The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1912-12-05


and in consequence both are spoiled.
Some Rules TO Follow.
To furnish a home satisfactorily one
must always consider the style Of
house, Its location, the use to which IL
II TO be put, rs well rs the cost of its
furnishing. Not a single piece Of fur
niture should be bought without some
thought as TO whether II is suitable for
the home and its use; also whether IL
will be in harmony with furniture al
ready in Il.
When woman has sufficient money
at her command and can furnish the
house completely from cellar to attic
Il Is an easy matter to give the con-
tract into the hands Of n professional,
occasionally with good results, some
times disappointment But when one
must consider dollars carefully and
furnish one room at a time, possibly
only getting the absolute necessities
for that room at first, Il Is a harder
problem to solve The latter woman,
however, Is the one whom I should
like to help. Remember, then, in the
first place not to buy anything unless
It Is appropriate to the use for which
II Is Intended as well as for the com
pleteness of the room. Remember to
always select the real and substantial
In preference to the snowy imitation.
II 1t is a question Of tables, buy the
simplest form. made Of perfect wood.
with best finish, rather than the elab-
orately carved, snowy piece nimsily
put together. A good enameled iron
or plain brass bedstead will be infinite
ly more satisfactory in the end than
one of cheap inlaid wood
A large expenditure of money does
not always imply satisfactory home.
Truth and harmony, the elements Of
beauty, may be secured In the most
inexpensive cottage as well as In the
palace.
The ideal country house is built on
broad, generous lines. Never should It
have the high, narrow, cramped roof
frequently seen on crowded city
streets, where space Is at premium.
1t should have also roomy verandas
and porches. low ceilings, wide, low
windows and hospitable looking doors
opening into comfortable, homelike
rooms. Such house should be sincere
In its furnishings-should not suggest
imitation in any way. This impression
of genuineness can be given by mex
pensive material, even by homemade
furniture, very much better than by
snowy workmanship carelessly per-
formed.
Trestment Of High Ceilings.
Some of the houses built forty or
fifty years ago have ceilings too high
to express real comfort. A room 10
by II feet with a twelve foot cell
ing has the appearance Of being ex-
tremely narrow, while room the
same size with a nine foot ceiling may
give a real cozy effect. What Is to be
done with the high ceiling? The sim
plest way out Of the difficulty is to
cheat the eye into forgetfulness OF
those extra three feet. This can be
done by using horizontal lines In the
wall decoration. Either the ceiling pa
per can be brought down on the wall
to the distance Of three feet, the up
per part of the wall may be finished
with a frieze. or three feet at the
base may be covered with canvas or
wood paneling, then six feet of figured
paper. finished with a narrow picture
molding and joining the ceiling paper.
which has been dropped three feet.
Any of these methods will give the
impression of lower ceiling.
Borders have their place In wall dec
Grafton. but they should not be used
In rooms with low ceilings. Such a
room should be decorated with striped
paper and have the wall covering ex-
tend close up to the angle formed by
the ceiling. and here the picture mold
ing is put on. Never use wide stripes
or large designs Of any kind on small
room, and bear in mind that simplicity
in design and color is good rule to
follow in wall decorations as well as
in any part OF house furnishing.
Good and Bad In Wall Covering.
The owner of a new house is In
clined to leave the walls undecorated
for the first few months at least after
the house is finished His reason may
be the added expense Of decoration, or
he may think he prefers the plain
white wall just for its simplicity and
because il is sanitary IL the walls
have been finished with smooth
white surface II is more than likely
every one will weary of them In a
short time. Plain white walls give the
feeling Of being shut In box, as II
there were limit TO space. A smooth
white surface also tires the eyes. Not
so the rough plasters, which are quite
generally used nowadays. And II to
the plaster has been added a little
color. hint Of gray or deep cream, the
effect Is satisfying for a long time.
Indeed, for almost any room In the
house. with the possible exception OF
the reception room or parlor this
rough surface simply tinted makes a
most desirable wall finish. The smooth
wall may be decorated In almost any
color with calcimine or muresco, CIV
ing pleasing background for pictures
Whatever the wall decoration. II
should be chosen with relation TO the
lighting OF the room; also to the fur