The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-01
CHARD1ING VISITOR TALKS
 ABOU7 DECORATIVE AR7
Noted Interior Decorator HereMrs Arthur Hall the At tractive Guest of Mrs A. Leslie Fulenwider.
 New York Studio.
By DOLLY DALRyMPLE.


 q presume you prefer to be away from the citys noise and hurly- -burly, do you notT' l Inquired.
 'Yes, my studio is delightfully."- situated. We are at Crystal Brook, Port Jefferson, the most beautiful and artistic spot inn aginable."
 And in pursuing your work, Mrs. Hall, with whom have you studied?"
 Very modestly, she answered.: Really, I have studied very little. I was just born that way, I think and I love my work so much that I have just kept at it, and studied it out to my own satis- faction"
 What particular lins of it do you care most for?''
 ITO the feminine mind I think the things that l do. that would appeal most, are perhaps the boudoir furnishings. And I like these immensely I have done some beautiful things of the kind. For instance, after have decorated the walls and cell ings of a room. I make the curtains in design, following out the wall adornment. My work is nearly all free e-hand, al- though do great deal of stencil work" And these curtains and draperies, what materials lend themselves best to the worl?'
 "Oh, any and everything practically. The batiste curtains painted in gorgeous
 
 very artistic and the bedspreads done in the same design, with the bolster covers and pillow castings make charming deco ration."
 Wont you talk to me about some of the interior decorations you have done in New York?'N l asked.
 With pleasure" said Mrs. Hall "I decorated two beautiful rooms in Mrs. Dudley Bates Lawrences house at Law renee Park. That will be of interest no doubt to Mrs. Lawrence's many Birfning- ham friends. The house is a superb old home, which. in fact, was the old manor house of Lawrence Park in days gone by. and when it was recently remodeled by the Lawrences I decorated the living room and the music room.''
 Do tell me about them," l eagerly i'm. portuned
 "The living room is really charming The color scheme of this room is in a very high key. yet modulated to very soft ar~- delicate tones. It is paneled in the dull pastel Burlap, and is in effect like tho oldest of the old painted tapestries. The ! panels are done in fruit trees, and the apples, peaches and clusters of grapes look almost lucious enugh to eat. The general impression of the ensemble is a cloudy diaphanous grayish-green. And the furniture for this room Is, of course, colonial-a word which acts like magic, 1 both to decorator and possessor of such things"
 ..'rhose dull, misty effects are so attrac- tive aren't they2 In fact, repression in art seems to be the keynote nowadays It reminds me of Mrs. F'iske's artistic methods in acting-always repression with none of the old-time glare and glam- our. And the music room?" I said. ''Is lovely" said Mrs. Hall. Tt is in embossed tapestry of the loveliest design, the frieze being of musical instruments. The furnishings embody the Louis XV period, and the French salon idea is charmingly depicted, and the atmosphere it creates is one of refined luxury and dignity The tone color is in the mauve tints-every nuance of light and shade giving 1t artistic beauty"
 "Yes, I know" l exclaimed. Tt is the real Mrs. Clarence Maclxey mauve-isnt t it? And have you done any interior decorating for any of the public build- ings In the metropolis?"
 "Yes, one of the first things I ever did was the decoration for Company I, Sew enth regiment, of their room in the big Seventh regiment building in East Thir- ty-fourth street."
 And for the large hotels?''
 Mrs Hall laughed and said: 'I feel sure you have seen some of my work at
 
 of course, you did not know it was mine." 'Do tell me which 1t is. so that the very first time I go to New York l may see it..
 ..In the reading room of the Waldorf all the lights-those quaint little chandeliers. are my work"
 "Oh you mean those with the Dutch coat of arms in those lovely pastel tones. standing against the walls--sometimes single figure holding light.like mod ern Diogenes looking for an honest man. But then he wouldn't be at the Waldorf, would he?''
 And at the Plaza, Mrs. Hall, what did you do?" I asked.
 1.-Two of the grand pianos were decorat- ed by me-" she said
 They're of lovely gold, dull in finish and perfectly suiting the soft coloring or the tapestry upholstering, which Is re- peated again in the rugs in the beautiful rooms"
 And how did you decorate the pianos"
 They are done in painted panels, with roses and posies and lovely, graceful fig
 
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