March, 1915 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
05 
should open onto a terrace, and there 
should be arched niches in the wall for 
rare, old Italian pottery or copper. In 
such a room a simply carved stone fire¬ 
place and Italian walnut furniture would 
give an unusual effect. Linen hangings, 
luscious with fruit of warm colors tone 
in with the soft buff of the walls. It is 
curious that these Italian rooms — so sim¬ 
ple, reposeful and full of quaint, deco¬ 
rative charm — are not more often adapted 
to our American uses. 
Especially would I make a plea for the 
long, narrow tables that are used with so 
much success in Italian villas. If the 
guests are few and favored, by placing 
them opposite one another they have an 
intimacy they cannot have across a large, 
circular table; and if the guests are nu¬ 
merous, the table may accommodate them 
all. Also it affords an excellent oppor¬ 
tunity for decoration : at either end a huge 
bowl of flowers, a pair of those charming 
brass candelabra, or even the informality 
of a pair of early wrought iron candle¬ 
sticks whose beautiful lines, one imagines 
some Fifteenth Century craftsman fash¬ 
ioned with the same loving care that he 
expended on a silver chalice. About the 
whole room is a feeling of ascetic severity. 
Contrasted to this is our very modern 
room of enameled and decorated furni¬ 
ture and the omnipresent touch of black: 
rooms, black carpeted, gray walled with 
gray and black furniture; rooms of clear 
pure green, with a touch of strong, deep, 
old rose; rooms with blue walls and gray 
carpet and blue and gray furniture. Such 
rooms are clever and really charming, but 
they have too obvious a note, one gets 
merely the strong sense of color combina¬ 
tion. They are unusual, but not always 
distinctive. 
Such effects should be confined to the 
breakfast-room. There one needs toning 
up, and any fantasy is welcomed. You 
feel the spirit of play, of fun in their plan¬ 
ning and making, and to-day the shops are 
tempting beyond resistance in these very 
modern combinations of furniture and 
fabrics. 
A most important consideration in a 
breakfast-room is the outlook. There 
must be a good view of the weather, so to 
speak. In summer the breakfast-room 
may be little more than a porch. 
In many old farm houses one finds a 
downstairs bedroom. In remodeling, why 
not convert this into a breakfast-room ? 
Tts possibilities for decoration will be a 
source of much delight. Gay chintz pa¬ 
per, sundour hangings, white enameled 
furniture decorated with old-fashioned 
bouquets, and there you have a convenient, 
cheerful and charming breakfast-room, an 
altogether desirable adjunct to your 
dining-room of distinction. 
T HE purchase of a Steinway for the home 
means the selection of the ideal piano, tone 
and workmanship being of first importance. 
It is the price of the Steinway which makes 
possible its supreme musical qualities, but you 
will find that the Steinway costs only a trifle 
more than many so-called “good” pianos. 
Style V, the new Upright, and Style M, the 
smallest Steinway Grand, offer a special advan¬ 
tage in price. They embody all the distinct 
Steinway features, but, being of a reduced size to 
meet the requirements of the modern home or 
apartment, are offered at very moderate prices. 
IT e shall he glad to send you, free, illustrated literature , 
with the name of the Steinway dealer nearest you. 
STEINWAY & SONS, STEINWAY HALL 
107-109 East Fourteenth Street , New York 
w 
'Y 7 ’OU may be planning a new home, or perhaps you are 
one of the oldest inhabitants of your neighborhood 
’TNlfiiBfci- 
— -it makes no difference, you are entitled to the best Water 
Supply your money can buy. 
You have a right to all the water you can use — Water for your 
House — -Water for your Garden — Water for your Garage — Lots 
S ir 
off’it — atT high pressure. 
A Corcoran Tank Tower always means an abundance. An over¬ 
flow tank just below will mean that water vou need so much for your 
garden when rain is scarce. 
Before you do anything about the water supply question, write and 
get our advice—find out how cheaply the best system can be installed. 
It; 
A. J. CORCORAN, Inc. 17 JOHN STREET, N. Y. 
In writing to advertisers please mention House & Garden. 
