Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-04-27
SIMPLICITY AND COMFORT
WITH BEAUTY
Attained by Forethought and Study

HE average stranger entering one
home usually gains a first impress
sion concerning the style, or lack o
style, displayed in furnishing and fin
!shing. In the average home there i
too much "hit and miss" in the selec
ton of furniture, too much guessworl
in the choice of colors.
One of our national failings is the
presentation of unexpected wedding
gifts to the bride and the groom. So.
called articles of virtu, articles of more
or less artistic design, articles which
represent the dollar mark and article,
supposed to be helpful, are all thrust
upon the happy couple. Some pieces
OF furniture are Mission in design
rough in finish. Some are Elizabethan
IN style; others are of the period of the
LOUIS, while others again are of monde
script origin. All are heterogeneous
while each may possess intrinsic value,
These articles are taken to the new
home, installed as best they can be, and
distributed to various rooms according
to the necessities of the occupants.
Keeping in mind the unity in a room.
the best results can be easily secured
by some study, little planning and
some forethought, the walls themselves
being. naturally the background for the
finishing and the furnishings.
The Treatment of the Walls
In planning for every room, there
are three points to consider with refer
ence to the wall: first, the effect of
giving height to a room that is too low.
or lowering the lines of design to de,
ceive the eye and apparently lowering
the ceiling which is too high, or nerely
enhancing or decorating that which is
already good.
1t it is necessary to give height to a
room, this is best attained BY CARVING
the side wall color to the ceiling, making
the perpendicular line the long line and
putting the picture molding clear to the
frieze. ls 'l0'i'i's iof
Where the ceiling is too high and
there is a desire to produce a lower
effect the ceiling color can be brought
down third of the distance of the side
wall with excellent effect, toning in the
ceiling color to that of the side wall
An abrupt change in color from side
wall to ceiling is like discord in music,
as unpleasant to the eye as the discord-
ant clang is unpleasant to the ear.
The Hall
The hall should be an expression of
genuine welcome for the guest, for it
Is here he has his first impression of
the home, and it is here that hospitality
is first offered. So here in the hall the
colors should be soft, generous and in
viting cold or repellent. The
warm, soft tans, the soft woodsy
browns are always delightful and har-
1nonious.
The furniture for the hall should be
substantial, and of a nature that will
stand hard usage. There is nothing
better for the hall than the heavy Mis-
sion furniture; it is typical hall furni-
ture, for its appearance bears relation
ship to its function.
The best finish for hall furniture is
early English oak, and a combination
seat and hall tree is an excellent piece
for such a place. A couple of heavy
chairs of the same. type fit in we'll and
afford restful waiting-place for mes
senger or guest.
The Living-R Room
The living requires careful
treatment. The colors on the wall
should be of a selection that is in har-
mony with the hall and yet not dupli-
cation of it. The light-green tints are
excellent for the living-room, and the
new mode for touching them out with
browns makes a good, rich background
for all kinds of furniture, brio a-brac
and pictures. The use of stencillng on
the living-room walls is good. Stencil