January, 1921 
37 
A cretonne with blue and rose flowers 
makes the cover and canopy of this cream 
four-poster bed. Lining, ruffles and pil¬ 
lows, blue taffeta. Miss Swift, decorator 
tion, but in this case, it became the 
salient factor in attaining harmony 
in the general composition of the 
room. 
Colonial Draped Beds 
Canopied beds have also come to 
us from old Colonial homes inherited 
from our forefathers. Those early 
settlers loved the luxury of a great 
bed, with its linen sheets and soft 
mattresses and coverings and its 
canopy of lovely old chintz. We, 
too, prize them highly, but this state¬ 
ly old furniture requires a spacious 
setting. How a great old poster is 
capable of engulfing a little room of 
modern size! Our present-day fur¬ 
niture makers, realizing the beauty 
and simplicity of these ancient types, 
are building modern beds with simi¬ 
lar lines but more delicate propor¬ 
tions, which can be adapted to new 
conditions and to new sanitary con¬ 
ceptions. Although they may not 
be as beautiful as the originals, they 
are not antagonistic to the chests of 
drawers or the distinctive high-boys 
with which they have to associate so 
intimately. When decorated with a 
simple valance made of the same 
material as the other hangings in the room, 
they are very charming and not unhygienic. 
Our Colonial canopied beds were evolved 
from the earlier Chippendale designs. This 
great craftsman included among his drawings 
dome beds, canopy, couch sofas and numerous 
other types of beds, many of which were heavi¬ 
ly carved. Later, Hepplewhite introduced a 
much lighter framework and a more diverse 
style in hangings. He utilized almost every 
stuff the loom produced, from sheer dimities 
and printed cottons to the more elegant silks 
A simple blue and tan day-bed is 
accentuated with a blue drapery. 
Coverings of glazed chintz, blue 
and rose design on an ecru ground. 
Miss Swift, decorator 
Old chintz of a salmon pink design on a 
blue ground has been used to cover this 
Italian bed. Spread and canopy are salmon 
pink taffeta. Mrs. Emott Buel, decorator 
and satins and even velvets for formal apart¬ 
ments. 
We are still utilizing or adapting the ideas 
of the well-known designers of France and 
England because our life, so restless and ever- 
changing, has brought no fresh or permanent 
inspiration in its wake, and until we realize 
that the development of art in all its phases is 
an integral part of life, and not a thing remote 
from everyday existence, we will not succeed 
in creating an individuality of our own. 
The hangings of the beds illustrated here 
have been used for pure decoration, for helping 
the composition of the room, or for 
introducing a needed note of color 
in a too sombre environment. A 
long narrow room will compose bet¬ 
ter if the bed is placed sideways 
along the wall. 
The Four-Poster's Canopy 
An interesting arrangement of this 
sort has been accomplished with a 
four-poster bed having a canopy and 
hangings of chintz lined with taf¬ 
feta. The bed itself is painted cream 
standing against a deeper cream 
wall, and the curtains and bedspread 
are of cretonne that shows an en¬ 
chanting design of old blue and rose 
flowers scattered upon a cream 
ground. The full inner curtains 
that hang flat against the wall, the 
ruffled trimming, and the long ob¬ 
long pillows weighted with heavy 
tassels are all of old blue taffeta. 
How much distinction the little 
lighting fixtures on either side of the 
(Continued on page 58) 
