Chapter 2

44. For the lower floor he must arrange his colors so that while they moderate the direct glare of a sunny exposure or brighten the cheerlessness of a north light, they will also form a composition that pleases when seen from a point of common observation.

45. On the upper floors the scale of color should be gradually softened, for the yellow or ivory tints that are pleasing on the first floor would be harsh and glaring where there is greater light. Exterior conditions must be borne always in mind.

46. Recalling that the primary colors are yellow, red and blue, and that the secondary colors are orange, violet and green, and that the tertiary colors are russet, slate and citrine, all with many tints and shades, let us arrange a series of five rooms seriatim, so treating ceiling, side-wall and floor (See Diagram IX) that in passing from one room to another they will be in sequence of color harmony--each complete from floor to ceiling and all in harmony along the ceiling lines, the wall lines and the floor lines.

Let us take the suite of rooms suggested in Diagram IX. We must consider desirable colorings in all of the rooms to be treated, and so far as possible adjust the sequence of treatments, as shown in Diagram VIII, so that the approach to each room will be in harmonious order as viewed from any room. We have five rooms to treat. The library happens to be on the north side, hence we wish to treat it in colorings that supply the deficiency of sunshine. The hallway is rather dark. The living-room has only one window, and requires more warmth of color than the billiard-room and dining-room, which being sunshiny can be treated in more sombre tones. Therefore we select combination 6 for the hallway. The one room on the right we treat in No. 1. The rooms on the left we treat in Nos. 5, 4 and 3. We have, therefore, as we stand in room No. 6, treated in green, citrine and orange, a view to the right of yellow, orange and red, which is in harmonious juxtaposition. To the left we have a glimpse of rooms, the floors of which adjoining the orange floor of the entrance hall, are yellow, green and blue. The wall spaces adjoining the citrine wall space of the hall treatment are green, slate and violet. The frieze lines adjoining the green of the hall treatment are blue, violet and red--all juxtaposed harmonies. The floors of all rooms are of one deep scale; the walls lighter scale; the friezes and ceiling still lighter. If viewed from room 4 the harmonies are equally effective.

47. Diagram VII is useful for many reasons. In its present shape it shows the harmonies of analogy or related parts. To arrange harmonies of contrast, combine the colors of the first room with the fourth room, the colors of the second room with the fifth room, the colors of the third room with the sixth room. (See ¶ 37.)

#HARMONIES FOR THE ROOM#

48. The floor should usually enter into the color scheme as the low note in the scale. It is the background for the furniture, and should be deeper than the dado or wainscoting. The wood trims--baseboard, doors, plate-rails, and everything of that character, except the picture molding--should be like the woodwork of the furniture. This brings the woodwork into contrast with the wainscoting (unless the wainscoting be wood) and into harmony with the side-walls, although the degree of harmony is far removed. Thus, if the woodwork of the furniture is mahogany, the wainscoting green, the side-walls pink and gray, we would find the window trims of mahogany, or imitation mahogany, in harmony with the side-walls. (See ¶ 51 and ¶ 52.)

49. I would lay down the rule that the wood trims of a room should harmonize by analogy with the side-walls where such walls are provided with a contrasting wainscoting; but if there is no wainscoting, or the wainscoting be also of wood, then the wood trims and furniture contrast with the side-wall.

Substitute green side-wall for the pink, ¶ 48.

White woodwork is always permissible. Study Diagram VI on page 22.

50. The picture molding may harmonize with the ceiling. Indeed, a white picture molding frequently is better than one matching the general woodwork (See ¶ 37); a dark upper molding, moreover, reduces the apparent size of a room.

51. Where black furniture is used, or gold furniture, it will of course be understood that the wood trims shall not be black or gold; but so long as they are in harmony, that will be sufficient. White wood trims are nearly always permissible as a substitute for colored wood.

52. Tones of gray with soft colorings (See ¶ 32), are always safe.

To summarize (Note ¶ 37):

53. In harmonies of contrast the side-walls, the furniture woodwork, wood trimming, cove, ceiling and the curtains should be related.

54. The rugs, frieze, wainscoting or dado, furniture upholsterings and the curtain borders should be related. (See ¶ 49.)

55. If the curtains have no borders, then the curtains contrast with the wood trims.

56. Remember always cove and ceiling should be the palest tint of the side-wall color, and the rug should be of the deepest contrast to the side-wall, in harmony with the wainscoting, if there is a wainscoting. Remember, also, that the colors here prescribed are never to be of the same scale. The rug or carpet is of the deepest, and the ceiling of the palest. While certain colors are to contrast, they are not to contrast in the same scale. (See ¶ 37 and ¶ 40.)

57. If we find that the tone of color of the wainscoting, for instance, is a bluish green, the side-wall should be of a reddish orange; for the reason that if green contrasts with red, and if blue contrasts with orange, a bluish green would contrast with a reddish orange.

58. Exception to ¶ 56. Only large or well-proportioned rooms can stand the diminishing or reduction effects of contrast. In low ceiling rooms, leave out the contrasting frieze, and let border, cornice and ceiling be in receding colors. (See ¶ 89.)

59. We all know that a northern exposure gives a room a deficiency of sunlight, and the wall treatment should supply this. A southern room, on the other hand, gives so much sunlight that counteracting wall treatments in cold color are permissible.

60. In the color treatment of a room one has either to adopt a harmony of analogy or a harmony of contrast, and this is a matter which depends upon so many conditions that it should be carefully considered. (See ¶ 88 and ¶ 89.) Where a plate-rail is used one must remember that a great deal of color may be furnished by the bric-à-brac, and that the wall behind this plate-rail should be of a color in contrast to the contents of the plate-rail.

61. When we follow a scheme of _contrast_ the borders should be usually complements, and if the reader has studied our diagram he will very readily understand how to determine the exact complementary color.

#WALL PROPORTIONS#

62. The wainscoting or dado should be the same as the top border or frieze, but of a darker tone. The intermixture of white or black is always permissible; thus a paper as a side-wall might have as its frieze the complementary coloring with more white, while the wainscoting or dado should be the complementary with black added.

63. The cornice should be lighter than the border, and its members may show several tints, with the ceiling lighter still. (See ¶ 92.)

64. As a rule the color of the chair coverings should be the complementary of the side-walls, and the color of the furniture frames should be complementary to the wainscoting; so by following this rule we find that the wainscoting serves as a contrasting background to the chair frame.

65. Let us imagine a room wherein the side-walls are of a reddish tint; the wainscoting, being a complementary color, is of a greenish cast. The furniture is of mahogany, and in contrast to the wainscoting, while the chair covering, being greenish in contrast to the chair frame, is also in contrast to the side-wall. Here we have, then, the color relations of side-wall, wainscoting, furniture-frames and covering; but it is undesirable that these tones should be in the same scale. (See ¶ 62 and ¶ 92, also tables pages 42 and 43.)

{ { { _Furniture_: Large pieces, preserving broken { { { heights. { { { _Designs_: On walls, draperies and furniture { { { coverings follow rules of proportion. { { HIGH { _Color_: Subdued contrasts of somber tones { { CEILING { picked out in contrasts of gold, red { { { and orange. Masses of luminous color are { { { permissible in well-lighted rooms. Borders, { { { friezes, dadoes and wainscotings may be { { { used, and a bordered carpet or large rug { WELL { { in the low tone of the color scheme. { LIGHTED { { { { _Furniture_: Avoid high pieces, excepting as { { { relief to the use of many low pieces. { { { _Designs_: On walls, draperies and furniture { { { coverings follow rule of proportion, { { LOW { using perpendicular stripes to give height { { CEILING { effect on wall; avoid friezes, wainscoting, { { { dadoes. Carpet borders may be safely used. { { { _Color_: Subdued contrast of somber tones { { { picked out in bright effects; luminous { { { masses permissible. LARGE{ ROOM { { { _Furniture_: Large pieces, preserving broken { { { heights. { { { _Designs_: On walls, draperies and furniture { { { coverings follow rules of proportion. { { HIGH { _Color_: Softly luminous, soft orange, yellow, { { CEILING { green, sunshiny colors to give artificial { { { light, picked out with contrasting color. { { { Border, frieze and wainscoting may be used, { { { also carpet or large rugs in the low tone { POORLY { { of the color scheme. { LIGHTED { { { { _Furniture_: Low pieces relieved by some high { { { pieces. { { { _Designs_: On walls, draperies and furniture { { { coverings follow rule of proportion, { { LOW { using perpendicular stripes to give wall { { CEILING { height; avoid friezes, wainscoting or { { { dado; carpet borders may be safely used { { { in the low tone of the color scheme. { { { _Color_: Softly luminous, soft orange, yellow, { { { green, sunshiny colors to give artificial { { { light, picked out with contrasting color.

{ { { _Furniture_: Small pieces, relieved by small { { { high pieces. { { { _Designs_: Small, proportionate to the size { { { of the room. { { HIGH { _Color_: Use harmonies of analogy or related { { CEILING { parts and of a receding character, blue { { { or gray green, gray predominating; avoid { { { orange or red, excepting in the { WELL { { bric-à-brac. Small rugs. Horizontal { LIGHTED { { effects on walls. { { { { { { _Furniture_: Low pieces relieved by small high { { { pieces. { { { _Designs_: Small on draperies and furniture { { LOW { coverings; use perpendicular stripes to { { CEILING { give height effect on wall; avoid deep { { { friezes, wainscoting, dado or borders. { { { _Color_: Use harmonies of analogy or related { { { parts, of greens or blues, grays { { { predominating; avoid luminous colors--yellow, { { { orange or red, excepting in the { { { bric-à-brac. Small rugs. SMALL{ ROOM { { { _Furniture_: Small pieces, relieved by small { { { high pieces. { { { _Designs_: Small on wall and fabrics. { { { Horizontal effects. { { HIGH { _Color_: White in the woodwork gives artificial { { CEILING { light; use pale gray colors on wall, { { { slightly tinted green or yellow, faintly { { { relieved by red or orange--the stronger { { { colors only for the bric-à-brac. For the { { { floor avoid bordered carpets; use small { { { rugs. { POORLY { { LIGHTED { { _Furniture_: Low pieces. { { { _Designs_: Follow the rule of proportions, { { { with perpendicular stripes on wall, to { { { give height effect. Avoid borders on { { LOW { wall; use small rugs on floor. { { CEILING { _Color_: A preponderance of white in woodwork { { { and fresh gray on wall with a touch of { { { yellow and green in soft tones. { { { Contrasting colors only in bric-à-brac { { { and small details.

#ROOM PROPORTIONS#

66. In small rooms harmonies of contrast are unsafe, because contrasts must involve advancing colors, which make a room look smaller. (See ¶ 86 and ¶ 90.) Harmonies of analogy are far better; and as frieze, wainscoting and dado are not recommended in the small room, we suggest that the furniture woodwork and the wood trims should be of one color note, unless it is desired that the wood trims should be white; and that the side-walls, curtains and chair upholsterings should be of a note in some degree related and of receding color, picked out with just a touch of contrasting color. (See ¶ 90 and ¶ 91.)

This contrasting color may be introduced in the accessories, the pictures, bric-à-brac, flowers (natural or artificial) or books.

#DECORATIVE PROPORTIONS#

(SEE CHART)

On the preceding pages we present a quick-reference chart of rules that should be followed in furnishing rooms under various conditions of Light and Proportion.

67. A large room with high ceiling and well lighted. 68. A large room with low ceiling and well lighted. 69. A large room with high ceiling and poorly lighted. 70. A large room with low ceiling and poorly lighted. 71. A small room with high ceiling and well lighted. 72. A small room with low ceiling and well lighted. 73. A small room with high ceiling and poorly lighted. 74. A small room with low ceiling and poorly lighted.

There are two considerations to bear uppermost in mind: Proportions affected by Color and Proportions affected by Design.

75. It is easily understood that a large room may be safely furnished with large pieces of furniture, but where there is a wide expanse of floor space care must be exercised to secure broken heights: In a high-ceilinged room the furniture must not be all high; in a low-ceilinged room the furniture must not be all low.

Avoid straight line effects in the furniture heights and in the wall-paper, which, if in pronounced patterns, must balance in conspicuous wall members and show the broken junctures or bad matchings in inconspicuous or obscure corners.

#COLORS THAT GIVE SIZE TO A ROOM#

76. The wall and fabric designs must be of a size proportionate to the size of the room. The color treatment of a well-lighted room must be subdued to offset the glare of the natural illumination, and the natural illumination be subdued to soften the color treatment; glare must be avoided.

77. Advancing colors are colors which contain red or yellow in the ascendancy; _receding_ colors are those which contain blue in the ascendancy. Green in its purity, being half yellow and half blue, is almost neutral. In the same way violet, being made up of half red and half blue, is theoretically neutral, although the blue tone is usually more assertive than the red and makes the color recede. Any color or hue possesses advancing or receding qualities according to the ascendancy of red, blue or yellow in its composition.

78. Orange is an advancing color; so also is violet in the shades approaching red; green in the shades approaching yellow.

79. Of the tertiary colors russet is an advancing color, because while it contains some blue in the violet of its composition, it contains a preponderance of red and orange.

#ADVANCING AND RECEDING COLORS#

80. Citrine is an advancing color, because while it contains some blue in the green of its composition, it contains a preponderance of yellow and orange; slate is a receding color, because while it contains some yellow in the green of its composition, it contains a preponderance of blue; in the same way plum may be regarded as an advancing color, because of its preponderance of red; buff is an advancing color, because of its preponderance of yellow; sage is a receding color, because of its preponderance of blue.

81. The carpet should always be in the low tone, and in a small room a bordered carpet should be always tabooed. So also should one avoid the use of one rug so placed that a border of woodwork shows around it, because this gives the border effect and makes a small floor space look still smaller. Better use small rugs. The use of a lot of narrow rugs lengthwise along a narrow room will make the room look all the narrower, but the same rugs placed crosswise would make a room look wider.

The diagrams which we have prepared will give even the man who understands it all a quicker grasp of the points involved.

82. Width effect and distance effect are obtained best by arranging the smaller pieces at the farthest points.

83. It is the same with pictures. While a room should be balanced, and the pictures placed in a manner to give this result, it is best, where possible, to keep the larger pictures, larger effects, always near the eye. The crowding of large pieces at the farthest point diminishes the apparent size of the room.

#FLOOR TREATMENTS#

84. Continuous design in ceiling or carpet weakens the size effect; hence rugs which break the continuity by being laid across the room instead of lengthwise are preferable. (See Diagrams and ¶ 81.)

85. It is a safe rule to do a small or narrow room in harmonies of analogy or related colors, colors of a light tone and of receding character. Apart from any effect which color may possess decoratively or pictorially, its value cannot be overestimated in its application to the laws of proportion.

86. Borders may be safely used on the wall or on the carpet of any large room with high ceiling, but wall friezes should be avoided where the ceilings are low, for they foreshorten the height effect.

87. We would avoid borders on the floor of a small room to make it look larger, and we would use wide borders in a large room with a low ceiling so that the floor may be foreshortened.

88. One may utilize in a large, poorly lighted room masses of luminous colors to give artificial sunlight to the room deficient therein, but in the small, poorly lighted room this treatment should be avoided.

#COLOR SCHEMES FOR ROOMS UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS#

(TN: left page of two page table) KEYNOTE #B# #B# COLORS #B# #A# #Drapery# #A# #A# #Furniture# #Floor# #Border# #Wood Trim# #Wainscoting# #Side-Wall# #Coverings#

(Brown and gray tones) (Full tones)(Wood tones)(Deep tones)(Soft tones)(Soft tones)

Brown Yellow Mission Green Red Green Deep oak brown Orange Mission Blue Orange Blue Light oak Green Light oak Violet Yellow Violet Deep olive Blue Oak Red Green Red Mission tones of Violet Mahogany Orange Blue Orange slate Deep plum Red Violet toned Yellow Violet Yellow or tulip

(TN: right page of two page table)

#A# #B# #A# #B# #A# #Furniture# #Frieze# #Draperies# #Ceiling# #Cornice#

(Wood tones)(Soft tones)(Full tones)(Pale wash tones)(Pale wash tones)

Mahogany Pale green Red Palest green Pale yellow Deep oak Blue Orange Palest blue Pale green Gold, gray or Violet Yellow Palest violet Pale blue yellow Walnut gray Grayish red Green Palest red Pale violet Mission brown Gray orange Blue Palest orange Pale orange Gold or violet Yellow Violet Palest yellow Pale pink tone

Exception 1. The ceiling, where there is no pronounced cornice or cove, should follow the wall tint.

Exception 2. Independent of rule, a low ceiling should be in receding color.

* * * * *

It is impossible to tabulate directions for using color without an understanding of the conditions, the size, light and height of a room. (See pages 34 and 35.) The above tables relate only to normal conditions.

White woodwork can be used effectively in the trims of a room and give greater light and size. The darker the wood trims the smaller the room appears. We have left out of consideration the window treatments which, as a rule, should be of white lace, perhaps overdraped in colored stuffs. If the room is poorly lighted, it is obviously undesirable to cut off any light from the window by even laces; the curtains, therefore, in a poorly lighted room should be draped back. Colored laces, grenadines or madras stuffs are frequently used to give period style or color tone, and wherever they are used, such curtains should harmonize with the wall. So also with the overdraperies to the lace curtains.

89. Luminous or advancing colors make a small room look all the smaller; therefore in small rooms we suggest the use of white woodwork, and in the color treatment we would avoid contrasts, but would suggest harmonies of analogy in receding colors, soft grays, greens and blues. These are not luminous colors and will make a small room look the larger, while the white will give light effects, and if the room appears a trifle somber it can be easily relieved by the bright colors of the bric-à-brac and by a touch of gold here and there on the wall. (See ¶ 66 and ¶ 85.)

90. There are cases where a small room has a northern exposure, and while apparently expedient to treat such a room in warm colors to supply the deficiency of sunlight, such a course would make a room look smaller.

91. Under the circumstances treat the room in light hues, gray preferred, and get the deficiency of sunlight through some warm isolated details and in the lace curtains.

#THE WALL THE KEYNOTE COLOR#

92. Our theory of color as applied to room furnishings provides always that the side-wall is the keynote and this keynote is usually fixed for practical reasons in sympathy with the furniture; above to the ceiling's center the note ascends and below to the floor center it descends; it goes into tints as it ascends and into deeper shades of gray and brown as it descends.