
should set off the picture and not set on then~
selves.
Don't crowd your rooms with too many OBJ
Iects 1t is not good taste to transfer museum
or brica brac dealers collection to your apart
ments A few articles, selected with Judgment
and with their relation to the color scheme OF
the room in view, give sense OF beauty and
repose such as we should seek to obtain IN our
homes.
Don't, on the other hand, let your rooms be
too bald and empty. Portieres and window
hangings do much toward relieving barrennesa-
Some bric-a- brac is very desirable, and few
pictures are important The art Is to have ones
room filed, but not packed
Don't paint pictures or ornamental designs on
your door panels. Unless door panels treated i'm
this way are kept very quiet, the effect 10 loud
and disturbing.
Don't select high colors for your furniture
covering Blue or pink satin may do FOR iady's
boudoir, where the whole scheme of treatment
is light and delicate, but in a drawing room for
general uses 1t is ont of place.
Don't purchase potichomanie or resort to any
of the make believe devices for ornamenting
glass or china. limitations and subterfug.s 90
all kinds should be avoided.
Don't bring into your rooms ineongruous
things. Have variety but not discords. single
bit Of loud. raw color is very disturbing One
picture not we'll selected may throw the whole
room out of key. The general effect must nsvcN
be lost sight Of.