The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1915-05-14

New York and the United States
have many interesting women to their
credit, but they are usually women
who have made a speciality Of one pro-
fession and have won distinction there
by. Miss De Wolfe is unique in that
she left the stage when a star and has
since devoted herself to interior dec
Grating. Miss De Wolfe lives with a
friend, Miss Elizabeth Marbury, in a
house which was originally a four
story and basement house Of pinkish
brown stone and had an ugly stair
from the street to the front door.
Miss De Wolfe says:
Il wanted to prove to my friends
that it vas possible to take one Of the
darkest and grimiest of. city houses and
make it an abode Of sunshine and
light, and l wanted to furnish the
whole house exactly as I p~leased-for
once!"
The first thing she did was to tear
away the front stoop and give the
house an entrance door just below the
street level. The stairway running up
from the hall was torn out and the
whole front Of the house thrown into
the drawing room, the staircase being
rebuilt in the center of the house. It
has been called. 1.-The Little House Of
Many Mirrors" for much Of its spa
ciousness and charm Is the effect Of
ekillfully managed reflections.
. The stair landings are most .ingen-
fously planned. There are landings
that lead directly from the stairs into
the rooms of each door. and back Of
M of the mirrored stair walls there is
q little balcony, connecting the rooms
ON that door. that Is a private passage
way.
LII the dining room Miss De Wolfe 10
guilty Of a trick. but 1t is a very clever
and pretty trick. The two windows In
this room are obviously windows by
day. but at night two sliding doors Of
mirrors are drawn, just as a curtain
would be drawn, to oil the window
spaces. This is a little bit tricky, but
It u a very good trick.
The walls Of this house are painted
Q dull French gray, and there is no pa
per at all. It IL net q shining paint,
but Of a dull finish that has to be prop
,erly done to be effective. On this sub
ject Miss De Wolfe says:
ITO me the most beautiful wall is
the plain and digniied painted wall, |
broken into graceful panels by the use
Of narrow holdings. with lighting dx-
lures carefully placed and every pic
ture and mirror hung with classic pre-
cision. This wall Is just a. approprf-
ate to the six room cottage as to the
twenty room house. IL I could always |
ind perfect walls I'd always paint
them and never use q yard of paper.
Painted wallis, when very well done,
are dignided and restful and most san
itary. The trouble u that too few plas-
terefs know how to smooth the wall |
surface and too few workman know
how to apply paint properly,
Miss De Wolfe 10 interested in : new
venture IN New York city. which =. %
one man remarked one day, t@'the great
ct thing In New York Il is.4 roof
garden called the Strand Rock Garden.
which II run on the cafeteria plan. But
dancing can be enjoyed there 1t noon
~ shopgirls or any working girl Or
Young mar absolutely free Of charge.
The place Il wonderfully decorated g
pale green's and soft creams, and each
little tahlsss has lts vns Of sseasonable
flowers q chaperon Is always there
to Ike chark0s0f the manners OF the |