Evening star., 1902-01-04
JAPANESE DECORATIONS
JUST THE THING NOW FOR ONE
ROOM IN THE HOUSE.
Arrangement by a Clever Jap-Idea
Easy to Follow for Furni-
ture, Etc.

Fashionable decorators have for the pres
ent adopted the idea Of making each room
in a house something quite distinct and
different from the other apartments For
instance, they may design colonial hail.
an old English dining room, a French
drawing room, Persian library and a
Japanese sitting room. Just at present
there Is a persistent increase in the pop
ularity of everything Japanese or Chinese.
| Much Of this is doubtless due to the occi-
dents Increasing capacity for appreciating
the subtle art of the orient.
| Fortunately the cost of japanese decora-
tions is comparatively small in certain
lines. To be sure, old cloisonne, Netsukes
| worries, genuine sumies or water colors,
bronze incense burners, bells, vases and
| lanterns or cand1estfcks of antique work.
manship, historic swords, old lacquer ware,
Shonsut or Kutani porcelains, old Satsuma,
stone wares, blue Sometsuki or eggsheI
potteries of Auta or ancient crackle wares
are worth small fortunes and belong only
to the province of the wealthy collector.
They are really treasures, however, and
| when within ones means should be prefer
red to the cheap bric-a-brac which litters
most houses. The history of such orna-
ments the romance of their manufacture
and their individuality, once appreciated
by their owners, lend them perennial in
terest
fine as the old ware; the Japanese them
selves admit it. Initiative to remarkable
degree, they have adopted the occidental
habit of turning out slip-shop work and
now cheap Japanese potteries, porcelains,
| screens, paintings and embroideries may be
! bought at the department stores.
Bamboo Corner Seat and Shelf.
| A clever Jap who has studied in the art
| schools Of Paris has arranged model
room. None of the furniture is japanese
but the ornaments are. The hardwood
floor is covered with handsome japanese
rug, and the wall on the side of the room
| adjacent to the chimney piece Is hidden by
| a Japanese dado. A raised platform near
| the window is divided from the rest of the
room by low rail: a corner seat covered
| with Japanese draperies and cushions fills
| in the chimney corner. No small pictures
have been used upon the walls. Instead
| there are two rows of small delicate water
| colors, pen-and-ink sketches, photographs
and pasteis. Above the mantel hang
frames of bamboo, with odd, projecting
corners. A piece Of mounted china in the
shape Of a fish, couple of china plaques
and a bronze tile are outlined against the
| delicate wall paper.
! The dado may be initiated by amateurs
For background take crimped pasteboard
! coated with shellac varnish and with
| birds, fishes insects flowers foliage and
| squirrels painted over its surface in water
| colors. The Japanese artist in making the
| original design adopted the simplest and
most Subdued color scheme possible. A lit
| tie study Of specimens of work in the many
| Japanese souvenir books to be found at any
| book store will show the national method
of harmonizing color tones. In doing the
work the pasteboard unless so porous that
| the colors rum should receive the figures
before the varnish is applied. The paint
should be tried on piece of pasteboard
| before the dado is vanished to ascertain
| whether or not the paint will run when ap-
| piled to it. On the mantel Japanese jars
and other ornaments are scattered in SEEM
ingly careless profusion, while flowers IN
quaint bowls are set upon dainty bamboo
| stands.
| Prefer Bamboo Furniture.
The Japanese themselves prefer bamboo
furniture-in fact, it is about the only kind
of which the ordinary people have any
| knowledge. Therefore, bamboo furniture in
an oriental room Is much more appropriate
| than the heavy mahogany which the Japa-
nese decorator was compelled to be-
cause it happened to be at hand. 1t will be
| noticed that the pieces Of mahogany are as
| simple and as light as possible The temple
| lantern that hangs from the ceiling is fit
ted with electric light bulbs.
The windows are divided into small sec
tions in imitation of the many -paned sashes
used by the Japanese. Curtains of Japa-
neSe silk are suspended from narrow rods,
and portieres of the same cover the door.
The frames for Japanese furniture, which
may be bought in the shops, can be dec
GRATED at home.
InerG is an ARRANGEMENT Cdiied d corner
seat which depends, altogether for its |
beauty on accessories in the shape of cush- |
ions and the narrow shelf which usually is |
adjusted over it for the reception of china |
and pictures. Bamboo screens lend them |
selves most effectively to- the intricaces of |
interior decoration. They may be lined |
with silk and covered with photographs, or, |
better still, left undraped and fitted with |
two cross Shelves on which bowls Of flow |
ers, tea set or magazines or books are |
carelessly disposed.
A bamboo cabinet for music or for the |
display of bric-a-brac is joy forever. The |
little cupboard door, If not pleasingly or |
nate, may be made SO by piece of gold |
embroidery tackled over it's surface with |
fine nails and finished off with handsome
band. ~
All sorts Of dainty flower stands are made |
py the Japs. The stands are low or high, |
the dwarf ones intended for growing plants
the higher ones for vases.
The Dwarfed Plants.
No woman has failed to admire the
dwarfed plants for whose culture the jap
anese are famous. The gardeners stunt |
them by removing the roots before they
have spread beyond certain distance.
To make capital miniature plant place |
an acorn or some similar hardy young seed |
into the earth in an orange skin from |
which the top has been cut and the pulp |
removed so that the shape of the skin is
not changed AS fast as the roots push |
through the orange skin they should be |
cut on with sharp scissors. The plant |
In the sunshine. When necessary an old |
orange skin may be slit open and the plant |
In the earth slipped into new one. A I
hanging basket made of wire should be |
nodded to hold the skin vase and its fairy |
like plant. ETHEL KNOX.
The tunic is msnamed. Originally it was |
| a Roman and Greek garment enveloping |
Il TOdaVef g n Of l.