The Indianapolis times., 1936-04-17
Rid House
of Junk.
Is Advice
Designer Says Many Cad
gets May Be Unsightly,
Though Precious.
BY MARY MARGARET MBRIDE

BY MARY MARGARET MBRIDE
NEW YORK, April Tits time
to give your home its annual clinic
a, treatment So says Raymond
Loewy, famous French-born in
dustr.ai designer. It's the season,
according to Mr.. Loewy, when all
good home decorators should turn
surgeon and perform major opera
tions in the way of gadget removals
in their households.
Mr.. Loewy, who designs furni-
ture. lamps and household acces-
sories as well as railroad trains
refrigerators and radiators, has a
penthouse studio atop Fifth-av
skyscraper that is fine example
Of the clinical treatment applied
to an apartment. Everything that
Is not essential from the standpoint
of Utility or structural decoration
has been eliminated.
Most people can live in a house
or apartment for years and never
really see It," says Mr.. Loewy. Its
because it's so easy to get used
W OWh dilO DG-
longings. A visitor drops in for
ten-minute visit and has a better
idea of what your living room looks
like than you, who are in it day
after day for months at stretch"
Must Use Detached Eye
Therefore Mr.. Loewy recommends
that once a year every woman give
her home a royal once-over, putting
If on the operating table so to
speak, and taking in every detail
with the detached, objective eye of
a doctor.
Ash trays, for instance, lamps and
vases are often eyesores. Once you
have decided what is wrong with
your accessories, the next thing is
to buy few things that are exactly
right. Then get rid of the old
things.
It's hard, Mr.. Loewy admits, be-
cause we are a sentimental people.
Once thing belongs to us, it takes
on a certain sacred quality no mat
ter how hideous or useless 1t may be.
ouBBCotS
For women with this sentimental
streak, he suggests a gadget room.
Here keepsakes, anniversary gifts
and otheis with no intrinsic value
can be arranged on shelves. Apart
nent dwellers who can't bear TO
throw things out are advised to
pack everything into great gadget
box and store for at least two years.
Then you'll be willing to give them
away.
The Loewy penthouse studio not |
only, carries out his ideas on sim
plification, but his interesting view
point about color as well. Although |
he came to this country from
France more than 10 years ago, he
still can not understand nor endure
color schemes used ir the average
American home.
THE mentality and spirit of the
American people is cheerful and
gay," he said, yet for a decade
the American living room was a
sordid, cherries and depressing
place. Everywhere was the newt
able rust and green combination,
a cheap imitation of Renaissance
magnificence. And now comes the
anemic SCHOOL,"
White Can Be Overdone
BY anemic school, he means the
fad for all white-whlte walls, white
rugs white furniture. His opinion
is that white should be used for
accents only.
He feels that a room, like its oc-
cupants, should have more than one
mood, particularly in the city apart
ment where one room serves as liv-
ing room. dining room and library.
On two walls of his own living room
he has used light shade of yellow
the gay and luminous mood. On
the other two walls he has used
soft gray-calm, mellow and digni-
fled. The fireplace is of white plas-
ter, lined with deep tone OF mul-
berry. The sofa is also of white,
upholstered in mulberry. White
shiny leather arm chairs are up
holstered in a rich brown piped IN
white. The carpet is of mulberry
and the draperies are ivory. He has
modelled two plaster shells which he
uses to throw indirect light on the
gray walls.
Another interesting use of plas-
ter Is for picture and mirror frames
Simple. fluted and unpainted. this
plaster moulding not only gives a
unique effect. but assures one that
pictures and mirrors will always
stay put, since they are affixed to
the walls themselves!