HOUSES AND GARDENS 



and wherever mouldings are introduced, they should justify their existence 

 by the refinement and beauty of their lines. Inasmuch as they serve no 

 practical purpose, and rest their claims to our regard solely on aesthetic 

 qualities, there seems little excuse for the existence of the coarse and ugly 

 mouldings which disfigure the doors of the average house. 



In a panelled room it is generally desirable to make the doors a part of 

 the panelling, so that the continuity of the wall treatment is unbroken. In 

 this way the door becomes almost a secret one, and does not assert itself as a 

 feature in the room. 



In the same way a door may be effaced by covering it with arras cloth or 

 canvas in a room which is hung with this material, and this leads us to the 

 consideration of the door which is made specially to cut off sound, and 

 which tradition has decreed shall be covered with red or green baize. This 

 type of door may be covered with canvas and decorated with embroidery or 

 stencilling. 



Doors may also be covered with metal work of various kinds with brass, 

 copper or lead, and ornamented with repousse work, or with leather which 

 may be embossed and tooled. 



The use of metal is particularly suitable for an exterior door, where it 

 suggests permanence and strength. 



In the number and arrangements of the doors in a house, it will be 

 found generally desirable to have but one to each room, and that so placed 

 as to avoid draughts at the fireside. 



The multiplication of doors in a room may seem desirable if convenience 

 of access only is considered, but they do not make for comfort of habitation, 

 and in most cases every additional door means a possible draught, and a 

 corresponding decrease in the comfort of the room. 



In the hanging of the doors it should be arranged that they screen the 

 room as far as possible when open. 



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