Location Of The House
Besides the difference in treatment demanded by different use of
rooms--the character of the decoration of the whole house will be
influenced by its situation. A house in the country or a house in town;
a house by the sea-shore or a house situated in woods and fields require
stronger or less strong colour, and even different tints, according to
situation. The decoration itself may be much less conventional in one
place
derived from design and colour in perfect harmony with nature's
surroundings. Whatever decorative design is used in wall-coverings or in
curtains or hangings will be far more effective if it bears some
relation to the surroundings and position of the house.
If the house is by the sea the walls should repeat with many variations
the tones of sea and sand and sky; the gray-greens of sand-grasses; the
blues which change from blue to green with every cloud-shadow; the pearl
tints which become rose in the morning or evening light, and the browns
and olives of sea mosses and lichens. This treatment of colour will make
the interior of the house a part of the great out-of-doors and create a
harmony between the artificial shelter and nature.
There is philosophy in following, as far as the limitations of simple
colour will allow, the changeableness and fluidity of natural effects
along the shore, and allowing the mood of the brief summer life to fall
into entire harmony with the dominant expression of the sea. Blues and
greens and pinks and browns should all be kept on a level with
out-of-door colour, that is, they should not be too deep and strong for
harmony with the sea and sky, and if, when harmonious colour is once
secured, most of the materials used in the furnishing of the house are
chosen because their design is based upon, or suggested by, sea-forms,
an impression is produced of having entered into complete and perfect
harmony with the elements and aspects of nature. The artificialities of
life fall more and more into the background, and one is refreshed with a
sense of having established entirely harmonious and satisfactory
relations with the surroundings of nature. I remember a doorway of a
cottage by the sea, where the moulding which made a part of the frame
was an orderly line of carved cockle-shells, used as a border, and this
little touch of recognition of its sea-neighbours was not only
decorative in itself, but gave even the chance visitor a sort of
interpretation of the spirit of the interior life.
Suppose, on the other hand, that the summer house is placed in the
neighbourhood of fields and trees and mountains; it will be found that
strong and positive treatment of the interior is more in harmony with
the outside landscape. Even heavier furniture looks fitting where the
house is surrounded with massive tree-growths; and deeper and purer
colours can be used in hangings and draperies. This is due to the more
positive colouring of a landscape than of a sea-view. The masses of
strong and slightly varying green in foliage, the red, brown, or vivid
greens of fields and crops, the dark lines of tree-trunks and branches,
as well as the unchanging forms of rock and hillside, call for a
corresponding strength of interior effect.
It is a curious fact, also, that where a house is surrounded by myriads
of small natural forms of leaves and flowers and grasses, plain spaces
of colour in interiors, or spaces where form is greatly subordinated to
colour, are more grateful to the eye than prominently decorated surface.
A repetition of small natural forms like the shells and sea-mosses,
which are for the most part hidden under lengths of liquid blue, is
pleasing and suggestive by the sea; but in the country, where form is
prominent and positive and prints itself constantly upon both mental and
bodily vision, unbroken colour surfaces are found to be far more
agreeable.
It will be seen that the principles of appropriate furnishing and
adornment in house interiors depend upon circumstances and natural
surroundings as well as upon the character and pursuits of the family
who are to be lodged, and that the final charm of the home is attained
by a perfect adaptation of principles to existing conditions both of
nature and humanity.
In cottages of the character we are considering, furniture should be
simpler and lighter than in houses intended for constant family living.
Chairs and sofas should be without elaborate upholstery and hangings,
and cushions can be appropriately made of some well-coloured cotton or
linen material which wind, and sun, and dampness cannot spoil, and of
which the freshness can always be restored by laundering. These are
general rules, appropriate to all summer cottages, and to these it may
be added, that a house which is to be closed for six or eight months in
the year should really, to be consistent, be inexpensively furnished.
These general rules are intended only to emphasise the fact that in
houses which are to become in the truest sense homes--that is, places of
habitation which represent the inhabitants, directions or rules for
beautiful colour and arrangement of interiors, must always follow the
guiding incidents of class and locality.
More
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Bed Room Nursery And Play Room
For the bedroom, though other colors such as green and violet, in particular (save red, which is a poor bedroom hue) are not barred, blue is an ideal color, expressive of repose and tranquil ease. In the bedroom, however, as in all other rooms, th... Broken Lines
Broken lines give us a feeling of life and movement. But they should not be used for the permanent decorative lines of a room--the lines of the walls, openings, hangings, draperies, carpets, or large, immovable pieces of furniture which have a fix... Builders' Houses
"Mine own hired house." A large proportion of homes are made in houses which are not owned, but leased, and this prevents each man or family from indicating personal taste in external aspect. A rich man and house-owner may approximate to a true... Ceilings
As ceilings are in reality a part of the wall, they must always be considered in connection with room interiors, but their influence upon the beauty of the average house is so small, that their treatment is a comparatively easy problem. In simp... Chambers
The walls of bedrooms should be decorated in light tints and shadings, with a narrow rail and deep frieze. Most housekeepers prefer rugs and oiled floors to carpets, but this is a matter of individual taste. Rugs are as fashionable as they are wholesom... Character In Houses
"For the created still doth shadow forth the mind and will which made it. "Thou art the very mould of thy creator." It needs the combined personality of the family to make the character of the house. No one could say of a house which has fami... Color
Colors makes decorative shapes easy to see. (For the character of the colors and the principles of their effective combination the reader will find much useful information in the "Color Harmony and Design in Dress" included in this series.) Art, Nat... Colour In Houses
"Heaven gives us of its colour, for our joy, Hues which have words and speak to ye of heaven." Although the very existence of a house is a matter of construction, its general interior effect is almost entirely the result of colour treatment... Colour With Reference To Light
In choosing colour for walls and ceilings, it is most necessary to consider the special laws which govern its application to house interiors. The tint of any particular room should be chosen not only with reference to personal liking, but first... Curved Forms
Curved forms, the circle, the oval and the ellipse, are all agreeable. There is in them "a hint of the mysterious dualism of life." ... Curved Lines
Curved lines in decoration and furniture are of various kinds. The rococo styles (Louis XV and the Regency) are overluxurious and often weak; the curves in Arabic or Celtic ornamentation vague and obscure. The undulating curves of Persian rugs sugge... Decoration As An Art
"Who creates a Home, creates a potent spirit which in turn doth fashion him that fashioned." Probably no art has so few masters as that of decoration. In England, Morris was for many years the great leader, but among his followers in England no... Draperies
Draperies are not always considered as a part of furnishings, yet in truth--as far as decorative necessities are concerned--they should come immediately after wall and floor coverings. The householder who is in haste to complete the arrangement of... Final Tips
Interior Decoration is a very extensive and complicated subject. What we have here attempted to do has been to give an idea of the general principles underlying it, together with as many direct and practical hints and suggestions as has been possi... Floors And Floor-coverings
Although in ordinary sequence the colouring of floors comes after that of walls, the fact that--in important houses--costly and elaborate floors of mosaic or of inlaid wood form part of the architect's plan, makes it necessary to consider the effe... Form And Color Tip
Never overemphasize one of the dimensions of height, width and depth at the expense of one of the others. They must be harmonized. ... Furniture
Although the forms and varieties of furniture are infinite, they can easily be classified first into the two great divisions of good and bad, and after that into kinds and styles; but no matter how good the different specimens may be, or to what s... Home Decoration
The chief features to be observed in house furnishing are color, form, and proportion. All stiffness of design in furniture should be avoided. Do not attempt to match articles, but rather carry out the same idea as to color and form in the whole. It is... Kitchens
The kitchen is an important part of the perfect house and should be a recognised sharer in its quality of beauty; not alone the beauty which consists of a successful adaptation of means to ends, but the kind which is independently and positively a... Lines And Curves
Straight lines in a room call for straight lines in furniture, rugs and hangings. They make a room dignified and serious in appearance. Italian Renaissance chairs and other pieces of that period, and our modern Craftsman and Mission chairs (often ... Living Room Drawing Room And Library
We now return to the rooms where decoration is the rule. While always remembering that connecting rooms must harmonize with one another in color, individual colors may always be appropriately chosen for certain rooms, because they express the domina... Location Of The House
Besides the difference in treatment demanded by different use of rooms--the character of the decoration of the whole house will be influenced by its situation. A house in the country or a house in town; a house by the sea-shore or a house situated... Nursery And Play Room
These children's rooms should always give out a gay and cheerful atmosphere. To obtain this wall papers with colorful friezes with characters from fairy tale, Mother Goose or Noah's Ark, may be used above a simple wainscot. Painted walls with stenci... Oblong
The proportions of any room are best when they make a normal impression on the eye. The oblong is the best decorative art form, as a rule. It can be used in nearly all ornaments, in walls, doors and windows, ceilings and floors, in rugs and furnitur... Proportion
All parts of a furnished room must help express one ideal of balance. The realization of this ideal is proportion. A horizontal room calls for horizontal furniture and lines, a vertical room for vertical ones. Every important decorative featu... Some Hints Anent Period Furniture
Period furniture is a means to a decorative end. It is a part of the decoration of a room, and must be adapted to its lines and proportions. Halls for instance, call for tall chairs and cabinets and long and narrow wall tables. Pictures and bric-a... The Dining Room And Work Rooms
The dining room, with which we were so directly concerned in the preceding portion of this book, offers a natural point of departure for considering the individual rooms of the house with regard to decoration. First, as to a dominant dining ... The Diningroom
The dining-room should be furnished with a view to convenience, richness, and comfort. Choose deep, rich grounds for the walls—bronze-maroon, black, Pompeiian red, and deep olive—and the designs and traceries in old gold, olive or moss-green, with ... The Hall
The hall being the index to the whole house, due care should therefore be given to its furnishing. Light colors and gilding should be avoided. The wall and ceiling decorations now mostly used are in dark, rich colors, shaded in maroons or deep reds. Pl... The Kitchen
It is a remark too often made that this or that “is good enough for a servant.” If all knew that unpleasant surroundings made unpleasant servants and ill-prepared meals, we think more pains would be taken to have pleasant and comfortable kitchens. ... The Law Of Appropriateness
I have laid much stress upon the value of colour in interior decoration, but to complete the beauty of the home something more than happy choice of tints is required. It needs careful and educated selection of furniture and fittings, and money eno... The Library
The walls of the library should be hung with rich, dark colors, the latest style in wall paper being a black ground with old gold and olive-green designs. The carpet comes in Pompeiian red, with moss-green and peacock-blue patterns. Statuary and the... The Sitting-room
The sitting or everyday room should be the brightest and most attractive room in the house. Its beauty of decoration should not be so much in the richness and variety of material as in its comfort, simplicity, and the harmony of its tints—the main fe... The Square
The square form is solid and firm, but tends to be monotonous. Square windows, fireplaces and wall spaces, as well as square rooms in general and pictures, are usually uninteresting, and this applies to cubes as well. The big cubical chair, for inst... The Triangle
The triangular form (in mantel clocks, lampshades, highboys, bookcase foundations, and sometimes where it appears in wall paper or Turcoman rug designs) expresses movement in repose admirably, and has real decorative values. ... Vertical Lines
Vertical lines express aspiration and disquietude; diagonal lines, action. In wall paper designs and rug patterns the diagonal line is not always excellent. Diagonal lines are sometimes effective in rugs; but the feeling of energetic movement they ... Walls Ceilings And Floors
The true principle of wall treatment is to make the boundary stand for colour and beauty, and not alone for division of space. As a rule, the colour treatment of a house interior must begin with the walls, and it is fortunate if these are blank ... Working Rooms Versus Living Rooms
Before passing to the other rooms of the house, we will pause to consider a more purely utilitarian group. The Kitchen.--These rooms which are strictly utilitarian, more or less escape decorative control. The kitchen, aside from the elements of p...