68 
House & Garden 
T H E STEPCHILD OF ROOMS 
The Dining Room Is So Called Because One Is Often Tempted 
To Leave the Decoration of That Room to the Last 
GERTRUDE GHEEN ROBINSON 
that the average 
English house, particularly 
the smaller one, is apt to be 
more attractive than the 
same type of house in 
America—whether the dif¬ 
ference consisted in the fact 
that English people have 
more courage as regards 
color. That they have 
courage in using color is 
true, but I feel the real dif¬ 
ference lies in the fact that 
the average house in En¬ 
gland is more nearly finished. 
We are very apt to build 
houses too large for us, and 
spend money in the begin¬ 
ning for construction and 
acres which ought to be 
kept to carry out and per¬ 
fect the home as a whole. 
I do not know how many 
times I have been called to 
look at a house which was 
copied after some residence 
in England, only to be told 
To admit as much sun as pos¬ 
sible, the wide windows in the 
attractive breakfast room above 
have only one set of gauze cur¬ 
tains, embroidered in wool flow¬ 
ers. Miss Swift, decorator 
When one has a beautiful old 
French console painted in classic 
design and an equally lovely 
English mirror, the walls behind 
them should be severely plain. 
Miss Gheen, decorator 
that the owners had spent 
their all in its construction 
and had nothing left for 
the furnishing and adorn¬ 
ment. Too often people 
are willing to have a fine 
living room and a beautiful 
bedroom but want to wait 
until they can “do the din¬ 
ing room as it should be 
done.” It is because of 
this tendency that I always 
feel I should like to begin 
with the dining room first, 
and make this step-child of 
rooms the most charming in 
the house, before the money 
and enthusiasm have run 
out. 
A living room is much 
less difficult and can be 
done quite simply, tempo¬ 
rarily at least. Chintz, 
comfortable chairs, a sofa, 
flowers and nice lamp 
shades—and it becomes 
habitable. But one cannot 
compromise with a dining 
room. I think it much bet- 
