Rugs for the House 
By H. JAMES JOHNSTON 
J AMES ORRICK, Royal Institute, offers excel¬ 
lent advice, when in writing of color in the 
decoration of rooms, he says, “Whatever 
scheme of color you may choose for a room, be a 
musician and keep to your key. Remember too, that 
when you have a collection of beautiful rich tones in 
a patterned floor covering, you should not use a 
patterned cover for the table. ” He might well have 
gone further and barred also figured draperies and 
furniture covers. 
It is sadly apparent in many otherwise well- 
schemed houses, that far too little attention is given 
to the selection of color and design of the rugs as 
appropriate to the decorative scheme of the room 
evinced in the woodwork, wall treatment and general 
furnishing. 
Unfortunately the idea is prevalent that an Oriental 
rug may by its own intrinsic value (and alas, too often 
money value is meant) be forced into the picture 
regardless of its fitness in color or design. Erom 
such incongruities, result rooms which are restless 
and uninviting. 
That the floor covering is of fundamental impor¬ 
tance in building up a decorative scheme, is a fixed 
fact, which the erratic departure from the beaten path 
exhibited in certain phases of Fart moderne, have 
served only to accentuate. 
The floor covering should be either rich and 
dark, or delicate and soft in tone as the wall and 
general scheme may demand, but it must in any case, 
be unobtrusive and also serve to bold together the 
various color notes of the room. 
Where walls and draperies are, as Mr. Orrick says, 
“patterned,” by selecting a rug of two or three tones 
of a single color, balance and firmness in tbe finished 
scheme will be established. 
In America to-day are manufactured rugs which 
in quality, durability and fine color are unsurpassed 
by any of foreign weave. The close weave and deep 
pile of these rugs ensures them the life of an Oriental 
hand-woven rug and the prices asked for these 
domestic rugs make it possible for people of small 
means to use them in their homes. The cost varies 
in accordance with the dimensions of the rug. The 
price of the nine by twelve size is ^50.00. 
The reproductions of the old Oriental rugs made by 
the manufacturers are well-toned and harmonious. 
The camel’s-hair, which is one of the most suc¬ 
cessful of these, is shown in the accompanying 
illustration. The rich though soft Oriental colors in 
the figure contrast agreeably with the shaded neutral 
tan of the background. 
The greatest care is used in the manufacture of 
these ru'gs, only experienced workmen being em¬ 
ployed and the fabric itself is made from wools care¬ 
fully selected. 
Hall runners come in widths of two feet three 
inches to three feet and in lengths of nine, twelve 
and fifteen feet. These may, like the other rugs 
referred to, be furnished to order in almost any 
desired width or length, and only a short time is 
required for putting through a special order. 
The last decade or two has seen a gradual improve¬ 
ment manifesting itself all along the line in domestic 
floor coverings. Fortunately (though slowly) the 
large floral designs done in glaring colors are being 
replaced by small or conventional patterns of subdued 
or neutral tones. 
Wilton velvet carpets make a most satisfactory 
floor covering and a specially fine make of Wilton rug 
is offered by one factory. In nine by twelve size they 
cost ^52.50. They show the close all-over patterns 
as well as larger conventional designs and a wide 
range of colors which make them adaptable to any 
scheme of decoration in which such floor coverings 
would be regarded as appropriate. 
Antique Saraband 
125 
