THE EDITOR’S TALKS AND CORRESPONDENCE 
The Editor, Margaret Greenleaf, wishes to extend a personal invitation to all readers of House and Garden to send to the 
Correspondence Department, inquiries on any matter pertaining to house finishing and furnishing. Careful considera¬ 
tion is given each inquiry, the letter and answer being published in due time as matters of interest to other readers. 
Where an early reply is desired if a stamp and self-addressed envelope are enclosed, the answer will be sent. No 
charge whatever is made for any advice. 
CORRESPONDENCE 
SUGGESTIONS FOR A HALF PARTITION IN A STUDIO 
H aving noticed in House and Garden that 
you give suggestions on furnishing, I wish 
to ask your help in the arrangement of 
my studios which are 24' x 30' and 24' x 24'. 
The walls are divided by a running board in 
white and all the woodwork is white. The walls 
above baseboard in dull yellow and below in dull 
green paper. 
I want to discard the curtains which now separate 
the two rooms and put in a half partition. The 
ceiling is too high—18'. I want a window seat 
built in the space in the corner. I send a rough 
draft of the plan. I hoped that 1 might use green 
burlap in the panels, with oak strips for dividing the 
panels, and to make the seat. I have four large 
windows, all on north side. These I will hang with 
rough yellow silk. Rugs are large and in brown, 
green and yellow shades. The floors are dark green. 
Pedestals for large casts, are green also and the desk, 
chairs, bookcases, cabinets, etc., are in oak. The 
room was decorated before I took it. 
I would like you to suggest curtains to hang 
between the rooms. Perhaps you could find some¬ 
thing I could stencil and something for the seat 
cover. I should like a kind of mattress for 
the seat that can be aired. What color and fabric 
should I use for the seat and curtains, and what 
pillows would you suggest r I want some wash 
curtains for a cabinet. I thought I could stencil 
these. Please suggest fabric. 
Of what would you suggest my having the panels 
made between the oak strips ? As I cannot afford 
the oak it might be some cheaper wood or other 
material. I have the pegged furniture and will have 
the strips and pieces across the top pegged to com¬ 
plete the idea. I have a great many pieces of bric-a- 
brac for still life work and these must be kept on a 
white shelf around the room. I am sorry the shelf 
is white but find that it is impossible to change it, as 
it is of pine and cannot be finished like the partition. 
I will appreciate any help you may be able to give me. 
Answer: We are much interested in the studio 
you describe and are glad to suggest to you the 
material from which to make your partition. There 
is a plaster board made which will be found entirely 
serviceable and very inexpensive for such use. We 
are sending you the name of this material and its 
manufacturers by post. This may be painted or 
tinted or covered with burlap as desired. It comes 
in panels of a variety of sizes. 
We feel the one difficulty in your studio would be 
the white shelf, therefore, we suggest that you paint 
this with ordinary oil paint in a color exactly match¬ 
ing the green of the paper below it. We send you 
samples of green arras cloth which we would suggest 
as the material best suited for your portieres for 
stenciling, and also for covering the mattress pad and 
pillows. This may be procured in a variety of 
shades. If you would send us a small sample show¬ 
ing the color of your green paper, we could match 
this for you and would recommend green in prefer¬ 
ence to brown or yellow that you may avoid any 
restless effect with your walls. There is a coarse 
linen made which takes stenciling well, from which 
you might make the curtains for your shelves, using 
the same design on a reduced scale as you do for 
the door hangings. For your pillows, two should 
be covered with the material used for your pad and 
in additional ones, you might introduce dull blue and 
old red agreeably. 
EXTERIOR COLOR FOR A SMALL STUCCO HOUSE 
I am building a house of cement or stucco and 
would like your advice as to the coloring for the out¬ 
side. The upper portion of the house will have the 
half-timbered English cottage effect. This is of 
chestnut and I would like suggestions for the treat¬ 
ment of all the wood trim as well as the color for the 
stucco. Is it possible to obtain stains which will 
color the cement and should it be mixed before the 
blocks are made or the cement applied 
Answer: There are stains made which give good 
and durable color effects on cement or stucco. 
212 
