HOUSE AND GARDEN 
448 
June, 1914 
each window of a group makes the apartment feel constricted. 
Sometimes, for the sake of effect and to make a too low room 
seem higher, it may be necessary to hang a piece of chintz be¬ 
tween each window, as well as the ends. The length of the cur¬ 
tains must be decided bv the proportion of the room. Curtains 
reaching to the floor will make a room seem higher and also more 
dignified. They may also reach to the exact sill or to the bottom 
of the casing, whichever one wishes. The depth of the valance 
has also to be decided by the proportion of the room. They vary 
from six inches to twenty- 
four or more, as is neces¬ 
sary. From twelve to 
eighteen inches is a fair 
average o f safety o n 
which to calculate, but if 
they are too short they 
look skimpy, and if they 
are too long they look 
heavy. The pattern should 
be well placed in a val¬ 
ance, so as to bring one of 
the chief units of the de¬ 
sign in the center. 
Side curtains are usual¬ 
ly made so they can be 
drawn at night, and are 
arranged with traverse 
rings and cords and pul¬ 
leys, and should run easi¬ 
ly, and a box cornice is 
generally used to hold the 
valance. Draw curtains 
and an open fire give an 
indescribable air of home¬ 
likeness and cheer. In the 
daytime they are pulled 
back and allowed either to 
hang straight or are held 
with a band made of the 
curtain stuff. They should 
be at least once and a half 
the width of the window. Curtains should always be fastened at 
the lower outside corner to prevent their blowing into the room 
when the window is open. If one does not care to have the cur¬ 
tains drawn together they can be made of single strips of material 
with French headings and gathered into a space a little broader 
than the casing, or they may simply be run on a rod through a 
heading. The valance can connect the two sides or be run on a 
separate rod and extend the full width of the window. If the 
window is so narrow that all the light possible is needed, one can 
have the rods wider than the casing so the curtains will really hang 
over the wall and casing and not obscure any light. 
Simplicity of treatment should be the keynote of all draperies, 
for it gives a sense of restfulness to a room and helps to keep the 
curtains in their proper relation to the rest of the room. Curtains 
may be of any gay and bright or sombre material, but if the color 
scheme is successfully thought out they will form a part of the 
background, making a perfect whole with the walls for the fur¬ 
nishings. The curtains, the walls, the furniture, the rugs, are all 
closely related, and a room is made or marred by the failure of one 
of them to keep its proper place in regard to the others. I do not 
mean to imply that the walls and curtains should be the same 
color (unless one wishes it), but there must be a reason for the 
color chosen, and the color values must be right. If the walls are 
paneled and the room furnished with Georgian furniture it would 
be fatal to have one of the new, and often hideous, futurist 
designs used for the curtains. If the walls and furniture are 
heavy and dark, a Louis XV design would be all out of scale and a 
shocking contrast. It seems absurd to have to say anything so 
obvious, but unfortunately there are always people who, with the 
best intentions in the world, buy things because they are new, or 
simply because they like them, with never a thought of how they 
will combine with their other possessions. 
A very attractive method of having curtains made is to have 
them in upper and lower sections. The two lower sections reach 
from the top of the sash 
to the sill, and the two up¬ 
per sections just cover the 
rod of the lower ones. 
The upper sections can be 
drawn together and the 
lower ones pushed back, 
and the effect is charm¬ 
ing. This method has a 
simple air of informality 
about it which makes it 
appropriate for country 
houses and some rooms in 
town houses. Thin silks, 
nets, casement cloth and 
other attractive light¬ 
weight materials can be 
used, and also chintz of 
not too large a design. 
Casement windows 
should have the side cur¬ 
tains and net curtains on 
the frame work so the 
windows can be swung 
without danger of injury 
to the fabric. They should 
hang just to the sill and 
have a narrow, gathered 
valance. 
Materials for curtains 
grow more and more 
beautiful each year. The 
chintzes and linens are wonderful in design and color, and come in 
both wide and narrow widths and all prices. One particular vir¬ 
tue of some of the materials is the fact that they are guaranteed 
against fading. Such goods are of vegetable fiber — either cotton 
or linen — and are dyed in the yarn. To-day all grades and pat¬ 
terns are procurable in such fabrics, from the simple cottage ma¬ 
terial to hangings for the elaborate period room. Some desire 
special mention here: There is the double-faced cloth with the 
lining woven in one piece with the facing. These goods may be 
had in duplication of famous European originals. Those French 
draperies which were made of alternating strips of brocaded 
damask, and tapestry, or damask and lace applique, are to be had 
in this form, but all woven in one piece. There are beautiful 
changeable Armures, daintily colored casement cloth, poplins and 
monk’s cloth, all made to stand the sun. As to patterns, stripes 
and checker blocks have been produced in delightful profusion, 
and are very effective. 
Chintzes make lovely, cool-looking rooms, and have a charm 
that no other fabric gives. They are suitable for all rooms in a 
house, and seem to bring a breath of freshness and cheerfulness 
with them, and, to my mind, are the monarchs of the country 
house, and a large part of the town-house curtain question. I 
use the word “chintz” for the sake of brevity to cover the whole 
field of cotton and linen materials which are manufactured for 
(Continued on page 504) 
When the windows are grouped, casements having side curtains at either side of the embrasure 
instead of each window, and use one valance. Such a method makes the room appear less 
crowded. The same chintz is used in the pillows and upholstery 
