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208 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
October, 1913 
Too little attention is given, nowadays, to woodwork for wall treatment, 
fine grained woods are highly decorative 
the physical features of each room. This heed to the 
physical character of each room gives the key to future 
decorative success. The kernel of the whole matter 
lies there. Now to make this article perfectly explicit 
and unmistakable, let us enumerate exactly what points 
are understood by the terms “physical features of a 
room.” 
First comes its size or dimensions — length, height, 
breadth—then its exposure and light, then the texture 
of its walls, whether they be plaster or wainscot, next 
the windows and doors, and finally the fireplace, which 
is the natural center with reference to which other things 
group themselves. Of course all these features can be 
more or less ordered or modified to suit the purposes of 
the decorator. 
Let us use a living-room as our working example. 
Unless the light is exceptionally strong do not think 
of having dark woodwork or dark walls. If the height 
of the room is too great, the ceiling' may be brought 
down by avoiding a striped paper or by resorting to 
one of several other well recognized devices to attain 
this end. In this connection, too, it is well to remem¬ 
ber that absolutely plain walls will always make a room 
appear larger than will a figured wall paper. In a small 
room, therefore, avoid figured wall treatment, which will only 
destroy balance. It goes without saying, of course, that a hard 
wood floor is by all odds the most desirable. 
Let us suppose that our living-room has a northern exposure 
and that the house is of the type, so popular in many cases, em- 
certain Colonial and certain Georgian characteristics 
much that is distinctly modern in period. Such a 
house lends itself well to furnishing in a “no-period” style, a 
style full both of delightful possibilities and grave dangers. It 
requires infinitely more judgment and taste than formal, rigid 
period work and yields vastly more interesting results if rightly 
The 
bodying 
along with 
managed. 
Badly managed, 
however, nothing can be worse, so it 
Quaint old Colonial papers for the bedroom have a peculiar charm 
when used with harmonious furniture and well lighted 
behooves us to have a care at every step. 
()ut of a number of possibilities let us suggest for the walls of 
this northern liying-rpom a yellow paper. The woodwork, of 
course, will have white or cream white paint, the latter being 
the warmer. In color the hangings will harmonize with the walls 
of the room. As to their material a timely word may avoid some 
embarrassment. It has already been urgently suggested that the 
appointments of a room should be either of the best possible 
quality and design or else palpably and 
frankly unpretentious and inexpensive. 
It was also suggested that there was no 
certain circurn- 
the two together 
articles were rig- 
make this quite 
We may closely approximate Colonial rooms to-day, using rush bottomed chairs and rag rugs. 
The general effect is, of course, simple, somewhat relieved by a small tea table 
impropriety, under 
stances, in bringing 
so long as mediocre 
idly excluded. To 
plain, let us quote one instance where 
several rooms in a house were ap¬ 
pointed with some really fine old pieces 
of furniture. The walls, though inex¬ 
pensive in finish, supplied an exceed¬ 
ingly good background. The occu¬ 
pants, however, were under heavy ex¬ 
pense at the time of arranging their 
rooms and did not feel they could afford 
handsome hangings, curtains or shades. 
They happily solved the window prob¬ 
lem with unbleached muslin curtains 
hung from sliding rings on a little 
brass rod. The sides and bottom were 
relieved by a parti-colored inexpensive 
( Continued, on page 253) 
