Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-27

cultivation of two qualities-namely,
sense of arrangement and sense of
selection. BY arrangement is meant
the systematic placing Of objects within
a given space, as the placing Of rugs
on floor, pictures on wall, furniture
In a room, shrubs, lawn and paths in
yard or even such things as dishes on
a dinner table. BY selection Is meant
the choosing of materials or objects that
will suitably fit into the proposed plan,
such as the selection of rugs, wall
papers, furniture, pictures, dishes or
plants.
Very little furniture is needed in the
modern room, but each piece must have
a purpose and if it does not serve that
purpose it is not desirable. Everything
that does not contribute to the service
or enjoyment or beauty of a room
should be removed. Plenty of free open
space is part of good furnishing.
Modern furniture is compact and
adaptable, allowing the greatest possible
use of every piece. If furniture Is not
comfortable it is not good and should
not be considered A good piece OF
furniture will fit into any place, but
and if it is upholstered choose material
that is in the line of neutral colors and
that is adequate for the purpose.
Good arrangement in furnishings re-
suits from observing two general
principles. First, the arrangement OF
objects should follow, repeat or fit the
structural outlines of the space used
Secondly, objects should not be scat
tered over the space but should be
in
that large open spaces may be left to
set off the arrangement. If good pro-
portion is to be felt throughout room
there must be consistent relationship OF
sizes. There should be a pleasing rela-
tionship between the size of the differ
ent pieces of furniture and the size
of a room. For instance, large, over
stuffed pieces of furniture will seem to
crowd small room, while too small and
too delicate furniture will seem lost in
a large room. Pieces about the same
in scale should be arranged together.
A large piece of furniture may be bal
anced with a group of smaller pieces.
If room is too small for the furni-
ture, then the fewest possible number
of pieces should be used,
Placing Of Articles.
The placing of furniture should not
be irregular and unexpected, so that
persons are likely to bump into things
when moving around the room. Pieces
of furniture should not be placed
diagonally across the corners Of a room.
Each time this is done triangle OF
space is wasted behind the object and
two corners are awkwardly projected
into the room. Each object so placed
not only appears to but actually does
occupy more space than when placed
against the wall. The space behind the
piece of furniture also becomes dust
hole, so that the furniture has to be
moved when cleaning. Sometimes chairs
may fit into corners, If they are of the
right shape, and they can be easily
moved 1t is best to arrange furniture
parallel with the walls, thus following
the outline of the room. The pieces
that are related in use should be
grouped together, such as desk, books.
library table and comfortable chairs
occupying one end of the room, and
piano, music cabinet and more seats
the other end.
Comfortable chairs, convenient books
or magazines on a table, shelf or in
book rack and a well placed lamp
usually make the reading group. The
chairs should be placed SO that there
is good light for day reading as well
as for evening use. It will be best to
have the writing group away from the
visiting group if possible and IN place
where there is good light. II there Is
music group, it should be away from
the visiting and writing groups If posi-
BILE. In a bedroom the bed and small
table and lamp may form one group,
while the dresser, chairs and closet
form another. The bed should be placed
parallel with the wall, where there is
good air for the sleeper and where the
early morning sun does not fall.
Interest may be distributed through
out a room by placing heavy pieces of
furniture and strong colorings and
designs at a considerable and pleas
ing distance one from another. Re-
member when furnishing narrow room
that objects placed across the ends
seem to widen and shorten the space,
while objects placed along the SIDES
tend to increase the already great
length and to decrease the already
narrow width.
Refinishing Furniture.
Much old furniture can be refinished
at small cost and made attractive and
disable. Never refinish ugly, poor fur
niture. Painted furniture is used
great deal, is attractive and Is easy to
care for. y. Use paint in good colors,
such as a cheerful buff, soft gray
green, or dull gray blue, either of
which will transform a set of furni-
ture.
Furniture to be refinished should
be of plain design, simple in line and
devoid of characterization, in repair,
and made of a kind of wood which
will warrant the time. money and eff
fort required to refinish 1t. Such fur
niture lends itself to refinishing more
readily than that which is heavily
carved or fancy in design. Cheap soft
woods, unseasoned woods. or thin We
neered furniture is often not worth
the effort required to ref1nish.
The process of reflnishing includes
three steps. The first is the removal of
old finish, the second Is the conditioning
of the wood for the new finish. and
the third is applying the new finish.
Paint may be removed in the same
way as varnish, but it is more difficult
to soften and is frequently removed
by a mechanical method, such as
scraping or burning. To remove a
single thin coat of varnish or paint
use q solution of sal soda and am
monia, or a paste made Of any stand
ard washing powder. When wood has
been stained dark color before var
nish has been used, the stain pene-
trates into the fiber of the wood, thus
coloring more than the mere surface
Such q dark stain finish cannot be
refiniShed in lighter color or covered
with lighter stain than the original
unless the surface of the wood is first
planed to remove the dark stain. Fol-
low planning the wood with the use of
sandpaper. A light stain finish on
top of an old dark stain will not be
satisfactory.
When paint or enamel is to be the
new finish it is not always necessary
to remove all the old finish. A thin
coat of varnish or paint may be pre-
pared for a new coat of enamel or