HOUSE AND GARDEN 
October, 1913 
sought. The appearance of age is studiously maintained, even to 
the semblance of wear and tear and the faded softness. 
The elements of harmony may be revealed in simpler ways. 
The two bedrooms illustrated interpret the idea in linen effects, 
and are at once restful and harmonious. They breathe an atmos¬ 
phere of our best native home life, and are more intimate and in¬ 
formal than the classic treatments. They are not lacking in care¬ 
ful development. The wall-papers and hangings are designed to 
go together. 
Passing then to furniture, let us take up the Chinese as the im¬ 
pulse for it is very 
strong. Of course, it is 
seldom pure Chinese; 
but the Chinese touch, 
however slight, is wel¬ 
come and correct. In¬ 
deed, in some instances, 
this element is far from 
slight. The characteris¬ 
tic feature of lavish 
raised detail and lacquer 
treatment is seen in the 
examples illustrated. 
One cannot fail to be 
impressed by the splen¬ 
did combination of Ce¬ 
lestial fancy with simple 
English line and form. 
The native play of day 
and night, of audacity 
and repression are seen 
in the upholstery. The 
whole effect is surpass¬ 
ingly rich. While any 
such piece might glad¬ 
den the heart of the con¬ 
noisseur. yet it is possi¬ 
ble to obtain complete 
sets. One can buy a sin¬ 
gle piece or many, ac¬ 
cording to his purse or 
fancy. The same lacquer 
treatment is applied to 
tables and other articles. 
Sometimes a like orna¬ 
mentation is painted in a 
richness of color scarce¬ 
ly excelled by the rarest 
of genuine old wares. 
A type in which the 
English element is more 
prominent is the Chinese 
Chippendale, as seen in 
the chair standing in the 
corner of the room, pictured in the left-hand upper corner of 
page 222. The lattice work and the square legs with the 
series of rectangles below the seat are typical. The up¬ 
holstery matches the paper and draperies. In general, the lines 
are those of Chippendale, and the color and finish conform with 
the table, which is pure Chippendale. 
At this moment the Chippendale has a formidable rival in the 
Adam, which has reached its most attractive and available form. 
It has been made to conform to the true American ideals of style 
and ease, features which have not always been combined. What¬ 
ever may be said in favor of strictly classic lines, it cannot be 
denied that they have a tendency to severity; such furniture 
serves to add elements of dignity to rooms whose use is primarily 
formal. We Americans like our houses to be livable in all parts 
of them; and as we are practical above all things, we take this 
Adam furniture and make it livable; that is to say, easy and com¬ 
fortable. The curve caresses the back, the arms give a wide em¬ 
brace, and the cushioning is softer, so that it is first of all a good 
chair, and afterward a good style. The chair shown in the lower 
right-hand corner of page 222 conveys these points. It is possible 
one may already have in his home unappreciated treasures, chairs, 
console tables and mirrors, sewing tables, etc., which should be 
brought forward now and emphasized. There are many handed 
down from Colonial days, 
scattered over the coun¬ 
try. 
Certain Adam traits 
may be pointed out in this 
room on page 220. One 
should note the unique 
panels in the corner, the 
white wainscoting and the 
simple chair. If one is not 
so fortunate as to have 
the high wainscoting, it 
may be simulated with a 
plain paper headed with a 
simple molding or chair 
rail. One may notice also 
that the beautiful foliage 
paper in the adjoining 
room, of which one gets 
a glimpse, is one of the 
best designs of its kind. 
Some other papers, 
though decidedly differ¬ 
ent, are none the less sug¬ 
gestively Adam in treat¬ 
ment. Wedgwood was a 
contemporary of the 
Adam brothers, and his 
influence is seen in a bor¬ 
der with draperies to 
match. It is not unusual 
to find medallions of real 
Wedgwood set in genuine 
Adam furniture. 
The really notable fea¬ 
ture in upholstery at pres¬ 
ent is the revival of petit 
point. Perhaps many are 
familiar with it who do 
not recognize the name; 
in plain English, petit 
point is tent stitch, gros 
point is cross-stitch. Most 
of us have often seen 
these remarkable hand-made tapestries. While the name is 
French, the work itself is quite as much English. The grand 
dames of the Colonial period used to follow the lead of the court 
ladies in working such ornate coverings for their furniture. Gen¬ 
uine antique petit point naturally brings very large prices. It is 
still a form of tapestry, whether used for wall uphangings, uphol¬ 
stery, or set in screens. The better examples of both forms find 
their way into the great museums. The chair illustrated at the 
head of page 223 is a very fine example of petit point as seen in 
the best furniture to-day. It has all the appeal of a Gpbelin 
tapestry. f 
Fortunately, there are excellent reproductions of petit point 
which are more available and infinitely less expensive. And, in- 
One need not rely on the Colonial style for living-room furnishings. Here is a 
consistent scheme carried out along Italian lines. The wall-paper carries out 
the detail of the fireplace carvings and presents the appearance of tooled leather 
