Evening star., 1923-05-25
PAINTING AND DECORATING
OLD PIECES OF FURNITURE
Best Types in Stores Should Be Observed
!. Before Undertaking Task-Rules
for Home Worker.

shabby chair or old table can De
made to take on a new lease of life
by appearing in a fresh coat OF paint
with touch of decoration.
There is something very charming
in the fashionable painted bedroom
sets one sees in the new furniture
displays. For instance, set of
French gray has lavender flowers
painted on the furnituSe, with small
yellow birds to harmonize with the
lavender lowered chintZ. decorated
with flowers of yellow, which is used
for the hangings. bedspread and
dresser scarf
To apply a design you can use
stencil or transfer the design to the
furniture by means of red or black
transfer paper. Red is better to use
than black. as it does not make such
strong mark. Place the design on
carefully, so as to have it just right.
then you will have no mistakes to
correct. and you are ready to do the
painting.
IF you are very proficient in using
brush you can paint the design on
the furniture free hand; that is. with
out first applying the design. but if
You do not feel quite sure of yourself
II would be better to use a stencil.
which can be bought ready for use
or may be cut to order at an interior
decorators at small cost. Oil paints
't come in tubes are the kind to
use.
feam color. ivory. soft tan. gray.
sray-blue. different tones of green
and black are all good colors to use
as a foundation for the decoration.
painted afterward in harmonizing
colors. If the furniture is to have
hard usage. add coat of white
Shellac after the decoration has been
added This will make a durable fin
ish. AS a further protection 1t is
a good plan to have glass tops on
bureaus, dressing tables and other
tables, especially If they are tea or
dining tables. Whatever your color
scheme is to be. choose it carefully
then go on quickly with the work.
If you wish to renovate an old
chair and table you can use the same
design on both. making an oval deco
ration on the center of the top of the
| table and using small parts of this
oval design in each corner of the
top of the table and on the front
, part of the table. which may be in
| the form of a drawer. The large
design should also be used on the
back of the chair and the small units
| or parts of the design used on various
other parts of the chair. A pretty
color scheme is deep cream for
foundation color with a decorative
design in violet and olive green, with
yellow centers for the flowers. The
stripes and bands should be in black.
To apply stripping as a decoration
takes an accurate eye and steady
hand. Then it is part of the process
| that is quickly done. If you feel
accurately. practice a while before
doing the final work A few stripes
added. in addition to any floral or
| other design you may use, will
greatly repay you by the added at
tractiveness of effect secured To
! do this part of the work use a strip
ing brush, which has hairs about two
lnches long and can be bought in
several different widths. Use the
brush with a free and easy move
ment on the desired line.
Copying of Designs
Almost any woman fairly skillful
with a brush could copy the flowers
and other designs from her chintz
furnishings and curtain draperies and
make painting of them on her furni-
ture. Rightly handled. a French gray,
lavender, and yellow bedroom of
painted furniture and chintz furnish
fngs would be exquisite enough for
the most fastidious woman. For a
girls bedroom there is nothing
daintier. or for guest room nothing
more appropriate, than soft gray
body color, over which ramble Old
fashioned pink roses. The painted
motifs on the white furniture in one
quaint room were of the same shade
of red as the red checked gingham
window curtains. The motifs were
combined with just q touch of the
right shade of blue. and the knobs
of the old-fashioned bed We're painted
red. as were also all of the door
knobs. locks and other fasteners in
the room.
A charming and yet simple plan of
decoration is to use a bird-and-apple-
blossom design on pale gray
foundation in cream color. with pink
flowers and gray-green leaves, and
the bird in blue with breast shading
from soft reddish tan to cream
color. The stripes used should be
in d-blue. Gray-green in a light
tone or ivory, striped with pink.
would also be a good background for
this design. There are almost un-
limited combinations to choose FROM
Another attractive color scheme is
to have old-blue flowers and gray
green leaves on an ivory ground. with
stripes of old-blue or black. or you
could have dull pink and green on an
ivory foundation, with stripes of pink
or green. If the furniture is to be
placed in a rather dark north room,
it would be good plan to have the
foundation color in a soft tone of
yellow. and the design all in black.