50 
House & Garden 
LACE in INTERIOR DECORATION 
Appropriate Uses of a Material Which too Often Is Entirely Overlooked 
or Applied without Regard for Its Limitations and Possibilities 
AGNES FOSTER WRIGHT 
L OVELY flowers and lovelier lace, small, 
^ unimportant details, are in reality the 
most important details of all to the true home¬ 
maker. It is curious how indicative of the 
house these accessories are. Perhaps it is 
because laces—real laces, with which we are 
alone concerned here—are usually made by 
women, and one gets the underlying spirit of 
femininity through them. 
There are many possible appropriate uses 
of lace and lace and linen which are either 
overlooked by the housekeeper or badly done. 
One of the greatest mistakes is 
to put pure white (dead white, 
it is appropriately called) in a 
room. Dead white can be used 
only in an interior of ultra¬ 
modern coloring where pure 
colors without any neutraliza¬ 
tion are employed. The charm¬ 
ing Quaker tradition of three 
things being irrevocably white 
—the table, the bed and the 
bride—has beautiful spirit but 
is not always so charming in 
reality. A bride, yes. That 
tradition at least let us cling 
to. And with the exception of 
the dining room done in an old 
English or Italian period, I 
should strongly advise white 
damask, but on the bed the soft 
tones of deep cream linen and 
lace, or quaint cretonne or 
crisp taffeta are very much 
more advisable. 
One should soften and en¬ 
rich an interior by the use of 
toned lace which presumably, 
or in reality, has grown creamy 
with age. Linen is not nat¬ 
urally white; it has a lovely 
soft beige tone. From the 
An altar cloth of 
filet can well be 
stretched across 
the mantel, hang¬ 
ing down as was 
originally intended 
The delicacy and refinement of Nor¬ 
mandy lace make it especially appropri¬ 
ate where the setting is dainty 
A quite different effect in the table cover 
is achieved when antique lace in deep 
ecru is appliqued on linen scrim 
* 
almost yellowish cream of old Normandy lace 
to the grayish tan of antique Arabic lace, the 
colors blend with the tone of linen. 
One point which should be observed in the 
use of lace as part of interior decorating is that 
it be real. However small the piece, let it be 
handmade. One can always pick up an in¬ 
expensive length at one of the counters which 
can be made up with some loosely woven crash 
and simple stitches into an attractive and 
original table cover. One of the loveliest cov¬ 
ers I have seen is made from a thin, loosely- 
woven gauze, very dark in tone, 
and on this is sewn a thin 
coarse mesh insertion of very 
dark, deep beige color. On 
each corner is a long tassel 
made from linen carpet thread, 
and under the whole is a piece 
of soft bronze sateen. This as 
a table cover in a brown and 
blue-green living room is suit¬ 
able and charming, as well as 
individual and inexpensive. 
The same idea can be carried 
out for a dining table cover. 
In an informal dining room or 
in a room where an Italian or 
Spanish refectory table is used 
one will not find white damask 
particularly appropriate for an 
oak or walnut table. If the 
dining table is painted, the 
cloth can be laid directly on 
the table, the color showing 
through, as the mesh of both 
linen and lace is coarse enough 
to permit it. 
Filet, especially the larger 
Purely as a wall 
ornament, fine lace 
has its uses. This 
piece of Viennese 
filet is mounted on 
dark colored velvet 
Ati ecru lace and linen 
bed spread combines well 
ivith the antique lace and 
linen pillow cover 
