Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-04-20
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.
A N artist gives us these rules for
~ home decorations:

~ avoid crowding your rooms,
walls or tables, for in creating
a home one must produce the quality
of restfulness by order and space.
do not put a spotted (igured) 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 a piano. Keep a plain back
ground behind your piano. Make SURE
that when listening to music you are
not distracted by seeing a bewildering
section of a picture above the pianist's
head or a silly little vase lodging, as
he moves, in front of, above or below
his nose.
avoid placing vases or a clock
against a 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 a
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 how rare it is, is in the dining
room. If very valuable. n can keep
it in a cabinet.
"Ayoid 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
a bit p~recieuse, we must admit that the
traditional white damask, under crystal
and silver, has its place and distinction
in certain houses and with certain peo-
pie.
avoid the d~iscounting of the few
good antiques you own by the use of a
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 a
few good shapes and colors in ineXpen-
| siye 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 ch~eerfulness 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 a 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 a 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 m
ploy a makeshift in decorating. Inap-
propriateness and elaboration can de-
feat artistic beauty, but intelligent
elimination never can"