480 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS December, 1909 
heavy shelf of wood supported by 
the simplest of wooden beams often 
forms the mantelpiece, and in some 
cases the facing about the fireplace 
is merely of rough plaster, colored 
to correspond with the tone of the 
walls. 
A beautiful and original effect is 
sometimes secured by imbedding the 
beams above the wainscoting and 
those that border the ceiling in the 
plaster so that their flat surface is 
flush with the plaster. (Figure 6.) 
The color-scheme in a living-room 
I know is as follows: Walls paneled 
in brown wood, the ceiling beamed, 
with rough plaster, the beams 
washed with pumpkin-yellow. An 
alcoved fireplace with seats in the 
inglenook has cushions of brown 
cotton velvet, relieved with pillows 
Fig. 9—French windows are the feature of this bungalow of raw silk in pumpkin-yellow. 
these pleasing accessories, 
which cost so little and add 
so much to the enjoyment of 
a home, were not used even 
then, but they evidently were 
not thought of and_ have 
come as an inspiration to the 
house-builder of to-day. 
Contrast the funny little 
mantelpiece of wood, painted 
to represent black marble, 
or the yet greater horror of 
black iron holding a tiny 
basket-grate for coals, with 
the wide, yet simple, fire- 
place in which _ gas-logs, 
wood, or coal, may be 
burned, in the up-to-date 
house. Here the grate-bas- 
ket is upheld by andirons, 
the broad chimney-breast 1s 
faced with bricks or tiles 
whose soft color warms the 
room. To-day a_ plain, 
The rugs on the polished floor 
hold rich, soft colors, and the cur- 
tains in the beamed opening, which 
gives to the hall, are of yellow bro- 
cade. ‘These curtains, which form 
the keynote of the room’s furnish- 
ing, are not inexpensive, yet they 
cost far less than doors would have 
cost in this opening. The windows 
are set at the top with a latticed 
grille of brown bamboo about two 
feet wide; behind this lattice raw 
silk in pumpkin-yellow is fluted 
closely, while straight scarfs of the 
silk depend from the lattice to the 
sill and frame the window. 
A quiet influence is now at work, 
which shows in plain walls, in the 
dull finish of woodwork, in dark 
wainscots, and the plain strong lines 
of the wood-finish of the house. 
Fig. 1 1—A living-room in good taste 
