New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-28
The House Beautiful
For Unity, Furnishings Must
Be Simple, Consistent
and Suitable.

N NE of the secrets of the success
full decoration and furnishing
of a home may be described
as the creation of artistic unity oil
agreement. Many mistakes are made
! by undertaking too elaborate plar
of furnishing or by combining wholly
unrelated details. The use of indi
vidual objects SO ornate as to draw
attention to themselves is apt to
Illustrate the true aim of furnishing
( which is to combine colors and furni'
ture in such a way that consistent
effect may be produced without any
enc detail being unduly noticeable.
In "The Seven Lamps of Archi-
lecture" Ruskin lays down the axiom
that nothing is beautiful unless 1t is
also suitable. Translated into other
terms, it may be said that true beauty
must be consistent and must contrib
ute to general harmony. An old
Flemish tapestry hung amid appropri
ate surroundings might we'll serve
beauty, but placed in a log cabin its
decorative value wouio be less than
that of the simplest Of Indian blan-
kets.
At the root OF American in
consistency in furnishing there lies
American love of show and display
! This striving for effect is quite al
variance with the idea of tasteful
simplicity, the having Of nothing in
excess" which must be the guide Of
successful furnishing. The result is
that homes are full of objects the
combining Of which makes for chaos
and confusion.
Harmony Of Life and Color.
As an example of consistency applied
to the furnishing Of home, take the
cottage of a peasant in Northern
France or in the Austrian Tyrol'
Nothing could be simpler than the
building itself, and what little decora-
ton it possesses is almost wholly tha'
of correct line and well-chosen color
Its interior, containing little that is
not really useful, will also be beauti-
fully simple and suited to its sur
roundings.
From what has been said it is not
to be inferred that the use OF only
the plainest and simplest Of furnish
ings is recommended, bun rather the
consistent use of anything which pos
sesses artistic merit. The decora-
tons and furniture of the various
French periods are surprisingly
beautiful, but theirs is beauty which
is exceedingly exacting.
Bad Effect Of Conflicting Styles.
Imagine a gilded table and suite
of gilded chairs covered with tapestry
OF the Louis XIV period placed in
room where the architectural sur
roundings are of the Mission or
Craftsman type! The beauty OF the
furniture would be completely lost
1t would appear tawdry and trivial
Its surroundings would seem harsh
and crude. But place the same furni-
ture amid suitable surroundings
against walls paneled in gilt, with old
paintings set within the woodwork
and with chandeliers or wall lights
of ormolu and crystal! Its beauty
will be revealed because the surround
ings will be in keeping.
Many OF the mistakes made in home
furnishing may be attributed to the
stock kept in the shops where furni-
ture is sold. In order to give the
greatest possible apparent value fol-
the money and to cater to the great
est number of prospective purchasers
many shops offer poorly designed
and badly-constructed furniture, much
of which would ruin any interior III
which it might be placed. Shopkeep-
ers argue that they are compelled to
keep what their patrons demand.
1t would therefore seem that to
improve the design and quality OF the
furniture to be purchased it would
first be necessary to educate the buy
ing public into demanding furniture
of a higher type. Much advance has
already been made, but much remains
still to be accomplished.
Lost Architectural Beauty.
American homes are being built
more and more in some definite archi-
tectural style. Architects are nc
longer content to design buildings that
do not convey an expression OF some
well defined architectural idea. Even
the best designed and consistently
built home, however, may be utterly
spoiled by carelessly-chosen furnish
ings. The simplest home, on the
other hand. NAV be we'll furnished by