20 
House & Garde n 
The Necessary Curtaining 
In no other environment does 
curtaining have such a free play. 
Here in the country one can ven¬ 
ture on both colors and designs 
that would be questionable in the 
city house. 
First you should be convinced 
cf the necessity of glass curtains 
—very filmy, of the sheerest net, 
gauze, monk’s cloth, casement 
cloth or chiffon. Such curtains fil¬ 
ter the light, soften it, shed a cool, 
even glow over the room that we 
all desire on hot days. At night 
time they make a subtle back¬ 
ground of the window openings. 
The over-curtains can be of chintz, taffeta, 
linen or a light silk; nothing heavier should 
be used. Keep free from the fabrics that are 
reminiscent of winter. Linen curtains can be 
bound with a plain fabric of contrasting shade. 
Or one can use a gay chintz valance with cur¬ 
tains of a plain fabric. 
Connection between the hangings and the 
furniture can readily be established by using 
the same fabric for upholstering some of the 
furniture or making slip covers. If the fabric 
has a bold pattern it should be used judici¬ 
ously. In this case it is best to mix with a 
patterned fabric one or two pieces of furniture 
upholstered in a plain fabric; or, another way 
is to use some furniture painted in solid colors. 
A further color note can be introduced by 
using glazed chintz shades—the same chintz 
that is found on some of the upholstered pieces. 
It is obvious that one | 
cannot use the same! 
fabric or type of design 
for both shades and 
over-drapes. 
Of the minor curtain 
accessories, do not miss 
the new tie-backs. They 
are legion in design and 
run all the way from a 
ruffle of taffeta to a strip 
-of heavily beaded cloth— 
part of an old bell-pull. 
The rosettes for these 
•can be interesting if one 
is fortunate enough to 
pick up some of those 
large glass flowers that 
were used in our grand¬ 
mothers’ day, or the 
b r a s s, wheel - shaped 
stops. Again, you can 
easily make up a rosette 
of ribbon or of wool 
flowers. A contrasting 
fabric is best to use for 
the tie-back itself; thus, 
with chintz you may use 
a band of chiffon. 
(Above) The coun¬ 
try house living room 
should c o n t a i n a 
comfortable fireplace 
grouping w i t h the 
furniture arranged 
naturally for guests. 
Lee Porter, decorator 
What Furniture to Have 
house living room — you will 
naturally have a fireplace group¬ 
ing. Here again the winter furni¬ 
ture arrangement should be 
avoided. Instead of the daven¬ 
port placed in front of the fire 
with a long table behind it, swing 
it to one side and back the table 
up to it or place the table against 
the opposite wall. A large, over¬ 
upholstered chair on the other side 
of the hearth, with a small stand 
for convenience of the smokers of 
the family, will. complete the 
necessary furniture for this group. 
Note that this arrangement gives 
a wide, open space in front of the 
fireplace. Yes, most of the time 
there will be no fire on the hearth, 
but why not follow the old- 
fashioned custom of keeping flow¬ 
ers there in the warm days? If 
one is so fortunate as to own a large fireplace 
with andirons that have great, basket-like 
terminals, the flowers can be placed in them. 
Pots of ivy, left to trail down, would be 
eminentlv suitable here. 
Incidental Furniture 
wrought iron fixtures with gold or 
silver introduced and even colors 
rubbed in, and you find a pleas¬ 
ing relationship. 
Just how much furni¬ 
ture should you have in 
a country house living 
room? Certainly, onl y 
the necessary pieces, be¬ 
cause the atmosphere of 
the room should be open. 
If you have a fireplace— 
and a fireplace is a sine 
qua non in a country 
Gillies 
In many small country houses the morning room can take the place of a large living room. 
It can be made intimate until well devised furniture groups and cheery with gay chintz 
Laziness and the Chaise Longue 
There should be at least one table in the 
room for magazines and books. The authors 
have to be supported somehow, and we all take 
to reading fiction in the silly season. There 
should be a lamp on this table, and, in close 
proximity, a deep, comfortable, upholstered 
chair; or, if you are courageous and a bit in¬ 
dividual, a chaise longue. 
The man who invented the chaise longue 
should be ranked among the Immortals, for he 
did incalculable benefit to tired limbs. Gen¬ 
erally this piece of furniture is restricted to 
the boudoir. But, since 
it is first cousin to a 
lounge chair, there is no 
reason why it should not 
be used in the summer 
living room. If you ob¬ 
ject to its lazy infor¬ 
mality you can avail 
yourself of a lounge chair 
that is fitted with a sepa¬ 
rate footstool. In any 
event, remember that it is 
not altogether unforgive- 
able to stretch out in 
summer, and the living 
room should allow it. 
(Left) A detail of 
the room above shows 
an interesting win- 
d.ow arrangement. A 
little oak bench sup¬ 
ports pottery vases 
with orange plants. 
Lee Porter, decorator 
You should have a 
table against the wall 
nearest the entrance from 
outside. Suppose the liv¬ 
ing room opens on the 
porch or the garden ter¬ 
race. There’s a spot to 
place a table. Why? Be- 
cause you are always 
bringing things in from 
outdoors! It seems to 
l^e a summer habit! A 
mirror over this table is, 
of course, a vital neces¬ 
sity to every woman. 
There should be a 
desk or table for corre¬ 
spondence. Here again is 
a summer h a b i t. In 
winter we usually carry 
on correspondence in the 
privacy of our bedrooms, 
but summer somehow lets 
