12 
HOUSE & GARDEN 
The blue bedroom is an architec¬ 
tural creation , containing only 
the necessary movable furniture. 
It is the work of A. Randall 
Wells, architect 
Frank Brangwyn’s furniture is 
simple. It accents the straight 
line and leaves much of the col- 
oring to the natural finish of the 
wood 
Most of the furniture in the salon 
of Sapphire Lodge is silver lac¬ 
quer. the covers and upholstery 
being a patterned cream silk 
Mr. A. Randall Wells, the architect. Mrs. 
George Noble is herself a skilful amateur 
craftswoman, and much if not most of what 
Sapphire Lodge contains, hails from Mrs. 
Noble’s own place, St. Veronica's Work¬ 
shops, in the neighboring Horseferry Road. 
Subtle Color Motifs 
The people of England love subtle and 
beautiful colors, and Sapphire Lodge 
abounds in exquisite color schemes, to use 
a hackneyed expression. Each room has 
its distinct color motif, which lends a dis¬ 
tinctive individuality and brings about a re¬ 
freshing change within the house. Already 
on the stairs one meets the color which 
seems to be particularly dear to the owner. 
The walls, certainly, are white, but on each 
step lies a blue mat, and the wood between 
the steps is decorated with dainty blue dow¬ 
ers, protected by glass, which keep out dust 
and dirt. To the left of the staircase is 
the dining-room, which from an ordinary 
square has been transformed into an octag¬ 
onal room by means of a porcelain cabinet 
in each corner. These cabinets are outlined 
and the shelves covered with a gay orange 
velvet, and they are illuminated by hidden 
electric lamps. The doors and all the furni¬ 
ture are polished in a dull black. The door 
panels are decorated with small, conven¬ 
tional apple trees in bloom, while the squares 
on the doors of the cabinet have inscribed 
upon them the story of the Creation, deli¬ 
cately designed trees winding their branches 
around the letters, and above these doors in 
the same orange color there are quotations 
from Chaucer. The wall is covered with 
paper, an exact reproduction of what is 
believed to be the oldest English wall paper, 
hailing from the time of Queen Elizabeth 
and which Mr. A. Randall Wells discovered 
at some restoration work in the country. 
Opposite the dining-room lies a green 
room, and on the first floor is the drawing¬ 
room, a long, narrow and very light room 
where there is no architectural decoration, 
the effect depending solely upon the furni¬ 
ture and a chaste simplicity. The walls are 
white, no longer anything unusual, and this 
whiteness is further enhanced by white cur¬ 
tains of fine line, hanging straight down in 
ivory rings from their red rods. The floor 
is polished oak, partly covered with rugs 
of fine white lambskin. Most of the furni¬ 
ture is silver-lacquered, and covering and 
table cloths are a patterned cream silk. 
There are a few pictures, including one of 
St. Veronica over the one mantel; but the 
principal ornamentation of this very charm¬ 
ing room consists of cut glass, flowers, white 
lilies and orchids, and an exquisite collection 
of books, all bound in St. Veronica’s Work¬ 
shops. An old harpsichord with its tender 
and slender notes, seems to suit entirely its 
surroundings. Also the lighting, the elec¬ 
tric and wax candles, is in perfect harmony 
with the rest of the general scheme. 
A Blue Bedroom 
The blue staircase forms a sort of prelude 
to Mrs. George Noble’s bedroom, which 
may almost be called a harmony in blue, an 
architectural room which contains only the 
most indispensable movable furniture. This 
room's mission is to form a gay and bright 
frame around its center, the bed, a marvel 
of design carving and color, and the object 
was to make two such everyday functions 
as going to bed and getting up a pleasure 
and joy. In color it should be as radiant 
