January, 1921 
27 
The interior of this dining room cabinet is'painted a Chinese ver¬ 
milion, and a narrow band of the same color is run below the top 
molding of the ivory wainscoting 
might even hazard all the furniture, 
if gracefully slight in design, in this 
red lacquer, which is singularly dull 
in shadow, if all the draperies and the 
other things gathered into the room 
were low in key and restrained in 
color. Furniture that is painted 
black, a dull grayed color, or even 
ivory, may have all inside parts 
painted this same queer Chinese red 
at times with fine effect . . . the in¬ 
terior of a corner cupboard, of a flap- 
lid desk, of the drawers of a chest. 
Red may combine with other colors 
in forming motifs used on decorated 
painted furniture. It may peep out 
from the Venetian blind; it may be 
used in its most flaming tones for 
patched bands or flowers on a pillow; 
it may show in the small rug, in the 
decorated screen, in kochi-red dishes 
used in the dining room, in wool em¬ 
broidery enhancing a variety of things, 
and in tassels hanging from their cor¬ 
ners. Upholstery may be striped with 
red, and the occasional chair may be 
upholstered in plain red; in certain 
rooms a dark red velvet curtain may 
be hung, if the effect is not in the 
slightest degree Victorian. 
The Tones of Red 
It must be understood that the term red em¬ 
braces many tones besides that rich crimson 
or scarlet we usually think of when red is 
named, and some of the off tones are the more 
decorative: the copper-reds, the orange-reds, 
the rust-reds, henna, Chinese red, cerise, ma¬ 
genta, red-mulberry, rose red, American 
beauty, and cherry-rose. All these are less 
war-like, more romantic than the blood-red 
plushes, hall lights and carpets of yesteryear, 
and their newer popularity is achieved un¬ 
doubtedly by the fact that they blend har¬ 
moniously with a combination of other colors, 
—blue, dull yellow, gray green, black, leaf 
brown and cream. The days are past when 
the all-red room is more than a bare possi¬ 
bility in the light of the success found in com¬ 
bining red properly and effectively in a full 
and rich color scheme. And, modernly speak¬ 
ing, red knows no season,—with the same 
equanimity notes of the new red sing warmly 
and brilliantly in unison with the 
glowing coals on the hearth when the 
north winds do blow, and coolly flap 
in crisp red and white checks at 
breakfast room windows under the 
gently stirring summer breeze. 
These notes may be used by those 
who feel the need of them and the 
decorative tonic they yield, but, of 
course, only when the surrounding 
color scheme is suitably developed. 
Intelligent choice should be exercised 
as to which of the red objects one 
selects,—there should not be over 
many, as the judicious use of this col¬ 
or gives more pleasure than its over¬ 
doing. Also it should be exploited 
chiefly in more weightily furnished 
downstairs rooms. 
Red in a Dining Room 
In the dining room shown in the 
circular drawing, the interior of the 
ivory cupboard is Chinese red, and a 
narrow band of this same color is run 
below the top molding of the ivory 
wainscoting. The richly toned putty- 
colored furniture is decorated with a 
wide line of the red, and the chairs 
are of Chinese red lacquer. In the 
china cupboard there are some pieces 
of pewter, some iridescent gold-colored glass¬ 
ware, and the dishes are in brown and ecru 
porcelain, livened by a piece or so of peacock 
blue pottery and a bit of red kochi. The rug 
is tan and black; the pewter candlesticks on 
the buffet are topped by red shields; the 
bowl on the dining table is dull blue, on 
the serving table the bowl is Indian red. 
In the other two drawings there are shown 
respectively the sort of high-backed chair that 
(Continued on page 58) 
It is said that red is a favorite color with men; they appreciate it in 
a living room. The group here suggests the use of chairs upholstered 
in brown with an orange-red fringe or entirely in rose red; curtains 
of dull gold cloth embroidered in flame red and black or brown cur¬ 
tains in black, blue, gold and flame. The lamp base is red and its 
shade biscuit color. Floor pillow, brown velvet with red tassels 
