Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-20
FOR HOME DECORATION
The Eternal Fitness of Things Should
Always Be Considered
The Person Of Taste Allows Indfvid.
aiity-Many Clever Ideas.
Written Exclusively for The Evening Star.

Written Exclusively for The Evening Star.
How to make home beautiful is a study
that refined natures have always found
worthy of much attention. Assuredly. II is
one of the things worth living for. but IT is
subject to fashions DEGREES, and its require
ments vary and increase, until now. In these
days OF elaborate luxury. the beauty of a
house is too often intrusted to a profession
al taste. while the fancies of the owner are
left in a measure. out OF sight. Yet. the
woman that has the Unborn sense of "eter-
nal fitness and a fearless independence of
judgment may bring about far happier re-
suits than the decorator who yields to the
oracle Of prevailing fashion. Her rooms
may be furnished little dIsproportionately.
1t is true. hut they will be quite charming in
their effect Of freshness and unconvention-
atty.
OF course. the style Of the house should be
first considered. II IL is old English, we
can hardly have our walls hung with
choicest tapestry produced by the members
OF our own family. or our tables furnished
with bowls exquisitely wrought in gold, cups
dainty with jewels, and salvers huge and
gorgeous. But We can refrain from dados
and from choking UP our rooms with a hun
dred and one heterogeneous curios, and
from littering them with "every kind of
china uselessness:" and we can have oak
tables. settles and chairs beautifully pol
ished and carved, the work showing feeling
rather than ornateness.
II we have built q house in colonial style.
then We may have high white mantels,
carved In festooned wreaths which suggest
old graveyard tombstones. the narrow shelf
ornamented with tall, columnar, silver
candlesticks. We may bring into drawing
room prominence an old chimney corner
chair. with the stuffed back and sides high
enough and broad enough to have protected
the occupant Of early days from the draughts
that used to rush through the doors of the
half-heated rooms-draughts that have no
terrors for US now. when the cracking
blaze Is q mere ornament and an efficient
furnace Is our real comforter; and, II we
are consistent, We must have spindle-legged
tables. high, stiff, not particularly comfort
able chairs and a sparseiy furnished hall
Comfort in the Home.
But II we have Just any kind of a house
and want to furnish 1t In just any sort OF
a way. the rooms may be treated differently.
II one IL possessed OF the golden fleece a
Louis Quinze drawing room may be at
tempted. full Of carved curves and lowered
brocades; but this delicate style Is not
suited to economical treatment Unless
produced with the greatest skill by superior
artists the result is disappointing, even
vulgar. For the contrast Of great simple
ity Of design. q chippendale room would be
extremely attractive.
At present the highest fashion is to avoid
the fashion: that is. the best taste leans to
individualism. following only the general
ter dency Of the fashion. The ideal of the
most la mode woman IL to furnish her
rooms quite differently from her neighbors,
but to make them very lovely withal She
tries to make her drawing room more hab-
liable than has been the custom OF recent
years She uses less bric-a-brac and is
careful not to overcrowd the floor space
with cabinets. For upholstery and drapery
silken materials. She provides plenty of
comfortable chairs, not few OF them
large and reposefui enough for a club
smoking room; she has coy corners, win
dow seats affording plenty Of sitting space
and tempting fireside seat
In her dining room. instead OF the somber
enects that were once In vogue, she strives
Tor light decorative effect She makes
1t vivid color with vigorously designed pa-
pers. heavy portieres and eastern rugs. In
her bed rooms she uses very large chfnty
patterns for the walls and printed velveteen
tor the draperies; but through all she
strikes the clear note of her own PERSONAL
ity. She ignores articles that the dealers
declare ARE selling" and, in every detail.
she exercises her own cheerful sway with.
out exaggerating her individuality
The most purely instructed decorative
taste at the present time leads to light
effects. for sanitary reasons possibly. sShe
late Sir Andrew Clark was a firm believer
IN the influence Of the mind over the body
ard one Of his primary directions was
always to keep cheerful and not dwell uron
your complaint Upon one occasion he Wis
ited a patient whose bed room was COW
cred with a wall paper of that depressing
shade and pattern with which the average
builder delights to disfgure rooms THAT
paper" said Sir Andrew decisiyely. sis
quite enough to send a healthy man mel
ancholy mad; Its eject upon an invalid who
Is compelled to lie still and gaze upon II
all day must be awful You'll have Ia
move the patient into more cheerfully
papered room"
But. Sir Andrew, this is the best Of them
all, was the remonstrance.
Then" said the great doctor won mus,
buy a bright cretonne or something and
hide these dreadful walls" And cretonne
was purchased accordingly.
The Floral Decorations.
However. the furnishing of a house Is
nowadays a small part Of its decoration
AZ icdSt WHICH, Is accomplished IL "a
really finished. but the floral decoration IS
considered almost as essential and tina,
must be cared for from day to day. re-
quiring eternal vigilance to reach ana hold
success. Each room should have its deco.
ration in one color as far as flowers arr
concerned. The newest idea in room deco.
ration is to arrange sprays over the door.
ways In light effects. Each spray must b
allowed to assert itself and show its own
beauty. The graceful, artistic perception
Of the japanese has crossed the sea and
taught us the value Of the dear stems
Of flowers.
The pale, subdued tints so refreshing
In the hot summer weather, should be re.
placed with more brilliant colors as the
cold, gloomy days come on. Then a red
decoration Of autumn branches NAV bt
carried out To harmonic with this a yer,
striking effect can be produced by adding Z
light wooden frame to the fireplace start
ing from the floor in front OF the fender or
each SIDE going up the 5ambs and meeting
under the mantelpiece Upon this frame
branches may be tied with red ribbon O,
a soft, glowing shade. When the fire 4.
lighted the effect OF the flames giisteninf
through the branches IL charming. Thii
is especially beautiful I'm the hospitabl,
hall. with similar branches tied to tn,
banisters with huge scarlet bows At tn,
foot Of the newell a little hollow tree trnul
may be placed. filled with graceful bough.
and tnll grasses shaded from sflyor n