February, 1915 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
81 
modern use. The walls are of dark, sim¬ 
ple paneled oak, and are better without 
pictures unless one is fortunate enough 
to possess some old English master¬ 
piece ; then nothing could be more beauti¬ 
ful than to see it set unframed into a 
panel. If paneling proves too expensive, 
there are other ways of treating the walls 
suitably. Tinted plaster in gray or putty 
color, with a simple moulding to suggest 
panels, is always good. A plain, rough- 
textured wall paper in a neutral tone can 
also be used, or even a canvas finished 
in verv dull gold. Dark oak floors, small - 
paned windows, a huge, carved or Caen 
stone fireplace, and architecturally one 
has a delightful setting. The furniture 
should be of oak; the chairs carved, with 
upholstered seats or turned with coarse 
cane inset — the latter are simple and ex¬ 
ceedingly good looking. Before the fire 
is a very long, somewhat massive daven¬ 
port and directly behind it a table, equally 
long—about 7 feet — and so ample that it 
can hold a lamp on either end and plenty 
of books and magazines as well. In 
choosing such a table one should guard 
against too elaborate and bulbous an un- 
Roominess in a small place may mean elimination of furniture; in general, however, proper arrangement solves the 
problem as here where the davenport is drawn away from the fireplace 
Where space permits roominess can also be created by setting the davenport beside the fireplace. By 
providing a light at one end comfort to a reader is insured ana not too much light for the guest opposite 
derstructure. The simpler the lines, the better, especially in a 
reproduction. Two deep-seated easy chairs drawn up before 
the fire, make, with the sofa, a perfect gathering-place. A small, 
gate-legged table can be brought forward and used for tea, and 
most convenient at such a time are one or two cane-bottomed 
stools with turned oak legs; near the fire a long, low chest for 
wood is both useful and decorative. Nothing perhaps speaks so 
of age and the home life of centuries as the chest, the oldest 
form of furniture. Several substantial lacobean chairs matching 
the stools are very ornamental against the walls, 
and a much-carved cupboard — one of the many 
beautiful reproductions made now — gives a 
sense of age and weight to a room. Placed be¬ 
tween the windows is a writing table—no small 
and dainty desk, but a wide, roomy table fully 
equipped with all writing materials and well 
lighted by two oak candlesticks fitted for elec¬ 
tricity and with shades alike. The coloring for 
such a room should be rich, no light nor pastel 
tones, and the textures deep and heavy in feel¬ 
ing. Appropriate are curtains of heavy, blue- 
green velvet, finely striped in a darker tone; 
tapestry coverings in the same color, merging 
into dull browns and russets; and, for a strong 
note of vividness, yellow or orange lamp shades 
on heavy gold carved lamps. For fixtures, gold 
carved ones in the oak-leaf design, with shields 
of heavy silk or parchment, are suitable. Other 
materials can be used, such as heavy linen, in a 
good Jacobean design—large and striking—and 
rep or velour or a very strong armure would 
answer for upholstery. The floor should be 
covered with dark, dull. Oriental rugs, or, if 
those are impossible, with a plain velvet rug of 
a deep, mahogany brown color. Such a room 
would stand years of everyday use and grow 
more and more mellow and beautiful. 
For another type of living-room to suit other tastes, is a very 
original and very American-made room. It would be more cor¬ 
rect for a country than a town house. The six-foot wainscoting 
is of light cypress wood, in color a warm gray. Above it, the wall 
is covered by a putty-colored paper of rough texture slightly 
lighter in tone than the wood. Slightly darker than the wood is a 
large velvet rug, covering the floor within 2 feet of the baseboard. 
'S'- V W » V.I. l ■.!£, 
Before the fireplace 
The three or four 
-of pale, dull blue tiles — is a black fur rug. 
easv chairs are somewhat small and light in 
