Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-03-17
A SYMPHONY OF COLOR.
How the Guest Chamber was Fur.
nisIed with Charmimg Effect.

How the Guest Chamber was Fur
nisised with Charming Effect.
From Hsrper's Bazar.
The ornament Of house Is tho friends who frequent
eyes, Betty said Jack. rubbing his hands In
way that be;okeDs high satisfaction with ones self
and ones Acknowledgements Betty, Il was the
nreplaccs that sold the house."
Well they might have sold IL. Such freplaces
and such andlrons! They stood like sentinels.
And such logsi covered with moss and bark, and
Ice too, for It was early April And II the fireplace
be the heart OF the house. then this old house held
many hearts
Jack and were standing together on the hearth,
looking at tho flames as they streamed up the
yellow birch logs We had been making a tour Of
the new house, or rather OF the old house which
was new 70 NE, for Jack and Jean had Just bought
an old-iashOned house IN which TO settle down
and enjoy "the bonnie bliJhe blink o. their ain IRE
side" and Jean had invited me TO spend q few
weeks OF the spring time with them, and enjoy
should come.
Jack and Jean had been housekeepers and home
makers before now, but through some years OF life
abroad and foreign travel their lures and pepates
bad been packed away, ana therefore settling
down once more 10 a life Of housekeeping, with all
It's attending Incidents had quite the interest and
charm OF novelty; and with nearly everything In
their pleasure with them, remembering that had
never had what had always expressed a longing
for-a spring-time in the country, where l could
watch and enjoy the beauty OF 'the green things
growing"
SO as Jack and stood on the hearth-rug watch
my tne names shoot up TO the kettle that hung
on the crane. Jean came In with her hands full OF
pine cones to throw on the fire.
1es, said she, catching the drift OF our CONVEX
satlon, Jack would never have bought this great
mouse out TOT Its many firepaces, which IL was
quite impossible for him to resist So here we are,
and all done but the furnishing OF the large guest
chamber, and that will have 10 wait until autumn,
A - nd
''ls II 10 be newly furnished."
ut must OF necessity be, for have nothing left
put a ora5s bedstead, and carpet which VIII not
begin TO cover the fioor.r
u have happy thought, Jean; let US go to
WORK with that foundation and do the room"
but, ssid JEAN 81 must th1nk OF the expense,
for want TO make IL very handsome
lt shall De handsome, and IL shall be odd. II you
VIII intrust IL TO me. Let's take account OF stock
The guest-chamber was O long, rectangular
room, with TWO windows on one long side, and o
long, low window In one end OF the room; at the
other END was wide fireplace with deep recesse5
on either side, one OF which, lighted by a pretty
oval window, might with arrangement OF portieres
and screen, be made into a dafnty dressing-roOpl,
while the whole room seemed full OF charming
possibilities. II needed TO be painted and papered
which might be done at small cost, and as we had
the carpet TO work from, we resolved TO take that
as our keynote OF color.
The carpet, (which would not begin to cover
was brought down and spread out. IL was q lovely
pink Brussels, with sprays OF leaves shading from
faintest pearl TO darkest gray 10 did not begin to
cover the nOOr, truly, but as IL was TO be made to
do, the first thing was 10 decide what decoration
or walls and ceiling would best narmOnze with It.
As the exposure OF the room was a northeast one,
We concluded TO get q warm effect in paint and
paper and trp into the city resulted in the selec
tlon or pretty paper with soft creamy ground,
and figure so tiny as TO be hardly figure at ALL
while Tor the ceiling we chose paper with lighter
ground and tiny stars upon II. The wood-work OF
the room was painted In softes tints Of cream and
pearl, and the deep frieZe OF roses and dafYOdiis
married" the carpet and the walls.
Now for the foor. The boards were gone over
with carpenters plane, the nail holes and cracks
We're carefully nlled with putty, and the floor was
painted with the first coat OF dark gray paint by
Jean and me, who enjoyed our novel work hugely
coming TO the conclusion that the paint brush Is
mightler than the pen The first coat dry, q
Sc ond coat OF paint and varnish went on, and
given TO allow II time 10 dry and harden and then
the carpet, stretched and bordered, rug fashion.
was laid down aud fastened with nails whose
brass heads were nearly an inch In diameter and
made a gorgeous showing; and then the brass
bed5tead was moved In, and set up ON the long
bare side OF the ROOM
We'll DONE" said Jack, when we called him In
10 admire the result OF our labOrs ..And what
branch OF the art do you take up next.-
dressing case, chinonnier, tables and chairs.
furniture mandatory, where we propose 10 buy a
set OF implanted furniture"
what. pine: and not mahogany, gold and
ivory"
Exactly. We are patronizing home Industries
Next day We drove through piny woods TO the
nei4hoorlng town, where, at the factory where
we bought, for almost "a mere SOM
dresSing-caSe, commOde. a chiffOnpier and two
small chairs. These, sent home, were placed in a
clean, dry room on the wOod-shed, where no one
was allowed 10 enter but Jean and myself until
after week or so OF intervals OF rest and labor we
were ready TO exhibit three handsome pieces OF
eboniZed furniture, black and shining TO which
brass trimmings gave brilliancy and style and two
little chairs to match>
so far 50 good. Cream-colored walls. pink car
raw t,pasc I.a.lo
eoonzed furniture with brass trimmings, ana our
scheme ~ color was working out well Veyt in
order were draperies and bed-rurnishings, for
which we selected lovely cretonnc, all pink and
cream and pearl color, from which we made dra-
peries which went up on eboniZed poles with brass
ends and rings. and bed-spread ana bolster cover,
as wei as canopy for the bedStead The two little
e0Onized chairs hiu seats made from the cretonne
and the pretty straw chairs that Jean could easily
ana head-reStS 10 match, and the Old settle that
was placed under the long low window was COW
cred with the same pretty rosy cretonne
IL Is wonderful how, wnen YOU once begin IN
plan and TO execute, things seem 10 grow under
your hand. some one has told OF 1.-THE total de-
pravity OF inaniInate things" but am sure they
else Why should the peach blow lars older than
Jean and me, have been the very precise rhnos
for that room; and why else should thai beautiful
Old set OF china chamber-ware, all covered with
roses and posies that belonged to Aunt Barbara.
have 50 exactly matched that room that she could
not help giving IL to Jean: and why should the
PINK cup and saucer 'pickeG up" in Dresden
which refused 10 harmonic with anything in the
dlnlng-room or anywhere else, have looked so
perfectly ct home In the new guest-chamber,
And why was IL that the handkerchief cases and
pin-cusnions ana lap tablets that were sent 10
Jean at Christmas-tiIne were all OF chosen pink.
AT laSt the room was done: four weeks OF pleas
ant planning, and by no means tiresome WORK
and the great empty guest-chamber was fur,
nlshed, at very little expense And when Mrs
Governor came down from the city TO spend the
day. and was taken over the quaint old house she
admired the red room and the blue room ana The
owe room; but when she came TO the large guest
chamber she stopped and said, "Why this IS the
prettiest OF all III perfect symphony OF cOlorr
And then she looked at the great open fireplace.
with ITS tall brass andirons and smouldering back,
log Ind tEen up at the high old-tashioned uantel-
piece, where, on the wooden panels, Jean and
had wrought, in the pretty new putty-work, and
rnished with finest paint, these words, 1.-The Orna-
ment OF house Is the friends who frequent IT,"