Part 2

The dining-room is adjoined by the serving-room, which connects with the kitchen, affording a quick and direct line of service.

It is suggested that the room be wainscoted in oak to a height of seven feet, with rectangular panels formed by very flat rails and stiles, without any panel moldings. A wide plate-rail forms the cap of the wainscot, affording a place to put bits of china and old pieces of pewter or copper. Above the wainscot the plaster is sand-finished, as is also the ceiling, and at the intersection of the ceiling and side walls a cornice is carried around the room. On the north side is a large fireplace, which is a necessity on a rainy day to make breakfast cheerful and the room comfortable. It is built of light gray Caen stone, which has almost the appearance of limestone. It is imported in blocks and is soft enough to be worked into a variety of shapes. The hearth has a curb border, raised an inch or two above the level of the stone hearth in order to retain the ashes better. A heavy carved casing is carried around the stonework of the fireplace, surmounted by a carved shelf supported on heavy brackets.

French doors are an essential feature in the dining-room because they permit it to be shut off from the hall and kept warm, and they prevent interruptions during the dinner hour. As they are of glass, they afford a view into the hall--a very attractive feature, which does away with that feeling of oppressiveness experienced sometimes from being shut up in a room with solid doors of wood. The floor is of oak, filled and given two coats of a finish which has a dull luster and enough elasticity to make it durable. The floor should be of a shade that is not too light or so dark that it readily shows the dust.

Opposite the fireplace is a position for the sideboard and there is wall space enough for a china-cupboard although I should prefer to omit this cumbersome piece of furniture, which everybody shuns with the admonition of childhood still ringing in his ears, "mustn't touch." Near the door to the serving-room is the proper place for the serving-table, and there remains plenty of wall space for chairs. By referring to the plan the position of these pieces of furniture will be made more clear.

The decoration of this room is a simple problem. On the floor there should be a rich-colored rug with deep reds in it, strong enough to afford a foundation for the dark sturdy Flemish furniture and the dark finish of the wainscot. Above the wainscot, the sand-finished ceiling and side walls should be sized and painted with three coats of oil paint of a dull golden shade which reflects a warm glow over the room when lighted. The rough texture of the sand-finish is well adapted for such use as this. Of course a frieze of foliated tapestry paper, or real tapestry, could be used with good effect, or even an oil-painted frieze representing a scene from medieval history is permissible. It is safe to say that all of these schemes would be good, though, of course, there would be a great difference in their cost. The radiator under the east window should be painted to match the color of the wainscot. To obtain the correct shade for this wainscot, the wood should go through several processes of staining. The first coat is a deep penetrating stain of burnt Sienna hue to form a mellowing base, similar to the warm colors the old masters used in their paintings. This makes a warm color to reflect through the succeeding coats of darker stain, each coat of which should be rubbed into the wood and any superfluous stain rubbed off, exposing each time the high lights of the wood's grain. The final coat should be a thin coat of wax or a flat-drying oil paint to give the wood a dull luster.

The furniture should be of the Flemish type, preferably a shade lighter or a shade darker than that of the finish of the woodwork, in order to give contrast. The dining-room table should be a modern extension table with heavy, turned legs, which would of course be repeated in the sideboard, serving-table and chairs. This type of furniture depends entirely for its beauty upon its plain sturdy lines and simple turnings. The chairs should have leather seats and backs, studded with copper nails. The brasses of the fireplace should be of odd design, and the electric lights and fixtures should be of old brass to add a touch of color to the dark wood finish.

It seems hardly necessary to mention that the lights of this room should be governed by an electric switch, and an electric bell on the table should ring a buzzer in the serving-room.

In the serving-room there is a counter shelf two feet eight inches high on each side wall, over which there are glazed cases with sliding doors to contain the china. Under the window there is a sink for the washing of fine china, glass, and silver, which should not go into the kitchen with the heavier dishes. Under the counter are cupboards and drawers and at one end a plate-warmer and a small refrigerator, in order that one may obtain a bite to eat late at night without having to go through the kitchen to the kitchen pantry--which is sometimes awkward if there is no servant's dining-room and the maid is entertaining.

The finish of the room would cost approximately $575 in selected white oak. The mantel alone is worth $80 and the wainscot about $300. The furniture for the room, made from detail drawings, would cost about $450 in oak and leather.

A. RAYMOND ELLIS

Decorating and Furnishing the Bedroom

In the bedroom the individuality of the occupant is more in evidence than in any other room of the house, as such rooms or suites are complete in themselves and need not necessarily be considered relatively. Where the house has the marked characteristics of any period the architectural detail of the wood trim in the bedrooms as well as that in the other apartments will, of course, express this and must in a measure influence the furnishings, but even under these conditions more latitude is permissible in the chambers than in the living-rooms.

A room in which no period idea is dominant may be made very charming, and the individual taste of the occupant may influence the entire scheme of decoration. A very dainty and attractive room is shown in the illustration on page 69.

The floral paper used on the side wall here is beautiful in color and design, and the crown of this has a cut out extension of flowers and leaves that is applied directly to the ceiling proper. The furniture of ivory enamel finish has been painted with clusters of the same flowers as those shown in the wall paper. Much of the green of the foliage in this design is repeated in the two-tone rug upon the floor. The curtains and bedspread are made of ivory white linen taffeta and bordered with four-inch bands of cretonne showing the same floral design as the side walls.

Much of the comfort as well as the attractiveness of a bedroom depends upon the arrangement of the furniture it holds. The space for the bed is usually indicated by the architect in the first drafting of the plans, and should be adhered to unless the room is unusually large. However, the other furniture may be arranged and rearranged until the right position is found for each piece.

Where a couch is included this may be placed near the window with the bookshelves conveniently at hand, or it may be set directly across the foot of the bed. The reading- or work-tables and easy-chairs should find their permanent place, as their proper grouping adds much to the livableness of any room.

The English idea of placing a dressing-table directly in front of a window is not especially favored here as we are loath to sacrifice so much of direct sun and air as the closed window would necessitate, although by such an arrangement we secure a good overhead light.

The placing of the lighting fixtures should also be given some careful study. Side or drop lights should be near the dressing-mirror, and a convenient stand or drop light, well shaded, should be placed near the head of the bed. And a well-arranged table light for reading and sewing is of great convenience in a large bedroom which is used at all as a sitting-room. However small the room, the light must be well arranged for the dressing-table. A central light for a bedroom is a very objectionable feature.

Light and crisp colors are more acceptable in the decorative scheme of the bedroom than any other room of the house. Where plain walls and figured cretonnes or chintzes are used in combination the latter should appear generously, that is, not only in valanced curtains at windows, but as slip covers, or cushion covers for chairs, window-seat, or lounge.

The old-time idea of a blue, a pink, a green, and a yellow room is falling into disuse, although any one of these colors may be brought out prominently in the scheme of the room, or, as is even more usual, all may be combined in either wall covering or drapery material. The dominant color should appear again in the plain or two-tone floor covering.

Plain and embroidered muslins for window draperies and covers for dressing-tables are effective and dainty, and by having two sets for a room it may be kept always delightfully fresh and clean, as these muslins launder well. A small coin-dot of color on a very sheer, though not fine, white ground can be purchased from 25 to 35 cents a yard and gives a dainty charm to a room in which it is freely used that few other fabrics at the same cost will supply.

Where the decorative scheme must be very inexpensively carried out, a floral paper on an ivory ground can be purchased for 25 cents a roll of eight yards. In these cheaper papers one finds a better selection in yellow and old rose than in other colors; greens, too, are usually soft and attractive. If plain colored over-draperies are desired for the windows these may be made from cheese-cloth which has been dyed to the desired shade, matching the color of the flower in the wall paper. It is not a difficult matter for the amateur to do.

There are now made some very attractive cotton crepes showing a variety of floral and other patterns. Some of these are beautiful in color and good in design, and, with plain tinted walls, a room in which the curtains and slip covers for cushions and pillows are made from this fabric is very attractive.

Old furniture may be revamped and given a fresh coat of ivory white enamel, and a central rug or a number of small rugs made after the old-fashioned rag carpet in one or two colors makes a satisfactory floor covering for use in such rooms. If the woodwork can be painted ivory white the scheme is more successful, as this is an important factor in the completed whole. In fact for bedrooms there is no better finish than the ivory white enamel. It is easy to apply and durable, and harmonizes with almost any scheme of furnishing one may desire to bring out in the room.

Attractive little shades for electric lights or candles may be made from bits of silk or even tissue paper, and, used in a room in which old rose predominates, the effect is charming, as the light showing through the rose color is very soft and pleasing.

MARGARET GREENLEAF

The Problem of the Bathroom

Only a few years ago, sanitary conveniences, which were very crude when compared with those of to-day, were considered luxuries; to-day they are necessities, demanded for our physical comfort and welfare. The old-fashioned Saturday tubbing was a much dreaded and messy event; but with sanitary house plumbing, bathing became a pleasure and a valuable adjunct to good health. It is, therefore, interesting to note the treatments of the present bathroom.