Evening star., 1935-06-22
GARDEN NOVELTY
FOR APARTMENT
Nature Beauties Eleventh
Floor at Connecticut
Avenue and |.
BY HELEN FETTER COOK.

There is a surprisingly lovely garden
at the La Sale Apartment high above
the corner of Connecticut avenue and
L streets. The casual passerby never
would glimpse this garden unless he
should crane his neck to the limit.
The eleventh floor of an apartment
house seems a queer place for a gar
den. 1t sounds even queerer to add
that this garden is $50 feet long and
about 10 feet wide. The reason it is
80 long is because the folks who own
it, Mr.. and Mrs. Henry ]. Staley, hap
pen to have the corner duplex apart
ment in this building and so have
much space for their balcony garden.
They moved in more than five years
ago and were initiative in having many
of their own ideas incorporated in the
finishing of their apartment. 1t is
different in many ways from others
in the building and two splendid views
are available.
Position on North Side.
On the north side, Mr.. Staley has
his own special portion of the gar
den" 1t consists of long green win
dow boxes that hold fragrant petunias
in pink, white and deep red shades
growing toward the studio window on
that side.
The more complicated garden, Mrs.
Staley's, is around on the Connecticut
avenue side. At present the space
next to the railing is a mass of soft,
feathery green that, little later in
the season will turn into elaborate en-
broidery of red, orange and white
flowers. zinniaS, marigoldS and pc
tuniaS to fit into the color scheme OF
her gay striped awnings are Mrs
Staley's choice for this year. On the
other side Of the space she has had
tall lattices built against the walls and
luxuriant ivy is growing. To add to
the sense of dark GOODNESS there are
occasional tubs of sturdy arbor vitae at
strategic points along the balcony.
The entrance to this garden space
Il through a very tall window in a
huge studio room that has a massive
brick fireplace at one end and grace
full winding stairway that climbs to the
bed room floor of the duplex, at the
other. Large paintings of Mrs. Staley
and her son hang on the walls. A rare
large Venetian mirror is above the fire
place, where row of ancient japanese
sword guards and a quaint Algerian
kif1e, mounted in silver and mother of
pearl, decorate the space between the
mantel top and the fireplace proper
Tremendous brass andirons, 21a feet
tall, give added distinction to this enc
of the room.
Nook for Baby Grand.
Beneath the stairway is a baby
grand piano painted in Watteal
fashion with colorful scenes scattered
among rocco designs in green anc
gold. Near the center of this room il
another much older piano. Damas
Gus, Liege, Madrid, Florence and man!
other foreign places are responsible fol
the unusual collection of beautiful
things in this room. Picture panel!
on the windows that lead out to tht
garden-balcony we're originally made
for chapel windows and are of ex-
quiSite stained glass. The earliest ol
the collection is dated 1888. The long
book shelves are filled in remarkable
degree with first editions. Italian
French, English and early American
furniture designers provided the chairs
sofas and stools scattered about.
The one other room in this apart.
ment which has windows on TIT
garden balcony is the dining room
which is entirely furnished in beauti.
full Georgian pieces. Mrs. Staley il
especially proud of her Hepplewhite
sideboard, with its original brasses
which came from Scotland and is sale
to have been made by the master de-
signer himself She also has ar
equally rare and authentic Hepple-
white dining room table. The chairs
are ladder-back Chippendales and
smaller chairs which belonged to Mr.
Staley's great-grandmother, and have
her initials carved in the wooden frame
beneath the cushions. Two folding
tables balance each other across the
room. One is Hepplewhite. the other
Chippendale. The rug for this room
was especially ordered from China.