HOUSE AND GARDEN 
116 
February, 
1914 
walls of a room will materially increase its apparent size. On 
the other hand, a room that seems too large and requires tying 
together may have its apparent size reduced by using vertical 
stripes. While speaking of this doctoring of dimensions by 
means of optical illusion, it is worth noting that a wall paper of a 
pronounced all-over pattern will diminish the size of a room, 
while a perfectly plain paper will at least give it the full benefit 
of its true size, and in some cases make it seem larger. 
The same principles of optical 
illusion are involved in the arrange¬ 
ment of furniture in rooms, al¬ 
though the method of application 
may vary slightly at times. That 
principles and system in the matter 
of arranging furniture really do 
count for something and are not 
merely a lot of fine talk, you can 
prove for yourself if you are will¬ 
ing to take the trouble. With the 
same room and precisely the same 
furniture, without the addition or 
subtraction of a single piece, 
merely by dint of arrangement and 
rearrangement, you may so alter 
the apparent size 
and shape of a 
room in three or 
four or five dif¬ 
ferent ways, as 
the case may be, 
that you will be 
astonished. 
We all natural¬ 
ly wish our rooms 
to appear to the 
best advantage. 
Whether they do 
so appear de¬ 
pends largely up¬ 
on our under¬ 
standing and use 
of the underlying 
principles of fur¬ 
niture arrange¬ 
ment, as well as 
upon the share of 
good taste with 
which we may be 
endowed. Indeed, 
good taste might 
almost be defined 
as an intuitive 
grasp and i n- 
stinctive practice 
of these principles in their most successful application. 
To begin with, the well-arranged room must have balance. It 
is quite obvious that it will not do at all to have all the heavy 
pieces of furniture congested at one end or ranged along one side 
while other parts of the room resemble the Desert of Sahara 
or are only sparsely settled with insignificant pieces. But, to 
secure a nicely adjusted poise, an air of easy balance and restful 
self-possession, means a great deal more than merely to rout out 
the congestion or ranges of heavyweights and scatter them at in¬ 
tervals about the apartment. 
In striving to attain balance in the arrangement of furniture it 
must be borne in mind that a great many pieces have distinct 
architectural characteristics and affinities that we too often either 
do not recognize or ignore. If, for instance, a cabinet has a 
straight horizontal top, trimmed with a bold cornice, it catches the 
eye at once and helps to convey a sense of space and breadth. 
That such a seemingly small detail as a horizontal cornice has a 
great deal to do in creating an impression of breadth we may 
understand by trying a simple experiment. Take the cabinet 
away from where it stands. The wall space back of it may be 
in an alcove, or it may perhaps be 
between two windows. At any 
rate, the chances are that when the 
cabinet is removed the space does 
not look as wide as it did before; 
does not look as wide as the cabinet 
itself. Probably, if the real truth 
be known, when you first looked at 
that particular space you thought 
it would not be wide enough for the 
cabinet, and were not convinced 
until you had either measured it or 
actually tried it. 
So much, then, for the important 
and insistent values of these archi¬ 
tectural features in furniture. The 
eye, having 
caught the domi¬ 
nating horizontal 
line of the cor¬ 
nice, passes on, 
but naturally ex¬ 
pects to find it 
echoed in some 
other portion of 
the room, per¬ 
haps opposite in 
the bold, straight 
top of the mantel 
or the top of a 
secretary, and 
when there is no 
such response 
there is, even un- 
consc i o u s 1 y, a 
sense of disap¬ 
pointment and 
dissatisfaction. 
Another highly 
important consid¬ 
eration in secur¬ 
ing proper bal¬ 
ance or poise in 
furniture ar- 
rangement is 
m a s s i n g, and 
massing particularly with reference to lighting. Common sense 
will dictate a reasonably equal distribution of the masses of cabi¬ 
net work, but we do not always think about light and shadow. 
Avoid putting small and inconspicuous pieces of furniture in 
dark corners where they are completely blotted out in the gloom 
of a spot that conveys nothing but an impression of vacancy. 
Such a spot needs some bold, strong object to give it due bal¬ 
ance and decision. The reasons for much of what has been said 
seem so plainly apparent that one would hesitate to dwell on the 
subject at all were it not for the glaring instances of indifference 
or deplorable ignorance that confront any observant person at 
(Continued on page 144) 
The letters in this plan represent: O, lamp; D- divan; St, secre¬ 
tary; R, rug; Be, bookcase; IVs, windowseat; Cc, corner cup¬ 
board; P, piano; 5, piano bench; D, door; IV, windows 
Furniture position is partly determined by the purposes of utility and the convenience of conversation. This arrange¬ 
ment is a simple way of relating the parts of a room about a center. The table supplies a suitable place for the 
main light source 
