Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-24
SELECTING THE PAPER
An Enterprise in Which Many
Are Now Engaged.
RENOVATING THERO0MS
NICE SELECTIONS IN WALL COW
ERINGs OR FURNITURE.
When in Harmony Pleasant Effects
Result - Useful
Hints.

| To paraphrase the poet, Sin autumn the
| housewives fancy busily turns to thoughts
of redecorating" her house. In fact, re-
| furnishing and refurbishing generally is the
| order of these melancholy autumn days
The aspiring and aesthetic house furnlshef
talks of nothing from morning TIL nigh'
| but the symphonies in color she is compos-
Ing for the home beautiful. There is, how
ever nothing that requires greater care OF
in which the novice in art matters shows
her ignorance more than in choosing wall
paper.
The choice is not only difficult one from
the color and design point of view, Dut also
| from the necessity of regarding In one
mental vision the exact effect pattern Will
have when hung on the walls of room. A
paper which is extremely effective when
seen in a small piece often proves disap-
pointing when hung. 1t is insignificant, or,
I worse still, to use a trade term, spotty on
| the walls, while a pattern considered hand
some and suitable in the shop may prove
too heavy and large for the apartment
| which it is desired to adorn.
| Doubtless in the choice of paper there
| lies much good and bad fortune, but al the
| same time luck may be assisted wonderfully
| by the learning of certain rules when the
| novice will do we'll to lay to heart and even
| to commit to paper before she commences
| that delightful task of decorating house,
| fOF every one KNOWS tHdl ud ToOiH III tle
! wrong color is a really serious blunder.
| Articles of apparel are easily and often IN
extensively replaced, but the decoration of
| a room is not undertaken in the average
| home every year or at the dictates OF the
| imperious Madame Fashion; therefore,
| when it's done it should be well done.
| First and foremost, the aspect of room
| is an all-important consideration, also the
| fact of it's being a light or dark, nigh or
| low, narrow or wide apartment. south
ern exposure should be treated with light
| colors-blues and silver greens, Tor IN
| stance-while a room which gets its light
| from the north should have pink and yell
| low, red, gold or brown. If a west or east
exposure is to be COPIED with the choice is
not restricted, for almost any tone is good.
When that ever-welcome guest the sum-
never or seldom visits a room, yellow of
bright shade is required, while, on the
| other hand, in room well lit even by arti-
| fetal means, may safely be placed green,
turquoise or red colorings. 1t is well to re-
| member that floral paper will brighten up
a dark spot in a pleasant fashion, and that
| a room of wide proportions will take sue
cessfully a paper of far more decided de-
sign, both in color and pattern, than one
of narrower proportions The effect of
much patterned paper is to bring the walls
closer together; consequently, in an I'M
usually narrow room or hall plain papers
are more satisfactory.
How tc Choose.
Another rule is that paper is always
darker in unbroken masses, and when
choosing a wall tint a medium light tone
is to be preferred, the stronger tones being
added in furniture and hangings.
Again, If curtains, cretOnneS, etc, of
fiowery design are to be used avoid a flow
cred or figured paper, for these hangings to
retain their value must have plain sur
face as a background. With self-colored
hangingS the case is exactly reversed, and
one may go rejoicing on a fowery way.
And there are arbitrary laws about the use
of the frieZe A high-ceiled room Graves
one of these pretty borders, while a low
one is raised in imagination when papered
in the same tone to the ceiling. And now
a word as to ceilings themselves AS a
rule plain paper or calcimining done in the
tint of least value used in the room decora-
ton is the artistic aim, but should the side
walls be hung with plain paper minus
border a small-figured design in paper or a
light. harmonizing tint is particularly good.
Other Considerations.
When paper is to be chosen for several
rooms it is fine idea to note their exact
size, height, aspect, number of windows,
design of carpets and curtains to be used
in each room with many patterns of
these as you can comfortably muster to as
SiSt you in your choice.
These are few of the wall paper rules to
live by, and one hardly realizes how much
the physical and mental health of the oc-
cupant of a room depends upon the selec-
ton of a wall covering.
Too much red in a room is like the con-
slant blare of a brass band, while a soft
tint unconsciously soothes the nerves and
induces that restfulness that should ema-
nate from an artistic choice of coloring.
The most striking features of the new
wall papers are to be found in palmer de-
signs. Ingram paper and plain-surfaced
materials are loveler than ever, and flower
effects are very fetching, carried out as
they now are in more scattered and smaller
patterns. Dull greens, soft yellows, golden
browns, lavenders-indeed, all the fainter
tones are among the new things in wall
papers. The fad of the moment is to deco
rate the house in various tones of one color.
Contrast in neighboring rooms where diff
ferent coors actually swear at each other
is not to be tolerated by the up-to-date fur
nisher. The true colorist is born, of course
but if this graduation of tone was oftener
employed that desirable thing, a home in
which nothing jars, would not be so rare.
This harmony of coloring extends to wood
work and floors. The oaks now stained
to blend well with soft green paper, pitch
pine with turquoise, and SO on down the
color scale.
All in Harmony.
Furniture should be considered much more
than it is in relation to wall coverings. An
tique furniture of the Chippendale and She
ration schools always looks best against
turquoise wall, fumed oak against a con-
yentional design of green or vivid yellow,
while light woods show up better when a
woods cry out for a background of dainty
floral paper, ivory painted self-colored
walls of delicate tone, with floral frieze.
A dainty dining room, recently decorated
by a young housewife whose wealth con-
sisted more of originality than of dollars
was carried out in Wedgwood china effects.
The apartment so treated was rather small
and responded well to dainty designs. The
walls were hung with an inexpensive fabric
of the blush gray tint peculiar to the best
Wedgwood specimens. deep frieze of
darker blue tint, decorated with Wedgwood
figures in grayish blue, used. A novel
idea evolved by this little woman was to
paint and enamel her rather commonplace
dining room furniture, which fortunately
happened to be of the mission style. On
the floor was laid a large rug of the jap
anese blue and white wash variety. The
door drapery was of rich blue velour and
the window curtains were of art net. The
charming effect of this room was height
ened when the table was set with white
eggshell china.
A Dutch dining room is a simple matter
to evolve this fall, as new wall paper has
been made carrying out Hollandish scenes
and people in panel and frieze effects This
paper is not cheap, but is wonderfully odd
and effective. In connection with odd dining |
rooms Mime. Christine Nilsson has probably