54 
House & Garden 
A fruit and flower theme in 
brilliant colors. The artist of 
these panels was Sophonisba 
Hergesheimer 
Panels of this type are espe¬ 
cially popular for over-mantel 
decorations in modern dining 
rooms 
These panels also find a place as over-door deco 
rations in the dining room 
DECORATIVE FRUIT 
and FLOWER 
PANELS 
Vivid tints of peacock 
feathers add interest 
to this panel 
Roses, asters and 
grapes have been used 
in this composition 
THE FABRICS 
TO COMBINE IN 
DECORATION 
A Classification of the Various Textures Which Bear 
Relationship and Can Be Used Together in a Room 
AGNES FOSTER WRIGHT 
T HE fabrics for a room must be combined in the 
same fashion that one chooses her dinner guests. 
People with related interests and contrasting 
interests go well together, but one must never make 
the faux pas of entertaining two “lions” at the same 
time. So it is in decoration. 
Satin and chiffon are an attractive combination by 
contrast; but satin and taffeta do not combine well, 
because they are too much alike for one to offset the 
other. This principle applies to clothes, and the same 
underlying principle applies to furnishings. For in¬ 
stance, visualize a room in which heavy Jacqueminot 
velvet over-curtains will set off under-curtains of the 
same tone chiffon with two wide ruffles to give weight. 
On the couch, upholstered in the velvet, use satin 
cushions of a tone lighter; the contrast in texture 
and tone makes both fabrics more interesting. A 
low, comfortable, lightly constructed chair is covered 
with the same brilliantly colored satin because neither 
the material nor color combines harmoniously with a 
large, heavy piece. 
Distinct contrast of textures gives an interior life 
and interest. Consider velvet, satin and chiffon. Each 
material—velvet, satin and chiffon—is of rich texture. 
Into such a scheme we could not introduce a cre¬ 
tonne or a cotton or wool rep. The velvet, satin and 
chiffon have an underlying relationship in their rich¬ 
ness of texture even though in their weight there is 
contrast. But with cretonne and rep there is abso¬ 
lutely no point of contrast by which they may be 
connected. Velvet, satin and chiffon used with a 
cretonne only serve to cheapen the cretonne. This is 
often found true in using a silk over-curtain and try¬ 
ing to put a rather heavy cotton scrim underneath— 
the cotton fabric is made cheap and common. Silk 
over-curtains require a fine net or gauze. 
Fitness in Texture 
This necessity for fitness in textures often leads us 
into an expensive predicament. We purchase an 
excellent material, stretching our purse to its limits, 
then we combine with it some shabby material that 
we have on hand to counterbalance the expense of 
the first purchase. And we discover that fine, glossy 
rich silk will not combine with cottony, loose weave 
cheaper stuff. If we would take a little sample of 
each material we intend to purchase, hold them 
together to see that each holds its own and sets off 
the other, then we could go ahead purchasing larger 
quantities with a degree of assurance. 
I have found that light sunfast does not combine 
with glazed chintz; the hardness of the chintz sur¬ 
face requires a stiffer fabric, like a cotton velvet, 
a heavy mercerized material, a heavy upholstery satin 
or even sateen or one of the varieties of Skinner’s 
satin, preferably something with a sheen. 
A linen does not combine with glazed chintz so 
well because glazed chintz is primarily a cotton cre¬ 
tonne, and linen and cretonne generally lose by 
proximity. 
Silk velvet may be combined with a fine linen, 
especially one with a formal design; although now 
I speak principally of texture combinations, not of 
design nor color. But when we use cretonne, we 
should use a cotton velvet. Neither is pretentious. 
Rep and armures—those wonderfully good wearing 
mohair armures—combine well with cretonnes. Use as 
a third fabric a thin silk under-curtain; silk gauze, so 
justifiably popular these days, is a little too elaborate. 
An evenly woven cream or white scrim, matching 
the background of the cretonne, is perhaps the safest 
(Continued on page 68) 
