The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-02-19
A BEAUTIFUL TABLE.
Novel and Effective Schemes for Ar
 tistic Decoration.

tistic Decoration.
 A clever woman who, in the 1inner- giving season, is kept busy devising novel and effective schemes for making a table beautiful, advises not only the massing of color, but the graduating of it, as giving the most satisfactory et- feet.
 "A table where the china, candle shades, flowers, etc.. are entirely in one color is always effective,' she says, "Eut it is far more so if this color is kept in graduated shades. If the cen ter decoration is deeper in tint than the outer part it gives an effect like that ci a flower deep sning at the heaI't, and this effect is very easily secured. Take table lalid with roses or carna- tions, for instance; it can be made to fade from deepest rose to the palest shell tint, and thus give the variety in harmony so pleasing to the color-loving eye A pretty arrangement on this plan is made with red carnations. A tall, ruby glass vase, twenty inches high, with a spreading margin, stands in the center of table upon plate glass table mirror. In this vase are the deep red carnations, separated from each ether by misty sprays of aspara- gus the vase and contents being i'm aged deep in the underlying mirror At the ctrners of the large mahogany ta- ble are placed discs of carnations of pale red, made by tying the flowers in small punches and laying each bunch r,on ferny leaf of aspara gus in such q Wa:' as to secure the rounI or wal effect needed. From the center of the ceiling, directly over the table, hangs a one-globe chandelier, covered by a full red silk shade, which spreads out in umbrella fashion and throws red glow over the table underneath. This scheme of decoration gets it's value mainly from reflection and shade. The red lamp shade gives the glow, the ethereal quality of ooIoc. and this is re- fected, not only in the table mirror, but upon lle glasses and silver, while the shape is beautiful.
 "It is hard to secure the same grad uation in a yellow table, as, for in stance, with chrysanthemums or daffo- dils, because the shades of those of most yellow flowers are uniform. The depth of color can be supplied by us- ing a center piece of orange-colored silk as background.
 Ribbons, as a rule, should not be used in table decoration, because the quality of dyed color is seldom in true or even subtle accord with the tints of flowers; but this does not apply to spreads of color used. as a background. A green glass jar of tasteful shape holding a few slender -stemmed chry- santhemums, with thin, spiky leaves intermingled, shows to good advant- age set upon square of orange color ed silk. When the surface of the silk is partly frightened by a fern-like growth of asparagus plumes it is easy to lead out from the central object to more delicate and more scattered ef- fects of yellow. Yellow fruit can be | utilized as an effective garland about | a yellow brocade center piece. Deer 1 orange-red mandarins, pale yellow oranges, bright yellow lemons, few yellowish white grapes, and an edg- ing of orange leaves with one or two | buds and open flowers, make a charm ing combination of color.
 "In using smaller flowers, such as pansies or nasturtiums, where the form of the flower Is not in itself beautiful or stately, the masses of color must be | carefully graded and varied in order te produce the best effect. Flowers sucf as lilies, roses, narcissus, daffodils ant | their kind are graceful in shape anC lead themselves more readily to a dec. orators plans. The fleur de lis makes an ideal table decoration A vase O. purple glass, shaped like an inverted horn. and enlivened with gold standing upon a square of purple velvet, makes a fitting holder for the royal flower There should be in that vase twenty or thirty of the flowers with buds ant the sword shaped leaves. A tapestr, effect of small foliage and velvety pan sies should enrich the surface of tn, | IdDle dL cOIlVcIlleliI pOlHIS. lI0 SllVe I and glassware of the service reflect tn, l purpler glow of the flower and the re | suit is rich and satisfactory.
 Tn using long -stemmed flowers" sh, l continued, much depends on the colo | of the jar or vase selected to holt | them. For this purpose glass is fa better than china, as it's transparenc. is in itself quality of beauty Whel very few flowers are used, and those O white or pale rose color especially. opal escent glass vases of dainty shape ar to be preferred to vases of more pro nounced hues. Green glass jars are tn
 most universally appropriate and use full
 "Of course, satisfactory table dec l oration must take into account tn china, glass and silver used, but whel flowers are the predominating mean of beauty it is only necessary to SC that the table service does not in an
 way clash, but rather help out the gen | eral scheme, by suggestions of colol
 A beautiful table is the continuation O
 refined living, of the effort to make tn
 satisfaction of bodily necessity tn
 occasion of pure enjoyment for tn
 ideal sense Table decoration is practi
 cally new art although a rediscover
 ed one, and there are many adopts an
 professionals trying to develop it to tn
 highest possible degree. ."-Chicago Dis