18 
House & Garden 
Where architecture helps, as in 
a third story bedroom, inter¬ 
esting effects can be gained by 
a flower patterned paper and 
old furniture. The fireplace and 
quarter-circle windows hint a 
Colonial exterior 
daily experience, the how, when 
and where. The average person 
who contemplates refurnishing 
should also seek professional ad¬ 
vice, but she should know her 
financial limitations and should 
not be drawn into extravagance. 
She knows much better than the 
decorator when to stop. 
Having in mind that every pur¬ 
chase is of the utmost importance, 
and having decided on the gen¬ 
eral color scheme, and knowing 
the number and needs of her 
family, let us start with the hall. 
First, the Hall 
There must be a mirror, a chair 
or two to hold overcoats and a 
table for the dusty accumulation 
of cards, and there always should 
be a place for a flower vase. 
Stock mirrors are usually very 
dull—they are either elaborately 
gilded or banal with commonplace 
mahogany frames. Recall ' the 
myriad Colonial hall mirrors 
Even in this simple hallway 
one sees how color can give life 
to an interior—the tints of the 
curtain fabrics, the upholstered 
seat of the old bench, the rag 
rug and painted treads, rail and 
newel posts 
you’ve seen—and then avoid them. 
Why shouldn’t we have something 
rather smart and out of the ordi¬ 
nary? The hall mirror is the one 
thing that you can be perfectly 
positive every caller you’ve ever 
had or hope to have, will use. 
And to take away the curse of 
their own vanity, why not have a 
really deserving mirror for them 
to make the usual remarks to—■ 
“What a pretty mirror you have!” 
when you know perfectly well that 
in their minds they are say¬ 
ing, “What a pretty hat this is!” 
Mirror Styles 
Search out or have made 
(everyone should have a cabinet¬ 
maker on the side or, if she hasn’t, 
find a decorator who has a good 
one) an interesting hall mirror. 
For example: an oblong mirror 
with a semi-circular top with a 
little decoration in the top; or an 
oblong with the corners cut off, 
using a wide molding with a dull 
