HOME ECONOMICS AND EDUCATION 655 



ration. The first law of good taste is simplicity. Two kinds of 

 flowers do not grow on the same stem, although we are sometimes 

 guilty of placing a conglomerate mixture of flowers in one vase. 



HOUSEHOLD DECORATIONS. 



Unity of Effect. Broadly speaking, a simple, united effect is 

 the first quality to be desired for interiors whether the interior be 

 one room or several connecting rooms through which vistas are seen. 

 All parts of the home picture should harmonize so as to produce no 

 sustained impression. Since the walls, ceiling, and floors of a room 

 present greater surface than any of the furnishings they require 

 first attention. Home should be a place of rest. There is small en- 

 couragement for relaxation in the sight of walls flaring with color, 

 writhing with scrolls, or peering with spots. Therefore, if we are 

 to have restful homes we must avoid using large quantities of colors 

 that are strongly red or blue, for these demand of us too much 

 nervous energy. Also all exaggerated patterns should be discarded. 

 We have left then for use all sorts of quiet colors and modest pat- 

 terns. These soft colors are called tones. By covering our walls 

 with soft colors, or tones, we may unite into one harmonious effect 

 the red of mahogany, the brown of walnut, the various shades of oak, 

 and other motley colors present in mixed furnishings. This is an 

 important problem in the average home. 



If we stand off and look at a summer landscape we notice that, 

 the great masses of leaves, grass, and grain, broken as they are by 

 sunlight and shadow and softened by atmosphere, are only tones 

 after all ; and that brilliant colors are reserved for bits of accent or 

 fleeting effects, as a bluebell, a yellow daisy, an orange sunset, or an 

 autumn maple. These conditions in nature, if applied to our sub- 

 ject of home decoration, would suggest soft colors for all large sur- 

 faces as wall, ceiling, floor, and hangings, with accents of bright 

 color in pictures, -books, lamp-shades, and other small objects, as 

 Nature uses her flowers. But do not get rooms too dark. Dark 

 interiors, besides being gloomy, prevent the easy discovery of dust 

 and dirt, and thus harbor germs and disease. A moderately light 

 interior looks cleaner than a dark one and encourages better care. 



All rooms, whether living-rooms or bed-rooms, which are north- 

 erly look best when the walls are of some warm color, as yellow, tan, 

 buff, golden brown, reddish brown, old rose, or terra cotta, provided 

 the furnishings harmonize. Rooms that are southerly need cool 

 tans or buffs, dull browns and green, grays and gray blues. Rooms 

 that are east or west allow of a wide choice of color, as they are 

 both sunny and sunless according to the different times of the day. 

 The amount of daylight, the amount of sunlight, and the furnish- 

 ings and woodwork in a room, should guide aright our selection of 

 color. 



To most persons plain walls are less tiring than even a good 

 figured paper. They also make the best background for pictures, 

 as they do not compete with them in interest. 



Water color paints, tints, or calcimines of whatever brand should 

 be a great blessing to the farmer's wife, for they are inexpensive and 



