Evening star., 1940-01-06
Painting Can Bring
Oufmoded Room
Into Modern Mode
A Specific Case Is Cited
To Show Just How 1t
Can Be Done CheopIy

One OF the best loved stories OF our
times is the Cinderella yarn about
the transformation of drab damsel
into a glamour girl. Most of us like
the idea and perhaps do little
thoughtful wishing that we could
wave a magic wand and transform
ourselves into something different.
Homes that have a colorful charm
and an air Of being in tune with the
times are the modern counterpart
Of castles In Spain" Few OF us
who live in homes we feel to be
little out Of date can help wishing
that they could be transformed in
Cinderella like manner There are
few of us who can't, however-in
some degree or other-work a graft
flying transformation on our dwelling
places with the aid Of colorful coat
ings and fabrics.
Let's take a specific case. A living
room that was in good style decade
or more ago is still comfortable and
pleasant, but it's definitely out
moded-out of style Every one knows
how important it is to be in style.
There's no greater tonic for your
spirits than to have things around
you that are up to date. A dress
may be neat and in good condi-
ton. It may also fit well-but-if
1t is several years old and is out of
style, the woman wearing 1t will
feel apologetic and uncomfortable
when she puts it on. A new style
dress can lift the weight of the world
of her shoulders and make her
spirits soar.
The effect of up-to-date homes is
1ust the same. Homes that are "in
style"-inside and out-not only give
constant pleasure to the whole fam
lily but inspire great pride In their
surroundings as well.
The Room.
But this room we were discussing
the room furnished in the style of
q decade and half ago. The walls
are tan and the woodwork brown.
There's a clock on the red brick
mantel and a large-patterned rug
on the floor. A chandelier juts from
the center of the ceiling and an
overstuffed chair is flanked by
potted fern on tabouret and an
imitation mahogany stand sur
mounted by lamp with fringed
shade. Lace panel curtains screen
the windows.
Now let's see it transformed. First
Of all the room is paint styled. That
means that color is applied In keep
ing with the trend of the times and
that every feature of the room is
considered carefully in making the
color selection. From national sur
veys made by the Council for Paint
Styling we know that the most popu-
lar way to allocate color in living
room is to have all the walls painted
the same color and the trim coated
to match. The ceiling should be
lighter in tone than the walls, but
different in color.
Painting the trim to match the
walls is especially good in this case
because the windows are a little
large for the size of the room and
the dark coating they had before
emphasized this fact. Painting the
bricks Of the fireplace in the wall
color is also good as it aids in max
ing the room seem larger. Venetian
blinds at the windows also add the
illusion of greater size to the room
with their horizontal lines.
COlors to Use.
AS for color-the walls, wood
work and fireplace are painted a
soft and silvery pale gray-a reced-
ing. color that "enlarges" the room.
The Venetian blinds and tapes are
also the same gray. For the ceiling.
pale grayish green is used and
carpet of deep grayish green covers
the floor The hearth is painted
black. Gracefully hung draperies
at the windows are old gold in
color. The ones on the fireplace
wall frame an over-mantel decora-
ton that lends a distinctive center
Of interest to the room. First of all,
an old gold stripe, approximately
6 inches wide was applied at the
top of the wall above the mantel.
Flat paint was used for this. The
purpose of the stripe was to join the
two gold draperies with a reproduc-
ton of their fabric color. The wall
area between the stripe and the
mantel shelf was then coated with
q very pale gold metallic paint. The
metallic note, incidentally, is one
OF the very newest trends in decora-
ton. Straws in the fashion wind
point out that it's going to be quite
the thing to have glints of lovely
metallic color in our surroundings.
The mural decoration above the
mantel was applied in very simple
manner In the center of the mantel
shelf an interesting formation of
real white coral provides a focal
point. BY placing light at low
point, the shadow of the coral was
thrown on the wall and this was
filled in with rich metallic gold
paint-the same depth of color as
the draperies.
A pair of conch shells decorate
each end of the mantel shelf and,
on the wall behind them, seaweed,
painted in a bronzy copperish tone,
extends upward toward the ceiling.
The seaweed, incidentally, is easily
drawn. AS an added note Of lovely
color, the top surface of the mantel
shelf was painted emerald green.
Additional modernization was ac-
complished by the removal of the
chandelier. The job Of lighting the
room adequately was delegated to
well-designed lamps. One Of these
rested on the small stand that was
made part of the new order of
things with a coat Of the silvery
gray paint. Modernization struck
the chairs and sofa in the form of
weu-tailored apricot-colored slip
covers. These we're made notable
with q 2-tone treatments deeper
tone Of apricot being used for the
seat cushions.
The owners of the home with the