Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-03
WINDOW ORAPERIES
What Fashion Calls Effective
and Artistic.
A VARIETY TO CHOOSE.
GREAT SCOPE FOR INDIVIDUAL
TASTE AND INGENUITY.
Stenciled Portieres Are Novelty That
Home Artists Can Develop
Successfully.
A VARIETY TO CHOOSE

WAS PAD, IN ali conscience, out IL might
have passed If they had not ruined it with,
strange excrescences and bunchy draperies.
They had gone wildly astray over carpets
and curtains: indeed. the whole family
seemed to have had an infalible instinct
for decorative disaster
How many otherwise welI-furnished
homes one sees that have gone astray
decoratively simply from bad window
treatment! The draperies of a window
give the same character to a room that
eyebrows and lashes give to the human
face, and it behoo,es every housewife to
make little study of the subject.
Then. too, the outside world judges our
aesthetic taste by the appearance of the
front windows at least, and for interior
decoration draperies are the keynote of the.
entire scheme. The arrangement of win
dow draperles Is a more serious matter
nowadays than it was formerly, when
handsome "stuff'' curtains for the winter
and light draperies for the summer sup
plcmented by short blinds of uniform pat.
tern sufflced. One result of the protest
against uniformity and monotony is that
the windows of me st modern houses have
an architectural individuality which must
be reckoned with if they are to be the
pleasing decorative features they should be
IN room And, on the other hand, there
never was time when for small outlay
such artistic results may be brought about
when combined with little art '.gump
ton"
The roller shade has been displaced in
many homes by the sash curtain, which
latter gives a certain character and pre-
clsion to the outside appearance of
house. And another dangerous rival is the
store bonnie femme. with it's charming at
fractions in the way of lace incrustations
and soft, falling fiounces. This shop term
bonnie femme is misleading one and in
reality means nothing more than a straight
curtain of net decorated with elaborate
design in renaissance and finished with
ten-inch ruff1e at the bottom. The bonnie
femme is hung perfectly plain from a rod
close against the window pane
Decorated Shades.
But where roller shades are liked they
are to be found hung in many instances
between the easement curtain and the in
side drapery. To hold it's own against the
attractions of the easement curtain the
roller shade must of necessity establish a
claim to decorative qualities of one kind
or another in the matter of form, color or
orramentation. Its place must be main
tanned by virtue of its gracefully curved
outlines or by the softly harmonizing color
OF which 1t is composed and the effect of
its border of handsome lace. A new shade
has been evolved this season which fills
all these needs. In tone it is soft an
tique string color and at the bottom is
beautihed with. trimming of cut linen
idCc vi Tie OTUeT OF the Dr0Q6r1e anglalSe,
which seems to be invading all of our be-
longings. This handsome scrollwork full
fills its mission of characterization and Is
suiltless of f1msiness or frivolity which is
SO out of place on roller blind of SUBJ
stantial linen.
When drapng the window the character
of the room must be taken into consdera-
ton, for hanging which would be charm
ing in drawing room would be utterly
out of place in the library or dining room
Then the proportions and the lighting
facilities, whether the apartment be high
o" low ceiled, naturally or artificially light
ed. should be taken into account. In a
lofty apartment long, straight lines should
be avoided, unless modified by a valance
drapery at the top of the window.
The Present Fancy. ~
For smart drawing rooms the point
d'arabe curtain is the fancy at present.
Indeed, this "eye of the house" may boast
as many as four different hangings For
instance, there may be sash curtains hung
straight from a small rod against the win
dow, next a bonnie femme, then long lace
curtain and last, heavy rich silk or velvet
draperfes Such a trea tment is carrying a
good thing rather too far and means much
in the way of expense, as the other fur
n1shings OF the room must live up to the
elegance of the window hangings.
The three-Quarter net or lace curtain is
rivaling the long drapery In popularity,
and in brussels net is pretty and inexpen-
sive, with its insertion and edge of cluny
or of renaissance braid manipulated in
pointed design. The crossed ruffied cur
tains of net are decidedly tout" and in
their place has come an endless variety of
art and Russian net curtains in most at
tractive meSheS.
1t is much better for the woman who is
seeking artistic results with a scantily sup
piled purse to use these really lovely nets
instead of cheap limitations of lace, and
1t is a genuine tribute to the art wave
which is sweeping the country that the in
artistic and hideous Nottingham lace cur
tain is conspicuous by it's absence and that
much thought is given to the putting up of
colored Powered window hangings when
the wall is plain, and vice versa.
Venetian silk is an exquisite material to
hang at the library window when the room
is of simple nature. Where the color
scheme is green, striped venetian silk cur
ta.ns of three quarter length hung straight
the design made up of horizontal stripes of
dull greens and Indian reds make a good
effect. Particularly is this true when the
wall is hung with dull green cartridge
paper and the furniture is dull ebony or,
to be strictly truthful beautiful imitation
of this expensive wood made by purchasing
common deal kitchen chairs of good
shape and painting them dull black which
was the expedient resorted to in a notable
artistic little dining in New York
apartment
Double Rufaes.
Quite novel idea is the double-decker
SASH WHICH CUHSlSlS OI Two
tains of the easement variety hung one
above the other on thin brass rods. In an
artists studio these double deckers were
made of ordinary un5leached cotton rllffied
at the sides and bottom. For long cur
tains there is a wool rep in all art shades
which is particularly happy in it's effects.
There are also any number of finished
materials besides velours in all qualities
which are used for heavy draperies.
Stanciled portieres are stunning when ar
tistically carried out, and with but little
knowledge CT painting a charming curtain
may be made at home The best materials
to work on are burlap, arras cloth, velour
and homespun linen. To apply the design
rub the color on with a brush through the
perforations of the design. which should be
cut waterproof paper. The making of
the design is the most difficult part of the
process
Chance for Genius.
1t is in bed rooms that a woman's in
genuity is most cheaply and satisfactorily
displayed. There are any number of cheap
cottons, cretonnes and silkolines that make
up into delightfully."- picturesque window
draperies. The least ambitious and most
effective style is that of gathered valance
with long, scant draperies at the side of
cretonne hung over a simple little net cur
TAIN