June, 1912 
AMERICAN “HOMES AND GARDENS 
20 
Height and dignity was given to this living-room by hanging draperies at the windows so as to increase the apparent altitude 
ADDING HEIGHT TO A WINDOW 
PLEASING example of the “Value of Effect in In- 
terior Decoration,’ which was discussed in this depart- 
ment in our March number, is shown in the two accompany- 
ing illustrations of a living-room. 
The low windows gave a squatty appearance to the whole 
room and brought the ceiling down too low. This effect was 
counteracted by hanging long curtains in straight folds at 
the windows, connected by a wide valance, which covered 
the space above the windows and brought them up to the 
height of the doors. In this manner one third was added 
to the apparent height of the windows, and the whole room 
was improved out of all proportion to the task involved. 
The built-in bookshelves snugly fill the awkward space. 
THE DECORATIVE VALUE OF BOOKS 
VERY room should be peculiarly adapted to the pur- 
pose for which it is intended and if this element is lack- 
ing the room is a failure. A library immediately suggests 
books—books large and small, rare and unique, or, in all 
probability, just ordinary books, but, nevertheless, a library 
should be built around its books. They must dominate the 
room and become its principal decoration, for when the 
chief reason which justifies the existence of a room can be 
treated in a decorative manner, then one is approaching real 
decoration. When properly placed and massed, books will 
add to the decorative quality of a room, whether they rise 
from floor to ceiling in serried rows, the various colors of 
their bindings weaving a dull-toned tapestry, or if one’s 
books only occupy the space of a modest bookshelf. 
To obtain the best decorative effect from books depends 
entirely on the manner in which they are arranged. The low 
bookcases, having glass doors, such as are usually seen, pro- 
tect the books from dust, but they also hide them so that the 
books do not get their full value in the decorative scheme. 
Ordinary built-in bookshelves, such as can be made by any 
carpenter, commend themselves for this purpose and have a 
number of good points in their favor. They can be made 
to fit exactly into any desired space, either large or small, 
can be built up to any height, and painted or stained to 
accord with the general color scheme of a room. When the 
outer edge of the upright supporting boards are grooved, 
to take away the appearance of boxiness, and finished with 
a plain molding at the top, the bookshelves will be both 
sightly, artistic and inconspicuous. If a great many books 
are to be housed, it is a good plan to have low-set, built-in 
shelves run entirely around the room, coming to the same 
height as the shelf of the mantelpiece. The temptation to 
place a quantity of bric-a-brac on top of the low-set shelves 
must be resisted, only a few pieces of faience, brass or cop- 
per, or a colored plaster bust, or other objects possessing 
real artistic merit should find a resting place here. Satis- 
factory dimensions for such bookshelves are four and a half 
feet high, with four shelves at graduated heights. The 
lower shelf should be four inches from the floor, and the 
lower shelves ten inches wide and the top one twelve inches. 
Bookshelves of this height permit of pictures being hung 
above them on a line with the eye. If additional book room 
is desirable, the shelves can be erected between windows 
and be just the same height as the windows themselves. 
In an old house which had a deep chimney-breast, the 
spaces on either side of the library mantel to the corners 
of the room were filled with bookshelves, rising almost to 
the ceiling, and just deep enough so that the outer edge of 
the shelves were flush with the chimney-breast. When plan- 
ning a new house large enough to devote one room to library 
purposes, it is an excellent idea to decide beforehand just 
where the books are going to be placed, and have these 
spaces sunk into the walls, so that when the books are in 
place the backs of the volumes will be flush with the wall 
surface. A room treated in this way will have the effect of 
being paneled with books. This gives a more solid and sub- 
stantial appearance than can be obtained with built-in book- 
shelves. If a room should have an extra closet which is not 
used, the door could be removed and shelves built in, the 
finished effect, after the books had been arranged in rows, 
being much the same as that referred to above. If a rest- 
ing place is required for only a few books, the shelves can 
be built into an angle of a room, where no other piece of 
furniture would fit conveniently, and the bindings of the 
books will decorate this corner effectively. In a combina- 
tion living-room and library, the bookshelves could be built 
partly around the end of the room and would accommodate 
all of the books found in the average house. In one house 
the writer saw a good arrangement of bookshelves over 
and around a couch. In the space between two doors, a 
box couch was placed against the wall, and plain book- 
shelves, ten inches deep, extended three feet at either end of 
the couch. ‘This completely filled the space. The shelves 
were built up in a tier of five, the top one extending all the 
way across over the couch below. When the books were 
placed in orderly array, this uninteresting wall-space and 
box-couch took on an air of distinction and the effect was 
extremely good. The space over a built-in seat in an ingle- 
nook will often be found a convenient place for shelves to 
hold books. 
The built-in bookshelves should be strong and substantial, 
not only in reality, but in appearance as well; strong enough 
to carry the weight of the books they are designed to hold. 
When they extend to a height of six feet or so, a stool should 
be provided, that will not tip over, so as to reach a volume. 
