HOUSE AND GARDEN 
August, 
1912 
Suggestions for the Living-Room 
HERE is such a very great variety of 
living-rooms, large and small, for¬ 
mal and informal, many or few windows, 
classic or rustic fireplaces and mantels 
with stained oak or mahogany woodwork 
or with the trim finished in enamel with 
any one of many treatments, that a color- 
scheme suggestion can he made only to 
suit a combination of certain of these con¬ 
ditions. The vogue for painted or enam¬ 
eled woodwork is so great these days that 
a spacious living-room with many win¬ 
dows, a mantel of simple lines and the 
trim finished in white or old ivory will be 
considered as a type of living-room for 
which one has, perhaps, most often in 
these days to consider the decorations, 
furnishings and the color scheme. In a 
living-room where are gathered as a rule 
a number of different styles of furniture 
and pictures, rather a heterogeneous col¬ 
lection in many cases, the safest wall cov¬ 
ering to use is a plain paper of good qual¬ 
ity, a silk fiber, grass cloth effect, a heavy 
cartridge, or a genuine grass cloth. 
The problems of such decorations are 
not very difficult. Merely the choice of a 
soft pleasing color that will be an effective 
background for all the homey things that 
Below the figured frieze in tan, blue and red, 
grass cloth paper is used 
usually find their way into this much used 
room. But to carry the decorations into a 
more elaborate scheme is a problem which 
requires some knowledge of color har¬ 
monies and, where one is an amateur, con¬ 
siderable care that no gross incongruities 
of either colors or furnishings occur. 
A visit to the leading wall-paper houses 
will confuse one with its embarrassment 
of riches, in so many beautiful designs and 
colorings are papers to be had. For the 
living-room under consideration two pa¬ 
pers have been chosen, either of which 
may be carried into one of several color 
schemes. Papers with peacock designs 
are so very much in vogue at the present 
time that this one shown in the illustration 
has been chosen to be used as a frieze. It 
is one of the handsomest papers on the 
market and costs $3.00 per roll. However, 
using it only as a frieze does not require a 
very great amount of the paper, and the 
grass cloth paper used for the body of the 
wall costs considerably less ($1.10 a roll), 
thereby averaging up the cost of the wall 
covering. The background of the pea¬ 
cock paper is a soft tan, the peonies in blue 
and red violets, the peacock’s head and the 
little bird perched on a branch of salmon 
pink blossoms at the right are in a deep, 
rich blue, adding a pleasing note of con¬ 
trast to the whole. Both the colorings 
and designs are unusually handsome. The 
grass cloth paper to be used below the 
frieze embodies all the colors of the frieze 
except the blue, yet give the effect of being 
about the color of the background of the 
peacock paper; a slightly darker tone of 
tan. 
To-day when tones of amethyst, cataw- 
ba and mulberry are so very much in 
vogue, hangings and tapestries that will 
embody the colors of the frieze are not a 
difficult matter to find. An amethyst vel¬ 
vet at $2.50 a yard which harmonizes de¬ 
lightfully with the violet red peonies of 
the paper may be had for the portieres. 
The overhangings of linen tapestries at 
about $3.50 a yard, which embody the same 
colors, may be used for the cushions in 
some of the old ivory enameled willow 
chairs which may be introduced into this 
room. Other pillows and cushions may be 
of the amethyst velvet, while a striking 
note of contrast may be had by introduc¬ 
ing one or two pillows of the rich blue of 
the peacock’s head and a piece of pottery 
or two of the same color. One must either 
have an innate sense of color, and appre¬ 
ciate the use of it in right proportions, Or 
have had some artistic training, to ven¬ 
ture upon these “close harmonies” or the 
result will be disastrous. With an ap¬ 
preciation of the proper proportion of a 
color of striking contrast to the funda¬ 
mental color scheme of the room, such a 
note of color adds decided distinction and 
variety to the room in which it is intro¬ 
duced. 
Persian Sarouk rugs often embody just 
the colors which would be desirable for 
this room. Besides the old rose, violets 
and tans which are so often the main 
colors of Sarouk rugs, a few rugs of this 
A rose tapestry that is more subdued in tone ' 
than the peacock pattern 
make may be found which have medallions 
of rich blue. Hardly any rug could be 
found which would be so effective and so 
handsome in this room so rich in strong 
color. Sarouk rugs may often be picked 
up at great bargains, but if genuine Per¬ 
sian rugs are beyond one’s means, a rug 
embodying* the necessary colorings for 
this room can be made to order. Idand- 
tufted Donegal rugs may be made to order 
as low as $12.00 or $15.00 a square yard, 
though a slightly higher priced rug would 
be more closely tufted and, perhaps, a bit 
better investment. Either mahogany or 
dark oak furniture, with some large up¬ 
holstered chairs and a divan will be ap¬ 
propriate for. this • room, and a lamp of 
blue pottery^ with. a blue and tan shade 
may be made. , „ 
The entire color scheme may be 
changed. Using the same papers, the 
rc-cm may, he .-carried out in green, blue, a 
violfU of redder ton'e, or a bluer violet. 
The; scheme suggested, however, seems to 
hold tne greatest possibilities. 
The other illustration shows a tapestry 
paper, the design of roses and the color¬ 
ings in green, blue and an old rose. While 
this paper is less striking both in color 
and design, it embodies practically the 
same colorings as the peacock paper. 
