House and Garden 
Vol. IX January, 1906 No. 1 
THE INTERIOR FINISH AND FURNISHING OF 
THE SMALL HOUSE—II. 
By Margaret Greenleaf 
TN the small house, the lower floor of which was 
described in a previous article, the wide stair¬ 
way leading to the upper room was broken midway 
by a small landing; a deep casement window was 
set here with built-in seat below; this seat was up¬ 
holstered with dull green velvet and bore pillows 
covered with raw silk in pastel tones. The treads of 
the stairway were uncovered, stained like the floor 
below, and finished with two coats of florsatin. The 
same stain and finish was used on the standing wood¬ 
work as that in the room from which the stairs 
ascended. 
The walls of the small upper hall were covered in 
a goldenrod shade of grass cloth which agreed per¬ 
fectly with the various colors shown in the rooms 
opening from it. The standing woodwork of this 
hall had been treated with ivory eggshell-white 
enamel. The ceiling was tinted in exactly the same 
shade. A small settle and table were here, the latter 
holding a plant; these were of birch stained a brown 
mahogany. The restrained dignity of treatment 
felt in the lower rooms of this house pervaded its 
upper chambers, though in a lesser degree. The 
furniture used in the bedrooms is simple and plain 
in line, but more delicate in form. The standing 
woodwork in all of the rooms is of white wood which 
had been treated with the various enamels best 
harmonizing with the color scheme of the room. 
The portion of the front bedroom,—which is also 
the largest,—extending over the veranda below, is 
shown in the picture. A well-wrought-out color 
scheme was used here. The minutest particular 
of every detail has been treated with the same care¬ 
ful consideration as was given to the selection of 
furniture and wall covering. The latter in this 
room is of two-toned, almost invisible stripe, in dull 
shades of green flock paper (the room faces south); 
the upper third of the wall covered in a glazed Eng¬ 
lish paper of dainty and exquisite coloring,—pale 
spring blossoms, a mingling of crocus and pink 
spiraea, with foliage in green pastel shades, which 
harmonized perfectly with the deeper shades of the 
same color in the lower wall. The standing woodwork 
had been treated with ivory eggshell-white enamel, like 
that used in the hall; the picture rail set at the join¬ 
ing of the lower wall paper with the figured upper, 
and also the mold at the ceiling line were treated 
with the same enamel. The mantel was an attrac¬ 
tive feature of this room, the fireplace being wide 
and deep, holding brass andirons of simple design; 
the mantel itself was suggestive of Colonial, the wide 
mirror extended almost its length above the narrow 
shelf; the frame of this was dull and entirely with¬ 
out ornamentation. The tile used about the fire¬ 
place and hearth was in the shade of iade green, 
slightly deeper in tone than the side walls, and of 
unglazed surface. 
The window treatment was especially good; glazed 
English chintz, repeating exactly the color and 
design of the upper wall, was used as a valance twelve 
inches deep, and for the straight hanging curtains 
outlining the windows reaching to the sill. Next 
the glass were draperies of sheer white muslin with 
tiny embroidered dots; these curtains were made 
with 2\ inch ruffles up the front and were caught 
back on either side and held in place by bands of 
the muslin tied in crisp smart bows; these curtains 
were run by a casing at the top, on slender brass 
extension rods, and set close to the window. The 
glazed chintz curtains were laid in scant folds, the 
stiffness of the material necessitating and calling 
for this treatment. The lower edge of the valance, 
as well as the lower edge and sides of the long cur¬ 
tains, were finished by an inch wide cotton fringe 
which showed white and green. The seat below 
was a dress box, the top being lightly hut com¬ 
fortably padded and upholstered with the chintz; a 
flounce of which, laid in shallow pleats, completed 
it. The pillows were covered in Parma satin, a 
glossy cotton fabric which launders well. This 
material comes in beautiful tones, those selected 
here being pastel green, soft light yellow and dull 
old rose. The furniture in this room had all been 
treated with the ivory enamel in precisely the same 
tone as the woodwork. The seats of the chairs were 
covered with the glazed chintz, as was also the 
Copyright, 1905 , by the John C. Winston Co. 
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