48 
THE GARDEN M A G A Z I N E 
February, 1917 
Restoring Old Houses 
Mr. James Collier Marshall, Director of the Decorating Service of The Garden Magazine's Advertising Dept., will solve your problems of home 
decoration — color schemes, hangings, floor coverings, art objects and interior arrangements, making purchases at the most favorable prices. 
This service is free to our readers. Address inquiries to “Inside the Garden Home,” The Garden Magazine, 1 1 West 32nd Street, New York. 
T HE person who is doing over an old house 
trying to restore its original atmosphere has 
before him one of the most difficult and, at the 
same time, one of the most interesting tasks that can be 
found in life. There is in it clairvoyance as well as 
strong common sense and judgment, for it is in fact a 
resurrection of past and gone personalities. 
To do it successfully one must keep continually in 
mind the modern uses to which every article is to be 
put, selecting, of course, as a basis, only the necessary 
things, yet keeping the spirit of the olden times well in 
evidence. And this is difficult. It is easy enough to 
assemble pieces and group an effective picture, but it 
is another thing to establish the dignity of age with 
new things in an old setting. 
Success in this depends on a keen understanding of 
which articles should look old and which new. It is as 
great a mistake to imagine that everything must look 
old, though the modern method of antiquing furnishings 
is satisfactory. Indeed, too much of this kind of finish 
is as trying as the obviously new, and the general effect 
is about the same. 
Hence one is led to combine these 
types. For example, if one is furnishing 
a living room of the simple Georgian ty pe, 
which may have a dado of wood panelling 
white painted like the plain wood mantel, 
it would be better to choose brown ma- 
hogany instead of red, since it lends 
itself to combinations with walnut, an 
arrangement that gives the impression 
of age and a long occupation of the house. 
Good pieces in these woods require no 
antiquing, merely rubbing down, but if a 
lacquer piece is desirable, it must be 
antiqued and very well done at that to be 
in keeping with the other articles. 
The wall treatment, which in a new 
house is usually decided upon with the 
architect, and presents comparatively 
few difficulties, is in the old house quite a 
problem. Seldom is the plaster either 
smooth or firm enough to admit scraping 
and painting. So paper must be used. 
In this case, everything depends on the taste of the re- 
storer. Yet there is no need to go far astray on this 
point, as several American wall paper manufacturers 
are making to-day from authentic Colonial patterns 
some really beautiful papers that are not expensive. 
Generally speaking, I would advise the use of the 
small figured, allover designs in preference to those more 
bizarre ones showing the Chinese influence. Buff or 
warm yellow are far and away the best colors to be 
used with the white woodwork that is common in most 
old houses in this country, and they are the best back- 
ground for mahogany, walnut and lacquer. 
One of the best of these reproduced old papers which 
might well be used above a white dado has a small 
climbing vine of gray on a pale yellow ground, there 
being shadings of black and lights of gold on the vine. 
This charming festooned pattern gives depth to the 
yellow wall and exactly gains the feeling of qu^intness 
and dignity of age. It seems unnecessary to say that 
such a paper needs few pictures. In fact, the effect 
will be better if only a few are employed. 
If your mantel is worth while, and most of the old 
ones are, its effectiveness can be greatly enhanced by 
building an overmantel of wood against the chimney 
breast. Even though of plainest boards 
and molding this will form a splendid 
frame for any sort of decoration, either 
picture, glass or metal. This will be par- 
ticularly good in a room with a wooden 
dado, and the cost will be trifling. 
Curtains and hangings in a room done 
with the above described paper must be 
very simple. A fine scrim would be best 
for the curtains. These can be allowed 
to hang straight, but if the house is in the 
country they will be far more in keeping 
with the simple dignity of the furnishings 
if they are looped back. Or, if over- 
hangings are employed, the scrim curtains 
might be hung straight with the over- 
draperies hanging full length, caught back 
either just above or just below their mid 
length. A striped silk will carry out the 
feeling in this room, as it does in most 
simple Georgian ones, though I do not 
think it should be used for portieres. A 
solid color will be better. 
The floor should be left as plain as comfort will allow. 
Does not the sconce conjure visions for you? Of brass with 
movable arms it will be excellent for your quaint old hall. 
Price, $7.50 
Every lover of china appreciates the atmosphere of Mintons. This new pattern is as rich in 
color as in grace and will lend great dignity to the restored dining room 
There is much individuality in lacquer ware of whatever de- The stoneware stirrup cups of Colonial days find a prototype 
scription. This solid bowl is very effective and sells at $3.00. in these of Fulper pottery that is very good looking. Price, 
Fork and spoon. $2.00 $9.00 
The clever designer of this splendid brass tray has made its 
very metal become a part of the pattern by allowing the brass 
to be the branches. Price, $25.00 
