60 
House 
THE 
PART THE CORNICE 
An Appreciation of the Old-Time Cornice Has Caused Its 
Revival in Current Decoration 
MARY H. GARDNER 
& Garden 
PLAYS 
T he whole is the sum of its parts. The 
charm of a well-draped window is the 
sum of its details. And not the least of these 
details in current decoration is the valance 
board or cornice. 
'I'lie details of window curtaining are as 
follows: 
(1) The glass curtains, that go directly 
against the window and sen'e to filter the light, 
and can be drawn when privacy is desired; 
(2) 'Phe over-curtains, usually of a heavier 
fabric such as linen, cretonne, taffeta, brocade, 
etc.; 
(3) The valance, which connects the two 
parts of the over-curtains; 
(4) The valance board or cornice; 
(5) Such accessories as tie-backs, rosettes 
for tie-backs, pulley cords, tassels, etc. 
Not all of these are invariably used in all 
windows, but they are the details upon which 
the finished charm of the draperies depends. 
'Ehe purpose of the cornice is to give a top 
finish to the curtains. But whether or not that 
finish is required will depend 
upon many things—the archi¬ 
tecture of the window, the 
style of the woodwork, the 
amount of light required in the 
room and the general style of 
the furnishings. 
The Window 
In many old Colonial and 
Georgian houses, where the 
woodwork has the merit of fine 
craftsmanship, it seems a pity 
to curtain it off. Such win¬ 
dows, having a pronounced 
architectural character, should 
not be too closely curtained 
unless, of course, one’s furni¬ 
ture and general scheme do 
not fit in with the Colonial 
design. The deep embrasured 
window with small panes has 
an indefinable charm. It re¬ 
quires only the sheerest of thin 
curtains to strain the light and 
give a glow over the room. In 
such cases the cornice form of 
treatment is out of the ques¬ 
tion. 
'Phere are rooms, however, 
in which the furniture and 
general character require a 
more formal, fuller curtaining. 
'Phen it is that the cornice or 
valance board can properly be 
used. 
Curtains that cover the 
woodw’ork naturally stand out 
lx)ldly on the wall, giving a 
recessed effect to the window. 
'Phis is desirable. One should 
feel the vista beyond the win¬ 
dow. By deepening the re¬ 
cess the vista is pronounced. 
There are few windows, in¬ 
deed, where this all-over cur¬ 
taining does not enrich the 
room. 
An element in this all-over curtaining is the 
valance. It connects the side draperies, mak¬ 
ing a frame for the window. Some decorators, 
feeling the necessity for this connecting top 
line, have attempted to get the effect by cover¬ 
ing the curtain pole with the same sort of 
material as the curtains, or even with a plain, 
contrasting fabric. This is really not pleasing 
to the eye. It is a straining after an effect 
that proves to be only an affectation. A bet¬ 
ter effect is more easily obtained by using a 
valance. 
Y'ith simple white muslin curtains and 
white woodwork there is no necessity for a 
valance, although a simple pleated valance or 
a fitted valance may often be used in bed¬ 
rooms over white muslin curtains with very 
pleasing results. 
Because they present a horizontal line close 
up to the ceiling, valances produce the effect 
of lowering the ceiling. Consequently in very 
low-studded rooms it is advisable to omit them. 
This lowering effect, on the other hand, makes 
0 7 7 
them effective in a wainscoted room or a room 
with a very high ceiling. High-studded Vic- ; 
torian rooms almost recjuire a valance to pull 
the ceiling down to the line of vision and give 
the window a dignity of finish in keeping with i 
such proportions. 
Valance Boards 
The valance board and cornice often take 
the place of the valance. They are frequently 
of wood, either plain or carved, and painted 1 
in polychrome or gilded. Some of the designs i 
especially favored today are the old-fashioned 
gilt metal cornices which were in use during 
the Victorian era. 
Each type of valance board offers a dozen- i 
odd different means of treatment. Thus one i 
may have in a bedroom glass curtains of cream 
scrim or net, over-curtains of a flowered ma- | 
terial in greens, blue, yellows and reds on a 
cream ground, and a valance board painted i 
one of the tones of the less prominent greens ‘ 
lound in the fabric and decorated with a simple 
medallion of colors chosen 
from the rest of the design. 
^^'hile the valance board fits 
all around the window casing, 
it should not be decorated on 
the ends. Keep the decora- i 
tions simple and the ground 
painting of one color and that 
very unobtrusive. 
The gilt cornice is quite ' 
fascinating to use as it gives 
a rich effect to the top of the 
window. I know of a little 
reception room in a country 
house that has three long win¬ 
dows, each of them topped by 
an ornate gilded metal comice, 
very thin. Below this hang 
drapes and then long curtains 
of sea-green gauze. The effect 
of the gold and the sea-green 
sheer fabric is very lovely. 
Curtaining a Group 
In addition to giving finish 
to one window, valances and 
valance boards are often used 
to tie together into a unit a 
group of windows. A row of 
casements, for example, in a 
deep window, with a wide 
window seat. No glass cur¬ 
tains are required if the win¬ 
dows are leaded. The window 
can best be curtained by an 
over-all valance or valance 
board with side curtains at 
each end. The same is true of 
a bay window. A fabric val¬ 
ance or a valance board, cov¬ 
ering all three windows, will 
make a unit of them and create 
an ensemble that enriches the 
room. 
The illustrations show sev¬ 
eral types of valances and cor¬ 
nices in use, each one having 
some distinguishing merit in 
To harmonize with the windows, this door also has been curtained in the same 
dignified manner as the windows—with a gilt cornice and beneath that a deep 
valance and curtains. The material is green brocade. Lee Porter, decorator 
