The Washington times., 1908-09-25
WOMEN DESIGNERS
ACCOMPLISH MUCH
Here and Abroad Interior
Decorating by Them Is
Often Seen.
BELASCO DESIGNING
DONE BY TWO WOMEN
They Love Their Work, and Are
Full of Resources IN
Doing It,

A woman-one of that big, brainy.
and alive-to-the-possibilit
ment lcind-once said to me, 7 just
love women who do things
It occurred to me las night that all /
women should love those of their sex
who do something. when ! saw the
work Of two who are running their own
little bark through the sea Of CONNER
cialism and are keeping art on top all
the time
On the program at the BclascO Thea
ter this week credit for having designed
the stage setting is given TO Miss Lewis
and Mrs. MuchmOTe. Their names mean
little TO the layman, but out of every
crease in the rich velvet hangings Of
the first and third act sets, and from
underneath the dear little carved legs
of the exquisite furniture which is a
part of the scene, their work stands
out.
Sees Designers.
When I heard that two women had
designed this set-a luxurious and yes
q most simple interior OF the home OF
a Spanish grandee-I was a little curl
Gus TO see the set When 1 saw that
I was more than ordinarily curious 20
see the two women, and when L saw
them I envied and glorifed them IN
the same thought wave.
Miss Lewis and Mrs. Muchmore have
a studio in New York. and simply radi-
ate suggestions for interior decorations
They take over whole houses, scat their
owners of to Europe and go ahead;
tearing out partitions, putting In new
rooms and embellishing every corner OF
the tiny apartment or the pretenuous
mansion, as the case may be, in the
TFhasr-
designing and executing the scene In
the Faversham play. The World and
His WIFE" is a suggestion Of what
they do with a home.
Paid to Make a Home.
Being paid to make a home for a
man sounds unusual. doesn't it2' said
Miss Lewis to me. But that is our
work and il is the most absorbing, most
fascinating work I'm the world. We have
our owa stan Of mechanics and usually,
when we go into a house or an apart
ment, we take our little army of build
ers. Sometimes II IS necessary TO tear
out a good part of the interior. We re-
modelled Mr.. and Mrs FaVersham
home while they were abroad last sum
mer, adding new room Every con
sideratiOn that may contribute TO the
whole picture has 10 be taken in mind.
OF course we design everything and
leave the mechanical work 10 the men,
but In many instances II is necessary
for Mrs MuChmOre and me 70 do the
actual work ourselves There are SO
many things In the ordinary principle
of interior decoration that cannot be
done by a man, anyway, Miss Lewis
said with a smile.
enthusiasm about her work and about
both women there Is an air of get-uP,
and-go-at-it You feel as If you must
hustle when in their presence. they are
both so wide awake.
Is a Science Abroad.
In Europe" Mrs Muchmore said
interior decorating among women art
ISIS is a well established and far ad
vanced science. The women artists oil
the old country have made this work
a wonderful tribute 10 their usefuInes,
and artistic senses. While there are
many decorators in America. they can
not compare in number with those o.
Europe. but they are shoulder 10 should
er with them in everything else. TOJ
cannot imagine the extreme satisfaction
Of working on an apartment. studying
out color schemes, selecting furniture
decorations. pictures and what not, and
then see the results Of your work star
ing at you in perfect blaze of salts
faction. 1t all means untirinG work and
late hours. but II pays in the end L
see the splendid, satisfying results
Miss Lewis and I 90 abroad eacF
year, taking turns, of course. and study
r
Tnodiste OF the miliiner strides the lates
fashions in her line We visit new
houses as these people. do the shops
and endeavOT to md the very lates
mode in any one of the thousand
branches Of our work"
Full of Resource.
Miss Lewis and Mrs. AIuchmore are a,
full Of resource as they are Of enthusi
asm. Once when they had designed al
interior for a play and found the velve
hangings looking too new 10 suit tn,
purposes Of the scene, one said to tn,
other. IN tell you what let's do let
walk on II. And so they did an,
gained the proper effect. Their stud,
IN New York is a unique home for tn,
thoughts which later see their materia
being and after a breezy talk with thes
two interesting women, one might easil,
echo the remark Of that other and saw
81 love women that do something
KATHERINE LENOX-