THE EDITOR’S TALKS AND CORRESPONDENCE 1 
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The Editor wishes to extend a personal invitation to all readers of House and Garden to send to the Correspond¬ 
ence Department, inquiries on any matter pertaining to house finishing and furnishing. Careful 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. 
I N response to many requests sent to the editor, 
we are again taking up the question of the 
selection of tiles, hardware, and lighting fix¬ 
tures, suitable for houses of various types. A few 
general rules may be laid down to assist the amateur 
house-builder. 
In a room where the woodwork is hnished with a 
high gloss varnish, a dull tile should always he chosen 
and hardware and lighting fixtures should show a 
dull surface; if of brass, the brush brass should be 
selected, or wrought iron is often found effective. 
It may be added that when possible the woodwork of 
a living-room should not have a high gloss. There 
is a medium finish which is like rubbed wax, that over 
some stains is most acceptable, notably mahogany, 
but for many stains, particularly those of the so- 
called natural colors, a dead finish is to he preferred. 
In selecting the color for the tile one should be 
largely influenced by the general color scheme which 
the finished room will show. If it is not possible to 
decide this before the tiles are selected, a safe medium 
is to choose ecru or some one of the soft dull shades 
of green, as with almost any color effect these will 
carry well. 
Where a drop ceiling (that is, a ceiling where the 
ceiling tint extends to the picture rail) is used, a very 
good result is obtained by repeating the ceiling color 
in the tile. This may be deepened if the general 
treatment of the room requires a stronger color. 
Very beautiful and decorative effects may be largely 
assisted by the proper choice of tiles, and it may be 
added that rooms otherwise perfect in color may be 
made quite inharmonious by the use of the wrong 
tile. 
If one is unable to visit a shop where a variety of 
tiles are displayed to make their selection, it is quite 
possible to write to the manufacturers, asking to be 
supplied with samples showing certain colors. This 
is decidedly the safest method and one which should 
be followed. All of the leading hardware manu¬ 
facturers supply cuts and prices upon request, and 
will recommend you to a dealer who carries their 
goods. Fortunately the over ornate from which we 
have suffered both in hardware and lighting fixtures 
is rapidly being displaced by simpler designs. 
Where period furnishing is indulged in, if the 
architecture expresses the same characteristics as one 
desires to carry out in the room, it is very easy to find 
extremely attractive and correct hardware. For the 
Colonial house there are several booklets showing 
special designs. For interiors of this style the glass 
knobs are largely used and are very suitable. These 
are but a trifle more expensive than the metal ones 
and add a distinctive feature to the room in which 
they are employed, provided always that the design 
is appropriate. 
Escutcheon, key plates and hinges should evidence 
their relation to each other, as well as to the room in 
which they are used. 
The handle, knoh and escutcheon, together with 
suitable knocker for front door of Colonial houses, 
may also be selected from cuts, if one is not conven¬ 
ient to a dealer carrying a well chosen assortment. 
The same method of procedure may be adopted in 
deciding upon the lighting fixtures for the house, 
where enough money is allowed to make these in¬ 
dividual and characteristic. Cuts are very helpful 
and suggestive, although sometimes they serve only 
to show us what we do not want when we are endea¬ 
voring to make a decision upon this important point. 
In the home of moderate cost the allotment for fix¬ 
tures is usually very small and, therefore, a larger 
amount of thought must be devoted to their selection. 
The ordinary stock fixture is very far from being a 
thing of beauty, and one wonders that the manufac¬ 
turers do not adopt some less aggressively ugly type. 
Many prefer to use silk cords to drop from the 
ceiling and hold the bulb and shade. The money 
which would otherwise be devoted to a crudely ugly 
fixture can be expended in the purchase of shades. 
These may be of spreading design and of porcelain, 
over which a full flounce of silk, trimmed about 
with a narrow bead or silk fringe, may be used,— 
{Continued on page 13 , Advertising Section.) 
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