April, 19 2 0 
35 
There is a suggestion of Italian mspiration 
in the floor treatment of this hall, the 
wrought iron and rich colorings of tapestry 
and draperies. Charles A. Platt, architect 
Another piece of furniture often wrongly 
used is the choir seat. Its unformable lines 
and general ecclesiastical atmosphere would 
make it out of place in the average house 
Louis XV lit de repos with cane panels and 
beautifully carved wood frame. 
Undoubtedly, it now adorns the batliroom 
of some “period” guest suite! 
And yet what could be more ridiculous than 
to purchase and install in one’s home an article 
imposing 18th Century restrictions on the 
healthy desire to kick, plunge, and splash ex¬ 
hibited l^y the normal human being? 
The indiscriminate use of “period” furni¬ 
ture without regard 
either to scale or fitness 
will ever be a pitfall to 
the unwary. 
In selecting Italian 
furniture, it is well to 
remember that most of 
these pieces were de¬ 
signed for use in palaces. 
This circumstance alone 
]:)recludes ' their use in 
any l)ut palatial rooms. 
IMany of the Italian 
chair seats seem high 
and uncomfortable be¬ 
cause primarily intended 
to be used with footstools 
for ceremonial purposes. 
Comfort and suit¬ 
ability must always be 
{Continued on page 92) 
In a breakfast room, Nature 
can often be made to co¬ 
operate in the furnishing. 
The combination of flowers 
and furniture results in a 
pleasing ensemble. Charles. 
A. Platt, architect 
templating decoration, had taken as model the 
Musee de Cluny or the Metropolitan Museum 
of Art. Wholesale importations of European 
furniture, even complete interiors, justify this 
conclusion. Emulation, not self-expression, 
seems the goal of attainment. 
In some instances the stupidity of the thing 
is laughable. 
If there is one point in which we incon¬ 
testably lead the world, it is in that of plumb¬ 
ing and everything ap¬ 
pertaining to it. 
It is also true, for ex¬ 
ample, that in the more 
intimate relation, the 
white porcelain bath tub 
does leave much to be 
desired in a decorative 
sense. The appalling 
cold cleanliness savors of 
a hospital — perfectly 
sanitary, but artistically 
barren. 
Between this achieve¬ 
ment and the water re¬ 
ceptacle for bodily ablu¬ 
tions common among no¬ 
bility at the court of 
Louis XV, there is a 
wide gulf. Imagine, 
then, the absurdity of a 
bath of that period re¬ 
cently exhibited in New 
York City. Hidden from 
the vulgar gaze when not 
in use, the small metal 
bath tub reposed inside 
what was ostensibly a 
