The times., 1899-09-17
FASHIONS LATEST FAD
Historic Jaeebean Furniture Is New
the Proper Thing.
A Piece Par Excellence II the Plate
Boy-DariS Interiors. Black Carved
Oak. and Murrey-CoIored Leather
Very Much I'm yosue-Preferred
Hansings Are Rich. Glowing. Reds.

NEW YORK. Sept ie.-Red running
through the gamut Of its rich dyes. from
Morris scarlet to the deepest mulberry. IA
oy universal choice the favorite scheme in
house decoration this season. The stead
lily increasing popularity of mahogany in
simple colonial forms has brought this
sanguine color into fashion. and after
long dalliance with French STYLES and a
momentary fancy for delft blues, lavish
use OF gliding and white paint. the whole
inclination of extremely modern interior
ornamentation is toward the order, dark
er, and severer English modes Nothing
is more acutely fashionable. for Instance,
than a library. hall. or even an elfire
first floor. wholly decorated and furnished
after the best Jaeobean models Ieft in
England, Ireland and Scotland, and one
OF the charms of King James room Is
that il can be done at as lavish or mO.iee-
ate cost as you please and il is like noth-
ing we have had before in our American
homes.
In Mrs Elliot F. Shepard's New York
house. only recently Completed, there Is
small Jaeobean library that wogli be
faultless model for anyone desiring
similar room to copy. The walls are hHug
in murrey go ored leather, and the wood
work is carved cedar; the floor is stainad
black, then waxed, highly polished, anu
on it are laid red rugs. All the furniture
AID this motif in decoration come from an
ancient manorhouse on the border be-
tween England and Scotland. Carved
fumed oak. so called from being BACKED
by age ana the smoke from slow peat
fires, forms the presses that hold the
books, and the wooden portion of the
quaint, uncomfortable, long-legged. low
backed conversation chairs. the window
stools and the settees. Murrey-eolored
leather upholsters these and in corners
against the walls there are carved locked
chests for holding valued manuscripts and
family papers. and one long tapestry cur
tain hangs at each deeply recessed win
dow.
The effect of the Jacobean room is, in
spite of its absence of mirrors gilt and
loose bric-a-brac. wonderfully rich, stately
and cosy, and In those houses where no
such liberal expenditure as in Mrs. Shep-
ards could be indulged. the decorators
have pursued the King James style with
wonderful eheapnsss and success. They
copy the quaint furniture forms in carved
black American walnut, or use an oak that
By artifice is given the worn, dusky toRs
OF great age Burlaps is laid on walls and
painted murrey red. and walnut is used for
woodwork or door facings. etc. painted
black. Where in any room this early six
teenth century idea Of decoration Is fol-
lowed, the bric-a-brae is carefully boarded
up in open-fronted eupboards. OF shallow
presses with half glass doors. and the very
newest idea in dining-roOms is a great
plate sideboard.
Whenever a dinner party is given nova
days, it is in the code Of fashion for the
hostess to order on view all her beautiful
plate geld. and silver not so much for
actual table use as for display and the or
namentation of her dining-room. Now, the
ordinary long. low Georgian. or what we
call colonial, sidebcaTd Of mahogany Is
not well suited for this so that some wom-
en- who do not only own splendid silver
services, but whose husbands have won
with their yachts and received from cor
porations beautiful gifts of plate. require
special sideboards on which to exhibit their
glttering boards
For this purpose in black carved oak
Jacobean plate boys, with shelves rising
nearly to the ceiling are being especially
built and SO placed in handsome dining
eandelabrum can fall effectively on the
tiers of almost Nibelungen richness.
Mrs. Bradley Martin was one of the first
women in America to use a plate boy. AID
she introduced one at her dinner parties last
winter. Hers was of richly carved fumed
oak. genuine King James or Charles piece.
and its top shelf nearly touched the din
ing-room ceiling Those OF her wealthy
friends who this winter viii follow her mi
tiative are some of them having their plate
boys built of any simple wood and then
entirely covered in ruby red velvet, against
which the plate will show as effectively
and certainly at much less expense, than on
the lofty oak shelves.
Sang de boeuf or bulls blood red. is the
approved tint in which the drawing rooms
are being done over, and the decorators say
that il is the most becoming background
possible for women Of all colorings. and es-
peciaIiy when in evening dress. II appears
that in drawing-room decoration, as in the
feminine wardrobe. fabrics go in and out
of fashion about every five years. and now.
after the broeades and damasks Of the
French influence velvet has come to its
own again 1t is used as a wall hanging.
for portisres and curtains. not draped bur
hanging straight. arras fashion. Our mod
ern silk velvet is not approved; Venetian
Utrecht. and Flanders velvet are the kinds
employed for hangings and upholstery and
just now. no matter il your hall Is colonial
your library Jaeobean, and your dining
room OF another period, your drawing room
must not be in any particular cut and dried
fashion. One of its most important feat
ures is its chairs. that can be chosen from
every period in history il you choose, pro-
vided they are all graceful and ornamental.
In every on of the newly-done over re-
ception salons there is sure TO be carye1
cedar gondola chair. in aid with very pink
pearl and bits of coral, and softsDed in
it's curved seat by plump pillow covered
with Venetian velvet, and having heavy
gold tassels at its four corners On either
side the drawing-room fireplace are also
inevitably a pair of lofty backed court
chaisr. These have gilded frames. perfect
ly straight, solid wood backs. down the
centre of which a strip of red velvet is
fastened, velvet seats, and are occupied
usually by the hostess and her most hon
ored feminine guest A deep Dutch easy
chair is another one OF the newcomers in
the American drawing-room, and a fat
ure now noticeable is the increasing num-
Der of foot stools. Women are Just begin
ming TO learn again not only that against
a crimson velvet cushion their slender.
delieately slippered feet show TO wonderful
advantage but that there is no bette.'
means of resting tired feet than by the
use of foot stool. and also there is no
wiser precaution, when weary o. under the
weather, for escaping Gods and neural sia
than by propping the feet up on cushion
The upholsterers are making foot rests
of many shapes and mater ais stUffing