The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-02-22

| HORIZONTAL TREATMENT OF LINES, TO GIVE
THE EFFECT OF LOWERING A TOO HIGH
| CEILING.
| feet of shadow, or lot Of romantic aSsocia-
| TONS But some of those things can hardly
| be had to order, and an attempt to initiate
| the accidental picturesquenesS Of old country
dwellings is likely to result in anything but
the wished for effect exteriorly, while In the
| interior, in addition to the various sorts Of
discomfort which it entails, it has led to an
entire disregard of proportion and of the ex-
pressveness-whe properly managed - Of
architectural lines.
The owner of modern cottage, or even OF
an expensive residence, is as likely as the
occupant of the most ordinary house to be
troubled about what to do with his i'll pro-
portioned and badly arranged rooms. Some
thing can generally be done, though in the
former case a satisfactory cure is often i'm
possible Usually the difficulty is that the
room is too high or too low, too long or too
narrow, and these faults can easily be rem
edied when they are not complicated by
irregular joys and bays, by window and
door castings of unequal height and similar
unlocked for results of the modern architects
plan of working from the outside in. In deal
ing with these complications their victims
must rely on their own ingenuity; but the
greater obstacles overcome, it may be found
possible to reduce the lesser, or, ii not, to bear
with them. A few typical examples will help
us to understand the principles involved.
Take the case-very common in modern
houses-of room being too high for its
floor space. The obvious thing to do would
be to provide it with both frieze and dado,
and to make both of exceptional depth. But
perhaps the builder has already put in IA
dado of the same height as in other low
studded rooms, and the chances are that he
has made doors and windows so high that "A
deep frieze is impossible. He may also have
aggravated the difficulty by fixing over the
mantel tall mirror reaching to the cornice;
still, there is no need to despair. The prin-
ciple to act upon remains the same 1t is to
multiply and accent the horizontal lines, to
s,lbdue and etface some Of the perpendicular
ones. Thus, ii the cornice should contain a
row of tall palm fronds, in the Empire taste,
ono should abstain from picking them out
with gold, or otherwise drawing attention to
them; but the longitudinal holdings, in
stead. should be so distinguished
The narrow frieze may be decorated with
pa hast Man fna- nspary L-------.-~-e---
fashion Of decorating portieres and heavy
| window curtains with broad horizon
tai bands may be followed with advantage
| The effect of the tall niantel and mirror may
be neutralized in part by treating the frame
of the latter differently from the mantel it
| self, regildmg it, Tor example, and by cover
i ing the mantel shelf with deep lambrequin
| The paper should be Of diaper pattern. In
the opposite case, all this should be reversed
The figures on the wall paper should be dis
posed in vertical stripes; the frieze should bt
omitted or made very narrow; no horizontal
bands should he allowed on the curtains
which should hang in straight folds sofas