Cutting and draping

by John W. Stephenson

INTERIOR · GROUPING. COSEY · CORNERS. WALL-HANGINGS

That there is a knack in the selection and disposition of furniture beyond the haphazard placing of odd pieces inside four walls is a fact admitted by housekeepers generally. That this knack is possessed in a very limited degree by the average housekeeper is impressed again and again on the mind of the observant decorator.

We have heard the statement that houses decorated and furnished by the professional decorator lack that something—that indefinable charm—which can only be imparted by the touch of the homemaker woman. In other words, that man can make houses but woman makes homes. This is beautiful as a theory, but as a matter of fact the average drawing-room—woman’s particular care—contains enough incongruities to shock the artistic sense of the most liberal-minded of decorators.

The writer does not lay claim to any special dispensation of taste nor any extraordinary degree of artistic training, but he has seen scores of rooms which by their furniture selection and arrangement were a jumble of inarticulate profanity and defeated the purpose for which they were intended.

I have in mind the drawing-room of a wealthy dry goods merchant (who is something of a curio hunter), that is, considering the individual pieces, rich and sumptuous, but the assembled whole is such a conglomeration of style, design and color that it gives one the impression of a bazaar.

Another expensively furnished drawing-room which occurs to my mind imparts to the observer a feeling of strangeness. The various pieces are not only unrelated, but are so conspicuously separate in style and purpose that they are not even acquainted.

Then there are drawing-rooms that are so repellent because of their military austerity that the back of the visitor unconsciously stiffens and he feels that his entrance is presumptuous.

We have purposely drawn these descriptions in an exaggerated sense that we might in some measure give point to our statement that every room of a house should have as the fundamental purpose of its creation the comfort of mankind. And as man is many sided in his nature, having many moods and needs, these different moods create the necessity for a varying environment suited to the complexity of the hour.

Thus we have a sleeping-room, a dining-room, a reception-room, an entertaining-room, a cooking-room, and so on, each designed and furnished to create the atmosphere and stimulate the spirits of the occupant to the mood which the environment best serves.

The man who told his friend in confidence that the architect wanted to put a drawing-room in his new house, and he supposed he wpurposeould have to have it, though it was no earthly use to him, for he couldn’t draw a straight line, was in his way thinking pretty close to the line of purpose in home making, which should be the dominant factor in the furnishing of every room.

A sleeping-room should be not only provided with a bed and its complement of clothing, but in its location, furnishings and color theory should suggest restfulness, simplicity and repose. That this might be more easily produced, we would suggest the use of modified color and slight gradations of tone throughout, using a monotone or duotone carpet of a modified shade (a normal color is modified by the addition of white and intensified by the addition of black), a lighter shade of the same color introduced in the movable furnishings, as furniture and hangings, lighter shades still in the side-wall and frieze, and modified to the barest suggestion of a tint in the ceiling.

Avoid stimulating contrasts and keep to the same balance or modification of color where the slight contrasts are introduced.

For the living-room heavier colors and sharper contrasts may be introduced. But the same strength of color should be present in all contrasts, that the sense of balance be maintained. In the living-room will be assembled those with varied interests and purposes. So there will be present more or less of a jumble of different things which for the moment interest the various members of the circle. Consequently more license is permitted in the furnishings. But those things which by their design or construction suggest austerity or dignity should be forever banished from this room. In fact, we know of no room in the modern house where there is space to waste on furnishings which suggest or actually impart discomfort.

The dining-room should be cozily, even joyously, furnished with those colors and designs which suggest strength and satisfaction. No half-way colors or designs will answer here. The tones used must be full, rich, satisfying, and the furniture should complete the suggestion. The prevailing styles of dining-room furniture—particularly of the chairs—seem to have been purposely planned utterly devoid of comfort, that the occupant might not even for a moment be lulled into forgetfulness of the business at hand, but be urged to prosecute it with dispatch and seek comfort elsewhere.

Much the same thought seems to have established the prevailing styles of hall chairs and seats. Truly, if the chance guest who must needs occupy one of them until his identity is established should judge of the hospitality of the host by the comfort of these furnishings, he would make haste to depart while his wearied limbs could still perform their office.

The reception-hall and drawing-room are, perhaps, the two places most anxiously considered in the planning of the house. There seems to be a mistaken idea that these places, which are most seen by strangers, should be furnished as an advertisement of the financial standing of the owner. No matter how much the rest of the house may suffer, these places must be lavishly, even extravagantly, replete with everything that custom ordains as necessary to a stylish house. Against extravagance as to value we have no quarrel, provided all things are in keeping, but we do oppose the garish assembling of costly goods which do not make for comfort or beauty or utility. Have extravagance if you will, but not riot; luxury, but not profusion; comfort, but not stock display.

As to the arrangement of the various pieces of furniture we would strongly advise a study of nature’s scheme. Note the variety of shapes and sizes of the trees of the forest; the broken, sympathetic, undulating surfaces of undisturbed mother earth. Note how well acquainted and even familiar the various parts of the landscape seem to be; how the tall tree nods and reaches down to the short one and the low one reaches up to the high one; how the knoll sweeps gracefully down to the level glade and how the glade runs up to the knoll.

Everywhere is the charm of related variety and harmonious grouping of equalized differences.

Fig 133

Fig 134

Fig 135

Everything in nature is formed and placed for purpose, and here is the keynote of harmonious interior arrangement. For instance, here is a drawing-room with appropriate and well-chosen pieces of furniture. How then shall we arrange them?

Imagine the room peopled with a chattering gathering of average people. This stout all-over-upholstered armchair would be occupied by one of the portly members of the group, and as these persons would by contrast appear larger and more portly in contact with those of lighter build (a chance of comparison which they studiously avoid), we will dispose the heavier pieces of furniture, if not altogether removed from the lighter and more frail, at least with intermediaries between in the shape of pieces which possess, in a measure, the characteristics of both.

Preserve the balance of the room by distributing the weight much as you would if it were a disk revolving on a central point. If there is a mantel here on the left, over there somewhere on the right would be a good place for the upright piano. If the cosey corner is in the southeast corner, then the eye instinctively seeks a corresponding piece of capacious seat room in the vicinity of the northwest corner. Continue this thought. Seat your imaginary guests in négligé conversational groups, drawing some of the pieces confidentially near to each other, and you will in a great measure have solved the knack of pleasing furniture arrangement.

To reach this consummation we said that the articles were in the first place appropriate and well chosen, and this, of course, must be the basis of the furnishing scheme.

If we might, we would plead for greater simplicity in furniture selection, less of the garishness and more of the subpurposestantiality of goods built to satisfy and to last; not necessarily the cumbersomeness of Mission, but the pleasing styles of Sheraton’s work, where strength was clothed with grace of outline and disguised with unobtrusive ornamentation. We look for a style somewhat similar in character and purpose to grow out of the present Arts and Crafts and Mission, which have appealed so strongly to ornament-satiated appetites; that grace will be added to strength, and chaste ornament to simplicity of construction.

COSEY CORNERS.

All that has been said in regard to appropriateness in general furnishings is true in a concentrated sense of the cosey corner. Applicable and suitable in almost every room of the house, it should be all that the name implies. The simple desire for its possession should be no excuse for its introduction in a location where coziness or even comfort would be an impossibility. A cosey seat should never be placed in a position where its presence would constitute a nuisance, as before a window or in a doorway. It usually appears lonesome away from the wall, and as its atmosphere is retiring it should occupy the least conspicuous position. It is not intended as a single seat, and should therefore be fairly commodious but not oppressively large. And, above all, it should be comfortable.

As to color, the cosey seat and all other large upholstered pieces should follow the dominant color tone of the room, the contrasts being introduced in the smaller pieces.

We illustrate a few of the treatments which serve this useful purpose and conform to the prevailing thought in regard to style, shape and general utility.

Figure [133], one of the common types, is constructed of a bench seat, loose cushion, box pleated valance, and curtain back. In suitable covering this style could be introduced in almost any room of the house, but is most used for den, sitting and bedroom corners.

Figure [135] illustrates apurposen all-over-upholstered seat and back with bric-à-brac shelf. This style is capable of a great deal of elaboration and is much used for reception and drawing-rooms. Made with a polished wood frame instead of the stuff-over, it is much more dainty in rooms where the other furniture is delicate and of the show wood variety.

Figure [134] is a heavier type and more after the style of Arts and Crafts. Built to conform with the other furnishings, this style is very appropriate for dining-room, library, hall, club or den corners and lends an air of solidity to the room it occupies.

Fig 136

Figure [136] illustrates a den seat with over canopy—the seat is provided with a loose couch throw or cover and the canopy is made up of two scarf draperies and a pair of curtains with a shirred roof of a plain color to match the draperies.

There is opportunity for a great deal of ingenuity in the construction of these fitments, and by following the motif or theme of the general furnishing scheme of a room you will have little difficulty in evolving fitments that will not only suit their environment, but will be an artistic addition to the furniture of the room.

WALL-HANGINGS.

If the walls of a room are covered with a fabric there is usually less difficulty in working out a complete scheme of color harmony, and for that reason the use of fabric wall coverings is usually recommended by the decorator who undertakes the complete furnishing of a room or suite.

Although there are little tricks and wrinkles for the application of special fabrics to special places which are acquired by practice, in the main wall covering is quite simple.

In Figure [137] we show the plan of a room measured for covering. The walls are drawn as if they had been pushed out flat like the sides of a cardboard box. Each wall is measured separately, and the positions of doors, windows, recesses and projections accurately indicated on the plan by the proper measurements.

To cut the sections for a wall such as we illustrate commence with section 1 and each separate section is cut and matched to the preceding one, so that the pattern will be continuous around the room; this requires nice calculation to allow for the quantities of pattern that are consumed by the tacking and back tacking in the angles, but an allowance of two or three inches extra each way will usually be found sufficient to allow of the pattern being matched, provided the lengths have been cut at the same pattern.

Upright seams only are permissible in wall fabrics, and these should be as few as possible and perfectly plumb.

After having cut the first length with about three inches extra for handling, if the next length when matched would cut to waste, try one of the shorter lengths or two of the short ones together—if this still causes waste try the other end of the goods—never cut goods to waste until you have exhausted every expedient you know to avoid it.

Fig 137

Beveled wall strips, as Figure [138A], are placed at top, bottom and both sides of every separate space as well as around all projecting frames, as windows and doors; these are securely fastened to the studding by nails or screws, and all holes in the plaster covered with pasted paper to prevent dust sifting out.

The double lines of Figure [137] illustrate where beveled strips are necessary and provide for two in every angle corner and two also on the face of each projecting corner.

One of those, however, used in each angle, as number 2 of Figure [138B], is only temporarily fastened at first. Commencing with section 1 cover the walls first with shaker or canton flannel lining tacked smoothly and evenly on the strips, as Figure [138]; next spread the covering out, attaching it temporarily to the top strip until you get it in place, then commencing in the centre at X tack each way, keeping the edge straight and tight, but not stretched. Drop a plumb line from the top over the centre seam and stretch the seam down as the line indicates, tack it temporarily, and do this with all the seams; now pull down half way between the seams and tack permanently, halve the two spaces thus made and tack again and continue halving and tacking until the bottom is all tacked in place, taking care to stretch the goods so that the pattern is perfectly straight at the bottom.

Now stretch each side and tack it closely into the angles, as the tacks on strip number 1 must be covered by the thick edge of strip number 2, Figure [138B]; now take the loose strip number 2 which was removed to allow the tacks to drive close up into the corner.

After matching the exact part of the pattern which is to turn in of the next section, tack the marked edge of goods to the back edge of strip 2, nail the strip in place so that there is no gap between the two angle strips. Cover the wall with lining and stretch the cover across from the tacked side, fasten it temporarily and then commencing at the side which is fastened permanently tack across the top, keeping the top tight, but not stretched, stretch down and plumb the seams and finish as before.

The detail of procedure for Figure [137] would be as follows: Section 1 tacked all around. Section 2 back tacked at B stretched around C and to tack at E. Section 3 back tacked at E and stretched to F. Section 4 backed tacked at F and stretched around G to H. Back tack Section 5 at H, stretch to I. Back tack 6 at I, stretch to J. Back tack 7 at J, stretch around K and L to M. Back tack 8 at M, stretch to N. Back tack 9 at N, stretch around O to angle P. Back tack 10 at A, stretch around S to R. Back tack half of 11 at R and half at P, and stretch each to join at L, which has been chosen as the smallest place for a join to be made by hand.

Fig 138

Fig 138A

Fig 138B

Finish at top and bottom and around windows and doors with a gimp or molding, and the room is complete with continuous pattern and every tack concealed.