46 
House & Garden 
It was once on the bow of a gondola 
that plied around the canals of 
Venice. The gondolier parted with 
it for a consideration; and now it 
holds open a New England door 
A horse done in pewter that once 
adorned the library of an old English 
residence now keeps the door. 11 is 
heavy enough for the purpose . and 
graceful enough to be attractive 
King Alfred or St. Augustine—we 
don’t know which he is—was once 
put into indestructible lead. He now 
checks the door, and does it quite 
as valiantly as of old he rode 
Then there is the pewter hot water 
bottle of our ancestors, that can be 
filled tenth sand and made to serve 
a goodly purpose as it stands against 
the country house door 
While these are antique and can¬ 
not be purchased in the shops found 
everywhere, they suggest some ideas 
for the application of other small 
pieces to this purpose 
A VARIETY of PAINT and STAIN FINISHES 
Color Selections that will Vitalize a Room —Antiquing and Enameling—The Processes 
of Staining-—Satisfactory If ater Paints 
H OW many a woman, in taking over an old city 
or suburban house, has to fight for the paint¬ 
ing of the yellow oak hall and stairway? Men 
are different. Men hate to see natural wood painted. 
I presume that is on account of the fact that as boys 
they planed and polished and grew to find wood 
grains attractive. Besides, men are so single-minded 
that they fail to see the difference between a pretty 
grained piece of wood in the hand and a yellow, highly 
varnished piece of paneling, impudently aggressive, 
in the front hall. I have stood back of so many 
women in this fight, I know all the men’s pros and 
all the women’s cons. 
All woods are not lovely, all grains are not fine, and 
a great deal of woodwork is very bad. The wood 
trim in tire average and the above-average city apart¬ 
ment is a disgrace. A slipped hammer shows on the 
spongy, soft wood, the mitres do not meet, the brad 
holes are badly filled, the window ledges sag, base¬ 
board and floor never are known to meet. Added to 
these miseries comes Friend Husband saying, “Paint 
not the pretty wood!” 
Paint Selection 
In the case of poor, modern woodwork the best 
solution is paint: apply several good coats, the last 
an egg-shell gloss. Never be persuaded into having 
the finish enameled except in the kitchen and bath. 
It cheapens a room beyond reparation. On the hall 
stairs, where light woodwork, especially on the hand 
rails, is shown, use a more glossy finish. 
People are becoming more and more original in 
their color selection for woodwork finishes. Cream, 
ivory or gray used to be the gamut of colors. Hap¬ 
pily, we are now more courageous, or perhaps more 
artistic. We combine cream walls with soft green 
woodwork, the molding being picked out with a 
darker shade. Or, if the room can stand a more en¬ 
riched treatment, light, pale gold picks out the panels 
of the molding; the gold is repeated in a mirror over 
the mantel or the sideboard. It is thrilling to think 
what possibilities painted woodwork holds. 
If the painter is a good artisan he can get a very 
rich effect by stipple antiquing the walls and wood¬ 
work. The woodwork particularly is improved by this 
process. The last coat of paint must be much lighter 
than the finished tone. On this the painter puts a thin 
coat of whatever tone is desired, using a brownish or 
MARY WORTHINGTON 
grayish tone. This he stipples with a stipple brush) 
patting the top coat away so that the final coat is 
mottled or stippled. Glazing has somewhat the same 
effect. The woodwork is given a top coat of thin 
glaze of an antique tone, which is brushed into the 
deep grooves and wiped off the top surfaces, giving 
a warm, oldish tone. 
In a gray room the woodwork may be elaborated 
with lavender. A pair of consoles may be done in 
lavender with clear yellow and gray as concentrated 
color spots. The walls and woodwork should be of 
the same tone when the woodwork is to be accented 
by a second color. 
A Room in Blue-Green and Gold 
I recall a revamped room that had some blue and 
some green furniture. The walls were kalsomined 
a light blue-green, a lovely watery tone taken from 
an over-mantel pastel of a Mediterranean seaport. 
The woodwork was given a deeper tone and the flat 
surfaces between the molding of the trim was in 
gold—the sun on the Italian sea! An inexpensive 
modern piece of foliage tapestry, which always held 
in its distant foliage a wonderful blue-green, was 
hung on the wall opposite the fireplace. Here was 
a room made distinctive and charming at no great 
expense, and with little labor. A floor lamp which 
by day was of soft gold, at night time showed the 
sea blue green, the interlining being turquoise blue 
that shone through the gold gauze. 
The Little Yellow Hall 
And there was the dull little hall that had soft 
yellow woodwork and an almost white wall with 
just a touch of yellow in it. The door panels were 
outlined in mulberry. Over the door a little pay- 
sanne oblong was pasted in the panel, and a dash 
here and there of yellow and mulberry brought out 
its high lights. The floor, instead of being painted 
in diamonds, had oblongs the same proportion as the 
door panels. A deep toned mulberry mat was placed 
before the door. 
Bedroom walls can be tinted and their woodwork 
painted such a variety of lovely colors—soft blues 
and yellows and cool greens in combinations that 
set off mahogany and painted sets of furniture. 
For the living room, unless the furniture is very 
delicate, browns and tans and taupes should be used. 
In this case the woodwork is preferably stained. 
Gumwood makes a beautiful side wall. Oak and wal¬ 
nut are both expensive and the former must be most 
carefully finished to avoid that Harlem-flat-dining- 
roorn look so often seen. 
Walnut and Oak 
A walnut side wall with the door and window 
trim and the over-mantel picked out with dull gold 
is as beautiful a finish as can be had, but it is, of 
course, expensive. Walnut and dull lacquered black 
make a distinguished combination, particularly for 
a library or dining room where fine black wrought 
iron fixtures and consoles are used. If with the 
black there is a tiny line of silver introduced and 
carried out still further on the consoles you have 
the foliage of silver and the top of black glass that 
will reflect the silver ornaments you place on top. 
As to oak, if the oak is new, it can be stained a. 
deep, rich brown and well waxed. The best plan 
is to go to some antique shop and buy or borrow a 
piece of old oak, and get the new woodwork stained 
to match. If the oak is the dreadful yellow variety, 
have the finish removed to the wood, then stain dark 
and wax. This is an expensive process, and very 
often, in a hall for example, where the wainscot 
reaches high up, it makes the hall too dark. In that 
case, paint. Shut your eyes, throw traditions to 
the winds, and paint such a wonderful soft ivory 
that from the Harlem-suburban yellow oak period 
you emerge triumphantly into a quasi-Georgian. 
Your nice chairs and consoles and mirrors wilt 
silhouette beautifully against the lightened walls. 
Friend Husband will acknowledge to his neighbors 
that he’s blessed if it isn’t an improvement. 
Satisfactory Water Paints 
The tenant whose landlord will not hear of paint¬ 
ing the woodwork can readily overcome this difficulty. 
There is a water paint on the market that can be 
washed off to the landlord’s satisfaction on leaving. 
While it does not dust off, it shows finger marks 
rather plainly. It can be redone on the exposed 
parts, but the tone is apt to change somewhat. It 
is not the ideal thing, but it is sufficiently adequate. 
This is a solution for those brides who have pretty 
furnishings but are obliged to move into an apart¬ 
ment where the woodwork is a constant nightmare. 
