The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-05-28
Enlarging Small
| Room To Meet
Demands
By ELAINE MASON

=.
NOW that we are redec6rating and
In cleaning and painting, make use
OF every room you have and do
Just as much toward beautifying it as
Is possible. Some rooms need only
fresh curtains and cleaning and pol
fishing, while others win have to be
entirely changed. When you come to
the little rooms, and many of US have
nothing else but little rooms, be es-
pecially thoughtful Of every detail.
There are 50 many things that enter into
the final effect of room that every
touch Of color, every book, dish, can.
die, rug and chair has some Importance.
So many rooms are furnished naphaz-
ard with pieces picked up here and
there" as the proud owner always says,
They usually look as if they had been
picked up that way and put down again
In the same thoughtful manner; here and
there, with no thought Of harmony,
. beauty or even logical arrangement.
Without doubt, one can find delightful
old tables and chairs in antique stores
that only need scraping and sanding
and polishing, but why is it that some
persons never put paint on the old
things? They get down to the original
nudeness of the wood, some shade OF
muddy brown and leave it, Then you
are Informed that it ID beautiful rich
color, real walnut or something and are
expected to gaze awestruck at the ind.
How much more lovely it would be
to give the poor old chair a coat OF
happy bright paint to make 1t, feel
young again, and at the same time
make the room look modern and cheer
fun. Especially, in the small room, 1t
is best to use painted furniture and
leave out all the rich dark shades, as
these tend to make the room even
smaller. Keep the walls and ceiling
and floor all light and sunny and have
the woodwork as light as the walls, be-
cause the contract Of dark against the
light will create certain pattern in
the space that is more narrowing than
an entirely unbroken light surface. 81
In one example we find the ceiling
and woodwork Of the little room paint.
ed white, or rather a cream with the
paneling at the fireplace painted the
cream color of the polished dark wood
1t had been. The walls are papered in
a white ground with polka dots Of light
green scattered dainty all over the
surface. The floor Of wide boards has
been painted light grass green and
given few coats of hard varnish to
help It keep bright. The circular rag
rug In the center Of the room is pale
gray with blu eand yellow and red and
green rags woven into it till it Is quite
colorful.
Sc much for enlarging the funda-
mental part OF the room. The fuffi.
tnre Is plain old picked up stuff bright
ened up with paint. A plain deck with
h6rne-constructed shelves over it is pale
green enameled with a flower design
cut out of cretonne and glued fatty to
the front of the desk and drawers. The
cretonne is treated with a couple Of
layers Of shellac and makes a wonder.
full decoration. A chair OF shiny black
enamel has yellow stripes and q flower.
ed back, while black beneath and green
on top where stands bowl of goldfish
The window curtains are as dainty
as the wallpaper and as light in quail
ity tas the spirit of the rest of the room
They are Of pale green sunfast organ
die with crisp pleated rufflea lavishly
used ID 1xin Eha dess and arape wal
ance. The sash curtain Is Of glazed ere
tonne like the slip cover Of the old leath
er armchair and the cushion covers Of
the couch which is decorated in plain
green chintz with a flounced fuffle tC
hide its original iron legs. s