1036 



The Cornell Reading-Courses 



ing the woodwork or changing the floors. Wall decoration would 



be undertaken more cautiously if viewed in the light of a fixed part 



or element of the house. 



The use of the room. — In all family 

 living-rooms of whatever sort we are 

 likely to have various tastes, ages, and 

 moods to satisfy. Only an unobtrusive 

 wall covering is appropriate here; for a 

 paper the color and pattern of which 

 strike our fancy when we are fresh and 

 rested may oppress us when we are tired. 

 If one intends to cover walls with paper, 

 it is a good plan to bring home rolls of 

 several selections and look at them in 

 their proper setting and in various 

 moods. One may thus test their effect 

 before buying. The color schemes of 

 adjoining rooms through which vistas 

 are seen need not be identical, but must 

 harmonize in order to produce an effect 

 of spaciousness. It is very jarring to 



look from a yellow room into a blue 



room on the one hand and a green one 



on the other. The color scheme is thus 



broken into several small divisions and 



unity of effect is destroyed. 



The passing whims of fashion or of the 



paper hanger should not be inflicted on all 



the members of the family. Decided 



color preferences and a taste for novelty 



effects should be reserved for one's own 



bedroom, where they need offend no one. 

 Light or dark walls. — Outdoors a flood 



of light from all directions permeates 



everywhere. Indoors we have artificial 



conditions of light, due to the fact that 



light enters a room from the side only, 



and usually from but one or two direc- 

 tions; also, because a room is box-shaped, we have reflected 



as well as direct light. The ceiling especially acts as a reflector 



of Hght. For this reason it usually should be kept Hght colored, unless 



Fig. 8. — ^' Large medallion or shield- 

 shaped spots with scrolly outline 

 are a common type of distressing 

 pattern " 



Fig. 9. — A fussy bedroom paper that 

 would become tiresome 



light 



