Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-29
THE DRAWING ROOM
Tasteful Ways Ito Decorate
and Furnish.
NOT PAINFULLY NEAT
TOO MANY KN1cKKNAcKs Is JUST
AS BAD.
Beautiful Objects if You Can Afford,
but None Too Good to
Use.
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star.
The average drawing room is apt to be
series of sad mistakes in the selection OF
furniture and the color scheme. There is
an old saying that he who makes no mis-
takes makes nothing. Fortunately there
are people who learn by past errors what to
avoid in the future, but the majority go on
biindly and stupidity, stepping never the
more carefully for remembering the slip
which resulted in a broken leg. To the lat
ter class may be traced many of the insult
able drawing rooms often seen
The first essential of a room of this kind
is that it shall convey even to the most
casual visitor a sense of restfulness and
harmony. 1t may be stately with it's Louis
furnishings or attractive in its simple be-
longings, but, whatever it is let there be
strong note of individuality everywhere
1t is this note which, when successfully
struck, makes one eXclaim: What a
charmingly uncommon room, So original
and quaint in treatment OF course in for
NAL furnishings quaintness is impossible; the
era to which the room belongs must be
carried out to gain the right effect but
even then the arrangement may be original
As a matter of fact many houses of the
present day are regarded merely as tenn
porary abodes where restless people may
leave their belongings while they roam far
and wide in search of what their ancestors
found by their ain Observation-Disclosures
health and comfort.
My first plea shall be for a drawing room
which, in the English sense is also a liv-
ing room. And my next crusade shall he
against overcrowding, the fault of our age
and country. In the modern American
house pictures, china, knickknacks, curtains
and draperies form such a bewildering ar
ray that the eye searches in vain for an
object of artistic worth on which to rest
1t is perfectly astonishing how a refined
woman-one who would scorn to wear anv-
thing tawdry-will fill her drawing room
with cheap furniture and ornaments and
imagine them artistic treasures. From most
rooms of this sort nine-tenths of the con-
tents might be relegated to limbo with the
utmost advantage Such a proceeding
would save the housemaid an infinite
amount of trouble, and more recognition
would be secured for the merits of our
household gods which, valuable as they
may be, are overlooked by reason of their
worthless companions.
An Ideal Model
The living room l am going to arrange
shall have as wall decora ton a plain vel
vet finished paper Of a dull green shade 1
want to insist upon the use of plain pa per-
as no other style affords such a good back
ground for pictures and is SO satisfactory
In every respect. whitewashed wall or
one of common brown packing paper would
be far more pleasing to the eye than some
OF the figured patterns SO dear to the up-
holsterers heart, where as somebody ex-
presses it, there seems to be race between
the flowers as to which shall first hit you
in the face. This green color however, is
not always a safe tone to put on the wall.
Everything depends upon the exposure of
the room, and the shade must be selected
with this object in view. The green of the
wall is toned down by white enameled
woodwork, which gives just the relief it
needs. The carpet should always be unob-
trusive and never the first object to attract
attention upon entering the room. So