Evening star., 1921-04-03
THE SIMPLE
DINING ROOM
The Less Complex 1t Is, the
Better 1t Is.

The more completely dining room
ia furnished simply for the require
ments of a place in which to take
meals and the more strictly II Is
kept simply for that use. the SIM
pler will be the tasks OF houseKeep-
ing and the better the form OF the
dining room.
There is a curious tendency on the
part Of some people to gravitate
toward their dining room at all
times of day. Now. where one IS
necessarily limited as to room' IN
the wee apartment or small cottase,
- 10 sometimes necessary to combine
dining room and living room. or even
dining room and kitchen; put Wne.e
this is not necessary, then the oinins
room ought to be kept from the ciut-
ferine accessories OF living IooHi.
Yet there are people VINO nave athar aMpar
around the dining table in the even
ing. do their letter writing tnese
and take maps on a lounge IN .e
aiming room than anywhere else: fe.-
hans that is because the nsns ~
the dining room is oetter ora OF cheeT.
f,,t,v The answer is to furnish the
other rooms more cheerfuiiy ana "
supply them with better nshli S;,;ne
because these cluttered din.ns
rooms are at best untidy !ney az
the clutter are not conducive 10
Eaen appetite, Moreover. il you sit
in YOUR dining room between meas.
then the atmosphere there will NOT
nave the clear. fresh quality that II
should at meal time. The ar WI.
be vitiated. When you go into 90 =
house where the dining room, even
though very small and inexpensively
furnished, is kept simply for a room
in which to take meals. you are ~
once struck with the thought tnat !he
nersons in that house are oroeriy anu
well bred. But where n you 60 room :" =
huffet is kept a bottle of ink, a pen
and a box Of note paper; WheeE
row of unsightly flower pots hlieo
with anemic geranium shoots seIuS
Cling for existence embeiiisnes Sne
sunny window. and the pet oog taxes s,ss
his siesta on the lounge near .ne
wife's mending basket. sphlinE over
with a goodly harvest OF s-ckihEs'
shares the honors with 3adeo rup-
her plant and a chafing d1sh on COZ.
ner tea table-well. tnen you anI. m1
taIlv make a note that these people
are lust a little second-rate; or else
that they haven't quite solved tne
nroblem Of living to the best anVah-
tage.
The present mode of dining rooms
is one of extreme simplicity. Be
tween meals the table Is left pare
save possibly for single linen cen
terpiece and a vase of flowers or pot
of ferns. Chairs are usually neatly
drawn up to the table in the POSITION
thew take at meals. with the extra
ones standing against the wall at
regular intervals. The buffet does
not carry a variety of accessories
mustard bottles. table crumbers. salt
dishes, etc. 1t may have few sim
pie objects. such as a filled fruit dlsn
or a silver tea set, but in the most
fastidiously equipped houses 1t Is now
considered in best form to have moth
ing Of an edible nature-salt, pepper
az, cruets-in sight between meals.
The wall of the dining room is not
regarded as the appropriate place for
q. collection Of pictures-least OF Az
framed photographs. In dne old
homes of England 1t has long oeen
the custom to place on the dining
room wall a few stately, richly coE
ored portraits. sometimes empaneled
IN the wainscotinE of the room. And
this custom is initiated In some OF
our American dining rooms. One or
two fairly large decorative pictures
may be used, but number OF small,
intricate ones merely distracts the eye
and detracts from the simplicity OF
the room.