New-York tribune., 1909-12-19


| insensible TO the appeal made by beauty Of
| surroundings. The clerk who has stretched his
meagre salary 20 the breaking point IN order
to treat the object Of his alteration TO a good
time wonders. audibly. how such harmonies in
form and color and materials are achieved by
the hotels that he visits.
Various managers have various ways OF
| bringing about such results. A hostlery
about 70 open at a Michigan resort has recently
had designed for IT by Tiffany a scheme OF dec
oration that is said to be as original and artis-
tic II is beautiful. The subject is somewhat
startling; nothing less. indeed, than hamingo
decoration. The famingo in itself is a garish
bird. but Tifany's artists have made OF II q
thing Of beauty.
The dining room OF the hotel and the apartments
that lead up 70 II are paneled with paintings
nine feet IN height, showing an amethyst and
scarlet tinged sunrise sky as a background for
pool shadOwed by green trees F1amingoes
wade IN the water, which is splashed with pur-
pie and amethyst shadows and drifted over with
lily pads. In the perspective distant hamingoes
make shapes Of warm color against the skies.
Panels OF this sort are framed in Circassian
walnut which, most people know. is the
only fine wood of a grayish brown tint known.
and which is as expensive it is beautiful
Ceilings and wainscoting Of this wood relieve
the famingo red of the walls-of which only
small spaces are undecorated by pillars panels
and paintings.
Floors floor coverings and furniture are all in
J the same scheme Of color and wood. These find
their most exquisite expression, perhaps. in the
draperies, which Of Tiffany velours. tinted
| and painted TO appear like pale gray shadowed
water with silver shine upon its surface and
bordered with a narrow band of rose and
| outer and wider band Of velvet that tones in
with the color OF Crcassan walnut. The dra-
peries show a flight Of famingOes down the
upper portion Of the curtain. and as a deep
border at the bottom large birds Of the same
| vivid hue spashing about in a pond hecked
with purple shadows and scarlet reflections and
| dotted with lotus leaves and rich hued lotus
| blossoms
The blending in Of these dominant coIors-
| famingo red and Circassan walnut mouse
color-affords theme TO try the skill and genius
OF artist. Perhaps nothing unusual has
ever before been attempted with so much Sue
| cess.
one susceptible 10 the impressions produced
| by rare expressions Of art enjoys these 70 the
full. in conjunction with alluring music and en-
| ticing viands. in those hostleries which make
art the dominant note in their decorations
They can even. in hotel in Broadway, dine
sitting upon chairs which represent. does
the table the highest degree Of art in carved
wood known TO the Viking age. In another.
in Fifth avenue, they fancy themselves In
the gay French court that hourished before
Napoleon instituted the torch decoration in
stead Of the bowknot and garland
For Sl2jOOOOO a hotel can achieve a good
deal in the way Of beauty and magnifcence-
The table linen alone of this cost more than
100000 and the table service $4,000 more,
sums startling 10 the young couple who go to
dine in an atmosphere OF couleur de rose, while
they plan how 10 furnish flat on SO a week
Probably nowhere else in the world are the
aesthetic tastes Of casual guests catered to as
they are in America. II is said that no other
country spends as much TO make beautiful IN
the highest sense, its caravansaries as does
ours. For the small sum paid for a dinner
any may spend hours in the enjoyment of
surroundings such as may be an education In
art and inspiration To higher living in moro
senses than one