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64 
.SEDGEWATIR BEACH HOrei.CHKAGOJ 
KOHLER WARE 
—Always of one quality—the highest 
KOHLER Bath Tubs are specified for the finest 
hotels and the most luxurious apartment buildings, 
such as the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. This 
is because of the unequaled beauty and excellence of 
Bath 
beauty 
But it is not for conspic¬ 
uously high - class buildings 
only that KOHLER Bath Tubs, 
Lavatories and Sinks are most 
suitable. 
KOHLER WARE, with its 
hygienic designs and superior 
enamel, is in wide and rapidly 
increasing demand for the less 
expensive houses, apartments 
and bungalows. 
The trade-mark “KOHLER,” 
in faint blue in the enamel of 
every KOHLER product, is our 
quality guarantee. If you are 
building, request your architect 
to specify KOHLER WARE 
for your bath rooms. 
Write for our new book, 
“KOHLER OF KOHLER.” It 
contains illustrations of our 
many attractive patterns. 
Address Department F-1 
BRANCHES 
Boston New York 
Philadelphia 
Atlanta Pittsburgh 
Detroit Chicago 
Indianapolis 
"It's In the Kohler Enamel" 
KOHLER CQ 
Founded 1873 
Kohler. Wis., US.A. 
BRANCHES 
St. Paul St. Louis 
Houston 
San Francisco 
LosAngeles Seattle 
London 
The" Vfcei'oy,'^ Plate 
Columbia Lavatory 
ynr ^ i L Of I C_ 
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, IN THE FOREMOST HOMES I 
of America where the best is an abso¬ 
lute necessity, the most important 
feature of tlie kitchen is 
DEANE’S PATENT 
FRENCH RANGE 
Sub.stantial in constrbiction, including pat¬ 
ented features that insure uniform heating 
and reduction in coal consumption, it will 
give thorobighly satisfactory service and 
long outlast other types of ’kitchen ranges. 
Before vou buv, investigate the merits of 
the DEANE. 
We also manufacture plate warmers, 
broilers, incinerators, steel cooks* tables, 
laundry ranges, etc. Fuller information on 
request. 
No. 209. Patent French Range in combina¬ 
tion with Gas Range and Broiler 
I Bramhall, Deane Company, new^ork^c'ity | 
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House & Garden 
The Mantel Shelf and Wall Above 
{Continued 
mantel background; the fundamental 
conceptions of the use of lines are 
utterly at variance in the two styles 
which mix just about as well as oil 
and water. The decoration of the 
early Georgian mantel, however, will 
not necessarily be austere in charac¬ 
ter. Framed in the overmantel panel 
there may be the softening grace 
of a portrait of the colorful wealth 
of an old still life painting of flowers 
or fruit in a vase. 
The mantel shelf itself may bear 
Chinese vases or jars, of opulent 
hue and fanciful pattern, whose pure 
curves echo the curves of the mould¬ 
ings, whereas the restless, over¬ 
crowded rococo curves of the Louis 
Quinze candelabra would have jan¬ 
gled sadly. Or, instead of Chinese 
or Delft vases, there may be old 
Spanish brass candlesticks of equally 
pure and restful lines. 
Other Possibilities 
Although a good, but thoroughly 
familiar, method of treating such a 
mantel has been purposely alluded 
to, a dozen other possibilities might 
easily be suggested for the same 
mantel where the composition would 
be quite as harmonious because there 
would be something in common, 
some basic affinity between the lines 
of the background and the lines of 
the decorations. There is no reason 
why garniture of contemporary date 
or of obviously close stylistic affin¬ 
ities should be chosen. It is enough 
if there is some point of contact, 
some harmony by either analogy or 
contrast of design, to put garniture 
and background in the same or a 
related decorative key. 
The early Georgian overmantel 
might just as suitably have had a 
sunburst clock with gilded spreading 
rays in the middle of its large panel, 
with two large old pewter Chinese 
temple vases at the ends of the 
shelf and a pewter incense burner in 
the middle. Or, again, in the panel 
might be a painted Chinese sign of 
subdued colors with raised figures 
of jade and a frame of teakwood. 
Common sense will forbid the 
loading of any mantel with a multi¬ 
plicity of photograph frames and 
other gew-gaws and gimcracks, all 
of which are manifestly unsuitable. 
It necessarily follows that a mantel 
suitably garnished will have dignity. 
Pictures Over M.-vntels 
A word seemis proper, before pass¬ 
ing on, anent the suitability of pic¬ 
tures for overmantel decoration. 
Family portraits belong naturally in 
a dining-room or library, both of 
them rooms of essentially intirnate 
character, but not in a drawing¬ 
room. There are, however, plenty of 
portraits, after the English 18th_ Cen¬ 
tury manner, that are sufficiently 
decorative and impersonal to_ be 
used in a drawing-room if desired. 
Old still life pictures with dark 
grounds, or decorative panels done 
in the same style, are nearly always 
adaptable to varied needs. A land¬ 
scape for overmantel decoration 
must be carefully chosen and must 
have qualities that establish a bond 
of affinity with the setting. The 
frame, too, must have special con¬ 
sideration. A glaring example of 
what not to do is furnished by an 
instance known to the writers in 
which a brilliant Redfield landscape 
in a gilt frame was hung on the 
rough plaster wall above an austere 
Jacobean mantel of grey stone. The 
picture is excellent; so is the mantel. 
But the combination is utterly un- 
from page 45) 
suitable, both are unjustly treated and 
both are indubitably spoiled. 
Symmetry 
The fireplace ordinarily divides a 
wall space symmetrically and is 
symmetrical in its own architectural 
expression. It is, therefore, fitting 
and natural that its garnishing 
should have symmetry. This does 
not imply stiffness. The arrange¬ 
ment of the mantel garniture may be 
triple, as in the case of candlesticks, 
candelabra or vases at the ends, with 
incense burner, a bronze or other 
object in the middle. Or it may be 
quadruple with four similar, equi¬ 
distant, balancing objects or two 
pairs of ornaments. Again, in the 
case of a long mantel, it may be 
quintuple as, for instance, in using 
one of the old Lowestoft garnitures 
of three jars and two vases, or vice 
versa. The overmantel garniture 
will usually consist of one feature or 
of a central feature flanked by a pair 
of pieces. The value of pairs in 
mantel furnishing is patent. 
Formality and Restraint 
On the mantel depends much of 
the dignity of a room and its very 
nature connotes a degree of for- 
mality. This inherent formality the 
garniture should reflect without, 
however, making it oppressive. 
Do not be afraid of empty spaces; 
they are restful and dignified and 
act as foils to lend appropriate em¬ 
phasis to objects of decorative 
worth. The mantel shelf and the 
sideboard top are the two most 
abused spaces in the majority of 
households. They are habitually 
crowded with trivial things that ruin 
their appearance and, like weeds, 
choke the legitimate garniture that 
is worth while. Honor the prin¬ 
ciple of restraint; have but few 
things on the mantel, or above it, 
and let each one of them be deserv¬ 
ing of attention. 
Applying Concentration 
In garnishing the mantel and over¬ 
mantel the principle of concentra¬ 
tion bids us provide a central feature 
of interest for the eye to rest upon, 
with subsidiary spots of interest— 
not too man}'—to balance and lead up 
to it. In many successful composi¬ 
tions the overmantel feature fo¬ 
cuses interest and dominates the 
auxiliary garniture standing upon 
the mantel shelf, or else the over¬ 
mantel feature is an intensified 
background and subsidiary in inter¬ 
est to the objects on the shelf for 
which it is really a foil. 
The gilt sunburst clock, of the 
early Georgian mantel previously re¬ 
ferred to, is an admirable example 
in concentration of decorative in¬ 
terest ; the pewter vases and incense 
burner, of more sombre color, lead 
up to it and enhance its value. But 
there the eye stops; it has enough 
to interest it and to stimulate appre¬ 
ciation without satiety. 
Beware of scattering interest too 
much. Have one or two emphatic 
points and play up to them. Too 
much diffusion perplexes and wearies 
the eye and, at the same time, mud¬ 
dles and even destroys the character 
of the decoration which, so far as 
ability to enjoy it is concerned, 
might just as well consist of a con¬ 
geries of the incoherent and brain¬ 
like convolutions so characteristic of 
old Maya temple carvings. 
In addition to keeping mantel dec¬ 
oration direct and not muddled in 
its effect, one must secure enough 
contrast with the background and 
