May, 1912 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 185 
The Indian Tree pattern in tableware is one of the most attractive designs to be had. A 100-piece 
room the various parts of which will have the appearance 
of being at war with one another. With figured walls, 
plain hangings and upholstery matching the general color 
of the wall covering are fitting accompaniments. Large 
sharply defined designs should be avoided, as they have a 
tendency to make rooms appear both small and stuffy. 
When a light color scheme is being used, nothing will im- 
part to a Summer house the fresh, clean appearance that 
comes from a plentiful use of ivory-white paint. 
HE conclusions to be drawn from the foregoing are 
that with plain walls it is permissible to use figures or 
decorative fabrics, but in rooms with figured walls one 
should use plain textiles for hangings and upholstery, but 
when in doubt it is best to keep on the safe side and have 
plain walls. 
N almost any large city, one will frequently chance across 
a row of houses built exactly alike, and it is always in- 
teresting to note some little changes which have been 
made by one owner and which tend to make his house 
more attractive than the rest, although the main features 
have not been altered. In the center of a long row of com- 
monplace, brownstone dwellings, one house stood out 
prominently and presented a cheerful, attractive counte- 
nance to the passerby. At first glance one received the im- 
pression that this house differed materially from its neigh- 
bors, and it did in effect but not in reality. The window 
sashes, each containing one large, glaring sheet of glass, 
had been changed for sashes having six small rectangular 
panes to each sash. The window frames, sashes, mullions 
and front door had been painted white, and these simple 
changes had transformed this gray, somber facade into a 
neat, trim, attractive house front. The windows of a house 
will not look like great staring eyes when small panes are 
used. 
HANGING the window sashes was not one of those 
improvements which adds to the outward appearance 
at the expense of the interior effect. The decorative 
value of small window panes cannot be overestimated, and 
the breaking up of the window into small sections is prefer- 
able to having only one large pane of glass in each section. 
Some types of houses positively demand them and the 
Colonial, Elizabethan, half-timbered houses, Mission 
houses and cottages lose half their charm unless the small- 
paned windows are generously used. The oblong panes are 
very often employed but the diamond-shaped ones set in 
wooden mullions are most attractive and decorative, both 
from the interior and exterior of a house, and these look 
especially well in the casement windows. Small panes of 
leaded glass arranged in a simple geometrical design will 
lend distinction and interest as well to any window, even in 
set will cost $20.79 
addition to the windows of the houses above mentioned. 
OR obvious reasons it is not always convenient to make 
radical changes, such as purchasing new sashes or hav- 
ing old ones fitted with new mullions, but there are some 
economical shortcuts which are worth noting. In a certain 
apartment the living-room was lighted by a large north 
window, facing on a court. Black passe partout tape was 
pasted over the large panes of opaque glass, so as to form 
diamond-shaped sections, and this simple expedient effective- 
ly broke up the barren appearance of this large window. In 
another room a lattice was made of narrow flat boards and 
fitted snugly into the sash over the large pane of glass, 
which gave the effect of a number of small panes in each 
sash. Any extra expense put into decorative windows is 
economical in the end, as they become decorative features 
of the room and need almost no draperies at all; a fabric 
hanging in straight folds, to be drawn in the evening, being 
all that is necessary, or a diaphanous material hung close 
to the window will soften the light and not hide the windows. 
It is an excellent idea to have small-paned windows when 
the view is not alluring, as one is then tempted to look at 
the windows and not through them. 
PORCELAIN TABLEWARE 
OW often has the eye of the sensitive person been 
‘J offended and good digestion interfered with by having 
a dinner served on dishes which did not match and forming 
a medley of inharmonious color on the table. If the pre- 
caution was taken of buying open stock patterns, then broken 
or marred dishes could easily be replaced, and the table 
would not have to be set with odds and ends. All of the 
large shops now carry a great variety of open stock patterns 
to fit all purposes. The English porcelain, or cottage ware, 
is very charming and makes very beautiful breakfast sets, 
so that the same dishes do not have to be used for all three 
meals. The Indian Tree pattern is especially attractive and 
comes in three variations of the same design, one of which is 
shown in the illustration. The main part of the design 
shows a branch of a tree with pink apple blossoms, treated 
in the Chinese taste, on a cream ground, with a border of 
the apple blossoms. The colors are pink, green and brown, 
and a one hundred-piece dinner set costs $20.79. 
N this connection it must be remembered that the writer 
is here referring to the table set for the usual formal and 
semi-formal occasions of the regular family meals, for it is 
true that the “picnic” luncheon or supper of an impromptu 
nature may have its dishes set forth on an array of all sorts 
of plates, pottery and porcelain side by side, perhaps, never- 
theless a certain dignity should be sought for when the table 
is regularly set, which is only to be obtained by the harmon- 
ious relation of any part or unit of the service to the other. 
