THE EDITOR’S TALKS AND CORRESPONDENCE | 
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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. 
THE TREATMENT OF WALLS OF NEW HOUSES 
A RECENT letter addressed to this department 
asks why the treatment of the walls of new 
houses is not given more consideration. The 
writer makes the point that during the initial year 
in the new home the occupants do not enjoy living 
in unbeautiful rooms, nor the unsettled feeling that 
necessarily arises when one feels that there is yet an 
important feature of the house decoration to be 
attended to. Certainly this department of EIouse 
AND Garden has never advised living in a house 
with cold, white plastered walls even temporarily. 
There are so many and such simple and inexpensive 
ways of treating these walls with really satisfactory 
results that it seems an unnecessary economy lor 
even the most careful householder. 
Many decorators mix their own colors for tinting 
both in water-color and oil paints. There are now, 
however, manufacturers who put out excellent colors 
which are ready mixed for application. In water- 
color tinting, many people have objected to the 
addition of glue to the mixture, claiming it is 
unsanitary, and to them a wall tint which is entirely 
without this objection, appeals largely. Beautiful, 
rich strong colors may be secured in these tints as well 
as the more delicate tones. Olive and moss green, 
mulberry red and mahogany reds, leal brown, and rich 
orange, are all among the successful colors, which are 
also sanitary. Soft ecru, pale fawn, turquoise-blue 
and Colonial yellow are the best of the lighter shades. 
Many people favor the rough or sand plaster tinted 
wall and hold to this finish. It is a simple task to 
have such walls re-tinted at any time. To avoid the 
monotony of plain walls for the entire house an 
effective combination may be made by using an upper 
third of wall-paper, the joining to he finished by a 
plate rail or a medium heavy mold, like the standing 
woodwork of the room. If a side wall-paper of 
pronounced design is selected, the lower edge can 
be cut out following the design. Ehis is directly 
applied to the tinted wall,giving a most attractive and 
decorative effect. The additional cost is very little 
and when the background of the paper, or some part 
of the figured design is repeated in the color of the 
wall, the result is harmonious and pleasing. 
In selecting the color for the wall tint, the standing 
woodwork must also be considered. While the 
sand finish plaster is advised for the walls of the house 
which are to be permanently tinted, smooth plaster 
should be provided if it is the intention of the occu¬ 
pant to paper the walls alter the “house has settled.” 
There are many friezes now offered which run 
from ten to twenty-four inches in width, and are very 
beautiful in color and design. Among the imported 
friezes are some of English make: one a blue and 
white Delft hand blocked frieze costs ^4.50 a roll of 
eight yards. This frieze shows, clearly outlined 
against a gray-blue sky, cleverly drawn fishing boats 
on ripply blue water. The same design is shown 
with pastel green boats against a yellow sky. Another 
marine frieze presents Norsemen’s ships in colors 
gray-blue, old rose, and darkest green. This is a sturdy 
and most attractive frieze for the room in which 
mission or Craftsman furniture Is used. 
Among the less expensive friezes of domestic make 
are shown some excellent designs and colors. These 
run in price from fifty cents to ^^2.00 a roll. In 
shades of yellow, leaf brown, dull green, and blue, 
is a frieze of poster design, showing straight trees, 
with a quaint bit of landscape beyond, against a 
yellow background. Another, suitable for a country 
house hall or library, has straight boles of mahogany 
brown trees against a gold ground and leaping 
deer pursued by hounds. This frieze comes with an 
extension, showing the same trees and background, 
so there need only be introduced occasional panels of 
the deer and dogs. I'he price of this is $1.60 a roll. 
A charming frieze for a bedroom shows conven¬ 
tionally symmetrical garlands of roses and leaves 
held together by floating blue ribbons. The price 
{Continued on page 16, Advertising Section. 
