The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-21
HOUSE DECORATION COLOR.
MIKE FOUR ROOMS LOOK At
TR1CTITE, COOL, AND CHEERFUL.

auered at Present by Aesthetic Taste
Tho Use or Yellow and Red-To Mako y
Narrow Room sauare-The UEiy City House.
what is your advice to the average house
keeper who Graves artistic surroundings and has
little money to spend T. n successful house dec
orator was asked.
II would say buy fewer and better things. and
think more Of tho art displayed in their con-
s%truction than in the material employed. Fur
niture made out of good ash, birch, wildwood,
spruce, strongly and serviceably put together. is
moro TO the purpose than that OF cheaply made
mahogany, much ornamented with headings
and mouldings. Chintz is moro desirable than
stringy cotton.backed plush. and II one cannot
afford curtains and draperies OF expensive lace
she may evolve charming effects in muslin or
even chcesocloth. Painted wood is easier man
aged in regard to decorative effect than wood fin
ishcd in natural tones. that is, where expense is to
be considered. In the matter OF ornament a
single plaster cast, II 1t be really artistic, is bet
ter than a piece OF marble statuary poorly exc
cuted, and then a person Of taste can so COM
plctely revolutionize q house by using tho right
colors in the right place. 1 don't believe that
people dream Of half the possibilities to DO
gotten out of judicious use of colors. There are
colors that are refreshing and broadening, others
that absorb light and give a boxed-up appear
ance to a room, others that make a room with q
bleak northern exposure or with no exposure at
all appear bright and cheerful; some that make
a room appear warm, some that make 1t cold.
The thermometer seems to fall six degrees
when you walk into a blue room. Yellow is an
advancing color; therefore, q room fitted up in
yellow will appear smaller than II is. On the
other hand, blue of a certain shade introduced
generously into a room will give an idea of space.
Red makes no difference in regard to size. Green
makes very little. II a bright. sunny room gets
its light from n space obtrudcd upon by russell
colorcd or yellow-paintcd houses, or else looks
out upon a stretch of green grass, It
should DO decorated In a color very differ
ent from the shade chosen IL the light
comes from only an unbroken cxpanse
OF sky. Red brings out in a room whatever hint
OF green turks in the composition OF the other
colors employed. Green needs sunlight to do
velop the yellow in 1t and make it seem cheerful.
Ii olive or red brown be used in conjunction with
mahogany furniture the effect is very different
from what 1t would DO II blue was used. Blue
would develop the tawny orange lurking in the
mahogany. II n ceiling Is to be made higher,
leave it light that 1t may appear to recede.
Deepening the color used on the ceiling would
make it lower, an effect desirable II the room ia
small and the ceiling very high. Various tones
Of yellow are substitutes for sunlight"
House decorating has come to have q different
meaning IrOm ltS Interpretation n low years ago.
Formerly it referred rather to the superfiuities
than the essentials OF existence; now the deco
rator, besides considering effects in an aesthetic
sense, Is conquering real matterof-fact, every
day problems. A certain young enthusiast in the
profession says she lies awake at night devising
original ways to make beauty and utility Join
hands, and yet not make too much Of a demand
on her patrons purse.
II like to tackle difficulties" she says. II
like IN get hold nf n tnnnRlahanpi rom and
out schemes for broadening a hopelessly narrow
ms TO pull down q too high ceiling. or planning
them so as to give a loftier effect, Hike to make
have had some success in my work: have re.
decorated some expensive houses in town, and
fashionable places. l have fitted up a good many
bachelor apartments and family apartments as
never wsn; ann ann W yh9bs nv Workn n1t i1n't feel i1 tbsn / AM
getting on.
The average city house is dark and unlovely.
lit only at the front and back. There is a
straight, narrow hall and a straight staircase
leading up out OF 1t. and rows of dreary rooms,
with acres of wall space to be covered or TO cape
disconsoiate. The first thing l do when con
suited about such a house is TO urge something
to make the entrance hall look wider. and to get
rid OF the extreme length of the rooms. Rugs
running crossways in the hall. a mirror intro
continued 50 as to diminish the height Of the
ceiling. all will help, OF course. if the width is
too contracted to admit OF even the slightest
.'"+S" ~ sHS '"AA'sNSS c'Nh uD w
"A judicious use of screens Of certain colors
the long. narrow room into something like COST
ness. To me the crying need Of the day is for
relieve the eye. not to tire it, and most OF the
rooms one enters have far too much in them. l
m feSI IKE iD, sT,sss rec snsb half the b.,I m3pltt tip mSy, Of # o # E.
not ornament in the true sense, only a cumber-
Ing of space pa Women are to blame N for this;
carpets and hang pictures on strongly marked
wan paper. and use over.elaborate cur
nistic TO each other. There should be only ono
decided color in a room. and that used as q
are TO show out Two or three combinations
may DO used in the minor details; but they
s AS3S fb blend msiI ha GInn %Ssy w With zach. zach other he and and
sidered only as a background for tho pictures.
the floor covering as q background for the rugs
the furniture. The whole should be u setting for
the people who are TO use the room.
Men seldom want an excess OF things about
them, and | have often noticed that no surround
ings In which a man can be- placed are more than
~sonality; they are useful as they addto his com
fort or pleasure. but they add nothing to him.
The feminine nature is different. The room that
sh wG sess n anSss Ia ,d0 and S'f iaentifed par" WITH S' it, heri
know a newly decorated room that Is artistic and
eFesnd s spriakied over PSReF; with E r s5Gee ehrssan sisa
strips. The same paper makes the ado. Ave feet
high. and having a narrow moulding shelf finish
ing 1t at the top. The wall papering above tho
dado is unhgured. Of plain groundwork OF ecru.
The furniture is very simple and OF bird's-eye
maple. The dressing table Is formed OF two
Japanese cases OF a comfortable length and
height. with a mirror above in a bamboo frame.
Japanese mating covers the floor. and there Is
q jute rug showing touches OF red and
brown. Strong color is given in the bits
spread OF Madras chlntz and In the
huge Japanese umbrella, which forms the can.
opy over the bed, The effect Is light and taste
ful and serviceable as well. Thore is another
room papered with common brown wrapping
paper, such as butchers use. Over it IL stem
cilled n flowing scroll pattern OF interlacing
leaves in russell, color. The white pine wood
work Is stained the same color and the furniture
upholstered in dark red leather. There are
hunting scenes on tho wall and a Smyrna rug in
tones OF red and brown in front OF the open fire.
place. From my point OF view taste and econ
omy are not Incompatible"
THE GOLDEN RULE OF TRAVEL.
a Mothers Advice to Her Daughter About