Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-09-20
LIGHT coLoRS WILL DO MUCH
FOR SUNLESS ROOMS.
Small Outlay of Money and a Little
Planning Work Wonders-To
Make the Best of Your
. Surroundings.
BY MARGARET e. sANGsTER.

-
BY MARGARET E. sANesTER.
Copyright. 1906, by Joseph B. Bowles)
Never live in a sunless o II you
can help it. If you are compelled to
live on the north side of the house or
in a narrow street where little sun
shine comes, make the best of your
bargain and introduce an effect of
light and cheer in your furnishings.
The thing can be done, but to do it
requires a little planning.
A young couple who had artistic
tastes and very slender means found
a little house in a retired but rather
aristocratic quarter of a large town,
and to their great satisfaction discov-
cred that they could have it at a
rental which they could pay without
too much difficulty.
When they consulted their friends
and stated that the house was a gem,
but that it had been idle for a good
while and the landlord was willing to
let 1t go for a wonderfully small sum,
older people shook their heads. May
be it was haunted, possibly ghosts
trailed about it in the night. A crime
might have been committed there, CIV
ing the house a bad name. A physi-
clan suggested that it might prove
to be a place where tuberculosis or
other infectious germs had concealed
themselves. Notwithstanding these
suspicious, the daring young couple
determined on taking the house.
To my mind its gravest fault was
the fact that it had windows only in
front. 1t was sandwiched in between
taller buildings and built closely up
against the side walls Of houses on
another street. Being on the north
side of the way, it had no glimmer of
sunlight and for ventilation it depend
ed wholly on the front door and win
dows. What could be done with such
a house? How could it be made to
look like a CHEEKY home? Added to
| everything else, it was only a single
room in width, although there were
three rooms on each floor. The halls
were the tiniest passages and the
| stairways mere ladders. An under
taker happened to call mi day on the
young husband. His call was about
a political matter, both men belong
ing to a Good Government club in
the neighborhood. The undertaken
was betrayed into a professional re-
mark. How on earth" he exclaimed,
could / ever get a coffin down these
stairs?" The remark was gruesome,
but it did not brighten the occupants
of the house. They COPIED with the
situation. These young people had
started in as veritable cave jewellers,
but they did not mean to live in a
cave.
The first step was to paint the en-
tire house from top to bottom a pure
dazzling white. They put one coat
after another on walls and woodwork,
finishing at last with an enamel that
fairly radiated light as an icicle does
on a wintry day. To the white they
added glintings of gold or yellow.
The picture holdings were of gold,
the frames of their pictures were
gold, and wherever any relief was in
troduced against the monotony of the
white, it was of cream, yellow or
deeper gold. The window-seats were
covered with cushions and %draperies
of yellow. The furniture was entire.
iy in this tint. Tables and chairs
were white. The book shelves were
white, and wherever a vase of flow.
ers could be brought into a room il
was so managed as to carry out that
color scheme and intensity it. DAT
fodils, yellow roses, occasionally a
great bunch of white flowers with a
vivid red to set 10 off, and often
punches of mignonette or red gerani
m gave an Impression of brightness
to the room. The hangings were Of
white net and paletyellow silk. Every
where the house expressed an exceed
ing brightness and a perfect harmony
In the living-room, above a group O
palms, a canary in its cage poured
out a food of music. The rugs were
all of the palest tints, nothing darl
being admitted within the doors
These young people remained in this
house for several years, spending theil
winters very happily there and suf
fering from no illness. 1t should BIZ
added that they were both great,
given to walking and outdoor exercise
and that they spent many hours 0
every week beyond rather than within
the doors of their pretty home.