Yale University Library 39002004809472 E5fM 6yB'c6ardsop Wrig6t YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY [947 INSIDE THE HOUSE OF GOOD TASTE INSIDE THE HOUSE OF GOOD TASTE EDITED BY RICHARDSON WRIGHT Editor of House & Garden Author of "Through Siberia," "The Open Door,'' etc. NEW YORK McBRIDE, NAST & COMPANY 1915 Copyright, 1915, by McBRIDE, NAST & CO. 35V Published April, 1915 VAtL-BALLOU COMPANY BINQHAMTON AND NEW YORK FOREWORD There is a question that often perplexes amateur decorators and even pro fessionals: Can a room be "built up" from a single object? Can one decorate a room around — a pair of vases, a chair, a rug? The bare statement that this can be done might very simply be filed away among the effete absurdities of an estKetic fad, were it not for the fact that the experiment is constantly being tried. There was, for example, the man in Stockton's story. He bought unto himself a fire screen, but when he put it in his room he discovered that it threw the room out of proportion, so he was obliged to change the room. And having changed the room, he found that it threw the rest of the house out of proportion, so he had to set to and change the house. However amusing the story, it is not without its modicum of hard common sense. In ordinary experience, one of two things will happen if the room be " built up " from a single object: either the room will remain commonplace by reason of the mediocrity of the object, or else the basic object will be completely overshadowed in the too exaggerated .development of the room. And imagine the catastrophe if the vases then were broken or the chair smashed ! Moreover, there might be a dozen dif ferent ways to develop the decoration of a room from the solitary lovely thing, just as- a dozen different harmonies can be arranged for middle C. The problem, would arise, what is the right sort of room ? One might have — to quote a plausible example — a pair of beautiful Nanking ginger jars. Chinese Chippendale would be the immediate choice for the style of decora tion. But forthwith would arise the problem, what variety of Chinese Chippendale, what one of the various lacquers and stains ? More than once have amateurs — and even professional — decorators discovered the results of their experiment to be the wrong sort of room! Hinc illce lacrymoe! Decorating a room to one's ultimate gratification and the satisfaction of artistic demands can only be accomplished after exercising infinite patience and untiring selection. And there are some rules that, put in homely phrase, might well be remembered. The personality of a room should be the per sonality of the person who dwells in it, for a room is more than chairs and iv Foreword rugs and curtains and tables. Those objects should be the choice of the person who has to live in the room. In passing from room to room in a house one should be able to sense not merely a change in periods but a change in personalities as well. Again, the dweller in the room should be the predominating factor in it. No object, howsoever lovely of itself, should be more lovely than the woman who graces the apartment. No table should be more sturdy than the lad who studies at it. A man should be hero to the chair in which he sits. These ideas, of course, apply merely to the simple house, for were every woman her own decorator a healthy profession would pass out of existence. And even in the simple house the decorator stands, not as the ultimate mentor of things artistic, but as the one who, through hard-won experience, knows intuitively the most pleasing arrangement for the materials at hand. Every man has within him at least one house and one garden which, were he able to create them, would doubtless bring Nirvana. It's his dream house and his dream garden, the sort of house and garden that he will make when he gets enough money. Some would have " a country place and shooting," others just " a little place at Tooting," but whatever the size or wherever the place, it will be his, his alone. A man doesn't begin to dream this dream until he has some responsibility. Then it pours on him in a flood. He goes about its attainment almost secretly. He acquires the habit of consorting with antique dealers. He picks up here a lamp and there a chair. He drops into auction sales and buys into bondage a pair of candlesticks. Constantly is the dream house and the dream garden before him. Perhaps it is good for that man that he never actually attains his house, that he dies in a bachelor's apartment and leaves his treasures to unapprecia- tive nieces and nephews. But it has been better still for him to have ac quired the practice of " picking up " things. The phrase is unforgivably banale, but it contrasts so well with the technical phrase of " building up " things — and means so much more. For the ideal house is the house that is picked up : A lit-clos from Brittany, a refectory table from Italy, Spanish iron work, roundels from Switzerland, English linen-fold paneling, a German chest. Or it may be that the table comes from Grand Rapids and the chairs from Philadelphia. Already he has begun the house that is to be his and his alone — his own choice, his own buying. He may be of an utilitarian turn of mind and lay much store by fine ma hogany doors and the staunch woodwork of an older generation. He will search the house-wreckers' heaps that dot New York wharves, he will go into the country, where, despite assertions to the contrary, there still linger real antiques waiting to be lured from out their ancient environment. Foreword v Then it is that he calls in a decorator who can assemble, arrange, or sug gest changes that will make livable the house he has picked up. In the last analysis, this is the decorator's raison d'etre — to serve those who don't know how or haven't the time, the patience, or the facilities for decorating their own houses to the best advantage. A house picked up is ultimately satisfying because it gives that best of all results — it becomes a part of you. The neighbors may not appreciate your choice nor your decorator's arrangements, but you have the contentment which comes with being satisfied yourself. As a gentleman in The Spectator once observed : I give a loving glance as I go To three brass pots on a shelf ill a row, To my grandfather's grandfather's loving cup And a bandy-leg chair I once picked up. And I can't for the life of me make you see Why just these things are a part of me. R. W. CONTENTS PAGE Foreword iii •The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable .... i Mary McBurney Distinction in Dining-Rooms . . 49 Agnes Foster The Inviting Hall 75 Abbot McClure and Harold Donaldson Eberlein Creating Personality in Bedrooms 97 Agnes Foster The Modern Kitchen and Its Planning 119 Watson K. Phillips Plumbing and the Bathroom 133 Mark Dean Decorating the Children's Rooms ... ... . . -145 Louise Shrimpton THE LIVING-ROOM Courtesy of McBurney & Underwood In a living-room of ample proportions, there should be a couch before the fireplace, and back of it a long table — with lamps on either end and space enough for plenty of magazines INSIDE THE HOUSE OF GOOD TASTE THE ESSENTIALS FOR MAKING A LIVING-ROOM LIVABLE THE real significance of the living-room and drawing-room is so often misinterpreted by being carried to the utmost extreme, that it is interesting and even necessary to lay stress on the true in dividuality of each. The drawing-room is usually accepted as a formal,. somewhat uncomfortable place to be used for entertaining and to be. By restoring the old fireplace and its ovens, the Colonial spirit was obtained in this room; a touch of reality establishing atmosphere i 2 Inside the House of Good Taste avoided at genial, intimate moments. It seems to lack an atmosphere of warmth and comfort and to stand coldly aloof from every-day life. I have seen houses where people retreat to the bedrooms or the nursery rather than try to make themselves at home in the drawing-room, and it is easy to understand their doing so when one feels the cold and cheer less atmosphere : curtains are drawn, the hearth — where no fire ever burns — is bare or concealed by some ornament ; and in summer, dreary Courtesy of Aimee A. Jones Restful simplicity can be gained by careful furniture arrangement, the accentuating of straight lines, and the use of paneling in large spaces white holland covers deform the furniture. It should, of course, be a formal, dignified room, well carried out in a period style if possible, especially when there is another room, a library or morning room for general day use: but it need not lack either in comfort or charm because of its formality, in fact great emphasis should be laid on the choice of comfortable furniture and a real fire on its dignified hearth! And also, most important, the sun should be allowed to enter through its not too much curtained windows, while a great stimulus to livableness are grow ing plants and fresh flowers. The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 3 On the other hand, the living-room — the very words suggest informal ity — is the place for family and friends to gather on any and all occa sions- — -a room to live in. And for this very reason it is often abused by being made too personal, too expressive of the details of a family's life, the details which ought correctly to belong to the individual's own apart ment. It has too often the tendency to contain a collection of every thing, rather than to be a unified whole. It should, of course, express Large window openings give a feeling of cheeriness to the living-room; a deep chair lends comfort; and a Jacobean chintz, warmth and richness the person or persons who are to use it, being thoroughly suited to their tastes and personalities ; and it must be made essentially comfortable ; but on the other hand it should not fail in dignity and repose. There must be a sense of harmony in form and color and arrangement. Above all there should be plenty of space, so that there may be no feeling of overcrowding. Most pleasing is that freedom from too many things. As very often there is no other suitable place for the purpose, the living- room must be made for entertaining as well as for every-day life, and then the necessity for plenty of space is appreciated. For daily use a room that can be entirely closed so that privacy is s Coa.<^s-os Co "¦> o oa. M Co A dignified treatment for a comfortable library and living-room combined. Visualize plain fabrics at the windows instead of the in serted cretonnes, and one immediately sees how the dignity of the room would have been enhanced The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 5 secured when the occasion demands it, is most satisfactory. It never should be a passage, nor if possible should stairs or front door be in the living-room, for then it is open to strangers and servants, and there is often a time when that is not desirable. Two or even three different centers in the living-room are advisable: An example of a library in which each component serves perfectly its function : easy chairs, a generous fireplace, an alcove lounge and attractive woodwork the fireplace, primarily, with its long davenport and easy chairs ; and also the window with seats and desk, bookcases close by, and a pleasant view of the outside world. These two centers for different times of day and year are almost essentials. There are few things that lend such an air of charm, and can make instead of mar a room as the lighting arrangements. Tables with good reading lights, and all lights well shaded: those on the walls should be used sparingly and always be concealed by carefully made shields. Noth ing perhaps is more inartistic than electric bulbs in the ceiling which throw the light in the one place not wanted. Almost as important as the 6 Inside the House of Good Taste lighting is the curtaining of the windows. Light and yet more light is generally needed. Thin scrim or not across the glass and the other hangings pushed well back with a formal simple valance across the top, is generally safe ; clumsy, over-trimmed curtains and fancy lace ones shut ting out light and air ought to be avoided.. The walls ordinarily should be plain and low in tone with very few pictures, for how seldom are there pictures that are good enough to lend Dignity- is given this room by the mantel which is of cream-colored cast stone mod eled after an Italian piece. The tiles are old gold beauty and distinction to a room! Paneled walls, which are in them selves decorative, simple and reposeful really need no pictures at all. The structure of the room, the main idea as it were, should be of some one period which can be adjusted and changed to meet the modern re quirements of the family. When carried out too strictly, the room be- comes stiff and unnatural, as if made to order by outside means: yet with the general feeling of a period seen in the paneling, the main pieces of furniture, the fabric and design of the curtains and upholstery, there is a strong framework to build on. This will hold in place the individual expression of the owner shown in all the minor details. The Jacobean — possibly the most popular period now used for an English living-room — can be made altogether delightful for modern use. The walls are of dark simple paneled oak and are better without pictures unless one is fortunate enough to possess some old English masterpiece: then nothing could be more beautiful than to see it set unframed into a panel. If paneling proves too expensive there are other ways of treat- The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 7 ing the walls suitably. Tinted plaster in gray. or putty color with a simple molding to suggest panels is always good. A plain, rough textured wall paper in a neutral tone can also be used, or even a canvas finished in very, dull gold. Dark oak floors, small paned windows, a huge carved or Caen stone fireplace — and architecturally one has a delightful setting. The furniture should be of oak; the chairs carved with upholstered seats or turned with coarse cane inset — the latter are simple and exceedingly In a Jacobean room of these proportions a heavy Caen stone mantel and beamed ceiling add greatly to the dignity and livableness good looking. Before the fire is a very long, somewhat massive davenport and directly behind it a table equally long — about seven feet — and so ample that it can hold a lamp on either end and plenty of books and magazines as well. In choosing such a table one should guard against too elaborate and bulbous an understructure. The simpler the lines, the better, especially in a reproduction. Two deep seated easy chairs drawn up before the fire make with the sofa a perfect gathering place. A small gate-legged table can be brought forward and used for tea, and most convenient at such a time are one or two cane bottomed stools with turned oak legs : near the fire a long, low chest for wood is both useful and decora tive. Nothing perhaps speaks so of age and the home life of centuries as the chest, the oldest form of furniture. Several substantial Jacobean chairs matching the stools, are very ornamental against the walls and a much carved cupboard — one of the many beautiful reproductions made / now — gives a sense of age and weight to a room. Placed between the 8 Inside the House of Good Taste windows is a writing table — no small and dainty desk — but a wide, roomy table fully equipped with all writing materials and well lighted by two oak candlesticks fitted for electricity and with shades alike. The coloring for such a room should be rich, no light nor pastel tones, and the textures deep and heavy in feeling. Appropriate are curtains of heavy blue-green velvet finely striped in a darker tone, tapestry coverings in A large room is required to "carry off" a beamed ceiling. In this case, the rugged beams and the rough stone fireplace, give an air of spaciousness the same color merging into dull browns and russets, and, for a strong note of vividness, yellow or orange lamp shades on heavy gold carved lamps. For fixtures, gold carved ones in the oak leaf design with shields of heavy silk or parchment are suitable. Other materials can be used, such as heavy linen in a good Jacobean design, — large and striking, — and rep or velour or a very strong armure would answer for upholstery. The floor should be covered with dark, dull Oriental rugs, or, if those are impossible, with a plain velvet rug of a deep brown mahogany color. Such a room would stand years of everyday use and grow more and more mellow and beautiful. The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable g For another type of living-room to suit other tastes, is a very original and very American-made room. It would be more correct for a country than a town house. The six foot wainscoting is of light cypress wood, in color a warm gray. Above it, the wall is covered by a putty colored paper of rough texture slightly lighter in tone than the wood. Slightly darker than the wood is a large velvet rug, covering the floor within two Courtesy of Aimee A. Jones One finds here every requisite for a comfortable, dignified living-room. Both the arrangement of furniture and the proportions in decoration are suitable and satis factory feet of the baseboard. Before the fireplace — of pale dull blue tiles — is a black fur rug. The three or four easy chairs are somewhat small and light in structure and covered in a gray and blue linen. The gray and blue — that rare Chinese blue — are subtly related, much neutralized in tone, and the intricate design is made up of a strange impossible dragon with faint touches of black in his anatomy! Instead of the usual daven port before the fire, a day-bed is drawn up a little to one side, the frame and back painted the dull blue and decorated in a delicate black design. The cushioned seat is covered in a linen like the chairs. The tables, the sCo** . a. Co O o HCo The long room problem is often solved by dividing the wall space into panels by means of molding strips. The French mirror here is especially suitable with such treatment; notice that it lies close to the wall The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable n small writing desk, and two or three chairs, all of rather odd shapes and with rush bottomed seats, are painted blue like the day-bed. Two chairs, and a standard lamp are lacquered in black, and one odd black sofa cushion are all used to bring out a striking contrast. Another lamp is of white, crackleware pottery, and both have very dull orange shades, one with black fringe and gimp, the other covered with heavy filet lace. In a reception-room one needs simple distinctive furniture. If there is a fireplace, create near it some such grouping as shown here The curtains at the French windows are of crinkled silk of a dull faded orange. Delicate electric fixtures painted black with small orange shields give a note of color to the walls. The portieres are of the same linen as the upholstery, or, if one should prefer it, use a gray velvet as near in tone to the walls as possible. In such a neutral toned room the bookcases should be curtained — the orange silk, for example, drawn tight under the glass doors. Otherwise the books would be too heavy and varied in color. The painted furniture and light toned linen would be delightful for a room much used in hot weather. This style of furniture can be made to order in many different forms and colors, suited to any individual taste and makes a charming and distinctive room. The plainest and most inexpensive furniture but of good lines, can be used when necessary, painted and decorated as one wishes, instead of the rather high priced reproductions of peasant furniture used in the room described above. 12 Inside the House of Good Taste The expense can be much lessened by papering the entire walls and using some lovely chintz instead of the linen and silk. The effect will be very pleasing and the cost comparatively small. . . . '.'.-'¦. ¦ ¦ ¦ra ^"jpjjggl^:.'.": ¦¦:: '¦¦-. KV'"-M| t IB; -^\',"J^^V.;- ff'".**"*"1'.!! 1 1 1 - m f/ -1" I By some, painted furniture is considered merely a hot-weather medium, whereas it can readily be used all the year round in certain types of rooms For those who. like Colonial rooms, or to be more exact, the American adaptation of the i8th Century English periods, the problem is simplified as so many families have inherited and accumulated in one way or another ¦: ~-zr-^..-_ : Painted furniture may be used in a purely modern American living-room, its color, form and decorative detail chosen to suit the owner's individual tastes much mahogany furniture. So called Colonial architecture in the country is still popular, and the living-room with its white paint, low ceiling and figured wall paper is in excellent taste in such a house. The paper can be put on above a three foot wainscot and finished by a chair rail, or if preferred, the effect of paneling can be produced by giving the plastered The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 13 walls many coats of enamel paint and dividing the spaces with a two-inch molding. This latter treatment has much more dignity and permanence as well as beauty than any wall paper. However, if it can be found, for it is a rarity these days, a good Colonial landscape paper is appropriate; The interest in Chinese motives will be understood when one realizes their possibility in such an interior as this. The wall paper pattern is duplicated in the valance, hangings, and window seat or possibly, in default of this, a two-toned stripe, or a green and white stripe is in good taste. With either of these the curtains should be of a plain fabric, rep or taffeta silk, or velvet. A plain carpet will set off the furniture to best advantage and not clash with the figured walls. For upholstery, a two-toned damask or armure with two or three odd chairs a. Coa a '— h a a a, aCoa Casement windows planned in rows are always attractive. In this room they lighten up the interior — a jumbled interior on the whole, for the room contains too many pieces of small furniture making too many centers of interest The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 15 in a contrasting color. If the room is paneled, a wider choice is possible. Chintz or printed linen — there are many old-fashioned 18th century designs including some interesting Chinese — can be used for curtains and furniture coverings. In mahogany there is a great variety of de lightful tables of all shapes and sizes from substantial library tables to tiny Another room in which distinction is lent by casement windows. Here the decora tions — -oriental and exotic — are fitting because the spirit is carried throughout round ones just large enough for a book or a cup of tea or coffee. Medium weight stuffed furniture goes well with Chippendale chairs — the ladder-back for such a room — or shield-shaped, wide seated Heppel- whites. A tall capacious desk with built-in bookcases on either side, and an old Colonial mirror over the mantel make up a dignified and thoroughly comfortable room. Brass andirons and fender, a brass jar made into a lamp and brass sconces on the wall are all decorative details. Plants in a sunny window are especially suitable here and add a sense of cheer- CA Courtesy of McBurney & Underwood The placing of tables in a living-room depends mostly upon their use. Here the writing table serves also as reading table for the davenport that faces the fire ; the farther table can be used for less utilitarian purposes ^ a. a s- a^ a sCoa ¦-+, CT5 a a a,aCo»+. The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 17 fulness. A room of this type has an air slightly old-fashioned and full of repose, and most appealing to many Americans. With any of these rooms where economy is necessary, willow chairs can be introduced instead of the upholstered ones, and can be made de lightfully comfortable. With the decorated furniture they can be painted Oriental landscape paper is being reproduced in exquisite coloring. This is a good design when used with a chair-high baseboard to match in a plain color, or, in the Jacobean or Colonial rooms, stained a dark brown or black. Another economical suggestion is to have an old rug dyed the proper color instead of putting a large percentage of the money to be spent on the room into the floor covering. In summer, for the Jacobean and Colonial rooms, chintz covers of some gay yet cool design both save the furniture and make an agreeable change. It is stimulating to think that at this time, in spite of the conditions abroad, there is a wonderful variety of beautiful things for people to choose from made right here in America. The opportunity to create delightful and artistic rooms was never greater than at the present moment. Mary McBurney. i8 Inside the House of Good Taste Much of a room's livableness is obtained by the proper grouping of furniture. Here is an ensemble at once simple, comfortable, practical and of exceptional beauty. "Restraint in the selection and arrangement of furniture will create the desired effects The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 19 An arched ceiling gives a sense of distance to a room. Here fumed quartered oak - has been effectively used with brown walls In this room the walls are a soft, yellowish ecru, toning well with the warm deep brown stain of the woodwork to o § S. a. <>+. s- a H! a aCo a a Cl a aa,Ha Coa From the linen-fold paneling above the mantel to the oriental rug on the floor this is a thoroughly artistic and livable living-room. Note the position of the desk in the bay, and the arrangement of couch and table The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 21 In the Spanish type of house, flat walls and doors and windows without trim are in keeping. This style is adaptable to American houses The Colonial room allows- idiosyncrasies, as here, where passage closets comprise an interesting fitment. Their shape detracts little from the width of the passage 22 Inside the House of Good Taste A den in the attic often provides a retreat when the living quarters are bustling. It can be finished with spruce sheathing, the chimney breast plastered over An airy atmosphere is given by the use of large chairs and not too much furniture. There always must be room enough for one to walk around The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 23 A mantel treatment, formal, chaste and decorative. The arrangement of the large davenport and winged chair about the fireplace is admirable Wide mullioned windows and windows set in groups add character to the living-room. Here again is roominess created by little furniture to 4^ Co a. aS Co a aa.a Co^+-«3 Courtesy of Aimee A. Jones Furniture grouping is an essential component of room decoration. Note the console with the plain mirror set in as part of the wall, the richly hung windows, the position of the couch and the picture arrangement The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 25 Wall surfaces can be finished in rough plaster, but their coloring must be such that they are decorative in themselves without pictures or hangings The white beamed ceiling when used with white woodwork throughout the room, gives an airiness that is always desirable especially in country houses 10 Personality transcends the historical periods, as shown by this room which is decorated with no pretense at periods, but to express the personality of the owner. And you like such a room — not because of its decoration, but because of that personality. Coaaa aa,HaCo The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 27 Here, on the other hand, is a distinctly period room — Gothic: Note the Gothic mantel, the Gothic furniture, and the prevalence of the straight line throughout A restful room this because of the balanced arrangement of bookcases and built-in seat beside the fireplace. There is hospitality too in that deep hearth 10 00 a. Co a ¦-h CT; a a a, H aCo a Courtesy of Aimee A. Jones One chair upholstered in a gaily-colored fabric will brighten up a room in which the other furniture is dark. The balance in picture arrangement here is admirable. An example of grouping objects with a view for obtaining restfulness The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 29 ! Courtesy of McBurney & Underwood Lighting is always a problem, and the shading of those lights no less so. The double shields for the wall lights here are worthy of reproduction In a summer cottage wood, natural-finished or unstained, and a rugged stone fireplace readily establishes the spirit of out of doors OJ o •T1 a ¦-+, Ci a aa.a Co The position of rugs is the secret of much of their effectiveness. This shows the variety of straight and diagonal arrangements of small rugs, an excellent plan to adopt in a room of such proportions The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 31 In a room flooded with sunlight as this and furnished with light chairs and desk, a more desirable effect would have been had were cretonne curtains used with the scrim directly against the glass 32 Inside the House of Good Taste The fireplace and its immediate surroundings constitute one of the centers of interest in a Louis XVI room. It is a study of ornate paneling as evidenced by the bal anced proportions in the mantel decorations The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 33 Though the avowed purpose of this living-room is to express simplicity, severity would have been avoided were a picture hung against the chimney breast A chair upholstered in the same fabric as the hangings will give the decoration of a room a note of consistency as is shown here Co ^- . a. asCoa '-+, a aa,HaCo Courtesy of Allen W. Jackson. In remodeling an old farmhouse, it is often possible to make qne large room downstairs serve both as living- and dining-room. If arranged in this fashion, each part is given a distinct individuality The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 35 A couch ranged lengthwise to the fire constitutes a grouping that will add to the roominess and comfort of a library For the small library it is best to aim at intimacy with the two centers of interest - the fireplace and the books CO On Co ^> . a. a sCo a aa. aCoa Courtesy of Amyar Embury II. The essentials of a livable, livingrroom are all. evident here — good lighting, comfortable chairs, a deep couch before the fire, a table of ample proportions and dignified paneling The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 37 The modern period room must be an adaptation, for much of the original furnishings would be considered in bad taste to-day. But such a modern reproduction as this Renaissance fireplace grouping is the consummation of elegance Co GO a. agCo a aa,HaCo^+- a This fireplace grouping at the end of a narrow livings-room is excellent ; the white paneled woodwork, the comfortable built-in seats and the shelves all adding to the cheer and livableness of the roont The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 39 Courtesy of H. St. C. Zogbauiu. The master's library can be fittingly furnished in dark paneling with built-in book cases ; the chairs should be comfortably deep 4^ O sCo a, IS Co a 1~k Ci a aa, a Co One of the explanations of the apparent heaviness of this interior is that the owner wanted an Italian living-room, hence the Renaissance table, the carved cabinet and the old church light fitted for modern use The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 41 Inexpensive textures for window hangings and slip covers had added to the cheeriness of this library ; eminently a place to work in From the paneling of white woodwork a quiet dignity is obtained that makes its selection desirable for the drawing-room 42 Inside the Flouse of Good Taste A terrace can be treated so that it provides an enclosed porch as well THE PORCH AS A LIVING-ROOM The porch may be entirely enclosed with screens or glass, and if the doorway is at one end, it takes on the qualities of a room The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 43 Wicker furniture is desirable for the enclosed porch. Here the green lattice is echoed by green tones in the India print upholstery and pillows A French treatment of the enclosed porch requires more ornateness of design, but the essential furnishing — wicker — is always in keeping 4^ 4^ 8 Co a. I ^ Coa "-+, CD a aa,Ha Co >=¦+¦ C^ The value of the porch as a living-room — a twelve-month living-room — is undisputed. At little expense for closing-in, rattan or willow furniture, decorations and plants, it can be made of great comfort The Essentials for Making a Living-Room Livable 45 The secret of a comfortable outdoor living-room is to induce an effect of coolness by the green of the vines and flowers and the open sweep of the lawn Tiling is the most practical floor for the enclosed porch — easily— kept clean, and with a few rugs, made comfortable for any season THE DINING-ROOM Things in pairs lend distinction to a dining-room. This American type of Sheraton sideboard, knife boxes and mirror constitute an excellent grouping DISTINCTION IN DINING ROOMS IN planning a dining-room of distinction there are three points to be con sidered: tradition; demanding and impressing one's personality through this tradition; and suiting one's means to one's choice. It cannot be the composite of various unrelated styles, nor of the unorthodox nouveau art — futurist and what-not new invention. We must feel con scious of a certain coordination in planning. Without coordination such a dining-room, although it be wonderfully clever and pleasing, may still lack distinction. Scenic wall paper when used with Sheraton or Hepplewhite furniture is fitting for the dining-room. Note the closet transformed into a china cupboard In a traditional room is immediately created an air, a spirit, something that responds to the background of our own experience — be this experience in a New England home, a Southern mansion, villas and cottages abroad, or be it merely a result of visits to our shops. People may protest against a 49 50 Inside the House of Good Taste period room, saying : " Why should I limit my choice of furnishings to designs produced between such and such a year ? It hampers my selection." Such a person does not understand what the periods are. There is no standard of scale or universality of spirit running through the periods, and hence they cannot be mingled successfully. "You cannot put American Colonial with French furniture of Louis XIII, because one is light in scale and domestic in spirit ; the other heavy in scale and majestically ponderous in spirit. It is not a matter of dates, this incongruity. By the consistent use of a period style, formality and restfulness, plus cheeriness, create -the desirable dining-room. To many of us, and particularly to men, dining is the high spot of the waking hours. A good dinner works the daily miracle of a man's existence. The place for the family portrait is above the mantel in the dining-room. The over mantel decorations shown here are in perfect taste Distinction in Dining-Roouis 5i The walls should be light in tone, and there should be provided enough light to eat by. Note also the unostentatious china closet Let the dining-room have restful spaces, comfortable chairs, adequate table- room and the elimination of an over-loaded sideboard and ostentatious china closet. Let the walls be light in tone. Let there be enough light to eat by. Women are apt to light a table insufficiently — a soft, becoming glow from shaded candles. Men, with little or no concern for their wrinkles and graying hair", have a less impelling esthetic sense. So, if possible, have side wall fixtures, which, with the candles, will give sufficient light. If side fix tures are not feasible, use the center drop light with a flaring Empire shade' of soft-toned silk bound- with- heavy fringe, toned with the color of the walls, making it as unobtrusive as possible. Have the light hung high enough so that the diner can see his vis-a-vis, but low enough to prevent the electric biilbs from glaring into, his eyes. If a central gas fixture has- to be considered, use flaring white porcelain shades, and over these silk shirred shades of a warm tan or old rose. These throw the light down upon the table-and give to the room a soft, pleasant glow. If preferred, candle sticks of silver or copper with' shades or shields may be used on the serving- table or sideboard. In country houses there is often neither gas nor elec tricity, and in such a case small twin oil lamps with old-fashioned glass shades, or sconces for candles, are attractive and serviceable. The main thing to avoid is a large oil lamp in the center of the table or an electric. hanging fixture with glaring green or red-glass shade. This unpleasant f ea- 52 Inside the House of Good Taste Ugly and useless chimney space in the dining-room can often be eliminated by a sym metrical arrangement of cupboards ture spoils more dining-rooms in the modern apartment than any other, I believe. It is almost always out of proportion and usually dwarfs the room. Why should it be tolerated when at a slight expense it can be removed and a tasteful substitute made? This matter of good lighting fixtures I have spoken of at length because it has to do so much with restfulness. It is best to have no more furniture in the dining-room than is necessary. The table, enough chairs for family and guests, and a serving table. An open fire is pleasant, and the English habit of having a little coal fire to greet one in the morning is particularly conducive to starting the day aright. If there is a fireplace in the room, have the fire laid before the meal. In so many rooms boasting this distinctly sociable feature the fireplace is left bare and gaping, a hole of black dejection, whereas a few logs and cones on the firedogs, or a neatly filled and highly polished grate would add much cheer and distinction to the room. It is rather a pity that the habit of a " dining-room suite " of furniture has become so impressed upon most of' us. Much more interest and orig inality can be created by mixing two styles of consistent design. Choose, for example, mahogany Hepplewhite chairs, a sideboard of Sheraton design, inlaid with satin wood, and a serving-table of enamel or walnut of French Louis XVI. This combination, or one equally good, does not make the dining-room " mixy " ; to the contrary, it is a pleasing and restful variation. Another practice that helps to give restfulness to a room is the use of Distinction in Dining-Rooms 53 things in pairs ; well-balanced panels ; a pair of lighting fixtures, two candles on the serving-table or mantel; a pair of old decanters on the sideboard; two consoles or serving tables. The most inharmonious thing in a dining-room is usually the sideboard, covered with plate and china. Its appearance is usually no worse, how ever, than the average china closet. There is something that smacks a little of the vulgar in such display. Those who champion the china closet main tain that glass and china should be kept in the dining-room so that the mis tress can keep her eye on the breakables, take account of stock each day, and thereby keep the housemaid under discipline. Wouldn't it be as easy for the mistress to investigate her pantry each morning? All the furniture in the dining-room should occupy no more space than is absolutely necessary. In plar_-:ng, have a space reserved for the side board, into which it fits. Do not let it protrude into the room. Such fit ments as a china closet, if one must have one, should be built in. The foremost essential for cheeriness is exposure. If possible, have the dining-room windows face south or east, for the morning sun at breakfast helps in starting the day well. If the exposure must be west, we will find much joy in watching the sunset as we dine in the summer. A group of windows is always preferable to scattered ones. They lend themselves better to decoration with hangings and plants, and besides, we This dining-room has an English suggestion in the white wood paneling above the mantel. With its three shallow niches this is a pleasant variation of the usual rectangular molding strips 4^ ^ a. Co aa •-h CD a aa.aCo— +- If there is a bay in the dining-room, it can be treated as shown here — boxed in to serve as sideboard. cealed in the base, and if desired, a warming shelf set in one side The radiator can be con- Distinction in Dining-Rooms 55 get from a group of windows a broad, generous, outlook. On the opposite side should be the fireplace, so that when the sun deserts us at. our meals we can make use of his understudy. The day of the basement dining-room has passed, let us hope. To those of us not brought up in New York the idea certainly made a most unpleasant impression at first experience. The pyramidal walnut suites of our mothers' day, set as they were in a dark- toned basement dining-room, must have made eating a dismal horror. But in many city homes the dining-room is sunless, albeit it is above stairs. In If there is a mirror in the dining-room, hang it high enough so that the diner will not have to look at her reflection this case a light, gay-flowered paper will prove charming, adding the life and brightness that is lacking. In the country, light, paneled walls or plain papers are best. The floor of the dining-room may either be stained and waxed or painted. In the center, leaving a border of about three feet, spread an Oriental or plain rug. Oriental rugs are the most accommodating things in the world ; they tone in with every sort of furniture, decoration and hanging. Never use a patterned carpet in a- dining-room, especially one with a scat tered pattern. The floor should be kept unobtrusive. Walls may be treated in any number of ways, but must be kept lighter in tone than the floor. Paneled walls of oak or cypress are beautiful, but in using these woods one is limited in one's choice of furniture. One success- 56 Inside the House of Good Taste In the Colonial dining-room simplicity should be the keynote both in the furniture and hangings. The tones should be light ful treatment is to panel the wall in large spaces in creamy white or soft gray. Should wood paneling prove too expensive, strips of molding fas tened on the plaster and the whole covered with several coats of paint make a distinguished and at the same time an inexpensive wall. Either buff striped paper or plain Eltonbury paper in a warm tan makes an excellent back ground for mahogany furniture. The ceiling must be toned in with the side wall, but never a dead white. If there is a set of three windows, an excellent arrangement of the hangings is to hang French valance over all with the curtains at either aid Distinction in Dining-Rooms 57 Beamed ceilings are almost always too heavy and out of proportion in a small dining-room. It takes a very large dining-room to carry off a beamed ceiling and have it achieve any distinction. Delicate plaster designing may be used with success on the ceiling of a rather pretentious dining-room, but a simple, classic cornice is much better than a heavy, over-elaborated type. All these things are simply a matter of proportion. Wide spaced panels lends distinction which can be further enhanced by well-chosen hangings. This room would be in better taste with the radiator eliminated " To break bread " presumes a certain intimacy, and it is as her dining- room is cheery or cheerless, as her meals are carefully chosen and served, meager or overponderous, that we judge a hostess. The Colonial dining-room is a gracious style, and for many homes this has proved the most successful, especially as we are rather rich in heritage of old mahogany. Simplicity must be the key-note; white, paneled walls, with perhaps an old family portrait over the fireplace; and simple side fix tures of Sheffield plate silver, make a good beginning. A wonderfully High wainscot forms an excellent background for chairs and sideboard. Here again is evidenced the restfulness obtained by using things in pairs and the elimination of too much furniture Distinction in Dining-Rooms 59 decorative and unusual room may be had by using Colonial landscape paper of classic or Chinese design. This necessitates long, unbroken wall spaces. Needless to say, pictures have no place here. Sheraton dining-room chairs of shield-shape back give a refined appearance and silhouette beautifully against the v/all. In such a room a corner cupboard for old china looks well, or better still, a pair of such cupboards. The door of the cupboard The effectiveness of this buffet was attained by the planning of an exact space for it by the architect, a hint for the prospective housebuilder can be made attractive by removing the top panels and filling the frame with small panes of glass, thus giving above a glimpse of the best china, whilst in the lower part may be kept the less attractive. In many dining-rooms in the country that have a- northern exposure an excellent plan is to use a Colonial yellow paper with white wainscoting and trim, small-paned windows, a cheery, old-fashioned chintz on the windows and begonias • — for begonias grow beautifully in a north room. Thus a dismal, north room can be converted into a cheery place. A piece or two of well-polished brass helps out the effect in such a room. For the table, an effective centerpiece is a white china lattice basket filled with flowers or fruits. In a Colonial room which, is rather delicate care should be taken that the bricks of the fireplace are inconspicuous. In many cases the effect of a fine white mantel is utterly ruined by the wide bonding of the bricks below it, bonding so out of proportion that it quite spoils the room. o Despite opinions to the contrary, the Japanese style of decoration can be adapted to the dining-room. As near as possible the work should be consistent throughout, remembering that the charm of Jap anese interiors is their simplicity of line and furnishing a. Co a ¦-+, CD a aa,a Co Distinction in Dining-Rooms 61 Gate-legged dining-tables are usually more picturesque than comfortable, and are better used in the library or living-room than in the dining-room. There are many lovely types of Colonial dining-tables with delicately turned legs, and to go with them Sheraton Colonial chairs with rush bottoms. In general, it is wise not to use velvet for chair seats ; modern hair cloth made in very attractive colors and patterns or leather-covered or rush seats are more comfortable and servicable. There is hardly an ornament in this room, yet the balance of paneling is such that the room is very attractive. This form of Colonial Sheraton chair is serviceable and fitting Nearly related to our Colonial room is the English Georgian, with its sim ple, white paneled walls and mahogany or inlaid furniture of Chippendale design. A serving-table of black Chinese lacquer fits in well in such a room. If the walls are gray, use taffeta curtains of rose, with a narrow, black stripe, and on the floor lay an Oriental rug. Thus you have gray, rose and a touch of black repeated, making a distinctive room. An English Jacobean paneled dining-room is always elegant, but is more suggestive of dinner than breakfast. Fortunately, those who can afford such a room can afford also a breakfast-room, which provides the neces sary sunshine and restfulness for the day's beginning. The furniture for such a Jacobean room must of necessity be rather heavy in scale and the hangings rich in color and texture. There is much to be lived up to in a paneled room. Above the paneling the frieze may be treated in several ways : plaster mixed with a tint to tone in with the woodwork, a decorated On to >--HS Co a. a-aS Co CD a aa.HaCo^+. a The dining-room shows an effective use of simple details used in harmonious balance. The French doors open on to the sun room paved in tile. This provides an entrance way into the garden Distinction in Dining-Rooms 63 frieze of medieval design or a plain paper. It is better not to use a color different from the paneling, as it breaks the wall surface and detracts from the paneling itself, which, if of good proportion, has much decorative value. Above all, avoid making the top trim of the paneling serve as a shelf to display steins and plates. In such a room one or two pieces of antique fur niture will give an air of distinction, especially one of those court cupboards By having the furniture and decorations consistent to one period, any dining-room can be given the good taste that creates distinction which were a unique product of Jacobean days. Casement windows would lend an air of similitude to the feeling this early English period connotes.' If one wants to have an English dining-room, a simpler and less expensive treatment is to finish the walls in rough, tinted plaster or tan paper of a heavy texture. Have the floor, doors and trim of oak and use English cottage furniture. Casement cloth or a linen of Jacobean design at the window would make this a beautiful room and not an expensive one. The rough plaster walls of an Italian dining-room are best fitted for a country house. Here windows, devoid of trim, should open onto a terrace, and there should be arched niches in the wall for rare, old Italian pottery or copper. In such a room a simply carved stone fireplace and Italian walnut furniture, would give an unusual effect. Linen hangings, luscious with fruit of warm colors, tone in with the soft buff of the walls. It is curious that these Italian rooms — so simple, reposeful and full of quaint, decora tive charm — are not more often adapted to our American uses. Especially would I make a plea for the long, narrow tables that are used 64 Inside the House of Good Taste The plan of this dining-room required a rather unusual and not entirely pleasing plac ing of the fireplace, yet the latter is of interesting design and construction with so much success in Italian villas. If the guests are few and favored, by placing them opposite one another they have an intimacy they cannot have across a large, circular table ; and if the guests are numerous, the table may accommodate them all. Also it affords an excellent opportunity for decoration ; at either end a huge bowl of flowers, a pair of those charming brass candelabra, or even the informality of a pair of early wrought iron candlesticks whose beautiful lines, one imagines, some Fifteenth Century craftsman fashioned with the same loving care that he expended on a silver chalice. About the whole room is a feeling of ascetic severity. Contrasted to this is our very modern room of enameled and decorated furniture and the omnipresent touch of black: rooms, black carpeted, gray walled with gray and black furniture; rooms of clear pure green, with a touch of strong, deep, old rose ; rooms with blue walls and gray carpet and blue and gray furniture. Such rooms are clever and really charming, but they have too obvious a note, one gets merely the strong sense of color com bination. They are unusual, but not always distinctive. Such effects should be confined to the breakfast-room. There one needs Distinction in Dining-Rooms 65 toning up, and any fantasy is welcomed. You feel the spirit of play, of fun in their planning and making, and to-day the shops are tempting beyond resistance in these dernier cri of furniture and fabrics. A most important consideration in a breakfast-room is the outlook. There must be a good view of the weather, so to speak. In summer the breakfast- room may be little more than a porch: In many old farmhouses one finds a downstairs bedroom. In remodeling, why not convert this into a breakfast-room ? Its possibilities for decoration will be a source of much delight. Gay chintz paper, sunfast hangings, white enameled furniture decorated with old-fashioned bouquets, and there you have a convenient, cheerful and charming breakfast-room, an altogether desirable adjunct to your dining-room of distinction. Agnes Foster. For a country bungalow this furniture is eminently fitting. The sturdy dining-room chairs are covered with hide upon which the hair remains, a touch which shows the careful carrying out of a single scheme of fitness 66 Inside the House of Good Taste A simple striped paper in two toned grays forms a desirable background for Jacobean furniture and Windsor chairs A particularly good effect is given this room by the position and design of the built-in china closets Distinction in Dining-Rooms 67 In some. Colonial dining-rooms, the chair rail, which was common to the earlier types, proves satisfactorily decorative If one is looking for practical substitutes try those used in this room: gumwood oiled and waxed to match Circassian walnut ON GO •— i a. a S Co a ¦-h CD a aa,Ha4" broad and the risers 6" high. Whatever measurement is decided upon, it is useful, as a rule of thumb, to Why stop the decoration of the hallway at the first landing? This shows the position for a light where there is a wide stair well remember that the dimensions of the breadth of the treads and the height of the risers ought to be multiples of 75. It is not uncommon to find in farmhouses a boxed-in or closed stairway that is depressing in appearance and a menace to safety by its steep pitch. The solution of this problem lies in knocking out a partition at one side of the stairs, leaving posts at necessary intervals to support the joist of the floor above and changing the pitch of the stairs by bringing them down into 82 Inside the House of Good Taste There should be plenty of room in the hallway of the summer cottage since it serves also as a living-room. Use decorations characteristic to the neighborhood, thus making the hall a continuation of the out- of-doors The Inviting Flail 83 the room with a turn, thus making two or three flights where there was but one before. At the same time the room will appear larger. When it is not possible to change the pitch of the stairs and incorporate them in a room, some improvement at least may be effected by knocking out a part of the partition and filling this space with turned balusters or spindles. An interesting stairway treatment is shown here where the treads are enameled in white. A- warm color is given in the stair carpet Passing from the physical aspects of the treatment of halls, we come to a consideration of the several ways in which floor, walls and ceilings may be dealt with. It is not advisable to carpet the hall over its whole surface. It is much better to have either rugs or runners that can be easily taken up and cleaned, for there will necessarily be more or less dirt brought in from outdoors. When the hall is not of the second or living-room type, the floor ing may often appropriately be made of tile, concrete or even stone. We have become so accustomed to using wooden floors that we go on laying them from force of habit. The objection will be made, of course, that tile, concrete or stone flooring is cold, but it may be answered that halls not CO Co a. a Co a •-h CD a aa.Ha Co In remodeling an old house it is often possible to open the stairs and turn them at a lower landing, affording an easier ascent and descent and a more pleasing appearance to the hallway The Inviting Hall 85 combined with living-rooms are not intended to sit in and therefore their coldness is not a serious drawback. On the other hand, they are subjected to more or less hard wear, especially from water and mud brought in by wet umbrellas or miry boots, and a floor of one of the last named materials is readily cleaned and does not show the marks of wear. Flooring of this sort has been used with the most satisfactory results in a number of recently built houses and it is a common practice to employ it in country houses in England. It is particularly suited for the long galleries, which are long halls, and have become a somewhat popular feature in recent American Another manner of treating a rebuilt stairs is to box in the supporting beams and part of the stairs, leaving enough space open for light country houses. The most satisfactory and sanitary flooring of this type is made of large red quarry tiles, but tiles of other descriptions may also be used, as well as brick, concrete or stone. As flooring, tiles of irregular surface with wide concrete joints between, or random laid stones, are open to the objection of inconvenience and dust catching. One of the first essentials for hall walls is that they should be of suf ficiently neutral character not to clash or make violent and unpleasant con trasts with the schemes of the rooms opening therefrom. In the next place they should be light enough in tone to lighten the darkness of a dark hall and to brighten an area that, in any house, is rarely as well lighted as the rooms. The walls may suitably be paneled, painted, if the plaster be CO ON § Co "S» . a.aS-a a sCoa CD a a a. Ha Co In the Colonial type of hall which runs through the house to the rear there is generally sufficient room for the creation of attractive corners as is done here in the farther end with the lowboy and mirror The Inviting Hall 87 sufficiently good, papered with plain and unobtrusive paper, or left with the plaster sand-finished rough which may either be tinted or left its natural hue. Whether painted, papered, paneled or sand-finished, color must be con sidered first. Colonial yellow, tan, fawn, light gray, light coffee color, of gray with an element of yellow in it may be recommended. If there is enough warm light in the hall, even though narrow, other colors such as sage green or old blue might be used, but the first mentioned hues will gen erally be found preferable. The woodwork in most cases should be white. With gray walls, however, gray woodwork is often desirable and pleasing If there is enough warm light in the hall, wall papers of sage green or old blue might be vised, the woodwork being white in effect. Only in commodious halls where there is a good light, will wood in natural finish be advisable or appear to advantage. For paneling that is to be painted — while some hard wood is desirable — well seasoned poplar, pine or cypress may be satisfactorily employed. Plas ter walls should not be painted unless the surface of the, plaster is entirely free from cracks and hair lines, otherwise the appearance of the paint will soon be spoiled by its bad backing. Paint may be either left dull or finished with a gloss. In a case of bad plaster, the walls may be covered with canvas or burlap, tightly glued on and then painted. Plain felt papers of desirable color are easy to obtain. It is worth noting that some excellent paper is to COCO Co <^. . a. a ^ Co aCD aaa. HaCoa While this is a large hall, it contains the characteristic elements of halls of its type, and its decoration can be taken as a criterion for the arrangement of others which are laid along the same general lines The Inviting Hall 89 The second stairs hallway, which is generally neglected, often offers opportunity for decoration. Place a chest of drawers there or a writing table be had resembling cut Caen stone. If a glazed surface is preferred, some excellent patterns are to be found in bright-hued, glazed paper of old- fashioned pattern. Sand finish, though slightly more troublesome to apply than the ordinary white coat, costs but little if any more. For the hall of Ordinary width the foregoing treatments will all be found satisfactory, but there is an additional latitude in the choice of papers. A light gray paper, with a foliage pattern, or some of the revived Chinese patterns with a light ground, or even some of the old landscape block printed papers in patterns that have been recently revived, may be recommended. For halls that are virtually rooms, wood is the only fit flooring. As people will sit there, a tile, . stone, or concrete floor would have to be heavily rugged or carpeted all the time, in which case it would not particularly matter what the floor was made of. With regard to color, these living-room halls may be treated exactly as any other room, but it will generally be found safe to stick to the principle of light walls and light woodwork, un less the architectural motif of the house obviously demands some other treatment. In any case where the ceiling is unduly high, do not try to bring it down by a border; carry the picture molding, if there be one, all the way up to the cornice or angle between the ceiling and walls. Floor coverings in any hall, of whatever type, should be quiet and neutral 90 Inside the House of Good Taste In some houses there are hallways that, in the main, are galleries or corridors, and they can be made attractive avenues of passage when tiled and decorated with objects in keeping with the spirit of the house The Inviting Hall 91 in tone. The furnishing of the hall is an exceedingly important matter. Let simplicity be the guiding principle in the choice and disposition of furniture and the adornment of the walls. In the long narrow hall the less furniture, the better. It will be quite enough if there is a table (for a card salver) and candlesticks — the Victorian hat rack of whatever species should be absolutely taboo — and a chair against the wall at either end of the table. Above the table may be hung a mirror, a suitable picture or a bit of brocade or tapestr)'-, flanked by sconces, which will give the necessary decorative distinction and will be enough to furnish the hall for all practical pur poses. Put the card salver and a couple of candlesticks or acceptable Oriental vases, mounted on teakwood stands, or some simple but elegant similar bit of bric-a-brac on the table. If a table is not placed against the wall, a chest may be used instead. In the well-lighted long gallery traversing the face or rear of the house, a sort of long hallway adopted from English models and now much in favor, one may appropriately range a great deal of furniture along both sides. In the hall of ordinary width, of course, there is a great deal of possibility to introduce other appropriate pieces of furniture such as chests, chairs, lowboys or highboys, sofas, mirrors — in fact any piece of furniture that stands against the wall and may add to the decorative attractiveness of the hallway. It is important, however, to The lower hallway in a remodeled farmhouse showing how enclosed stairs can be opened and made attractive 92 Inside the House of Good Taste If one possesses an old cabinet or a cupboard, an excellent place for it is the hallway. Note also the use of tiles in this passage The Inviting Hall 93 see that not too many objects are placed in the hall so that it will be crowded or lacking in the aspect of roominess. Hats, coats and umbrellas should always be kept out of sight and a place should be provided for them in a closet conveniently accessible. Let the wall ornaments be exceedingly few but well chosen. Do not make the hallway a picture gallery or hang anything there that may detract from the air of elegant simplicity. It will be well to study effective groupings of furniture for a broad hall, such as a table with a pair of candlesticks, a table or lowboy with a pair of candlesticks and a china bowl upon it, and above it a mirror or dirandole or hanging sconces. Such furniture grouping needs careful thought to make it thoroughly effective. In living-room hallways there are almost always suitable opportunities for building in locker seats or settles and window seats. Oftentimes this arrangement can be effected in conjunction with the construction of book cases. In halls of this description a great deal of paneling can be done in connection with the built-in furniture and the balusters of the stairway with excellent results. Unless a stairway has exceedingly spacious landings, it is not advisable to place any furniture there, but occasionally a landing is of such dimensions that it will readily accommodate a chair, a chest or a table, and where such can be placed without hindering passage room, they contribute a desirable feature of interest. If pictures are hung along the wall of a stairway, they ought to be of such a height that they will not be disarranged by chance contact with people passing up and down. Abbot McClure. Harold Donaldson Eberlein. Never crowd the hall. Hats, coats and umbrellas should always be kept out of sight. Give it the aspect of roominess and order THE BEDROOM There are many conveniences worth while in this attractive bedroom with its twin beds. The table between the bedsteads supports a telephone and a reading lamp, and space for books CREATING PERSONALITY BEDROOMS IN NOWHERE in the house is a woman so completely herself as in her bedroom. It is her little domain, and there she is supreme. And it is usually her dream to make it an expression of herself, if so complex a thing as a woman can be expressed — even to herself. So milady dreams of what she will do with that room, and the whole gamut of possible schemes passes through her ambitious head. By the use of simple furniture and few but tastefully chosen decorations, an air of restful simplicity has been attained Who of us has not formed a resolution in those early hours while we lie lazily abed that this year the curtains shall be rose, a gay rose? We are tired of those dull, old, blue ones. Or if the present ones are a matter of little interest, we promise ourselves that in our next apartment our bedrooms shall be mauve with a little yellow, say, or in the spring we'll repaper the wall with a gray stripe. Maybe we will call in a decorator to suggest the change, but decorators will all tell the same story — that a woman is never less docile and pliable than in the matter of her bedroom. 97 98 Inside the House of Good Taste And as to men's, it is generally settled thus : " No frippery, if you please, madam. No, I hate pink. And I don't want the kind of curtains that blow out the window." The decision is indisputable. It must not be thought that creating personality in bedrooms is a simple work, or that a general rule can be worked out. One may judge a woman by her bedroom, but the reverse is not always so readily applied. Thus the rule does not hold that because a woman is blond, blue-eyed, with light curls her room is pale pink and blue. But the general furnishing of her bedroom will lead you to suspect the curls and the blue eyes. For this dainty lady — and there are hundreds of her kind — let's plan a suitable room: small in With white furniture in the bedroom use a gaily colored chintz to lend a note of color. The grouping here is satisfactory and practical scale, a favorable setting for her Watteauesque self. Watteau! What could be better than a Louis XVI bedroom ? The walls can be treated either one of two ways ; the simpler method is to panel them and paint the woodwork cream; or they may be paneled in damask, with a buff background and rose figures. The woodwork inclosing the rather large panels would be painted cream. At the windows two-toned taffeta hangings of rose and buff, or a less expensive, soft silk fabric. These are rich, but unobtrusive. It is the wall paneling that must be given prom inence, using these with a graceful pattern of flowers and arabesques. Against the glass of the windows could be thin, scrim curtains, used both to Creating Personality in Bedrooms 99 soften the light and to preserve the silk from the direct sunlight. On the floor would be a small-figured velvet carpet of deeper rose. The furniture, of course, would be a Louis XVI design — cane and carved wood of a rich, deep cream. Nothing is more lovely than a piece of period furniture when the workmanship is excellent, the carving to the least detail consistent and carefully wrought. And nothing is worse than a bad repro duction of a period piece — witness the horrors of Louis XV " parlor suites " ! A dainty little table of Adam design fits in well with this scheme. These This simple bedroom is effective in its cut-out border which is duplicated attractively in the hangings. This gives color to a neutral toned background paper two styles mix amicably. The chairs should be of carved wood and cane, reproducing the details of the beds and the pretty dresser. Between the beds could be placed a stand, a composite of Adam and Louis XVI. On it could be placed a gold lamp with a rose shade, decorated with a garland of vari-colored flowers. Here and there in such a room would have to be touches of blue — some of the chairs upholstered in a blue stripe brocade, relieving the feeling of too rosy an atmosphere. In short, such a room would have the spirit of a nose gay plucked from the gardens of the Trianon. In furnishing and decoration it creates the personality of the dainty feminine type. oo _ _JEs - '¦- ^r.~JiLfJ'BV' I The comfortable armchair before the fireplace and the well equipped dressing-table with its practical mirror will be appreciated by guests. There is an interesting treatment of the radiator that suggests a successful -way of hiding this ugly feature Coa. aS Co CD a a a. aCo Creating Personality in Bedrooms 101 An extremely different type from this is the bedroom for the business woman. She shares with men the abhorrence of frippery and dust-catchers. In the modern apartment, space is at a premium, and one has much to adjust. In fact, acquire the habit of elimination, rather than accumulation: it will help to make the bedroom the easy resting-place it should be. There may be in the room an unnecessary door or a window with an un- Window hangings of colored chintz should be used where the valance of the bed is white, lightening ah otherwise austere room pleasant outlook; if so, it may be covered with a large-figured damask or a less expensive rep, hung in plain, straight folds, forming a rich background for the dull-finished wooden bed. The lines of the room are severe, digni fied and restful ; a retreat that promises solace to the overtaxed nerves of the business woman. The walls could have a striped paper of gray, and the colors of the damask, the carpet and the bedspread could desirably be Saxony blue with rose, dull green and corn colors that combine so beautifully with it. There is a feeling of perfect sanitation, perfect repose and richness, which,, it would seem, are the chief requirements for a bedroom. 102 Inside the House of Good Taste A small dressing-table with a triple mirror, a good-sized chiffonier, and, in lieu of a cheval glass, a mirror set in the door, a combination that answers the purpose of a large bureau. Especially when closets are so small as in city apartments, one needs a large chiffonier. A compact desk, a little sew ing-table, a couple of straight chairs and one comfortable upholstered chair done in blue velour, would complete the room. At the windows, linen hangings, repeating the colors of the damask — the The woodwork and furniture of the guest room can be finished in ivory, to which rose and dull green hangings give a touch of color linen possibly striped with black — are effective. These same stripes can be appliqued on to a heavy, linen bedspread, which makes a handsome and quite serviceable covering. Often a business woman's bedroom has to serve also as a sitting-room, so it is best to keep to rather dark tones and to make as little of a feature as possible of the bed as a bed. Maybe a brass or iron bed is preferred; in which instance, of the two a white iron bed of good lines is preferable to the glittering bed of brass, which is invariably commercial looking and unpleas antly reminiscent of St. Lawrence's gridiron. The popularity of brass beds, we may be thankful, is on the wane. They make an ostentatious dis play, whereas there is a seerhliness to a white iron bed, as a bed, that the brass lacks. A Colonial bedroom is a joy to furnish, since such remarkably good reproductions are made. Then, too, many of us are proud possessors of at least one heirloom, and, making this our piece de resistance — providing it is worthy, of course — we build up a room with more knowledge than when we attempt any other period. Creating Personality in Bedrooms 103 Doubtless, the Colonial has been overdone, and sometimes those who in herit an ugly Colonial empire table have not the courage to pack it away in the attic. By itself, the Colonial is often harsh and too sparse, therefore the use of a French chintz gives an air of vivacity and cheeriness. Nothing is more successful than this combination. In a Colonial room the bed is preeminent. There are many really lovely types. For the larger room, the high poster with its valance is preferable ; For this room which is simple and in monotone, the gay, old-fashioned chintz at the windows is used to good effect but for the small room, the low posters cut a room up less, and still give the old-fashioned air that is such a charming background for many women. There are many ways to treat a four-poster. If the other hangings in the room are of a vari-cqlored cretonne, it is wiser to keep the valance and cover white or cream. This gives the bed a restful air and does not detract from the well-turned posts. If the room is simple and in monotone, a gay, old-fashioned chintz valance can be used to good effect. If a striped cretonne is used elsewhere, by using a plain fabric on the bed and edging it with strips of the cretonne, a striking effect is attained. Above every thing, avoid making the bed look fussy. In a room where much mahogany is used it is rather distinctive to place a few pieces of wicker of a lighter color than the mahogany to offset the rather monotonous effect of the latter. Or else use some decorated furni ture — two chairs and a small table will give much relief to an otherwise monotonous room. There are lovely little black chairs with rush seats, and on the splats at the back is a prim, formal nosegay. This decoration may be 104 Inside the House of Good Taste A fireplace is the most effective form of ventilation, and no bedroom should be without one. In England the law required every bedroom to have a fireplace ^MM^vk The striped paper in this room serves as a foil for the vari-colored chintz. The wall would have been more restful without the border Creating Personality in Bedrooms 105 repeated on the sewing-table drawers. If you have a very heavy chest of drawers, place it so as to form part of the background of the room, as though it were built for just that space. Avoid having it look like a de tached piece of furniture. Do not accentuate its heaviness. For the walls there come quaint calico papers looking like old block prints, and the colors being simple, they form an excellent background for decorated furniture. Plain wall papers are generally more satisfactory in There is the air of genuineness in this room — the furniture is not reproductions. Note the arrangement of the chairs at the foot of the bed every bedroom, although in a guest room a paper with a chintz design is rather refreshing; then, too, one does not have to live long enough with it to tire of it. Older people are usually fond of these chintz papers, and for the real grandmother comes one with much lavender among the flowers. With it, plain lavender hangings at the window frame the picture outside. The fur niture would be white, and there could also be used a large wing chair up holstered in lavender of a deeper tone. Old people need clean, clear colors. It is a shame to put drab around a person who loves most to live in the memory of gay-flowered days. There is a prevalent notion that in a Colonial room rag rugs must be used. This is rather a pity, as they certainly can prove themselves a nuisance, never lying flat, flying around at all angles, easily kicked and readily soiled. They have but one virtue- — their cheapness. A Scotch rug has the same " home-madey " look and gives three times the service. io6 Inside the House of Good Taste If one should lean to the ultra-modern, a very charming room can be made by using a futurist chintz of not too violent design or color. For example, there is a buff and black striped chintz with very smart little bouquets of mulberry, green and blue. On the floor use a black carpet — distress to the maid, but joy to the mistress; and keep the walls a light buff. Against this combination place clear, green-painted furniture, decorated to harmonize with the bouquets on the chintz. Have as few pieces of furniture as pos- Chintz in decoration, which is always desirable, can be effected by using the same chintz for hangings, chair slips and couch covers sible for comfort. If, instead of the buff hangings, black and white figured curtains of well-woven linen to insure richness are used, the room will have a certain finesse. In every case where something out of the usual is at tempted much discrimination must be used; an ill-placed note of color will spoil an expensively furnished room at once. The stronger tones one uses in the color scheme, the more difficult is its handling. It is not such a long reach between tawdriness and richness as one might imagine. Another point as to the use of color : take into consideration the color you most effect in your clothes. I know a woman who wears much lavender. She furnished her boudoir and bedroom with a predominance of red. The moment she entered that room her personality lost itself in the shock to one's color sense. Later, the same woman, having learned her lesson, always tried out pieces of her new gowns in the rooms in which she would appear in them most frequently. Time was when the guest-room held mostly the dejected, and, alas ! often rejected furniture from the other rooms. Now a hostess plans carefully Creating Personality in Bedrooms 107 for her friends' comfort, and the shops aid and abet this altruistic motive. She realizes the joy a restful room is to a visitor, and she plans it with the idea that after her guest has been dined and wined, taxied and tangoed, her four walls are a haven of peace. Thus an excellent arrangement for that room is to use a gray lacquer furniture, including a chaise lounge and sev eral stools. With this, a portable desk of black Chinese lacquer and a fetching little dressing-table of the same design. The hangings are of gray A white enamel cane bed gives an air of lightness to the room; comfort is found in the deep winged chair linen with a wonderful Chinese design in many colors. Underneath the dressing-table, placed in front of a window for good light, is a black rug. A piece of green pottery highly glazed, together with two Japanese bronze candlesticks above the fireplace, make the room an artistic success, as well as a room of much comfort to the guest. A man's bedroom is rather less of a problem, since his ideas are mainly as to comfort, not as to decoration. He must have ventilation; see to it, then, that there is in his room a fireplace, for these are as valuable for their ventilation as for their air of coziness. A man's grate should be as his shoes, polished to the point of perfection. In his room, as in all bedrooms, it is best to have a few small rugs, rather than stuffy carpets, since the former are more easily taken up and cleaned than a single large, heavy rug. The furniture must be simple in line and construction — and masculine. Is anything worse than a man's room filled with simpering furbelows ? — and yet it is done. A good type for his room is furniture of the William and Mary period in walnut — not the dark, oCO a,a -?¦+¦ a a§Co CD a aa. aCo^+- a If there is no cheval glass in the room, a mirror in the closet door is just as serviceable and requires less room. Here by a judicious arrangement of the furniture the desirable airy roominess is attained Creating Personality in Bedrooms 109 heavy, over-ornamented Victorian, but the well-proportioned, substantial- looking kind. For color, green and brown, or both combined ; perhaps a linen of Jacobean design at the windows ; and a great, comfortable chair by the bedside stand. This should be large enough to hold, beside a serviceable lamp, a pile of magazines and best sellers, for it is thus that most men quiet down for the night. In general, avoid unnecessary details in bedrooms. The simpler, fresher they are, so much more are they the things that architects and decorators and hostesses intend they should be — rooms of re-creating sleep. Agnes Foster. Where there is a bay, it can be utilized in this manner, filled with a built-in dressing- table and mirror §Coa.a 5s- Coa *-+, CD a aa.Ha Co^+.a Here are the essentials for a comfortable bedroom — a bed of good lines and light construction, a fireplace for ventilation, a com fortable chair, a couch and a handy, practical dresser Creating Personality in Bedrooms nr Avoid making the bed look fussy, keep the treatment about it simple and plain and yet comfortable. The couch at the foot can serve for the nap A white covering is the best for a four-poster, especially when the posts are of such- elaborate design as these. In this room the personality is evident 10 SCo ^ . a. a 8Coa CD a aa. HaCo The selection of furniture in this room first commands attention, although its arrangement is equally commendable. The choice of hangings and their design together with the covering of the radiators beneath the windows furnish several excellent sug gestions. Creating Personality in Bedrooms H3 For the bedroom that also serves as boudoir, wicker furniture proves generally serv iceable. Paint it white and cover with a flowered chintz If one has twin four-posters, be sure that the bedside table is of the same pattern or period, for thus a unified grouping is made possible S Co a. TO aSCo TOa ¦--+, CD aa a.HaCo^+- to Although this is a luxurious bedroom, one can see that the basic elements of furnishing and decoration are the same as those ob taining in any bedroom of good taste, and that practically the same effects can be had by the judicious selection of materials CDTOa TOCoa s b3TOa, a a By keeping the walls and floor light in tone an airiness is given to the room so that, although the furniture be dark, restfulness is " felt as soon as one opens the door. Thus the room becomes a place of re-creating sleep THE KITCHEN This kitchen, the result of one woman's fad for preserving, has been made into a room of singular picturesqueness by mingling the old-fashioned utensils with the modern and more useful THE MODERN KITCHEN AND ITS PLANNING TO every architect there.are certain features about" a house which have "for him the greatest interest. The kitchen has always appealed to me, probably because my earliest and most cherished memories are of my grandmother's kitchen. At one time there were two rooms, the dining-room and the kitchen, but the partition between had been removed, making one large, convenient room. How well I remember the big chimney- piece, where I could look up and see the stars ! It was so big that the cook Concentrated efficiency — twin cobaltum sinks, sanitary vitrolite drain-board and work table, with flower bin and drawers below stove and wood box, which it was my duty to keep filled, were not enough entirely to fill its cavernous space. To the rear of the kitchen was the mysterious " safe " under the hill, which was so dark that I could never be inveigled into it. Then there was the pantry, with its cistern and slate floor and shelves, to which no modern pantry, with its tiled walls, porcelain sink 119 120 Inside the House of Good Taste and built-in refrigerator, need aspire to equal. For what modern pantry has within its walls such " ginger " and " round-wheel " cakes as grand mother made? In spite of frequent raids, the red-painted tin pans never failed to respond to my onslaughts. In the middle of the room stood the dining-table, which, between meals, was covered with a red-and-white- figured table cover. At meal time the table was laid with a serviceable white oil-cloth cover. I never remember having eaten lobster a la Newberg The most approved kitchen sinks have the body, back and drain shelf all in one piece. This is a desirable fixture, very simple in its drainage and faucet equipment at this board, but never since have I tasted buckwheat cakes and honey, both raised on the place, which would compare with grandmother's. But turning from the old to the new reveals many changes. In the example shown on page 123 at first you might not be impressed; on one side we see the ranges, on the other a dresser and sink, and at the rear another dresser. Wait until the doors are opened. Here is surely the master dresser. The doors are five inches thick, and are really closets, for they have shelves. When these doors are open, every necessary thing is at hand, without having to go hither and yon for salt, sugar, spices, baking powder, etc. The shelves are supported on movable cleats and ratchets. These are arranged so that the shelves may be raised or lowered one and one quarter inches. This feature would greatly improve any dresser, for the shelves may then be arranged to accommodate the articles to be placed on them, and the extra cost is trifling. Another arrangement equally good is The Modern Kitchen and Its Planning 121 to use metal plugs and bore holes in the side pieces, similar to the arrange ment in bookcases. Beneath these doors there are three drawers, separated into compartments for the kitchen cutlery and similar articles. Under the middle drawer is a cutting-board for bread and meat. This is a necessity in any kitchen, and fby this means is always at hand and cannot be mislaid. Just beneath the countershelf, and above the open door, will be seen a In this small country house kitchen the cupboard doors lift up and slide back like those of a sectional bookcase long, shallow drawer ; this is the bread-kneading board. The drawer is 36 inches by 24 inches and 1 inch deep in the clear. It is lined with zinc. Like the cutting-board, it is never in the way when not in use, and may be readily taken out and cleaned. A sliding bracket supports this board. One-half of the lower dresser has the same door arrangement as the upper portion ; the other section has drawers for kitchen linen. A useful adjunct is the clock shelf, which is inexpensive, and will undoubtedly be put in some time. Why not arrange it when the house is built, and then have it made and finished to match the woodwork? Are you aware that a sink may be set at any height desired ? Have you ever felt that your sink was too high or too low? The usual height of a table is 2 feet ,6 inches or 2 feet 8 inches. Plumbing manufacturers long ago established 2 feet 6 inches as the standard height for sinks. This was fixed upon so that waste pipes, legs, etc., would be uniform in length. This 122 Inside the House of Good Taste brings the bottom of the sink five inches or six inches below the usual table height, so that if the pans are placed in the sink one will have to stoop or lean over while working. In the Massey kitchen the sink is set three feet above the floor, which brings the pans at the regular table' height. This may be too high for some women, and it is best to consider the matter carefully before the specifications are written, and then specify whatever height is preferred. If the sink is supported on concealed hangers or brackets, the plumber can make the waste pipe change himself, but if Some of the new conveniences here illustrated are the gas water-heater, gas range with pilot lights, gas-heated flatiron and, on the right, a garbage incinerator legs are used they will have to be specially made, although one large manu facturer of plumbing supplies now makes the legs of lengths that will suit most any case. The sink should not be less than 20 inches by 30 inches, and a 20-inch by 36-inch sink, which will hold two pans, will be more useful. It should have the back made integral with the sink. Most women prefer the gray instead of the white enamel finish. Where the sink is to be set under a window it is well to have the window designed so the sill will come just at the top of the back. By all means have a slate or glass sill. Nothing disfigures a wood sill so quickly as a piece of wet soap or a damp rag. The difference in cost is not worth considering. Never enclose the space directly under the sink; if left open The Modern Kitchen and Its Planning 123 it will be the more easily kept clean, and there will be no temptation to use it for a catch-all, and thus make it a vermin producer. Both coal and gas ranges were installed in this house. The hot water Tiled ; walls and floor in a butler's pantry add to its neatness, as do also the glass- doored cupboards circulating boiler is placed in a closet back of the range. In winter a hot water back in the coal range supplies hot water. An automatic gas water- heater installed in the closet is used in summer. An ash pit was built The Massey kitchen mentioned here has both coal and gas ranges, the latter being cooler to work with in summer in the cellar under the coal range, with a slide and drop under the fire chamber; this does away with ash dust in the kitchen. A novel feature is the maids' room. This is not a sleeping apartment, but a sitting and dining- 124 Inside the House of Good Taste room for the maids and chauffeur, and provides a place where they may have comforts which a kitchen does not afford. All large houses have servants' halls, but few medium-sized houses have such an apartment. From this room the rear stairs ascend to the second floor. The laundry, being used but once a week, is well put in an isolated part of the servants' quarters. It is not advisable to put it in the basement, particularly if there is only one maid, for it necessitates a lot of running up An electric range for cooking is excellent if one does not mind the expense. This item, however, is cheaper in labor than gas or coal and down sta.irs. Other good points are a closet in the laundry and a toilet conveniently located. If the ironing is to be done in the kitchen or laundry, and it is desired to use an electric iron, which is a time and fuel saver, besides assuring a cooler kitchen or laundry, have a special outlet provided on an independent circuit. An indicating receptacle should be used, so there will be less chance of leaving the iron with the current turned on, and thus be in danger of starting a fire. In some sections of the country the underwriters require a receptacle as described above. The pantry, with its refrigerator, dressers, table-leaf closet, etc., is about as complete as one could wish. A sink might have been provided, but this is not considered so essential, except in a very large house. It is not necessary to have a built-in refrigerator. A high-grade portable refrigerator, costing from thirty dollars up, depending on the size, style and The Modern Kitchen and Its Planning 125 A compartment radiator in the kitchen can serve to warm plates and still give suf ficient heat to the room lining, may be purchased, and an outside icing door may be included at a cost of about eight dollars extra. A door may also be built in the outside wall for icing. Be sure to have a hydrant placed where the ice man can have no excuse for not washing the ice. If the " best china " is to be kept in the pantry dresser, I would suggest A well lighted sink is desirable for comfort and efficiency. The space directly beneath it should be left open, thus making for greater cleanliness (0 ON Co ^- . a.TO TO a sCo TOa v-+, CD a a a. H aCoTO The floor plans of five different houses, showing how their kitchens have been planned to meet the vary ing requirements. The construction of the adjustable dresser shelves is especially good The Modern Kitchen and Its Planning 127 using glazed doors. If possible, provide a long, narrow closet at the end of the dresser for the extra dining-room table leaves. Better see if the leaves have aprons attached, as so many of the high-priced tables now have. A closet with lock and key may be built over the table-leaf closet, in which the owner may keep his " appetizers '' and cigars. Where the size permits, a center-table will be found very useful. When planning a kitchen, the following suggestions may be helpful. Always provide a double-acting door between the pantry, and dining-room, Linoleum is the best covering for the kitchen floor. The walls should be painted in a neutral tone. Note the compactness of arrangement here but not between the pantry and kitchen ; for if the latter is done then every time one door is pushed open the air pressure forces open the other door and allows the odors to go straight through. If a single swing door is used from the kitchen to the pantry this trouble will be obviated. Iron bars should be furnished for the pantry window, so that it may be left open at night. The kitchen walls and ceilings should never have the dirt-catching sand finish, but should have a smooth white coat finish for painting, or, better still, a washable paper which may be renewed at slight expense. Use very little molded woodwork; plain boards are easier to keep clean. Do not use wood wainscoting, for it is impossible to make the boards fit perfectly tight. Advocates of tiled walls and floors forget that the dirt- catching joints cannot be glazed and are hard to keep clean. I prefer painted walls. Linoleum makes an excellent floor covering; it is quiet, and its flexibility makes it as easy to the feet as carpet. Here is an excellent means of forming a ventilating flue for the kitchen. Connect the smoke flue to an eight-inch cast-iron pipe, which should be run 10 CO Co a.TO aSCoTO a ^-+> CD a aa,HaCo — t- TO The excellent scheme of placing the sink under a window adds greatly to the comfort of household workers and the size of the draining-boards is a real convenience The Modern Kitchen and Its Planning 129 up in a brick flue about 12 inches by 18 inches in size; place a register in the bottom of' this flue above the range. The heat in the smoke pipe will draw the fumes and smoke from cooking up the flue. Do not make the kitchen any larger than is actually required to contain the necessary conveniences. A big kitchen may necessitate having an extra maid to keep it clean and in order. Watson K. Phillips. f Tt Among the many labor-savers is the electric toaster as it is light and portable. . It can be used either in the kitchen or placed on the breakfast table. THE BATHROOM The bathtub sunk level with the floor or set so low as to require no difficulty in entering is an idea that house builders find well worth adopting. It must be arranged for, however, when the house is planned PLUMBING AND THE BATHROOM A HOUSEHOLD plumbing system consists of one or more stationary fixtures, such as a basin, bathtub, toilet, sink, laundry tub, etc., to which water is automatically supplied and from which waste is automatically removed by the opening of a bib, the pulling of a plug, or some such simple operation. The piping may be divided into three classes ; i.e., supply, waste and vent Good light, good ventilation and plenty of cupboards for towels are three require- mcr.ts that should be provided in the bathroom pipes. .The supply pipes are quite small, seldom exceeding one inch in diameter ; and are therefore easily installed, and may conveniently be placed between floors and partitions. If properly installed, which includes the necessary protection against freezing, the supply pipes seldom give trouble. The waste piping is much larger than the supply piping, the main waste pipe of an ordinary house being four inches internal diameter; and when there is a water closet connected with it, it should never be smaller than four-inch pipe. The vent piping is also large and is connected directly to the waste piping, one of the main vents being a full size continuation of the 133 134 Inside the House of Good Taste main waste pipe. The waste piping, unlike the supply piping, can have no valves or other fixtures which would stop the flow of waste. And yet, because of the filth which gathers on its inner walls, there must be some sort of seal which will prevent gases from this piping escaping into the rooms of the house. To this end, a water-filled bend in the pipe, called a trap, is placed close to each fixture. This permits a free passage of waste Fixtures should be so arranged as to provide the greatest possible floor space. A mirror set in the door here would have been a serviceable adjunct and at the same time keeps all air in the piping from escaping into the room by retaining water in the trap. With these facts in mind it will be easier to consider the two main classes of plumbing systems and their advantages. These are the non-ventilated and ventilated systems. The former is not universally regarded as desirable. It consists merely of a main waste pipe that branches from the fixtures through traps placed close to the fixtures. It is dangerous; first, because the air being confined and having no oppor tunity to circulate in the piping becomes poisonously foul, and further, as there are no air inlets to break the suction caused by the flowing water, Plumbing and the Bathroom 135 the water is often syphoned out of the traps, thus giving an escape of poisonous air into the living-rooms. - The ventilated system is a development of this same system with the exception that the main drain pipe is extended through the roof and from the crown of each trap there is a vent pipe which connects with one main common vent at least two feet above the highest fixture. Sometimes it is more convenient to carry these pipes separately through the roof. Such a Avoid dust pockets in the bathroom. The bowl of this shower should either have been enclosed or set flat on the floor system permits air to flow through the piping carrying the foul air out into the purifying sunlight. Such a system as outlined is generally accepted with various modifica tions. Sometimes it is spoken of as the revent system, in which case the ventilating pipes are distinct from the drainage pipe, and in the ground outside the house where the soil pipe joins the tile pipe there is an additional trap with a fresh air inlet. With respect to all systems, I might say that, excepting brass, copper and other metals too expensive for consideration, cast iron is the best metal to ON a. TO TOa§ CoTOa CD a a a.aCo¦>+. TO The modern porcelain fixtures are the acme of sanitary efficiency; money expended on them well repays An all-tiled bathroom is the easiest to keep clean and proves the best in appearance and service Plumbing and the Bathroom 137 use for large and lead for small waste and vent piping, because of their non-corrosive qualities. The joint in cast iron waste and vent pipe has always been its vulnerable point, but now that universal pipe does away with this objection by making a perfect joint, iron to iron, without the use of packing of any kind, it provides a continuously perfect line of piping, adaptable to all waste, vent and revent systems of plumbing piping. The items which may, and sometimes do, change a perfectly sanitary One should avoid making the bathroom look like a clinic; often a simple wall paper above a high tiled wainscot will make the room less pathological installation into a dangerous one, are the pipe, joints, traps and settling of the building. As already stated, cast iron is the best available material for the pipe. The caulked lead joint is in general use, and therefore demands attention. Of all joints it is most subject to imperfections, because its perfection depends upon the integrity of the individual workman as well as the materials involved. The entire face of each leaded joint must be thoroughly caulked to make it tight. We now come to the fixtures, which are largely a matter of price, and in this department you may expend as much as you like. It is a genuine pleasure to note the great number of improvements in all kinds of fixtures ; improvements which save labor, beautify the home and count for health. Hiding the pipe, traps and fixtures supports, by boxing them in, has been 138 Inside the House of Good Taste discontinued, because the exposed work, permitting sunlight and air to circulate freely about, is much more sanitary. Moreover the quantity of exposed piping and traps has been reduced to a minimum and beautified to such an extent that, instead of being eye-sores, they have become ornaments. If there is a jog in the bathroom wall, it is an excellent idea to set the shower in that, enclosing it with a waterproof curtain Practically all modern plumbing fixtures are sanitary, the difference in fixtures being in durability, artistic design, and labor saving arrangements. But under these classifications there is a vast difference. Vitrified clay and enameled cast iron make the best lavatories, tubs, sinks, etc., and for The furniture should be enameled white; the floor, if of wood, given several coats of waterproof varnish ; or a composition floor can be substituted various fixtures or parts of fixtures, onyx, marble, slate, soapstone and plain or galvanized cast iron or steel are used. There is also a great difference in the fixtures made from any one of these materials. The great Plumbing and the Bathroom 139 advantage of vitrified and enameled ware is that it is non-porous and therefore non-absorbing, which prevents it from becoming foul. Many people make the customary error of waiting until the building is well advanced before deciding what fixtures are to be used, only td learn when it is too. late that some specially desirable fixture cannot be used for lack of room, or that a heavy porcelain tub cannot be used because the floor timbers are insufficient. If the matter had been taken up at the proper time a little more space between window and partition or a slight variation in the dimensions of the room or timbers might have been made Rugs for the bathroom must be light in weight and washable ; either rag rugs, or the two-toned commercial bath rug can be used without additional expense. Moreover the location of supply, waste and vent piping cannot easily be changed after it has been roughed in and since different fixtures require different locations for these openings, the fixtures should always be selected before the work has been started. The combination of the elevated flush tank and the porcelain water closet bowl sealed the doom of closed work and gave to the world the then most sanitary appliance of its kind. Although still extensively used the elevated tank has two close competitors for popularity, the " low-down tank " and the " flushometer," the former being more frequently seen. Since its appearance on the market, the syphon water closet, which is made in many forms, has gradually gained precedence until now it leads all o — : 1 The small fittings are made ol white enamel which is easily kept clean Towel racks and hooks should be firmly The enameled toilet bottles are sanitary, attached to the wall and their contents unmistakable STCoa. TO TO Co TOa ¦-h CD a aa. a CoTO Plumbing and the Bathroom 141 others in numbers used as well as in points of excellence. One of the latest types of syphon closets is supported by the piping and wall with no part touching the floor. All bathrooms should have a local ventilating pipe of at least twenty-five to thirty square inches cross-section, preferably back of the bathtub but convenient of access and continuing through the roof starting near the floor. Its inlet should be supplied with a damper register and continued inde pendent through the roof. It may be galvanized iron all the way, although preferably it should be connected to a regular flue, paralleling and in the same chimney with a flue heated by the kitchen range, furnace or the like. Do not permit any iron or steel to come in contact with marble. If there is enough moisture about to cause the rusting of a nail head, against which a piece of marble is resting, the rust will in time penetrate through to the other side of the slab, even though it be an inch or two thick. This' is what causes the rust colored spots often seen in marble slabs, not infrequently they come from wrought iron basin clamps which were used instead of brass ones. Do not change your mind at the last moment and put in some misfit fixture where the pipes are offset outside the tiling to match a change whereby an otherwise beautiful, sanitary bathroom is disfigured. Do not install any fixture which creates a dust pocket, without leaving sufficient room to remove the dirt. Thus, the shower sink should always be lowered to the level of the floor or built up around it, else it will other wise accumulate dirt. Do not forget that what was satisfactory plumbing twenty-five years ago would not be considered to-day and that the best we have to-day will be none too good for to-morrow. This is one department of house building where it pays to do it correctly in the beginning and save money and get better satisfaction ever afterwards. Mark Dean. ** The towel rack can be of opal glass, with white enamel ends and brackets THE CHILDREN'S ROOM In the nursery there must be a place for everything, and this arrangement provides those necessary places. Note the nest of tables, the toy box, the shelves and the row of plants out of reach of small hands DECORATING THE CHILDREN'S ROOMS WHEN there are children in a household, their sleeping quarters, next to the' owner's rooms, are the important feature of the second-floor plan, taking precedence over rooms reserved for other members of a family and guests. At an early age, each child is, if possible, given a room to itself, easily accessible from that of parent or Rounded edges in the new playroom furniture forestall accidents. Such a set is of light weight and yet serviceable nurse Such a room is frequently small, but good ventilation is secured through careful planning. A southwestern or southeastern exposure is preferred, as giving the most sunlight. There are usually windows on two sides of the room. Occasionally a sleeping porch is an adjunct. If the sleeping room must be used also as a day nursery — not a desirable com bination — the porch, with a high parapet, serves as outdoor play-room or winter exercise ground for a very small child. 145 146 Inside the House of Good Taste m,q • , „_- *« Z'Lt UK * ¦ •% ' ¦ "i J VH^ •¦f-'-MJ "'""1 ^ ^^- A Ak Masculine in character, a boy's room should be decorated according to his own devices. In this instance excellent selection has been exercised In this combined bedroom and study, simplicity and repose are acquired by the stained studs, burlap walls and neutral tints Decorating the Children's Rooms 147 Ensuring good ventilation in the winter, without exposure of the child to boisterous breezes, the device of fitting windows with frames covered with white cotton cloth is beginning to be adopted, and since, in this system of ventilation, not one window alone, but all the windows of a room, are open at night, the air is kept perfectly fresh, while still heated. In addition to the location of the child's room, principles of hygiene govern also its structural features, decoration and furnishing. Groups of The joy of this playroom arrangement is the house-like alcove. Inside is room enough for a table and two chairs — a duck of a place for school and. tea parties windows give abundant -light and air, as well as a pleasing effect. A fire place, where stories are told and small toes warmed before bedtime, becomes, if the cost is not prohibitive, not only an aesthetic advantage, but the best of aids to ventilation. Built-in wardrobes often take the place of closets, a large mirror on the outside of a door being set low enough for a child's use. Or a temporary cupboard — merely a partition in a sloping roof, with hooks set low behind it — serves for a child until a full-sized wardrobe is grown up to. A window seat is an especially desirable structural feature. It is low enough for comfort, and is either a box couch or, better yet,, a seat with drawers beneath it to serve for storing clothes or toys. Floors, commonly of hard wood, are given a finish that is easily cleaned and not slippery. Rugs are invariably washable. Braided rugs or those woven of new cretonne with patterns showing ducks or dragons are often 148 Inside the House of Good Taste chosen. Woodwork in the most hygienic room is painted in white enamel or some pale color. Walls are painted in a flat oil tint, easily disinfected in case of contagious disease. Or the walls are painted in water color and a new coat is frequently applied. Parents who prefer a figured wall cover ing indulge in Mother Goose or Kate Greenaway wall papers, though these or any papers have the disadvantage of needing frequent renewal if strictly This boy's room, once a store room, was formed into an attractive study by utilizing the built-in bookcases hygienic conditions are insisted on. Fabric as a wall covering is considered quite unsuitable, as it can become a possible harborer of disease. Draperies are as few as possible, and very simple. Shades and one set of thin curtains, easily laundered, usually form the window treatment. Dotted or barred Swiss muslin, cheesecloth, unbleached muslin, Japanese crepe and plain or figured linens are among the fabrics selected, the cost and effect having no apparent relation. — . j _ , Japanese toweling framing the windows, with a narrow- Valance, ..is. some times seen, when the same material is used for dresser covers, and perhaps for summer coverings upon chairs. If over curtains are desired, chintzes in gay flower and bird patterns will be found especially suitable. Next to the strict cleanliness of hygienic surroundings, in the planning of the child's room, comes the educational value of environment, beauty of form and color, an atmosphere charged with culture and aesthetic charm. Decorating the Children's Rooms 149 The hours between bedtime and sleep, between awakening and getting up, are probably the most impressionable of the child's day. To select a scheme in which walls and woodwork, furniture draperies and decorations are all considered as a harmonious whole is to make excellent use of the best of opportunities. Since the child loves color, full colors — not subdued tones and shades — For a boy's room a dormer offers all kinds of possible arrangements, as here, where the boy has ample comfort and elbow-room are used. Oriental combinations, the beautiful and high-keyed greens, blues and red of Chinese pottery and costumes are, perhaps, taken as guide, or the primitive coloring found in old North German interiors and in Swedish handicraft, is used as a suggestion. Actual bits of fabric, paper and wood may help in realizing a color scheme, effects being tried on in the room itself. This is a good method to follow, as differences of aspect and lighting make in two locations the same color scheme appear vastly different. In providing furniture for a child's room there are at least two ways open. One is to make use of pieces of furniture usually to be found in attic or storeroom, harmonizing them with paint or stain ; the other, to buy one of the newly designed child's suites of furniture to be found in the shops. If there are time and taste at hand sufficient to procure good results, the former method is one advisable to follow, for a full-sized set of furniture can be 150 Inside the House of Good Taste bought later for the big boy or. girl. The other way, to buy a small set, has the advantage of assuring furniture fitted to its owners, adding to the comfort and happiness of small persons who feel lost among the large pieces suited to grown-ups. A third way is sometimes followed by the lover of the antique, who picks up small chairs, stands and dressers, perhaps designed for small children of a hundred years ago, at an antique shop, or making occasional visits to the second-hand shops abhorred by the conven tional, finds treasures of mahogany or cherry, small enough for a child's use, that, done over and disinfected, prove pretty and appropriate. Country attics and barns are another gbod source of supply, and the quaint types of cottage and farmhouse furniture, the small chairs, tables and dressers found in country places make an admirable setting for the quaint type of child. The cost of furnishing a child's room, of course, varies greatly. Furni ture may often be purchased It a factory, or at a retail shop connected with it, or at sales in a large city, at quite reasonable prices. A newly designed set, on the other hand, of mahogany or Circassian walnut, may be as costly as is large furniture of the same grade. For draperies or curtain materials the cost also may vary greatly. The English linens in white, with flowers and birds in gay colors, cost about a dollar and a half a yard, and can be had also in gray-blue and other colors, with figures in white. An imitation in quaint, flowered pattern costs sixty-five cents the yard. An attractive, yellow madras costs a dollar and a quarter a yard. Small bird patterns — since children are fond of figured designs it is as well to give them the preference — in the newly revived chintzes printed from old blocks, cost about one dollar and fifty per yard. Japanese crepe is to be had at reason able prices at Oriental shops, and Japanese toweling, making a pretty side curtain and valance for a group of windows, can be found at any depart ment store at ten cents a yard. Scrim is always a pretty curtain material in an inexpensive scheme, as is dotted Swiss. Cheesecloth is astonishingly pretty, and may be stenciled in some simple repeat pattern. If a drapery is desired for a closet doorway or as wind shield at the foot of a crib, a home-made piece of embroidery in a bold applique is much en joyed by children, and is not difficult to make. A wind shield of unbleached muslin was recently made for a small boy, its design of a castle, with primi tively drawn bushes and winding road, adapted from a tapestry design by Harvey Ellis. The castle is an appliqued piece of silesia, whose stone gray came the nearest to castle color of any of the scraps of material in a piece- bag that furnished the color scheme, while bits of emerald and gray-green silk made the trees and bushes. The distant hills were bits of purple and deep-blue silk, and the setting sun a gorgeous bit of flame-colored ribbon. The border, including the child's name, was appliqued in silesia, dull side out, and the outlining was done in dull-brown silk. Tied to the foot of a Decorating the Children's Rooms 151 crib with silk cord this shield makes an amusing and effective design at the cost merely of the time of the draughtsman and embroiderer. A room showing effective Use of the odd pieces of furniture usually found about a house in attic or store-room was recently fitted up for a three-year- old graduate of the nursery. The room has a western exposure and is lighted by a group of three windows, which, since the outlook is open, give An elaborate built-in bookcase and desk such as this is expensive, but often the boy who has a knack for tools can build it himself adequate air and a flood of afternoon sunlight. In winter these windows are fitted with muslin-covered frames, and are all kept open. The curtains are of unbleached muslin. The woodwork was painted a creamy white. Below the picture rail — a flat molding — the walls are painted a pale gray in water colors ; above it a light cream color was applied. A squirrel design was stenciled in two corners of the room, the line of the creature's tail following the angle of the roof line, and the color repeating the gray of the lower wall. The floors, of hardwood, were stained a greenish gray. The rag rug, made from terry, is also gray green. 152 Inside the House of Good Taste As the room is used merely as a sleeping place, the furniture needed was of simple character. An old drop-leaf table, a small rocker and a dresser were the only pieces, with the exception of the child's crib, considered absolutely necessary. Being of indifferent and inharmonious finish, table and dresser were painted a warm, cream color, several coats being applied, each rubbed down with sandpaper. Flat paint, not enamel, was used, giving a dull finish. A scarlet line was painted on the table top, encircling it about six inches from the edge, and the end panels of the dresser were treated in the same way. A Japanese stencil was used to apply a design of rabbits in the corners of the table top, inside the line, and the same design was put in the dresser panels. In both, scarlet paint was used. The rocker, certainly seventy-five years old, was picked up in a country woodshed for a quarter of a dollar. The rush seat cost a dollar, and was woven by a country craftsman. The chair was painted scarlet, like the stencils, a warm Japanese red, with plenty of yellow in it, which took the amateur decorator some time to procure, by mixing, but proved uncommonly satisfactory when finally attained. The bed, a crib with brass knobs, was given a coat of creamy paint to make it match the other furniture, and the brass knobs were remorselessly covered with the rest, doing away with a discordant detail commonly thought inevitable. A decorative note is given to the room by some small Japanese prints of birds and animals that cost, bought of a Japanese importer, twenty-five cents apiece. They were passe-partouted in gray green, and for hanging them bright scarlet cord was found in an embroidery shop. The silk cord is sus pended from two points, giving two vertical lines that repeat the color of the furniture stencils. Blossoming geraniums in little pots lend an added touch of scarlet, as well as of gray green, accenting the color scheme. Very simple, with nothing superfluous, this little room is a hygienic place for sleep, with cheerful and harmonious surroundings for its small owner when he wakes up of mornings. A moderately-priced set of furniture designed for a child's room is being shown in the shops. These pieces are reproductions of Colonial models, built in mahogany, with a beautiful dull finish. In size they are only slightly beneath the normal grown-up size, ensuring comfort for small owners, while they will not quickly be outgrown, as is the extremely small furniture that, because of its short-lived possibilities of use, is not practical for ordinary householders, however charming its Lilliputian effect. There are small-sized Colonial style chairs and rockers that go well with this, and a small chintz- covered screen. Little Chinese hour-glass chairs go well with mahogany, and cost one dollar fifty each. Since they are very small, they do nicely for a child's first chair. A pretty, white-painted set in dull finish is of very plain design and quite Decorating the Children's Rooms 153 small, the bedstead costing fourteen dollars, the dresser seventeen fifty, a chiffonier with glass, fourteen fifty; without glass, twelve dollars. The bedstead has a picture inserted in the headboard. A white maple set put on the market last season is finished in enamel. The bedstead, dresser, toilet table and two chairs are sold at ninety dollars, and the set is an uncommonly attractive one for a girl of from six to fourteen years, as it is not very small, and is extremely good in design. For the small boy's room the style known as Mission proves durable and pleasing. In the best makes of this style, the original models, not the. debased imita tions, there are wardrobes, bedsteads and dressers fitted specially to the needs of the child, and their warm, brown coloring when built in oak, or cool gray if maple was the wood employed, gives pleasing results with woodwork and wall coverings planned in harmony. A plain furniture that comes from Boston is very reasonable in cost, and its freedom from super fluous ornament is refreshing. Children's arm-chairs and rockers in this make cost four dollars and twenty-five cents and four dollars and fifty cents, respectively, while a little reproduction in chestnut of the famous Windsor chair model comes at two dollars, and a round chestnut table of thirty-inch diameter costs three dollars. Iron cribs procured of this Boston manu facturer cost from about ten to thirteen dollars, with from two dollars for a " soft top " to nine dollars for a horse-hair mattress. An oak screen with burlap covering can be had for six dollars. A brass bed for a child costs usually about twenty-five dollars, including a hair mattress. Rugs are woven by the women who still, in smaller towns and villages, keep up this handicraft, for about twenty-five cents a yard, if material is furnished. Rugs woven from cretonne are sold in the shops in all sizes, a rug three by six feet costing, in a duck design that appeals to a child, about three dollars. If there is much ornament in a room a plain rug is preferable. In planning the child's room, pictures and decorations, as well as the colors of walls, woodwork and furniture, are selected with all possible regard to the chosen color scheme. The- plain walls of the hygienic room need pictures, and there are the best of pictures to choose from ; the color prints that come to us from several different nations. The most interesting and harmonious collection of prints is, however, that taken from one source. If photographs of Madonnas from Italian old masters are desired, then several of them of about the same size and tone adorn the walls. If German color prints are decided upon, it is found that a few of these, and these only, give a unified effect. Japanese color prints of birds and animals, combining truth to nature with beautiful color and line, are, it is discovered, seen to best advantage when not combined with English puppy dogs ; while English color prints are often effective if seen alone, their conventionally pretty children 154 Inside the House of Good Taste do not show their charm placed on the same walls with Japanese or German prints. In the selection of prints it often happens that subjects not specially designed and advertised for children's delectation are the best to choose for . them. The friezes or single-color prints abounding nowadays, of dreadfully ordinary Dutch, English or French children disporting in rather inane fashion are perhaps enjoyed by tiny children; they are, however, soon The psychology of a child lies behind a room planned along these lines : their stories are realized in the furniture and decorations outgrown, and are unspeakably wearisome to either large or small persons of intelligence. A really good print gives a child lasting pleasure, becoming, perhaps, a life-long friend. A merchant vessel in full sail on mid-ocean, a certain German print, beautiful and inspiriting in color, was lately chosen for a small boy's room, gladdening the heart of the boy and giving a pathway for his imagination to wander upon. Others of these sea prints, the seaport towns with boats, the castles on crags above winding ribbons of rivers, look to the American child like fairy-tale illustrations, and, while they are vastly satisfactory to their small owners, are also of lasting value from an artistic standpoint. For a dado around a room at about a three-foot height there is nothing Decorating the Children's Rooms 155 more satisfying than the Walter Crane picture books. The new edition in paper covers is to be had for twenty-five cents the copy, and all the old fairy tale favorites — Cinderella and Puss in Boots, and the others — -may be framed or merely pasted on the wall and varnished, so that they are easily passed in review while their small owners are putting on shoes and stockings. The Boutet de Monvel picture prints make even more interesting color ar rangements than the English artist's books, though not, perhaps, so fascinat ing in subject to the ordinary child. Japanese prints, the antique ones es pecially, that are tall and narrow in shape, form striking decorations, though not so pleasing to a child as the modern birds and animals. Louise Shrimpton. With broad steps set in a bay, the nursery has an excellent play corner, and the children an opportunity to look out upon the world o» IA At s MM