Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-20
BY BETSY CALLISTER.

THERE Is something very vener-
able about cushions. They were
used on lounges, chairs and
Il benches long before any one had
ever thought of upholstery or
overstuffed padding. Greeks and Ro-
mans had cushions covered with COL
ored silks to bring comfort to the hard
surface of seats and benches Of marble
or bare wood. They were used In Egypt
long before the days of Cleopatra, who
fairly revelled in them If we are to
judge from preSent-day screen portray
ais of that lovely lady.
Even the charming ladies of Japan
have finally come to using cushions.
For thousands of years they reclined on
th1nly padded quilts spread on the floor,
resting their heads on padded blocks
of wood placed at the nape of the neck
for fear of diSarranging their elaborate
ly coifed hair. But the old formality of
hair arrangement Is going, bed pads
are becoming thicker and every one who
is at all up to date sleeps on cushion.
So East meets West and hoary an
| tiquity meets moderniSm-in the cush-
ion.
But surely cushions were never more
highly favored or more generally beauti-
full than they are today. To be sure,
there are some atrocities among them,
but on the whole cushions are more
tastefully covered than they were 10 or
is or 20 years ago, because we have
come to regard them as an integral part
of the decorations of the rooms in which
they appear.
Some one sets down the rule that a
divan should have seven cushions. If
the cushions are of good size, five Is
enough-in any event the number
should be uneven. Four or six cushions
on the divan would never do. On the
upholstered Chesterfield there should
be at least one and usually not more
than three.
Cushions are to be had usually In
sizes ranging from 10 to 26 inches
square-one size for every inches The
larger sizes are useful when they are
to be used against the wall at the back
of divan or seat; the smaller sizes
where they are to be used for the head
or to tuck in at the back of a chair or
upholstered seat. Down or some other
soft padding Is desirable for the smaller
cushions, but for the larger ones some
one of the sitter stuflngs is more sat-
isfactory, since they give the cushions
more body.
No cushion cover should be tolerated
when 1t Is not intrinsically beautiful
or does not harmonize with It's sur.
/ roundings or is not perfectly practical
is the dictum laid down by the interior
decorators.
, I A good rule to follow is that a fig.
ured or two-toned cushion cover shoulc
i. never be used save on base of sole
, tone. That is, If you have a divan with
, a striped cover your cushions must bt
of Solid-toned material If your ches
, terrified is figured then the cushion,
: should not be figured. A pleasing effec
is to be gained by the use, let us say
: of two or three Solid-toned cushion.
1 on solid-toned divan with two o.
three that are figured. More than tive
: cushion covers of the same sort usually
, do not look well on the same divan OF
chesterfield
:, Rather daring but effective is the usC
! Of five or seven cushions covered with
!. solid-colored material all In differen
colors. With this arrangement thu
: divan should be of neutral, inconspicu
GUS tone.
Thus you might have, on taupe
covered divan, an orange cushion, on,
g IN blue, one in mulberry, one in char.
: treuse and one in wine red The eff
:, feet would be startling. I grant, but
have seen 1t carried out most Gffectivel!