South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-12-24

II you Noulu nave YOUR IOOluS 4
interesting as we'll as beautiful
make them say something.
Before you buy anything, try to |
imagine how you want each room to |
lok when completed; think
cut the main features, for the de-
tails all depend upon these and will
quickly adjust themselves. This is,
in the long run, the quickest and
most economical method of furn-
ishing."
Such is the counsel of Grace
Wood and Emily Burbank, joint au-
thors of the newest. and perhaps
the most up-to-the- minute book on
household furnishing, THE Aid of
Interior Decoration" which has just
been issued from the press. There
are many such volumes nowadays,
for this is a reconstruction period in
the arrangement and decoration of
our homes. All too many of the
modern writer's on this subject for
get, however, that it is OF necessity
recOnstructive work, and they deal
with the construction and compost
ton Of rooms from the standpoint
Of having everything new and in
keeping TO start out with. Most of
US when we yearn for room
which shall look just as we dream
Of its looking, are stared in the face
by a load of present possessions,
which cannot be abandoned and so
must furnish the basis Of the new
scheme, whatever it may be.
The two thoughtful women who
have written the volume in question
have held out a helping hand to the
woman who already has more furni-
ture than she knows what TO do
with-part of it right and much of
II wrong. In fact, they have made
their opening chapter How TO Re-
| arrange a Room" In the average
home a room must be not designed.
DGt rearranged, ans rney sympa-
thetically accept this fact and hu-
morously tell one how to go about it
TO make things better.
Lucky is the man or woman Of
| taste who has no inherited eyesores
which, because of association, must
] not be banished When these exist
| in large numbers, only one thing
remains TO be done; look them over,
see to what period the marjority
belong, and proceed as if you want
| ed mid-Victorian, late Colonial or
| brass edstead room!
ITO rearrange a room successful
~ begin by taking everything out of
it Gin reality or in your magma
| tom, them decide how YOU want
1 n
you own and must retain, you are
obliged TO have it look. Design and
! color of wall decorations, hangings,
carpets, lighting fixtures, lamps and
| ornaments on mantel, depend upon
the character of your furniture. 1t
is the mantel and its arrangement
of ornament that sound the keynote
upon first entering a room"
They then go into detail as to the
| wise repapering of rooms to in
| crease or decrease their apparent
size; how to treat cold-looking rooms
how to manage two beds without
having wall space for two; how to
transform ugly lighting fixtures,
how to make old floors look like
tiled floors of an Italian villa; how
to make series of rooms harmon
ious with each other-and similar
| reconstructive ideas.
Having taught the encountered
! person how TO make the most and the
best Of her encum ORANGES. the au-
thors go on to dea with the ideal
| arrangement of interiors-the first
| rule always being: Never to forget
that your house or fat is your home,
and that to have any charm what
ever of personal sort it must ex-
press you-not simply the taste of a
| professional decorator" There is a
| chapter on How TO Create a
Room" either a period room or one
Of those unlabeled collections of
lovely old Obpects of art which,
without matching each other, be-
long together as might old friends
OF different nationalities.
| Hangings are handled in another
chapter. For choice, one would
say silk or velvet for formal
rooms; velvets. corduroys or chintz
for living rooms; leather and cordu-
roy with rep hangings for a mans