Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-11-06
You May Won't to Keep Your Dining Room Simple
BY Betty Lenohon

simplicity is the keynote TO
successful decoration Of a dining
area.
Since 1t opens into the living
room in the modern home, the
dining area is on display all day
long and in the evening. too.
Yet. except at lnealtimes, it
should remain in the background
and not be q distracting element
in the overall d ecorattn.g
scheme.
Both these requirements may
be met In the dining area by
keeping the room simple and
depending on the textures and
colors of the various elements
for enriching effect.
The floor might be quarry tile
in a handsome reddish brown,
each piece shading to black
brown. The material Is practical
as well as decorative, for food
particles can be removed with
a damp cloth and it will not
stain. A weekly cleaning keeps
it in top condition.
To replace the old-fashioned
sideboard - which would stick
out like a sore thumb in most
dining areas, one entire wall Of
the room might be made into
a storage wall, and faced with
caned panels set in wooden
frames with invisible pulls. The
frames could be sage green and
match painted walls, and the
inside Of the cabinets painted
in the brighter reddish brown Of
the tile floor.
The fabric for the windows
might be a silk gauze with a
simple repeat Of small trees in
black.
Chairs in the dining area could
be county regency design with
up olstery of tortoise-shell
leather. An oblong table, of
simple modern design fits nicely
into the scheme.
The dining area might be
lighted by two antique wall
lights on the storage wall, and
by pinhole lights in the ceiling
which reflect directly down on
the table. When the lights are
off in the evening, the dining
area would still make the living
area seem larger but visitors and
family would be scarcely aware
of the dining chairs and table.
Questions and Answers.
Question: have a small mar
row living room dinette combi-
nation with the only source Of
light coming from the back and
front. I want a color scheme
that will make the room look
larger and brighter-what would
be the best colors for the walls,
rugs. sofa and easy chair and
what kind Of draperies or cur
tains would you suggest?
Answer-You can make your
small narrow living room -dinette
combination look larger and
brighter by using a wallpaper
with a floral pattern on a pale
yellow background on the two
narrow walls and painting the
long walls the same shade Of yell
low as the background of the
wallpaper. Get a brown rug, tur-
quoise sofa. cocoa easy chair and
the curtains in a sheer fabric in
rust.
Question-Our kitchen seems
to be a problem. having a square,
barnlike appearance. We would
like to remodel it into a combi-
nation kitchen-dinette with a
maple dinette set on one side
Of the room and cabinets, sink,
etc., on the ether side. The floor
tile Is black and yellow. What
colors would you suggest for
paint for three walls, woodwork
and cabinets, for wallpaper for
the dinette end and for curtains
for two regular-size windows?
QueStiOn-Paint three walls,
woodwork and cabinets in your
kitchen a bright canary yellow,
paper the fourth wall with a
pattern in green, red and yellow
on a black background and get
red chintz curtains for the two
windows.
Question - Last summer we
painted the walls of our living
room gray and the ceiling pink.