Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 36, Number 315, 20 September 1911 — Page 21
RICHMOND PAIXAIOTJM
YE 1 to 10 fiiFCC AND SUN-TELEGRAM.
1 . . - 1 - , . .. . . . RICHMOND, IXD., WEDNESDAY, SEPTE3IHER 20, 1911. ' , - :'. . , , : - . -- " . ',
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Copyrighted, 1111, by I. J. Robinson. yKB of the hopeful signs of fTj I the times Is the , improre-
the American home of today oyer, that of a few decades
ago. ' The key-note of this happy strain 1 simplicity, the substantial, unpretentious, honestly made and sparingly adorned , In all things, replacing the florid, iny-constrncted and over-ornate effects, which enjoyed a parsing popuoarity from the day when the perfection of machinery made elaboration of
detail easy, to the day when good taste
began to demand. In place of the facile, machine-made adornment, the simpler, band-wrought designs.
i Perhaps because America Is the land
(of invention, where mechanical con
jtr trances of every kind have been most abundantly perfected. It was tbe American home that suffered most from the
lease with which machinery could con
struct decoration. Thus it was that the
revolt against red plush and machine
carving, pink and green rose gar
landed rugs, silver massed with intricate flower designs, and other exhibitions of a taste for. all that glitters was here most marked resulting, at first, In a reversion to the heaviest and most crude effects, which gradually took on grace and lightness without losing simplicity. - ' It would be difficult to single out the Individual, or Individuals, .to whom belong the laurels as champions ' of the new order of things; for, as In all other revolutions of popular taste or sentiment, It was not the leaders who created the Ideal, actuating the masses.
but rather a growing ideal among the
masses that brought forth the leaders,
urging them forward as representatives.
William Morris is, of course, gener
ally recognized as the greatest prophet
of a day of growing grace in home
building and adornment, and Ruskln,
with those of tbe elect who hare re
ceived and understood his message, has
foreshadowed a time when the aesthetic should play a greater part in
our dally Uvea . -
The arts and craft movement in America, and the new art movement in Germany, both had the same end in view a general Improvement in public taste to a point where only welldesigned bouses, furniture, hangings and rug9 could be tolerated. There is a difference of opinion as to tbe American and German claims
of priority In this thought, but, at any rate. It is apparent that a relation exists between the arts, and crafts movement here and the new art movement abroad. It Is interesting to note how the efforts of 'he craftsmen have affected machine-made furniture, silver and rugs, which now equal craftsmen's
work In all the essentials of tasteful design" and chaste simplicity, while excelling it in general practical utility and reasonable price. That a school of American architecture and decorative art Is now In the process of formation is apparent to anyone who studies the pretty cottages and bungalows erected within the last ten or fifteen years, and the
rather low, wide-spreading type f house, favored at present even by the
wealthy builder.
Period decoration has Its friends and
prophets, of course, and many are its undeniable charms and advantages: yet to other students of home-making the connection between a Francis I. or
Louis XIV. interior and an American family, of Anglo-Saxon, Germanic or Hibernian descent, is not readily apparent. Some architects, : indeed, go so far as to design bouses, to fit the appearance and eharacter-f the occupants, even as one might thus design wearing apparel, and, after all, though a trifle extreme, the' idea is far from illogical. Many of the older and well-defined decorative periods, , however, offer a setting quite generally suitable to th'e average American family. Shereton, Chippendale, Adams, Happelwhite and William and Mary designs, in furniture, are of such a delightfully grace
ful and simple character as to be
almost universally acceptable. Colo
nial fashions, in architecture and furniture, are an adaptation of English and French designs also widely appropriate throughout the states, descended
from the colonies.
Often composite effects prove pleas
ing, a mingling of decorative elements
from different periods, if judiciously
handled, possessing both harmony and charm. Many decorators, in fact, advocate a not too strict adherence to
period, .claiming that to break up the
period o bit relieves monotony.
Color is an ever important factor in decoration and furnishing; for a color scheme, well chosen, will render -attract ire any but an exceptionally unfortunate selection, or collection, of household goods. . Soft, neutral tones for the large expanses, such as walls
ana floors, and ertn curtains and uphol
stery, relieved with bright bits of color In pottery, tapestry and pictures, is, perhaps, the happiest and most reliable arrangement.
Elaborate schemes Involving daring,
rich or brilliant colors, should be entrusted only to the expert, by whose
skilled bands they , may be 6afely ac
complished.
A not too lively shade of autumnal brown, for living room walls, is delightful with tbe many shades of oak
furniture, now so popular, such as fumed oak, mission oak, weathered oak or Flemish oak. Early English oak, slightly lighter and richer in tone, goes well with tapestry effects in mingled green and brown, leaf designs as a background in. the wall covering. With mahogany furniture, pale gray or gold, and white enamel, is very pretty for walls and woodwork, while Circassian walnut allows a background of dull rose or bluish hue. Dark oak is likewise handsome with rather brilliant blue, even a delft being permissible, though such strong colors are not generally advisable. In decorating and furnishing the home, it is well to bear in mind the variety
of colors and costume which season and occasion may assemble within its walls and to keep, the broader tones of living - room and dining room, at least, of so neutral a character as to afford a charming background for any well-chosen costume. Color and light are the main elements in determining
whether theatmospaere of an interior' shall be restful or annoying, and should at all times receive first consideration. Another important factor is the balancing of plain and figured surfaces. Wall paper, rugs, hangings, upholstery, all of a decided and different pattern, produce a most yiolent effect, in spite of good color. Monotone hangings, wall decoration, uphojstery and rugs.
on the contrary, with their unrelieved
plain ramces, tenet to produce fTfeel-! ing of monotony, though not of necessity depressing. A room otherwise in plain surfaces gains greatly in charm when relieved by Oriental rugs, embroidered cushions, in arts and craft, or Oriental patterns and rich colors, with an abundance of pictures and brlc:a-brac. After all, some of the best r effects in home adornment are an outgrowth of necessity, for often the woman who has little money to
spend must spend so , much mora thought upon her purchases, and all of her acquisitions must be so carefully considered, that the result is perfect harmony, brought about by an assembling of exactly the right and rightly chosen objects of adornment Perhaps it is this sweetest of the uses of adversity which Imparts to tbe simplest homes a cozy and homelike atmosphere, so often sadly missing In mor pretentions dwellings.
A complete line of Bed Rooms Suites . From $17.50 to $125
'Nicelv matched in
sian Walnnt, Birds Eye Maple, Golden and Mission Oak.
Parlor Suites in Mahogany or Oak from $25 to $75
25 different styles of Dining Suites From $37.50 to $150.00
We buy more, we sell more, we get more for our money, you get more for your moi ... ney. A reason : why our business doubles each year
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We give cash its due recognition, and we also sell you your "Home Beautiful" and let you pay us as you get your pay. See us before purchasing, always.
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925, 927 and 929 Main
Richmond's Leading Home Furnishers