San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-30
GREAT CHARM
IN THE FORMAL
DINING ROOM
Rugs May Be Figured But
Walls Should Be
Plain.
GOOD PICTURES HELP
Flower Studies Usually
Best for Dining
Room.
GOOD PICTURES HELP
By WALTER MURRAY.

DN w
Nothing is more beautiful than the
formal dining room with its dignified
set of furniture, its heavy silver, its
wall tapestry and all accessories ex-
pressing the finest effect. But for one
such dining room there are thousands
in which very little money can be ex-
pended, and where adverse conditions
must be inexpensively remedied.
Therefore, we are here TO consider the
dining room in the little two-story
home, which may be Dutch colonial, or
Mission, or merely American. This is
an average dining room, about II by
IA feet in size. One enters through
French doors, which separate it from
the living room. A second single glass
door opens upon a sun parlor. and a
third deor leads into the pantry way,
adjoining the kitchen.
There are two full-sized and one
easement window. The room is light,
as il faces east. The floor is hard
wood, so light that it must be deepened
10 the tone of walnut or oak. Until
our floor is quiet in tone nothing ef.
fective can be accomplished. In cases
where it is impossible TO change the
tone of the flooring 1t is advisable TO
cover this border with a strip OF linol-
cum or plain carpet. deeper in tone
than woodwork and body Of the rug.
The rug for the dining room may be
figured, and our walls should prefer
ably be plain. One Of the most ex-
eellent finishes for walls is a notified
effect showing variation of light and
dark tones. Or, in a buff or dark
ivory, a stipple effect is delightful.
These effects may be attained in paper
as well as plaster finishes. Let us
avoid using friezes of any kind in
dining room. Like the plate rail. their
popularity is at an ebb. If We feel
the need of a definite finish 10 the
wall. paint stripes, two of varying de-
grees of the prevailing tone in the
room, and a third of a contrasting
color. Just below the ceiling. Or IL
the wall is extremely high and We
feel it advisable to remedy this, bring
the ceiling tone (always lighter down
into the side wall about fourteen
inches. and then introduce the suggest
ed line and a picture mold as deep in
value as the deepest tone of the wood
work in the room.
49, Use of Paneling.
Nothing is more desirable for din
ing room than wooden paneling, ap-
piled TO the plaster surface and Great
ing the effect of panels. The paneled
area should be deeper in value than
the surrounding wall. In certain
types of dining room the panel may be
featured by using figured paper. either
of very dignified, classical design tif
the room is TO be quite fOrmaD or an
effect of gayety and color may be
produced my using paper suggestive OF
chintz, and cretonne.
Such rooms approach the breakfast
room in their final effect and are not
dignified nor quiet enough in char
acter TO please the popular taste. But
how infinitely preferable they are TO
the dear brown dining room. with its
tan madras curtains, or the red dining
room with its gloriOusly 60 golden
oak furniture For the well lighted
dining room, a japanese grass cloth
! of blue gold, changeable in effect, with
deeptoned woodwork and plain blue
sunfast curtains at the windows, fin
ished with valance of printed linen,
yirile in design and in which are found
tones of blue, gold, rose or petunia,
! would be effective. The reverse may
I be desired. plain valance and figured
curtains, though, if the rug is decided
J ~ patterned. it is well to have plain
| side curtains. The curtains against
| the glass may be of the sheerest silk
/ or Scrim If the woodwork and furni-
: ture is painted or mahogany, though
( IL walnut or oak predOminateS, these
curtains should be of net. as it is more
| in keeping with the texture of the
| wood. Mahogany. the aristocrat of
| woods, demands silver, fine linen, silk.
! velour, while oak and walnut, nm
! doubtedly more appropriate for the
average home, are more democratic
and harmonic better with coarSer lin
ems, materials rougher in texture. such
as net, rep, printed linen, and hand
blocked chintz or goods of peasant
weave.
The choice of dining room furniture
is always a great problem. Too often
we unthinkingly choose our furniture
I 10 this particular room, selecting set
! that pleases us as a particular set of
furniture, in and because of itself, but
that may be entirely unsuited for the
type of room in which it is TO be
placed or the home life Of which it is
tocome a part. Let us always cOnsid-
er these points in choosing dining room
furniture.
Il. Is the set l am choosing in
scale with the proportions of my room,
or may there not be a possibility that
the dining room will appear crowded.
so. Are the individual pieces long
or high enough for the particular
spaces where they must be placed (for
generally, in the dining room. ones
furniture arrangement is limited by
the scarcity of wall space)?"
When Grapes Too Rich.
20. viii my dining room set ap-
pear too RICH, or too large, or too
heavy for the other types of furniture
in my home%
n. Are my dining room draperies,
my rug. my linen, silver and decorative
accessories rich enough TO form n
suitable background for a formal set
of mahogany in the Queen Anne or the
Chippendale period, or is there not a
more appropriate choice" If you are
determined on a mahogany set, and
your home is modest and simple and
your dining room merely a pleasant
comfortable room, then undoubtedly a
mahogany gateleg table, with rush.
bottom chairs of colonial lines, and a
simple side table will be most appro.
,riafa II NAV no advisable fO chooSf