The editor wishes to extend a personal invitation to all readers of House and Garden to send to the 
Correspondence Department, inquiries on any matter pertaining to house finishing and furnishing. Care¬ 
ful consideration is given each inquiry, the letter and answer being published in due time as matters of 
interest to other readers. Where an early reply is desired if a stamp and self-addressed envelope are 
enclosed, the answer will be sent. No charge whatever is made for any advice given. 
TN planning the interior of the house the consideration of neces- 
sities and conveniences must, of course, take precedence. It 
will be found, however, that these may be installed in a way to 
form attractive and artistic features, of the home, and add in 
a very material measure toward the success of the completed house. 
The heating system, plumbing fixtures, standing woodwork, floors 
and their finish,mantels and fireplaces, with the tile for same and for 
bath-room, bath-room fixtures, the hardware, gas or electric fix¬ 
tures, built-in furniture and the wall decoration or treatment must 
each be taken up in turn for consideration. Only the most ap¬ 
proved sanitary plumbing fixtures should be installed, and the 
“roughing-in” should be done under the supervision of one who 
knows, if the building is outside the limit of official inspection. 
In determining upon the heating system to be used, either steam, or 
hot water circulation may be selected. 1 he hot air system, while 
costing less to install, is more expensive to maintain if the same 
amount of heat is desired. Upon these two systems, plumbing 
and heating, depend largely the comfort and health of the occupants 
of the house. Therefore too much care cannot be given to the 
proper use of standard appliances and tried out systems. I his 
does not necessarily mean undue expense, for in this day of progress 
installation, in either one of the above necessities may be secured at 
prices suiting the most modest purse. 1 here are firms from 
whom very close estimates of approximate cost may be obtained 
before proceeding with the plan. This too may be said of hard¬ 
wood fioors, for here accurate figures are also possible, and when 
the sum set aside for the interior finish of the house will not per¬ 
mit of the use of these throughout, a soft wood may be used tem¬ 
porarily, and at a later date may be covered with the hardwood 
flooring. This may be secured three eighths of an inch thick. 
It is matched on sides and ends and cannot become loose in the 
floor. Complete instructions for laying and finishing this flooring 
may be obtained as well as careful estimates of cost. 
Many feel that the use of the radiator in a room is incompatible 
with beauty, though hot water or steam heat seem a necessity in 
many localities. This question of rendering the radiator less 
objectionable has been given most careful consideration by some of 
the leading manufacturers, and they have met with a remarkable 
measure of success. Suggestions from architects, decorators and 
artists have been collected and are furnished free of charge to those 
contemplating installing either of the systems. 
In this careful planning (on paper) of the interior, every point, 
architecturally and decoratively, should be considered separately 
and together. The character of the architectural detail evinced 
in the form, proportion and embellishment of the interior should 
be in complete harmony with the exterior of the house. This also 
should largely determine the selection of stain, enamel or other 
treatment for the standing woodwork. Sample panels of wood 
finished as desired may be secured from stain and varnish makers. 
While on the subject of the woodwork it is well to consider the 
style of mantels to be used. In inexpensive houses the simplest 
form is desirable. I lns may show a leaning towards the Colonial 
if the interior is to be treated in the Colonial style, or if the Mission 
or Craftsmans style predominates a simple heavy wooden shelf 
supported by iron brackets against the brick or tile facing is often 
an excellent solving of this important question. There are, how¬ 
ever, mantels manufactured to meet the needs, architecturally, of 
every style of room, and these can be purchased ready to be set up. 
This also may be said of stock doors, which can be bought ready to 
hang and suitable to certain styles of interiors. These are well made 
and of excellent design, and their use is a great saving of cost. 
The next point to consider is the wall treatment. It is a well 
understood fact that the walls of the house are best left unpapered 
for the first year until the house has thoroughly settled. Since 
white walls, or even gray plaster, are difficult to make livable, a 
wall tint or color is suggested as the best solving of this point. 
There are now made absolutely sanitary wall finishes of this kind 
which can be purchased and applied at a very small cost. The 
range of colors is extremely good. One firm making a most satis¬ 
factory wall coating has recently added to the range of color which 
they can furnish, and it is possible to obtain a most beautiful effect 
by using these tints throughout. Where it seems desirable to vary 
the monotony of plain walls, paper friezes or the upper third of 
wall-paper may be used from picture rail to ceiling line or from 
plate rail to ceiling line. The ceiling tints should be as carefully 
considered as the tints for side walls, and all rooms opening into 
each other should be considered in conjunction and never sepa¬ 
rately. 1 he color of the tile may either determine the selection 
of wall tint or this may be reversed. There should, however, be 
complete harmony here. Small samples of tiles may be secured 
upon request, and one can try these with the wood panel showing 
the color and finish desirable for the standing woodwork, and the 
samples of wall coating showing color of side walls and ceiling. 
In this way it is possible to place the entire scheme in evidence. 
The next consideration is proper hardware and gas or electric 
fixtures to be used. These are quite as important to the completed 
beauty of the room as any other of the finishes mentioned. 1 here 
are firms who make a specialty of supplying correct hardware for 
rooms of certain periods and character. These are not more 
expensive than others, and it is quite as easy to use the correct thing 
as unsuitable ones. The question of fixtures and lighting is one 
which requires careful study, as otherwise a successful room may 
be entirely marred by having the wrong fixtures used and a conse¬ 
quent failure in the proper diffusion of light. 
It is purposed in the next paper to take the interior of a small 
house describing the finish and color of each room separately, the 
entrance hall, living-room, dining-room, kitchen and pantries, 
second floor chambers, baths and servants’ room. Following this 
will appear detailed descriptions of houses ranging from eight to 
fifteen thousand dollars. 
(Copyright 1907. by Margaret Greenlea}.) 
40 
