New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-01
LADY DR0CHEDA
HAS CUBHT ROOM
Wyndham Lewis Designs
New Type of Dining
Room for Countess.
BLACK VELVET
MAIN DECORATION
Angles MarbIed in DILL Red
Light Comes Up from
Table.
lbs cable to TIE Trlbun. J

London. Feb. 2s.-I.ord and Lady Dro-
eheda have the first cubist room in London.
Wvndham Lewis being responsible for the
decorations Of the dining room at No. 80
Wilton Crescent. The greater part OF the
wall is of psnellings Of black velvet
framed in slips Of mirror The angles OF
the room are marbled in dull red. The
ceiling and carpet are black. and the cur
talns are Of black velvet. with VERT al
bands of green and gold. The chairs are
upholstered in gold tissue and striped
colors Alabaster urnS o! reddish unit
stand oil tripods IN the corners of the
room. Also the mantelpiece and tables
contain concealed electric lights, the only
light OF the room. A rather remarkable
frieZe about foot in depth runs imme-
diately below the cornice. II Is difficult
TO describe exactly what the room looks
like. but II has something OF the Bulgarian
effect now so prominent in women's dress.
Wyndham Lewis evidently tried not TO be
too abstract, accepting whatever sugges-
tons and actual objects would suit MS
purpose. and in the freize there are sug-
Gestions Of birds. fish, fruit, dishes, bowls
and If one mistakes not. knives and
forks
Lady Drogheda has invited a number or
friends to see the cubist room on Fri
day. including Mrs. w II. Page, Sir Err
nest Cassel, the Hon. Mrs. Cecil Bling
ham. Lady Maidstone and Mrs. George
Keppel
Wyndham Lewis says: The cubist room
is essentially not anything freakish or
bizarre My aim has been simply 10
achieve perfect fitness. Every room any
here. It will be noticed. has an indi-
vidual spirit. This Is best expressed by
decorating II in perfect accord with the
spirit, color, shape and purpose for which
Il is designed one room may demand
decoration; another may require pictures,
panels or friezes, while a third needs
merely certain curtains or special treat
ment OF the ceiling. II might be silly In
the case of 9.%9 rooms 10 decorate them
with a dado Of top hats or panels of cher
ry wood umbrellas, but the ten-thou-
sandth room might need Just this treat
ment. The main consideration is to get
artistic fitness without bothering about
realistic convention.
Suppose you are filling a space with
a design in which there is a man in a
top hat and you find that, drawn realis-
tically, the hat is a mass OF black. which
does not balance with the rest OF the de-
sign Then the thing to 40 rs to get 1t
correct az mass Of black even IL YOU
get It wrong as a top hat. or if the hat
brim ,nterferes with the perfect harmony
of the design. why. cut IT off. thus achiev-
ing artistic fitness instead OF mere pic
torial accuracy.
II use such smile as this merely as
a crude example TO make my point clear.
In actual practice the more abstract one
keeps a design the more expressive I: is
Future art does not lie In subject pict-
ures. for subject Is really in a way
usually nothing more than a brutal as
sault upon the feelings The idea il TO
appeal to memory and sentiment and not
10 the sense of artistic fitness. This does
not mean that reality must necessarily be
ignored. but instead rather that it must
be used as means and not as an end.
For example. in the Drogheda dining
room used the suggestion of shapes o,
birds, fruit, fish. dishes and bowls be
cause all OF these help TO express the
mode and purpose Of the room. but the
whole thing is harmonious and compre-
hensible."
The new cubist room has black walls,
curtains. ceiling and carpet. This is the
Countess Of Droghedas own idea She is
very fond OF black and has had black
staircase and carpets in 'her house since
the time Of her marriage.