CONTENTS
[CHAPTER I] HOW TO REARRANGE A ROOM
Method of procedure.—Inherited eyesores.—Line.—Colour.—Treatment of small rooms and suites.—Old ceilings.—Old floors.—To paint brass bedsteads.—Hangings.—Owning two or three antique pieces of furniture, how proceed.—Appropriateness to setting.—How to give your home a personal quality.
[CHAPTER II] HOW TO CREATE A ROOM
Mere comfort.—Period rooms.—Starting a collection of antique furniture.—Reproductions.—Painted furniture.—Order of procedure in creating a room.—How to decide upon colour scheme.—Study values.—Period ballroom.—A distinguished room.—Each room a stage "set."—Background.—Flowers as decoration.—Placing ornaments.—Tapestry.—Tendency to antique tempered by vivid Bakst colours.
[CHAPTER III] HOW TO DETERMINE CHARACTER OF HANGINGS AND FURNITURE-COVERING FOR A GIVEN ROOM
Silk, velvet, corduroy, rep, leather, use of antique silks, chintz.—When and how used.
[CHAPTER IV] THE STORY OF TEXTILES
Materials woven by hand and machine, embroidered, or the combination of the two known as Tapestry.—Painted tapestry.—Art fostered by the Church.—Decorated walls and ceilings, 13th century, England.
[CHAPTER V] CANDLESTICKS, LAMPS, FIXTURES FOR GAS AND ELECTRICITY, AND SHADES
Fixtures, as well as mantelpiece, must follow architect's scheme.—Plan wall space for furniture.—Shades for lights.—Important as to line and colour.
[CHAPTER VI] WINDOW SHADES AND AWNINGS
Coloured gauze sash-curtains.—Window shades of glazed linen, with design in colours.—Striped canvas awnings.
[CHAPTER VII] TREATMENT OF PICTURES AND PICTURE FRAMES
Selecting pictures.—Pictures as pure decoration.—"Staring" a picture.—Restraint necessary in hanging pictures.—Hanging miniatures.
[CHAPTER VIII] TREATMENT OF PIANO CASES
Where interest centres abound piano.—Where piano is part of ensemble.
[CHAPTER IX] TREATMENT OF DINING-ROOM BUFFETS AND DRESSING-TABLES
Articles placed upon them.
[CHAPTER X] TREATMENT OF WORK TABLES, BIRD CAGES, DOG BASKETS, AND FISH GLOBES
Value as colour notes.
[CHAPTER XI] TREATMENT OF FIREPLACES
Proportions, tiles, andirons, grates.
[CHAPTER XII] TREATMENT OF BATHROOMS
A man's bathroom.—A woman's bathroom.—Bathroom fixtures.—Bathroom glassware.
[CHAPTER XIII] PERIOD ROOMS
Chiselling of metals.—Ormoulu.—Chippendale.—Colonial.—Victorian.—The art of furniture making.—How to hang a mirror.—Appropriate furniture.—A home must have human quality, a personal note.—Mrs. John L. Gardner's Italian Palace in Boston.—The study of colour schemes.—Tapestries.—A narrow hall.
[CHAPTER XIV] PERIODS IN FURNITURE
The story of the evolution of periods.— Assyria.—Egypt.—Greece.—Rome.—France. —England.—America.—Epoch-making styles.
[CHAPTER XV] CONTINUATION OF PERIODS IN FURNITURE
Greece.—Rome.—Byzantium.—Dark Ages.—Middle Ages.—Gothic.—Moorish.—Spanish.—Anglo-Saxon.—Cæsar's Table.—Charlemagne's Chair.—Venice.
[CHAPTER XVI] THE GOTHIC PERIOD
Interior decoration of Feudal Castle.—Tapestry.—Hallmarks of Gothic oak carving.
[CHAPTER XVII] THE RENAISSANCE
Italy.—The Medici.—Great architects, painters, designers, and workers in metals.—Marvellous pottery.—Furniture inlaying.—Hallmarks of Renaissance.—Oak carving.—Metal work.—Renaissance in Germany and Spain.
[CHAPTER XVIII] FRENCH FURNITURE
Renaissance of classic period.—Francis I, Henry II, and the Louis.—Architecture, mural decoration, tapestry, furniture, wrought metals, ormoulu, silks, velvets, porcelains.
[CHAPTER XIX] THE PERIODS OF THE THREE LOUIS
How to distinguish them.—Louis XIV.—Louis XV.—Louis XVI.—Outline.—Decoration.—Colouring.—Mural Decoration.—Tapestry.
[CHAPTER XX] CHARTS SHOWING HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF FURNITURE
French and English.
[CHAPTER XXI] THE MAHOGANY PERIOD
Chippendale.—Heppelwhite.—Sheraton.—The Adam Brothers.—Characteristics of these and the preceding English periods; Gothic, Elizabethan, Jacobean, William and Mary, Queen Anne.—William Morris.—Pre-Raphaelites.
[CHAPTER XXIII] THE COLONIAL PERIOD
Furniture.—Landscape paper.—The story of the evolution of wall decoration.
[CHAPTER XXII] THE REVIVAL OF DIRECTOIRE AND EMPIRE FURNITURE
Shown in modern painted furniture.
[CHAPTER XXIV] THE VICTORIAN PERIOD
Architecture and interior decoration become unrelated.—Machine-made furniture.—Victorian cross-stitch, beadwork, wax and linen flowers.—Bristol glass.—Value to-day as notes of variety.
[CHAPTER XXV] PAINTED FURNITURE
Including "mission" furniture.—Treatment of an unplastered cottage.—Furniture, colour-scheme.
[CHAPTER XXVI] TREATMENT OF AN INEXPENSIVE BEDROOM
Factory furniture.—Chintz.—The cheapest mirrors.—Floors.—Walls.—Pictures.—Treatment of old floors.
[CHAPTER XXVII] TREATMENT OF A GUEST ROOM
Where economy is not a matter of importance.—Panelled walls.—Louis XV painted furniture.—Taffeta curtains and bed-cover.—Chintz chair-covers.—Cream net sash-curtains.—Figured linen window-shades.
[CHAPTER XXVIII] A MODERN HOUSE IN WHICH GENUINE JACOBEAN FURNITURE Is APPROPRIATELY SET
Traditional colour-scheme of crimson and gold.
[CHAPTER XXIX] UNCONVENTIONAL BREAKFAST-ROOMS AND SPORTS BALCONIES
Porch-rooms.—Appropriate furnishings.—Colour schemes.
[CHAPTER XXX] SUN-ROOMS
Colour schemes according to climate and season.—A small, cheap, summer house converted into one of some pretentions by altering vital details.
[CHAPTER XXXI] TREATMENT OF A WOMAN'S DRESSING-ROOM
Solving problems of the toilet.—Shoe cabinets.—Jewel cabinets.—Dressing tables.
[CHAPTER XXXII] THE TREATMENT OF CLOSETS
Variety of closets.—Colour scheme.—Chintz covered boxes.
[CHAPTER XXXIII] TREATMENT OF A NARROW HALL
Furniture.—Device for breaking length of hall.
[CHAPTER XXXIV] TREATMENT OF A VERY SHADED LIVING-ROOM
In a warm climate.—In a cool climate.—Warm and cold colours.
[CHAPTER XXXV] SERVANTS' ROOMS
Practical and suitable attractiveness.
[CHAPTER XXXVI] TABLE DECORATION
Appropriateness the keynote.—Tableware.—Linen, lace, and flowers.—Japanese simplicity.—Background.
[CHAPTER XXXVII] WHAT TO AVOID IN INTERIOR DECORATION: RULES FOR BEGINNERS
Appropriateness.—Intelligent elimination.—Furnishings.—Colour scheme.—Small suites.—Background.—Placing rugs and hangings.—Treatment of long wall-space.—Men's rooms.—Table decoration.—Tea table.—How to train the taste, eye, and judgment.
[CHAPTER XXXVIII] FADS IN COLLECTING
A panier fleuri collection.—A typical experience in collecting.—A "find" in an obscure American junk-shop.—Getting on the track of some Italian pottery.—Collections used as decoration.—A "find" in Spain.
[CHAPTER XXXIX] WEDGWOOD POTTERY, OLD AND MODERN
The history of Wedgwood.—Josiah Wedgwood, the founder.
[CHAPTER XL] ITALIAN POTTERY
Statuettes.
[CHAPTER XLI] VENETIAN GLASS, OLD AND MODERN
Murano Museum collection.—Table-gardens in Venetian glass.
Four Fundamental Principles of Interior Decoration Re-stated.
ILLUSTRATIONS
[PLATE I] Portion of a Drawing-room, Perfect in Composition and Detail.
[PLATE II] Bedroom in Country House. Modern Painted Furniture.
[PLATE III] Suggestion for Treatment of a Very Small Bedroom.
[PLATE IV] A Man's Office in Wall Street.
[PLATE V] A Corner of the Same Office.
[PLATE VI] Another View of the Same Office.
[PLATE VII] Corner of a Room, Showing Painted Furniture, Antique and Modern.
[PLATE VIII] Example of a Perfect Mantel, Ornaments and Mirror.
[PLATE IX] Dining-room in Country House, Showing Modern Painted Furniture.
[PLATE X] Dining-room Furniture, Italian Renaissance, Antique.
[PLATE XI] Corner of Dining-room in New York Apartment, Showing Section of Italian Refectory Table and Italian Chairs, both Antique and Renaissance in Style.
[PLATE XII] An Italian Louis XVI Salon in a New York Apartment.
[PLATE XIII] Another Side of the Same Italian Louis XVI Salon.
[PLATE XIV] A Narrow Hall Where Effect of Width is Attained by Use of Tapestry with Vista.
[PLATE XV] Venetian Glass, Antique and Modern.
[PLATE XVI] Corner of a Room in a Small Empire Suite.
[PLATE XVII] An Example of Perfect Balance and Beauty in Mantel Arrangement.
[PLATE XVIII] Corner of a Drawing-room, Furniture Showing Directoire Influence.
[PLATE XIX] Entrance Hall in New York Duplex Apartment. Italian Furniture.
[PLATE XX] Combination of Studio and Living-room in New York Duplex Apartment.
[PLATE XXI] Part of a Victorian Parlour in One of the Few Remaining New York Victorian Mansions.
[PLATE XXII] Two Styles of Day-beds, Modern Painted.
[PLATE XXIII] Boudoir in New York Apartment. Painted Furniture, Antique and Reproductions.
[PLATE XXIV] Example of Lack of Balance in Mantel Arrangement.
[PLATE XXV] Treatment of Ground Lying Between House and Much Travelled Country Road.
[PLATE XXVI] An Extension Roof in New York Converted into a Balcony.
[PLATE XXVII] A Common-place Barn Made Interesting.
[PLATE XXVIII] Narrow Entrance Hall of a New York Antique Shop.
[PLATE XXIX] Example of a Charming Hall Spoiled by Too Pronounced a Rug.
[PLATE XXX] A Man's Library.
[PLATE XXXI] A Collection of Empire Furniture, Ornaments, and China.
[PLATE XXXII] Italian Reproductions in Pottery After Classic Models.
"Those who duly consider the influence of the fine-arts on the human mind, will not think it a small benefit to the world, to diffuse their productions as wide, and preserve them as long as possible. The multiplying of copies of fine work, in beautiful and durable materials, must obviously have the same effect in respect to the arts as the invention of printing has upon literature and the sciences: by their means the principal productions of both kinds will be forever preserved, and will effectually prevent the return of ignorant and barbarous ages."
JOSIAH WEDGWOOD: Catalogue of 1787.
One of the most joyful obligations in life should be the planning and executing of BEAUTIFUL HOMES, keeping ever in mind that distinction is not a matter of scale, since a vast palace may find its rival in the smallest group of rooms, provided the latter obeys the law of good line, correct proportions, harmonious colour scheme and appropriateness: a law insisting that all useful things be beautiful things.