FURNISHED ROOMS AT DARMSTADT 

 AND MANNHEIM 



IN looking back on the record of past work, and in recalling the flavour, 

 not always entirely delicious, of ten or fifteen years ago, one is chiefly 

 struck by the strange irony of fate which has made one's employment consist 

 of building houses for other people to furnish, or furnishing houses which 

 other people have built. In no single case in the houses illustrated by 

 photographs am I responsible for the furniture, and the sympathetic reader 

 will perhaps realise this in glancing at some of these illustrations. 



In the two examples now given of Continental work, it has been my task 

 to decorate and furnish only. 



In work of this kind, which depends so essentially for its effect on colour 

 schemes, photographs are somewhat inadequate. 



In the sitting-room at Darmstadt the panelling is ivory-white, and above 

 this the wall is orange. The central electric-light fittings, designed by Mr. 

 Ashbee, are grey pewter, and the furniture is chiefly in tones of green and 

 blue. And this arrangement of white, orange, grey, green and blue is 

 supplemented by touches of brilliant pink in the flowers. 



In the dining-room a more sober scheme prevails, the wall above the 

 panelling being covered with embossed leather. 



In the music-room at Mannheim the panelling is again white, and on the 

 white ground of frieze and ceiling are set trees and wreaths of mountain ash 

 and rose modelled in plaster, and painted their proper colours with flights ot 

 silver birds. 



The fireplace presents a space of white marble with a central rosette of 

 pink-toned " midnight sun " marble surrounded by rays of black. The 

 grate is repoussee brass, and the slender shafts of the columns are crowned 

 by capitals, where white lilies bloom between pale green leaves. The electric- 

 light fittings are of armour-bright iron, with touches ot green enamel. 



The principal piece of furniture is the large music cabinet, specially 

 designed for the use of a composer. It is of oak, inlaid with ebony, pewter 

 and pearl. 



The special piano for this room has not yet been executed. The little 

 inlaid semicircular chairs which appear in this room have recently been much 

 exploited by furnishing firms. 



The double windows used in German houses gave an opportunity for the 

 use of stained glass, designed to not unduly obstruct the light. The flowers 

 are in shades of pink with grey-green leaves. The boudoir, which opens into 

 this music room, follows much the same scheme of colour. 



The corner fireplace is lined with turquoise-blue tiles, and the furniture 

 of oak is inlaid with ebony, ivory and pearl. 



Other rooms in Germany, not illustrated here, which have been decorated 

 and furnished, consist of exhibition rooms, designed for firms in Berlin and 

 Dresden. It appears to be a growing custom with the principal furniture 

 firms in Germany to invite representative architects to contribute to such 

 periodical exhibitions, and in these it has been Mr. Mackintosh and myself 



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