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 room color: The dining room
should be a room of good cheer, a bright, happy room. But it should not
be too bright. If it is on the sunny side of the house, let one of the
if on the shady side, gain warmth by the use of yellows (save lemon),
orange, warm tans, russets, pinks, yellowish greens and reds. (This
applies to all rooms.)
Do not use restless-patterned wall papers. Leather (used with paneling
or above wainscot), modern tapestries, fabrics of all kinds are
suitable for covering dining-room walls. If low, the ceiling should
never be dark, since this makes the room appear still lower. (A
breakfast room done in lacquer is very effective, however, if not too
low.) A single large rug, harmonizing with the wall color scheme is
admirable in any room. In the dining room, however, a figured carpet is
often preferred for practical reasons: it stands wear and tear around
the table better. Well-chosen paper (See Chapter II) often improves a
badly proportioned room by optical illusion. The ideal lightings for
dining rooms are side lights. Dining-room drop lights or domes are very
trying to the eyes of those who dine, and are unbecoming. Side lights
(adding candles for grace and charm) are far pleasanter to the eyes and
look better.
In the dining room the table is the dominating furniture note. A round
table, an oblong table or a square table may be the more desirable
according to the shape of the room. But a round dining table may be
harmonized with an oblong dining room by means of an oblong rug, with
rounded medallion, by a round flower bowl, a round tray or even the
wheels of the tea table. In the dining room, as elsewhere, repetition
in color establishes the color tone of the room. In the dining room, as
elsewhere, every individual room presents an individual case, to be
worked out decoratively in accordance with the principles already
given. One more color hint regarding the dining room, drawn from a
modern authority: "When we think of the ideal dinner--the soft lights,
the hospitable warmth, the sparkle of crystal, the gleam of silver, the
quick talk and gay laughter of the guests--we think of red, for
that color is indissolubly bound in thought with the idea of richness,
hospitality and excitement." Yet red, as we will see later, is a color
to be used with great caution.
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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...