Los Angeles herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1890-1893, 1890-09-29
WOMEN DECORATORS.
THERE is ONE IN CHICAGO WHO HAS
ACHIEVED SUCCESS.

Mrs. Benfey's Views on Identifying the
Home-Expensive Furnishings Not Me-
the Main Thing.
The development of the art of household
decoration has opened to women one of
the most delightful and suitable profess
sions that in these days of woman's work
can attract the time and talent of the sex.
To transform barren, often ugly, rooms
into attractiveness is a truly feminine task.
All women are supposed to have some
aesthetic TASTE or at least to love beauty
even If they are SO unfortunate as to lack all
power of creating it for themselves. Who,
indeed, does not admire the talent that
changes graceless corner into an "early
English" conceit, or transforms a barren
fireplace into an Eastlakean dream? The
little house that was so poor and bare has
become paradise of rest to eye and heart,
and tired steps grow lighter with the JOY
of being there. Such tasks belong in some
degree to all home making, and are not
confined to professional decorators, but it
is nevertheless true that training is needed
to make one an artist in this respect. But
training alone will not do it.
MUST BE AN ARTIST.
The decorator should be born an artist.
So important has this art Of decoration be-
come that even the housekeeper's skill is
measured less by her ability to buy roasts
than by her faculty for metamorphosing
garrett furniture into art studies, or with
an inexpensive bit Of cheesecloth or Gre
tonne evolving beauty out of unsightly
walls or windows. in recent years most
of our dry goods stores haye added what are
called art departments, where are displayed
all sorts of aesthetic fancies for home adorn-
ment. At first a corner or an upper floor
was all that was needed to show these
goods. Now what a changed Not only
must there be wide spaces for cases and
counters, but a window or two on the main
floor must be devoted to the display of
newest designs. There must be designer,
too, to preside over the department, sug-
gest ideas to buyers and make suitable Sc
lections. These places are often filled by
women who are thorough artists in their
way and who are well paid for their inter-
esting work.
A woman who stands at the head of her
profession in this line is Mrs. Lillian Ben
fey. Her fame extends all the way from
New York to Denver. She does not believe
in sitting down and weeping because the
world is so large and women are oppressed.
Her motto has been to look on the bright side
of things, and if the somber, unfinished
side will persist in turning toward her,
WELL let it turn, and with strip of velvet,
a bit of ribbon, a few Kensington stitches
and q touch of the stencil here and there
take away the gloomy aspect It is because
of her natural aptitude for this that she
can draw a salary of 81 200 a year, and that
Inn Keeper Southgate, of the Auditorium
hotel, gave her carte blanche to furnish his
private parlors. Her own parlors on the
south side are said to be faithful copies of
the famous Moorish room in the Hoffman
house, New York.
Mrs. Bentley talks entertainingly about
decorative effects and how they are pro-
duced. She says: "When l enter room
to plan it's decoration and furnishing
look first at its prevailing color, for of
course this is to be my background. My
ideas must be regulated by it.
BASE OF OPERATIONS.
Next look around for desirable bases
of decoration. A mantel is one, the bare
wall opposite another Then follow cor
ners, and last of all furniture. Ny chief
effort will likely be the mantel. In select
ing material my greatest care must be not
W tdhc any tLluS WHICH HAS DecOIle pdSSe
or out of style, for woman will quickly
detect old ideas. 1t may be charming
bit, but if it has been used the season be-
f6fe no one viii Fave it. 4 srining pi1dn-
der in this respect will be as objectionable
as If my work were cut of tone. When
the mantel suits me attack a corner. So
few women know how to treat nook. 1t
is the easiest thing in the world to overdo
here. If handled perfectly when finished
it will be as beautiful as painting.
''In treating materials l avoid embroid-
cry as much as possible. Too much en-
broidery detracts from high art finish.
Turkish goods, with all their oriental
coloring and designs, can almost always be
substituted. However, there is nothing to
equal a simple figure in magnifed wheat
or clover, done with orange colored rope
linen on Roman red portieres. Draperies
In solid colors as rule, are not hurt when
illuminated with well chosen needlework.
Although my sample card contains over a
hundred stitches-and l think there IS not
stitch in the world that am not familiar
With do not encourage stampede
I'D hat, &c or1r