December, 1910 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



465 



A genuine Colonial mantel 



manent and satis- 

 fy i n g furnishing 

 for a room. Some- 

 times a high mantel 

 shelf is chosen with 

 good results, as in 

 one of the illustra- 

 tions, where a col- 

 lection of old 

 pewter is displayed; 

 but the ordinary 

 height from the 

 floor renders the 

 interior more 

 homelike and less 

 formal. 



Whether the fire- 

 place is to be of 

 bricks or stones, or 

 a combination of 

 wood and tiling, is 

 a question that is 

 usually settled by 

 the relative costs 

 and personal pref- 

 erence of the owner. In a bungalow or summer camp built 

 in a rocky locality, the fireplace of selected stones found in 

 the vicinity is a happy choice. A wide slab of wood may 

 be the mantel shelf, with the space above filled with stone- 

 work, wood or plaster. 



Brick fireplaces of good design are now sent out from 

 the factory marked for setting by a local mason. These 

 are helpful for homes at a distance from architects or in- 

 terior designers. 



When an architect is employed to create an individual 

 design for his client, the fireplace receives as much attention 

 as any of the exterior details. The selection of the tiling 

 is of great im- 

 portance as it con- 

 tributes or detracts 

 from the general 

 color scheme of the 

 room. As an in- 

 stance of this, a 

 favorite shade of 

 blue-green 

 was adopted for 

 the fireplace facing 

 in a living-room 

 without reference 

 to any other color- 

 ings that might 

 later on be as- 

 sembled there. 

 When the furniture 

 and rugs were 

 moved into the new 

 home they were 

 completely out of 

 tune with the tiles 

 and a general re- 

 furnishing became 

 imoerative. 



The fireback was, 

 many years ago, a 

 valued article in the 

 equipment of a 

 home, and was 

 often taken out and 

 carried away when 

 a new dwelling was 



An old-time fireplace 



erected. At Mt. 

 Vernon there is an 

 old fireback brought 

 over from England 

 by the Washington 

 family. Nowadays, 

 the fireback shows 

 few variations in 

 pattern, and bricks 

 often take its place 

 as a lining to the 

 chimney. 



Glazed tiles 

 assert themselves 

 more prominently 

 than the dull or 

 matt finish when 

 placed around a 

 mantel, and the 

 preference is there- 

 fore in favor of the 

 latter. The Grue- 

 by, Rookwood and 

 Moravian tiles are 

 notably good ex- 

 amples of what our own country can produce in artistic 

 tiling, in both the plain surface and the decorated effects. 



The arrangement and selection of mantel objects is an 

 emphatic expression of the good (or bad) taste of the house- 

 hold, and garish colors, crude outlines, excessive ornamen- 

 tation are in this position a constant target for criticism. 

 To keep up the standard of refinement in the smaller details 

 of the home furnishing, the mantel objects must be chosen 

 with even more than ordinary insight. 



In the dining-room a clock is often the necessary center 

 for the mantel shelf. As this object gives many years of 

 service, its selection will naturally be made with care and 



judgment. The 



^y^^ cases made of ma- 

 hogany, with or 

 without Inlaid lines, 

 accord well with 

 dining-room furni- 

 ture of mahogany 

 and white painted 

 woodwork. Colo- 

 nial candlesticks In 

 brass or silver, with 

 colored silk shades. 

 may have a place 

 one at either side of 

 the clock, with a 

 piece of Japanese 

 pottery to break up 

 a too-perfect balance. 

 One of the most 

 Important features 

 In decorating a 

 mantel shelf is to 

 eliminate ornaments 

 of a personal char- 

 acter. 



On a bedroom 

 mantel one's favor- 

 ite photographs of 

 scenes or friends 

 may be installed but 

 in the more formal 

 rooms of the home 

 these may be ex- 

 cluded. 



