434 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF FACTS. 



relacquering not oftener than once in ten or 

 twelve years. 



DECORATION. 



With special reference to walls, floors, and 

 furniture. 



It is always best to begin by first consider- 

 ing those things in which we have least room 

 for choice. On account of the change and 

 want of aim of " fashion," the least variety is 

 to be found in floor covering, and the greatest 

 in wall covering supposing we use wall paper, 

 which is almost always the best where econ- 

 omy is a motive. 



The first step, it is true, that time dictates 

 in preparing the house, is to color the wood- 

 work and the walls. But this being done to 

 suit the taste as far as it alone is concerned, 

 trouble is apt to come in finding carpets to cor- 

 respond. As the accessible variety of wall 

 paper and tints for painting is so much greater 

 than that of upholstery and carpets, it is best to 

 select the carpets at the very outset. Then it 

 will be comparatively easy to find appropriate 

 furniture and, that being selected, to find ap- 

 propriate wall paper and to paint appropri- 

 ately, if the woodwork is to be painted. 



One strong argument in favor of unpainted 

 woodwork, especially as compared with that 

 painted white, is that it will tone in with a 

 variably greater variety of carpets and wall 

 decorations. White woodwork is constantly 

 bringing to grief the .best laid plans of wall 

 and floor decoration. Pretty papers and car- 

 pets have more than once been sent home, 

 and even put in place, before it has been real- 

 ized that the uncompromising woodwork must 

 kill them. 



For the floor of the entrance or hall, encaus- 

 tic tiles are best in durability as well as in ap- 

 pearance. Combinations of these may be 

 made good and harmonious in color if we will 

 but be simple and not attempt display. Mar- 

 ble tiling, to be satisfactory, must be expen- 

 sive, and demands the exercise of great taste 

 and judgment. Next to tiling, hard wood, 

 paint, or even oilcloth, if it can be had of 

 moderately fair design and color, should be 

 preferred to carpet. 



For other floors in the house a large rug, 

 reaching to within about a foot and a half or 

 two feet of the walls, is, for many reasons, to 

 be preferred to a nailed-down carpet covering 

 the entire floor. This maybe made up of car- 

 peting sold by the yard, with a border ; or may 

 be an Eastern carpet in one piece, which of 

 course is very greatly to be preferred. For 

 the floor itself hard wood is best. If it have 

 a border, one of simple design should be chosen, 

 avoiding conspicuous spots or zigzags, or 



sharply contrasted stripes. If it is to bs 

 painted, the carpet, furniture, and wall paper 

 should first be chosen, then the floor color 

 agreeably to all of these, contrasting not too 

 strongly with the carpet, or the effect of 

 breadth over the whole floor maybe destroyed. 



In the carpet the contrasts and colors should 

 generally be not too striking, because it is th5 

 thing most under our eyes when they often 

 need rest. If the texture be a deep velvety 

 pile, the contrasts of lights and darks and 

 separate colors may be greater. Generally, it 

 had better be inclined to the dark and warm 

 in tone. Aggravating lessons in geometry, as 

 well as roses, scroll, and pictures, as subject? 

 of design in carpet, are things to be tabooed- 

 There are to be found carpets of fair design 

 copied from Eastern patterns, but their over 

 preciseness and painfully small accuracies, and 

 their inferiority of color, leave them far be- 

 hind a genuine Oriental carpet, with its slight 

 pleasing waywardness. 



In choosing furniture, consider the colors of 

 the woods. Against a wall of dull red, black 

 or dark oak will generally look well. And 

 with a wall of sage or olive green, greenish 

 blue or dull gray blue ; mahogany, oak, wal- 

 nut, or rosewood. Yellow with black and 

 some kinds of gray always looks well. Rarely 

 choose any wood lighter than oak. If the 

 articles be of somewhat light construction, 

 they may contrast rather strongly with the 

 floor and walls ; if large enough to make im- 

 portant masses in the room, the contrast, 

 should not be of a sudden and violent kind. 

 The introduction of black in furniture is often 

 of great value. Generally take the plainest 

 and most reasonably constructed furniture 

 that you can find. Avoid in it extravagance 

 of shape ; curving fronts to drawers, things 

 made to imitate drawers, and doors, and 

 lumps of carving glued on. Do not lightly, 

 and without consideration, choose adjustable 

 chairs, extension tables, and shutting beds. 

 Avoid having a piece of furniture which is not 

 quite sufficient for its uses, and so has to be 

 eked out by other insufficient things ; such a* 

 two or three inconvenient makeshifts for book- 

 cases, cabinets, etc. 



Upholstery of chairs and sofas may con- 

 trast with floors or walls ; there can be no 

 rule ; sometimes one plan will be found th 

 best and sometimes the other ; or a partial 

 adoption of both. The larger the pattern in 

 furniture, coverings, and curtains, the less 

 i conspicuous should be their colors. 



Curtains may generally harmonize pretty 



; closely with the furniture upholstery. They 



may often be somewhat more lively, as, in the 



daytime the light does not fall on the surf act 



