The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-08-19

NJ EXT to the living. room,, the
lower floor of a house IS the
dining ROOM The living room is the
gathering place Of the household, the
place for work as we'll as for pleasure
and rest, but the dining room is the
center Of hospitality and good cheer,
the place that should hold a spe.eiia, l
alike. Instead of being planned to
fulfil manifold functions like the liv,,.
ing room, it has one definite use and
purpose, and no disturbing element
should be allowed to creep in. Under
ordinary circumstances it's use is lin.
tied to small part Of the day, so that
a latitude is permitted which would
not be found advisable in a living
room. This latitude does not extend
to furniture and such accessories as pic
lures and bric-a-brac. 4 well-arranged
dining room, more than almost any
other room in the house, rejects any
but the absolutely necessary furnish
ings., If the wall, spaces are we'll di;,
vided and the color scheme rich and
interesting, there is no need for pic
tures-which usually seem out OF place
In a dining room-and the shining ar.
ray of silver, glass and china on side
board, shelves or platerack leaves moth
ing lacking in the way OF appropriate
ornatnentation.
Two Considerations.
siderations take equal rank, conve-
nicnce and cheerfulness. 1t goes with
out saying that the dining room should
be near the kitchen and the convenience
Is further increased if the principal
china cupboard Is built in the wall with
doors opening on both sides.
This kind Of cupboard may be made
decorative by putting small-paned or
loaded glass doors in the dining room
side, and the wooden doors at the back
treated like the wood trim of the room:
If possible, the dining room should
have an exposure that gives plenty Of
light as we'll as air. The brilliancy Of
sunny exposure may always be tenn
pered by cool and rcstful color scheme
in walls and woodwork. On the other
hand, if the room has a shady exposure
and threatens to be somber on dark
days, the atmosphere of cheerfulness,
may be given by the warmth and color
of the room. ~.
-. Value of Features.
Nowhere more than in the dining
room is evidenced the value Of struc-
tural features. Almost all the deco
AHIlfC VI lut IOOul utpeuuS pun
them. In addition to wainscot and
ceiling beams. or instead of them if the
room is differently planned, the charm
of well-placed windows, large and
small; Of built-in cupboarCs, sideboards
aml5cabinets for choice treasures of rare
china or cutglass; of shelves and plate
rack, of window ledge and window seat,
and, above all, of big, CHEEKY fireplace.
is as neverending as the ingenuity
which gives to each really beautiful
room exactly what it needs. AS in all
rooms. there should Be 'one central
structural feature which dominates all
the rest.
In one case window is recessed
with a broad ledge for the growing
things that always add beauty and life
to room; another recessed window
shows small-paned easements with
plant ledge and well cushioned win
dow seat below; still another window is
just above the broad built-in side
board which has cunningly planned re-
cesses above the three central cup
boards. A simple but effective recessed
sidehoard is surmounted by shelves for
the display of favorite jugs and plat
tcrs, and one of the most satisfactory
structural devices shows china cup
board on either side of the fireplace at
the end of the room, and a bnilt-in seat
running down the side and ending in a
quaint angle which fills the corner. A
door opening from the dining room
upon either porch or garden is ALWAYS
to be desired, as it brings that sense
OF outdoor air and freedom that is, be-
You'd all things, cheerful and bright.