During the first years after the last War doors, in shining satin, give a luxurious many decorators ceased to stock red appearance to bedrooms, where the same damasks or bright green silk, deciding that satin in peach or pale blue makes the head they would never be asked for again. Yet, in a short space of time the interior and footboard of the bed. decorator has reverted to bright-surfaced Explore The Thought satisfying shades of the Regency period. textures—satin, brocatello in all the Beautiful homes have been achieved in Shanghai by women who have really made "Eminence purple," "Naples yellow," up their minds what they are aiming at. "Royal blue," and "Rose clu Barry" are Decorative woods, magnificent materials. once more. exquisite objets d'art, and—perhaps most From the cement-coloured rough tweeds, important of all—uns craftsmen the unbleached linens, and the natural hair are at the disposal of the homemaker, and Colours of the last ten years, upholstery it is by no means always the deepest purse and floor coverings seem veering to their which gets the best effects. opposite. But success in upholstery depends It is necessary, however, to take a great things—subject, material and deal of thought, and not to depart by one The third—the most frequently hair's breadth from plans once decided forgotten where curtains and upholstery are concerned—is by no means the least on, be the temptation never so strong. important.
Wheel The Sofa Round not enough to have evolved a good colour scheme and to have chosen suitable A decorative problem which many apart-fabrics for it; if these fabrics are ill-made-inerí dwellers especially have to face is up the loose covers fit badly and the hospitable grouping of furniture in a room windows are without their appropriate where there is no fireplace. Several smart canopies or valances over curtains whi interiors solve it by making the sofa the in the sempstresss scornful phrase, ptm centre of interest and placing chairs and not made but bagged-up'." small tables conveniently near by., The The elegance which died at the end of Sofa is selected because it is usually the the Regency period is the inspiration of largest and most comfortable piece in the modern furnishing fashions, and the types room. of furniture of a" century ago require Preferably, the sofa is placed along the fabrics. of suitable texture, and design longest wall of the room; if possible the patterned in simple but traditional motifs. one opposite the entrance. There should Expressed in one-colour woven pattern on be space for a pair of end tables on which artificial satin, or on rayon ninon for to place lamps, flowers and books. In window curtains, materials patterned in front of the sofa a low coffee table suggests similar fashion may be used in conjunction hospitality and is convenient. There are corded silks for so many varieties to choose from.
To complete the ensemble a pair of easy chairs may be placed in front of each end Polis la plain tad pettemed aile, swing pire embrasses, table and facing the coffee table, and if you want to give the grouping the old-over a heavy wooden pole, the lambrequins fashioned air now so much in vogue, a edged with fringe, falling over the top of hassock near by is effective. the curtains of tall sash or French windows.
In the long wall space above the sofa Material Comes Before The Work the largest picture you have will show to advantage, or several smaller pictures may be used. These should be hung in a row French Empire furniture, in white and just about on eye level; and they should gold, or Regency ebonized chairs, with be uniformly framed and of similar sub-their gilt-bronze mounts, require a certain Jects, such as flower prints, landscapes, or richness of texture in their accompanying old lithographs if one's taste runs that way. draperies, but not richness of floral pattern.
Excellent, too, is a hanging—a piece of Brightness does much to enhance the com-Chinese embroidery or an old Indian or men nite painted wrought Eon, Paisley shawl. Even a fine piece of silk furnishings of white- wrought iron, or a printed linen can be made into. a attenuated furniture or tables constructed wall hanging—a fine silk carpet is especially entirely of looking-glass. beautiful.
With modern pieces of today's style in a Mirrors if fairly large and attractively girl's sitting-room, a garden loggia, or framed make effective accessories to a sofa any informal surroundings, the white-lastered walls and uncbislatvely matted, ensemble. A small rug placed in front of may be enlivened by inexpensive! the sofa will unify the group. cotton fabrics of pillar-box red. Scarlet Well Worth The Winning Turkey fabric, called in France Adrianople, O bed! O bed! delicious bed! has been seen thus used in Paris. The red That heaven upon earth to the weary head! divan cover is accompanied by curtains of ihe same material, tied back with heavy sang Thomas Hood. A comfortable bed is white cotton cords; there are white bind-indeed a possession to be cherished and ings and pipings to the loose covers, and, up kept with due expenditure arid care. strange as it may sound, a table cover. The The time which the average mortal spends table cover, provided with a deep, valanced in bed is always being computed with most frill, is for the small circular pedestal impressive results. Therefore have a good bed. The descent of the dollar need not table. At the windows are long curtains much worry the homemaker in this case, in white tatting. for the Chinese duck has remarkably soft and light feathers if plucked from the right Love Everything That's Old place, and a pillow or quilt filled by this Feminine fashions have recovered faith good bird is not far off from being the in frills, in Swiss embroidery collars, and equal of those aristocrats which owe their "worked muslin," and in petticoats. A origin to the Arctic seas. There is also similar transformation is taking place in ihe excellent bed covering which is dés-the surroundings of young women who, conded from the Chinese padded quil&—for the first time, see themselves in veils etherealized by using silk waste or kapok and hairnets, with swinging skirts, and as filling. The most soul-satisfying covers what can really be called a waist. Various may be given to these quilts and warmth recent plays in London have familiarized is no less warm because it has cost you a their audiences with the once despised relatively modest sum instead of a fortune. walnut furniture upholstered in repp, and If you want to modernize an old-fashioned bedroom economically, try paint-results are visible everywhere.
'A reaction has set in from the cubes, ing walls, ceiling and furniture in the same squares and triangles that patterned with shade, giving a contrasting colour to the "abstract" design the fabrics of the modern bed. (Furniture of the same colour as the walls, incidentally, helps to make a room, filled with tubular steel furniture small room seem larger.) An alternative and diversified with those square pieces of upholstery that once clustered around suggestion to painting the bed is to fit its head and foot with slip covers to match the electric fire. It is to the principles of Baroque, not to those of Lo Corbusier, that the chintz or linen curtain material. the upholsterer turbs today. The guiding principle of this style (whose name may Some Happy Changes Gerive from the shape of those large Fireplaces are often the betes noires of distorted pearls so prized in the jewellery of the Middle Ages) is irregularity and modern homemaker.
With curtains of satin the pelmets and try. can be made to work miracles. By simply Óorming a box with the existing shelf as draperies must be of velvet, draped the top, a simple and pleasant fitting can from a wooden cornice pole, edged with be constructed which will harmonize with by ropes with tasselled ends. Thick twisted e or gimp, and perhaps ca any room. Plywood again can be used for creating those entertaining alcoves and cords in silk or metal are prominent in niches which, lighted appropriately, can such curtain arrangements. Sometimes make a great difference to a room. A they appear as the motifs of printed fabrics complete corner can be done away with, themselves, on linen, or on chintz, sí enclosing a triangular space, say, two feet out in relief on a closely quilted ground. in depth, and in the plywood any form of Padded panels in actual fabric, or repeated niche, alcove or false window installed. in printed patterns on wallpaper and, This treatment produces a very greatly another revival- of past fashion, padded increased sense of space.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.