The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-07-26
DECORATIVE
UPHOLSTERY.
Gold and White Is Not All That Fancy
Has Painted IT.
A Room Should Be Furnished According to
the Light 1t Receives to Produce
Good Effect Memorial Tables.
IFRoM THE uPHo1srERER.l

Now Is the time when we discover that
the white and gold room is not all that
fancy paints 1t. The restless fly has had
much to do with our discovery, fol he has
spurned the sugar bowl and revelS in the
lurd ecstacies of the Louis XVI room.
Delicate tables of gold and rich brass
work are now initiated in plaster and gilt
Even the Sheraton furniture OF inlaid col
ored woods is done in stenciled designs,
merely paint deep. 1t is only the things
that are good that are imitated-bronZes
and metal-work. Some of the reproduc-
lions are as good as the originals in ali but
substance. There is only one in this coun-
try making papier mache armor. He shows
breast plate in reproduction of that of
Henry VIII, and the details of the original,
now in the British Museum, are faithfully
followed, even to the mutilated and rotted
strap work. the verdegris and tarnish on the
metal and the rusted rivets. Here is pile
of war-clubs, battle-axes, swords, cine
tiers. gantlets and the key Of the Bastille,
in prices from So to $40, and dead-sure
copies of the originals. All of these things
are used in house decorations. They are
clustered in wall ornamentation ; they form
part of the Over-dO0r drapings; battle-axes
and cimeters protrude from medieval por-
tieres-and all paper.
NOTTINGHAM LACE.
new and rising American industry Is
the manufacture of Nottingham lace cur
tains Folks who use Brussels turn up their
noses at Nottinghams, bnt there are nearly
100000 pairs Of English Noting ham cur
tains, just the same. used in America each
year. Nottingham machine costs $1,000
and is marvel of mechanical construction.
and one machine can make from 500 10 700
pairs Of lace curtains each week.
There is nothing which more directly eff
fectS the character of ones furnishings than
locality. Light varies, and TO obtain proper
results one should consider the source from
which his room is lighted. II room has a
northern aspect, the light which comes in
is of cold and glazing character, and hard
cOlorS should never be used. Given two
bare rooms, one facing the north and one the
south, and furnish them identically alike
and you Will tiad utterly different effects. A
room getting its light from the north should
be furnished in warm tintS-yellow or golden
browns.
A novelty in decoration is a Cupid made
OF brass, about foot and half high. in
close reproduction of the delightful Italian
CupidS carved in wood, fat and angelic as
Cpplds ought to be, and posed with Its hands
extended to grasp the ends of drapery.
One foot OF the Cupid is provided with a
screw, and thus easily finds resting place
upon cornice or curtaln-pOle over door
way. 1t gives the decorator an opportunity
ing of pOrliere by rings alone.
CASTLES IN SPAIN.
We now and then hear of "castles in
Spain," and we, who live in blocks" are
disposed TO feel tnat we are behind the age
in the castle business, and yet there are
plenty of houses in this country whose cost
run into the millions. The widow of Mark
Hopkins has three houses which took 10
build and furnish close on to $1,000, 600
apiece. White,aw Reid's new house at
White Plains will cost Sl,000,0C0. Hunting
toms Fifth-avenue residence, New York,
vii! cost over 100000, and every one else
with means is spending lot of ii in matters
decorative. We read about what Mrs.
Lorillard SpenSer is doing with her sea-
shore furnishings, or how Sally Hargous'
home Is furnished, or the style of decorat-
ing which Mrs. George Gould patroniZes,
or Austin CorbinS craze for old furniture;
but the most curious fad in decoration is
that practiced by Lord LiSle, an Irish peer,
who has covered the walls OF his dining
room with colored clay pipes, arranged in
stars and crosses IN way to make effective
designs. Thus he has employed 800 pipes,
all Of which his "ludship" has smoked.
SIX or seven years ago the craze began for
what is called piano lamps-those tall lean
stemmed long shafted contriyances that run
five or six feet up and ere top heavy with
radiant shades. They have been made by
the thousands and hundreds of thousands,
and now they are introduced as part of
chair. A conversational chair recently seen
by US has one of those piano lamps rising
from the center OF the arm.
MEMORIAL TABLES.
A memorial table is the latest within. 1t
is provided with top oveI-set or covered
with glass, finely beYeled, heavy and sub
stantial. Beneath this can be placed ''resou-
tions," or regrets, or Other epstOlary COM
munications, accompanied by photograph or
picture. Tie table is furnished in different
forms. There is the giddy style for the
sweet girl graduate, which preserves her
diploma therein, or the more funeral style,
edged in mourning, for the widow Of late
decea sed." Friends put in writing how much
they thought OF him and inclose their me-
mortal in tLis table.
Among the novelties which the importers
are bringing out. but not yet showing to the
public. are lace curtains, appliqued with
designs, in fancy cOlors.
Antique curtains are being sold as low as
So pair, and Arabian lace curtains have
tor the first lime in their history been
brought out iu low grades, cheap enough
Tor almost any purse.
There is very little hand embroidery done
now for the upholstery trade, for the reason
that importers bring over an endless variety
Of embroidered fragments, in every con-
ceivable style, and these fragments are
arranged and appliqued onto the plain goods
by the dealers.