New-York tribune., 1922-09-17
The Half-Drawn Shade
Too Much Daylight is as Trying as
Too Much LampIisht
To the Editor of The Tribune.

| To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: Poor II. NJ, who in his letter
| to The Tribune admits that his home
possesses thirty-nine windows, and yet
! he lives in darkness and gloom! (Men-
tally, at least, H. NJ. (His Majesty? y
lives in gloom he admits as much!)
Even if his wife insists on having
! the shades half-drawn, there still re-
mains the half of thirty-nine windows.
This amounts to nineteen and half
whole windows, and since they are
"windows both wide and high some
sunshine and a breeze or two must
sneak in. H. NJ. is reverting to type.
Most of the men we know crave bare,
glaring windows, then wonder why
after an hour of reading or bridge or
poker spent in room flooded with
nhite light, their eyes are heavy. and
their nerves irritated.
Decorators, the sensible ones we
mean, who know how to evolve sensi-
BILE, comfortable rooms, agree that a
we'll lighted room is not necessarily a
| brightly lighted room. Brilliant cell
ing lamps all ashine, three or four
table and floor lamps in transparent,
bright shades, glowing for all the world
like street corner FIRE alarm boxes, and
then, just for style, electrical wall can
delabra steadily glaring their round
brightness, constitute the brightly
lighted room. Such an effect is as try
! ing on the electric meter and purse
strings as on the nerves Of the unhappy
dwellers in that house.
The we'll lighted room secures its
practical and artistic light effects with
lights grouped near the objects to be
illuminated, on level low enough to
be companionable as we'll as useful.
Shades and shields direct the rays for
work table, desk, a bas-relief, picture
or any other object which needs illu-
minating.
Too much daylight is as trying on
the eyes as the glare of artificial
lights. Not only for beauty and rest
fulness in room, but for actual and
practical use, daylight should be To-
Called. Rather it should be controlled
and directed by shades and awnings
to secure the most light where light is
I1l Id. h. J
shine of light coming from above the
eyes.
One of the bitterest mistakes of mod,
ern builders is the use of a strong
inverted light against the ceiling
Such a light constantly attracts the
eve upward The gaze is pulled up
when naturally it would rest upon and
be attracted by objects on the eye
level or below, as in the case of read
ing. This pulling results unconscious
ly in a feeling of instability, and fin
ally in nervousness and irritability
Daylight pouring through full-length
windows has the same ultimate effect.
The half-drawn shade is physically
as we'll as artistically to be desired.
If H. M. must have extra strong day
light for reading let him place his
chair at the window Eve hope he has
a comfortable, deep, cushiony chair
Let him turn his left shoulder to the
light and let the shade, while the
reading progresses, be at the top of
the window When he is through let
him pull that shade down to the half
way mark, and peace and relaxation de-
scend upon the nerves Of the house
hold of H. M!
If gloom still pervades in spite of
the thirty-nine windows with half
drawn shades-and draperies besides
he had better sit out of doors. Sun
and wind and weather beating on his
brow, harried by fifteen years of mar
riage, may help dispel the irritation
from his eyes, but we sort of doubt it.
FLORENCE r. BROBECK,
Tribune Institute.