The labor advocate. [volume] (Cincinnati, Ohio) 1912-1937, 1917-02-24
SOME DON'TS
FOR THE HOME
An Expert Tells Us What Not to
Do In Decorations In Order That
We May Live Our Lives In
Harmony and Beauty.
4 N artist gives us these rules for
home decoration:
Z y avoid crowding your rooms,

walls or tables, for in creating
home one must produce the quality
of restfulness by order and space.
DO not put spotted Qigured) sur
face on other spotted surfaces. A plain
wall paper is the proper because the
most effective background for pictures.
avoid placing ornaments or photo
graphs on piano. Keep plain back
ground behind your piano. Make sure
that when listening to music you are
not distracted by seeing bewildering
section of o picture above the pianist's
head or silly little vase lodging, as
he moves. in front of. above or below
his nose.
avoid placing vases or clock
against chimney piece already deco
rated by the architect.
"Do not use peasant china. no mat
ter how decorative in itself. with fine
damask. BY so doing you strike
false note. The background it de-
mands is crash or peasant lace.
"Avoid having too many vases about
or china intended for domestic use.
The proper place for table china. no
matter now rare it is, is in the dining
room. If very valuable. one can keep
it in a cabinet.
Avoid having an antique clock which
does not go and is used merely as an
ornament. Make your rooms live by
having all the clocks running. This is
one of the little things which mark the
difference between the antique shop or
museum and the home.
"AvOid the use of white linen when
eating out of doors. SAKE blue, red or
taupe linen is restful. In fact, after
one has used colored linen white seems
glaring and unpleasant even indoors.
and one inStinctively chooses the old
deep cream laces. Granting this to be
bit precieuse, we must admit that the
traditional white damask, under crystal
and silver, has it's place and distinction
in certain houses and with certain peO-
pie.
avoid the discOunting of the few
good antiques you own by the use of
too modern color scheme. Have the
necessary modern pieces you have
bought to supplement your treasures
stained or painted a dull, dark color in
harmony with the antiques and then
use dull colors in the floor coverings
curtains and cushions. If you have no
good antique ornaments, try to get
few good shapes and colors in ineXpen-
sive reproductions of the period to
which your antiques belong.
avoid arranging a Louis XVI.
room with fragile antiques and delicate
tones for your husband of athletic pro-
portions and simple tastes. He will not
only look, but feel, out of place. If he
is fond of artistic things give him
these in durable shades and shapes.
avoid the use of light absorbing col
Ors in wall papers if you are anxious to
create cheerfulness in your rooms and
an appearance of winning comfort. AL
most all dark cOlors are light absorb
ing. Greens, dull reds, dark grays and
mahogany browns will make room
dull in character, no matter how much
sunlight comes in or how many lights
you use. Perhaps the only dark color
which is not light absorbing is Il dark
yellow.
"Avoid the misuse of anything in fur
nishing 1t needs only knowledge and
patience to find the correct thing for
each need. Better do without than en-
ploy makeshift in decorating. Inap-
propriateness and elaboration can de-
feat artistic beauty, but intelligent
elimination never can"
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