January, 1914 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
Interest and variety are expressed in 
graceful Chinese design 
fabric in two or three tones of gray 
brown or olive green will usually be 
found admirable background for pic- 
tures. In the case of very heavy gold 
frames it is desirable to have a corres- 
ponding richness in the background of 
the paper. 
The Japanese use of gold is both 
clever and satisfactory in wall paper. 
Not in the least the kind of surface 
western wall paper makers have pro- 
duced with the pale brilliant gold fig- 
ures on a nearly white ground of our 
grandfather’s day, but a dull dark sur- 
face having a certain variety from the 
lacquer used over the gold. This forms 
a beautiful background for a color sten- 
ciled pattern put on the wall after the 
paper is hung. 
Japanese grass cloth, another favorite 
material with all persons of artistic taste, 
has every possible tint among the colors 
in which it is made to choose from. 
It makes a rich and brilliant back- 
ground with sufficient variation in itself 
from the fabric of which it is made and 
lends itself the most readily to the pur- 
poses of the decorator. There are 
variations in weaving which form pattern effects or stripes 
on the wall and there is also the grass cloth having gold 
or silver thread woven into the fabric at intervals with 
the colored grass. This in silver and French gray is excel- 
lent and the same arrangement with gold combined with 
greens, dull red and yellows gives richness to a wall against 
which pictures are to be hung. 
When to use stripes and when to break up the height 
of tall wall spaces with friezes or festoons of flowers, 
depends on the size of rooms as well as their height. With 
very high ceilings a frieze having gay flowers occupying 
a considerable part of the upper space can be managed to 
advantage. The same principle applies in the use of many 
of the pictured wall paper friezes especially the Hat stencil 
effects in one or two colors 
on light toned paper. 
1 hese w i t h two toned 
stripes below, or cartridge 
paper quite plain, decorate 
a room even if the room be 
rather small with no sense 
of crowding. 
Stripes appear to in- 
crease the height of a 
room, while the repetition 
of bands horizontally 
breaks up the surface as 
the designer’s phrase ex- 
presses it, carries the eye 
back and forth across the 
wall instead of allowing it 
to follow the upward lines 
mechanically to the ceiling. 
The use of large hand- 
some patterns in one or 
more colors furnishes the 
walls with great effect. 
Halls, dining-rooms and 
sometimes bedrooms may 
have these papers to great 
advantage when of suffici- 
The Lafayette Panel ent size. It is a little 
doubtful if they arc ever quite so suc- 
cessful in small rooms. The evident 
nearness makes them seem intrusive in 
a small room, while in a large room 
they lend gaiety and life to the larger 
space. These will always find a wel- 
come place in large formal rooms hav- 
ing old pieces of furniture. 
The revival of many old patterns 
used on the walls of Knglish homes 
when the furniture was made of mas- 
sive mahogany find their natural place 
in association with the Colonial furni- 
ture revival of our day. 
Like the gay chintzes made for the 
valances of the high four-poster beds 
a room having such furniture is not 
quite complete without one of those line 
old Knglish wall-papers made from 
hand printed blocks in the rich colors 
suggesting the decorative Chinese 
faience in vogue a century and more ago. 
The landscape papers of that earlier 
time have been revived too with many 
modifications adapting them to changed 
! conditions of modern times, 
this File landscape frieze is often most 
effectively used when suitably combined 
with plain tinted paper to cover the walls below. 
Flowered papers find a place often in bedrooms when 
a gay and Horid effect is required. They also find a place 
in the morning-room naturally and sometimes very charm- 
ingly in large upper halls. 
The two toned papers in stripes are always useful in 
small rooms. The unobstrusive quality of a good pattern 
printed in tones or shades not too widely different gives a 
thoroughly satisfactory effect in living-rooms, halls and 
dining-rooms. 
While the subject, old-time wall-papers, is one to be con- 
sidered by itself, happy indeed is the family that can point 
to dwelling walls covered with the Colonial papers of yes- 
terday. The papers of Colonial America were, of course, 
brought over from England 
and France. In her delight- 
ful book “Old Time Wall 
Papers” by Kate Sanborn, 
the author gives some en- 
tertaining data concerning 
the interest of Washington 
and Franklin in wall pa- 
pers. There is in Washing- 
ton’s own handwriting the 
following memorandum. 
“Upholsterer’s Direc- 
tions: If the walls have 
been whitewashed over 
with glew (sic) water, a 
good paste is sufficient 
without any other mixture, 
but, in cither case, the paste 
must be made of the finest 
and best flour, and free 
from lumps. The paste is 
to be made thick and may 
be thinned by putting water 
to it. The paste is to be put 
upon the paper and suffered 
to remain about five minutes 
to soak in before it is put 
( Continued on page 36) The Jefferson Panel 
