46 
House & Garden" 
DRAPED WINDOWS 
THAT GIVE 
CHARACTER TO 
A ROOM 
T here are few 
phases of the 
question of decoration 
which seem to occa¬ 
sion more trouble 
and uncertaint}' in the 
minds of amateurs 
than the one of win¬ 
dow curtains. Should 
they be long or short, 
—heavy or sheer ? Are 
valances necessary, or 
ruffles appropriate? 
What fabric should be 
used—with or without 
a design? A whole 
catalog of difficulties, 
they are! 
Of course, there are 
no general rules to fit 
all cases, excepting, 
perhaps, the fact that simplicity and practica¬ 
bility should go hand in hand, and that both 
the character of the room and the architec¬ 
tural style of the window should be considered 
before the type of curtains is selected. 
Windows which are so intimately connected 
• with the big lines of architecture sliould have 
more dignified and architectural treatment than 
they usually receive. And for the purposes of 
considering their treatments, it is well to divide 
Karting 
Three windows in a 
group can have glass 
curtains of gold silk 
gauze, heavy Copen¬ 
hagen blue taffeta 
hangings with 
painted cornice. J. 
C. Demarest & Co., 
decorators 
them into two general 
groups; sash windows 
and casement. 
Sash windows, 
which are nearly uni¬ 
versal in apartments 
and characteristic of 
the English type of 
house, should have 
thin net, scrim or silk 
glass curtains. 
The over-curtains 
may be of linen, cre¬ 
tonne, taffeta or any 
of the many suitable 
fabrics. Whatever is 
used, the window 
should not be smoth¬ 
ered. Shades may be 
necessary in some in¬ 
stances, but where the 
glass curtains are made to draw, no shades are 
i-equired. We can never really get too much 
sunlight in our rooms. Moreover, the windows 
should not be so swaddled in draperies that the 
outside view is cut off. It is a good general 
rule to remember that over-curtains should 
cover the window trim. There are instances, 
however, where the trim, being of extraordinary 
workmanship, should be left exposed. Apply 
{Continued on page 84) 
Ellison 
In this old Boston 
home the hangings 
are Chinese yellow 
lined with mauve. 
Quaint hooked - up 
valances, topped 
with old didl gold 
cornices, give the 
room an ancient air 
I 
