The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1911-02-02


The house serves as a means of
expression of the sense of beauty of
the people who dwell in it, just as
the body serves as means of ex-
preston OF the soul Victor Hugo
tells us houses are like the human
beings who inhabit them"
Much time, labor and money Is
spent in the endeavor to make our
homes beautiful. 1t is very fitting,
for they should serve not only as a
place where the child may develop in
pleasing and artistic surroundings,
but also as a place where the older
members Of the family may find rest
comfort, and inspiration. Failure to
make our homes really beautiful has
been cue to the fact that home deco
ration has not been looked upon as
an art in the true sense, depending
upon definite laws and principles,
but as a promiscuous adding of much
material and color without regard for
appropriateness or harmony. Success
depends, in large measure, upon the
careful observance of the laws OF
right proportion, harmonious color
scheme, fitness to purpose, and sim.
plicty.
Right Proportion.
II the lines of a room are not good,
decoration should begin in bringing
them into right proportion. A ceiling
which is too high may be made to
appear much lower by dropping the
ceiling paper onto the side wall
foot or a foo1. and half. One whnch
is too low NAY be made to appear
higher by using striped paper on the
side wall and running it up to the
angle where SIDE wall and ceiling
meet. The apparent size Of room
may be changed. light paper will
make the room seem larger than
dark paper. A large design in the
wall paper makes a room look small
er. Large, heavy pieces of furniture
should be used in large rooms, as
they tend to diminish the size of a
small room and make It look over
| crowded A square room is very un-
interesting. Avoid placing a piece of
furniture in each corner of the room,
as that accentuates the squareness.
Color.
In the selection of the color
scheme for our house we turn to ma
| ture for help. During the summer
months she gives US a great deal OF
green to live with. 1t is nearly al.
/ ways sOftened by yellow, orange, or
/ red, and we say IT is warm green.
In the winter months, when green
growth is taken away, we have
many beautiful shades of brown.
These are splendid colors for the
rooms in which we live most, as the
library, sitting room, or living room.
! The quiet, warm green's and browns,
when used for floor and wall cover
| ings, make most suitable back.
grounds for pictures, furniture and
| people.
Nature sends us the brilliant colors
but a few weeks in the autumn Of
each year, the highly-tinted sky but
brief half hour at sunset and sun
rise. The brighter colors may be
used ip the passageways and rooms
in which we do not spend so much
time. Red is the color of good cheer.
1t may be used in the front hall or
dining room, where welcome and
hospitality are offered. The room
that Is well supplied with sunshine
may be papered in the cooler gray,
blue, or green, while a sunless north
room should be frightened by the
use OF warm yellows, reds, and
browns.
The floor should carry the darkest
tone OF the color the walls the me.
dium and the ceiling the lightest.
There should be one predominant
color in the room, and harmony may
be obtained by combining with II
colors OF nearly related tone. Living
In a room with brilliant red walls
and green floor covering is like try
ing to entertain, at the same time
! TWO DtuDlc VIM az NhhiAby WIN
each other.
Appropriateness and Simplicity.
If the law of appropriateness were
practiced many things would be re
moved from our houses. 1--WE shoult
have nothing in them which we dC
not know to be useful or believe Il
be beautiful" Beauty and usefulness
should go hand in hand, but useful
ness leads the way. In the selection
of every piece of furniture we shoul'
look for good, simple line and de
sign, durability, and an absence o
dust harbors. Every article SHOULD
be made to last and to give service
The light upholstered chair may b
pretty, but 1t should find no place 4
our living room Chairs with impoi
! sible twists in their legs and back
, and carvings on their arms whic
, can not be cleaned are better suite
to the curio shop. That furniture
, most beautiful which is comfortabl