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. 
A S we have frequently stated in these columns 
it is our particular desire to take for our 
L topic each month the question seemingly ol 
the greatest interest to the greatest number of our 
readers. 
The general inquiries which have come to us 
recently are from prospective builders. Some of 
these are planning to build at a date more or less 
indefinite, and are wisely now gathering information 
along the line of fioor plans, exterior form and color 
treatment of the house, interior woodwork, hard¬ 
ware, tiles and general building specifications. 
While the choice of finish for the woodwork in the 
type of house they may have in mind is, indeed, im¬ 
portant and should be given earnest consideration, 
nothing can be really satisfactorily settled until the 
character of the wood to he used in the interior trim 
is determined. Whether this will be cypress, birch, 
chestnut, or pine must influence the general color 
scheme, and the style of furniture which will he used 
in the rooms. 
The inexperienced one will determine, perhaps, 
upon a rich mahogany stain as the appropriate finish 
for the woodwork of the first floor of his house,— 
influenced in this choice by the fact that for his 
living-room and dining-room he possesses some 
fine old mahogany pieces. His contractor will 
persuade him that chestnut is his best choice of wood 
for the finish of his house, and until he sees the stain 
applied he may not realize the crying mistake that 
has been made. The grain of the chestnut pro¬ 
claims itself strongly through the mahogany stain 
as being far from akin to it, and the veriest amateur 
realizes at once the crudity and unfitness of the com¬ 
bination. 
Birch, white wood, yellow pine or hazel might he 
used appropriately under mahogany stain as the 
surface any of these woods presents is similar, at least, 
to the real mahogany. 
In using mahogany stain it should be borne in 
mind that a rubbed or semi-gloss surface is more 
effective than a dull finish. 
To return to the unfortunate choice of mahogany 
stain for chestnut to be used with mahogany furni¬ 
ture— the house owner mav realize that conditions 
J 
are not as bad as they appear, another stain can be 
selected. Chestnut shows most attractively under 
silver gray stain and this, if used, will make an unu¬ 
sual but effective setting for mahogany furniture. If 
the wall color, or covering shows similar tones to that 
in the woodwork the latter becomes in this way a part 
of the side wall treatment and supplies an attractive 
background for the furniture. The gray tone 
shown is suggestive of the weathered effect that ex¬ 
posed wood will assume. 
Hazel wood lightly treated with a durable acid 
stain in light brown will closely resemble Circassian 
walnut. The grain of the wood under the stain 
shows beautifully shaded effects running from very 
light warm tan to rich soft brown. Under a dull 
varnish this wood so treated is very decorative, while 
it is one of the least expensive woods. The gum 
wood of the Southern States is very similar to hazel. 
We recall a library in which this wood was used 
for standing woodwork, and built-in bookcases. 
The walls were plain in color and painted in oil with 
a flat finish. The shade selected was soft and 
neutral, something between gray and tan which is 
now recognized as oatmeal color. The furniture of 
dark brown oak, with caned backs and seats to the 
chairs, and two great wing chairs upholstered in dull 
soft blue, harmonized delightfully with the door cur¬ 
tains of woven tapestry fabric showing a foliage 
design in smoke, rich blue, soft olive green and 
brown. The floor of the room wore a rug of blue 
and brown velvet. The hardware and fixtures were 
of smoked brass and excellent design. Raw silk in 
dull blue was hung at the casement windows and 
completed a dignified, beautiful and restful room. 
It is very necessary in selecting the woodwork for 
the house to realize that wood under the same general 
name such as ash, pine, birch, etc., differs largely 
in the various localities. For instance, there are 
white, black and brown ash, and these take the stain 
quite differently one from the other. Red and white 
birch must also be given individual treatment. 
3 2 
