New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-15
The Churchill Home ct CORNISH. N. H.


/ satisfactory but too often tiresome green.
Yet il is well to remember that even tho
most perfect OF greens may be a gloomy
1 choice for a room that calls for some
warmer color. The transformation OF the
/ walls Of one north room from green to
| yellow cheered the occupant, as she put
/ H. beyond all reason. II has given me
the illusion OF sunlight
Yellow always produces more or less
this "illusion OF sunlight" So devoted
was one woman 10 her illusion that she
decorated the entire interior Of her house,
Jersey suburban one Of reasonable
size. with yellows ranging from the cool
ice cream color" az her little son called
Il. of Colonial yellow in the guest room.
through the rich sunit hue In the hall
10 the FURNISHED bronze OF the library
and the bright actual gold OF the recep-
ton room. The variety made possible 10y
woodwork and tho color OF hangings
proved infinite; yellow and old blue, yell
low and brown. yellow and the dark yell
low-red that is terra Gotta, yellow and
gray in one sleeping room, yellow and
lilac In another-there is scarcely
color save rose with which It will not
combine. and even rose in the ashes-of
rose tint and yellow cafe-au-lait may be
put together with delectable result by
the master hand.
Solid blue. or even blue IN pattern. one
is careful OF. and OF gray more careful
still. mo blue in a north room is al
most like a line from their primer TO
decorator and home-maker alike. Blue
will be happy in any sunny room. and
f, the proper shade will repay the longest
search for IL. but long search will be
| inevitable for many blues actually eat
up the light. II combines charmirgly in
bedroom with cream. which. by the
way. is oftentimes lovelier combining
tone than white, although harder to
/ match in fittings and hence less prac-
ticable. For dining rooms Delft has
made for blue paper q popularity which
on that account with many has begun
TO wane. In a living room in which blue
was combined with brown, and In a
toudoir with rose tho blue on the walls
was made a subordinate color. introduced
In one only In the frieze and i'm the other
in the slender ribbons OF blue that caught
up the little French baskets Of arbutus.
Gray may be as difficult as red. its
very neutrality chilling the atmosphere
as excessively as red will fire it. Live
Hest with lavender or yellow or rose,
gray has been a rather noticeable ia
vorite IN the decoration Of small reception
rooms OF hotels and other public places;
but il should he remembered that in
these instances the material for the walls
IL rich and expensive, wall paper" as
such being quite outside the question.
Landscape or decorative hard color
work. II it bears a reasonable resem-
blancc TO what art demands ot mural
painting can give to a room the most
enviable OF intimate touches. TIE writer
has known more than one houss hold In
which a gifted member has wrought this
personal mas gle. and In only one case was
the member a professional artist One OF
the others was a versatile young father,
who did frieze for his nursery. to the
ecstasy of its two very critical occupants. |
The other ingenious one was q society
girl. whose talent her family would hard I
ly permit expression lest somethin,, come
Of II that was commercial. A day came |
when the decorators disappointed. a night |
when the most important of dinner par
ties was arriving and the girl climbed on |
the workman's discarded ladder. where |
she did a frieze OF the medieval forest. |
rejecting i'm temper and in tone the fig /
urcs in the chair tapestries. and even the /
mosaics i'm the lace OF the curtans-to the /.
bewilderment of her family, the admira- |
ton Of her friends and the CONSERVATION |
OF her lover. He, 10 save her from an |
impending career, managed 10 marry her |
forthwith.
or course. there is an order OF painting |
less skilled that the less gifted of us can |
very well employ. The hare walls NAV be |
tinted. and bare walls, smooth or OF a |
slightly rough surface. thus colored are |
the EXTREMIST delight Of many. Or plain ,
paper, instead OF being replaced with \
new, may be gone over with a brush to /
change or cloud q previous tint. But il |
must always be remembered that the |
quality Of the paper Is the first condition |
10 this process, which is only a ludicrous |
failure If the surface is not thick enough. |
or too absorbent. or otherwise than |
smooth.
Plain paper or not plain paper? II is !
the most exigent of all decorating prob /
lens. IF In doubt, say plain" Certainly |
one never makes then more than "A mega /
tive mistake, and seldom that Moreover. |
plain paper has advantages that have /
nothing to do with the demands OF per
sonal taste. A small room thus treated |
Will assuredly give greater semblance of
space, and If YOU will paper two small !
rooms opening into each other with eX-
actly the same color of plain paper the |
effect Of increased space is astonlshlng
There are ways enough OF making them |
different with a differing color IN the |
choice of furnishings. The economic eff |
feet OF plain paper IL quite worth con-
sidering. Less aggressive to the eye, one |
is likely not so soon 10 tire of il or TO /
demand new for change"
Ceilings should never be forgotten. |
Rooms with high ceilings lend themselves
TO plain paper and a deep frieze above;
low ceilings invite plain paper above a |,
wainscotng. Indeed, the whole architect |
ure OF a room, as well as its facing north. |
east. south or west, properly conditions |
the treatment of the walls; the height of
the window. the depth OF the surbase.
the outline Of the door. all determine the