Kitchens
The kitchen is an important part of the perfect house and should be a
recognised sharer in its quality of beauty; not alone the beauty which
consists of a successful adaptation of means to ends, but the kind which
is independently and positively attractive to the eye.
In costly houses it is not hard to attain this quality or the rarer one
of a union of beauty, with perfect adaptation to use; but where it must
greater.
Tiled walls, impervious to moisture, and repellent of fumes, are ideal
boundaries of a kitchen, and may be beautiful in colour, as well as
virtuous in conduct. They may even be laid with gradations of alluring
mineral tints, but, of course, this is out of the question in cheap
buildings; and in demonstrating the possibility of beauty and intrinsic
merit in small and comparatively inexpensive houses, tiles and marbles
must be ruled out of the scheme of kitchen perfection. Plaster, painted
in agreeable tints of oil colour is commendable, but one can do better
by covering the walls with the highly enamelled oil-cloth commonly used
for kitchen tables and shelves. This material is quite marvellous in its
combination of use and effect. Its possibilities were discovered by a
young housewife whose small kitchen formed part of a city apartment, and
whose practical sense was joined to a discursive imagination. After this
achievement--which she herself did not recognise as a stroke of
genius--she added a narrow shelf running entirely around the room,
which carried a decorative row of blue willow-pattern plates. A
dresser, hung with a graduated assortment of blue enamelled sauce-pans,
and other kitchen implements of the same enticing ware, a floor covered
with the heaviest of oil-cloth, laid in small diamond-shapes of blue,
between blocks of white, like a mosaic pavement, were the features of a
kitchen which was, and is, after several years of strenuous wear, a joy
to behold. It was from the first, not only a delight to the clever young
housewife and her friends, but it performed the miracle of changing the
average servant into a careful and excellent one, zealous for the
cleanliness and perfection of her small domain, and performing her
kitchen functions with unexampled neatness.
The mistress--who had standards of perfection in all things, whether
great or small, and was moreover of Southern blood--confessed that her
ideal of service in her glittering kitchen was not a clever red-haired
Hibernian, but a slim mulatto, wearing a snow-white turban; and this
longing seemed so reasonable, and so impressed my fancy, that whenever I
think of the shining blue-and-silver kitchen, I seem to see within it
the graceful sway of figure and coffee-coloured face which belongs to
the half-breed African race, certain rare specimens of which are the
most beautiful of domestic adjuncts.
I have used this expedient of oil-cloth-covered walls--for which I am
anxious to give the inventor due credit--in many kitchens, and certain
bathrooms, and always with success.
It must be applied as if it were wall-paper, except that, as it is a
heavy material, the paste must be thicker. It is also well to have in it
a small proportion of carbolic acid, both as a disinfectant and a
deterrent to paste-loving mice, or any other household pest. The cloth
must be carefully fitted into corners, and whatever shelving or wood
fittings are used in the room, must be placed against it, after it is
applied, instead of having the cloth cut and fitted around them.
When well mounted, it makes a solid, porcelain-like wall, to which dust
and dirt will not easily adhere, and which can be as easily and
effectually cleaned as if it were really porcelain or marble.
Such wall treatment will go far toward making a beautiful kitchen. Add
to this a well-arranged dresser for blue or white kitchen china, with a
closed cabinet for the heavy iron utensils which can hardly be included
in any scheme of kitchen beauty; curtained cupboards and short
window-hangings of blue, or "Turkey red"--which are invaluable for
colour, and always washable; a painted floor--which is far better than
oil-cloth, and one has the elements of a satisfactory scheme of beauty.
A French kitchen, with its white-washed walls, its shining range and
rows upon rows of gleaming copper-ware, is an attractive subject for a
painter; and there is no reason why an American kitchen, in a house
distinguished for beauty in all its family and semi-public rooms, should
not also be beautiful in the rooms devoted to service. We can if we will
make much even in a decorative way of our enamelled and aluminum
kitchen-ware; we may hang it in graduated rows over the
chimney-space--as the French cook parades her coppers--and arrange these
necessary things with an eye to effect, while we secure perfect
convenience of use. They are all pleasant of aspect if care and thought
are devoted to their arrangement, and it is really of quite as much
value to the family to have a charming and perfectly appointed kitchen,
as to possess a beautiful and comfortable parlour or sitting-room.
Every detail should be considered from the double point of view of use
and effect. If the curtains answer the two purposes of shading sunlight,
or securing privacy at night, and of giving pleasing colour and contrast
to the general tone of the interior, they perform a double function,
each of of which is valuable.
If the chairs are chosen for strength and use, and are painted or
stained to match the colour of the floor, they add to the satisfaction
of the eye, as well as minister to the house service. A pursuance of
this thought adds to the harmony of the house both in aspect and actual
beauty of living. Of course in selecting such furnishings of the kitchen
as chairs, one must bear in mind that even their legitimate use may
include standing, as well as sitting upon them; that they may be made
temporary resting-places for scrubbing pails, brushes, and other
cleaning necessities, and therefore they must be made of painted wood;
but this should not discourage the provision of a cane-seated
rocking-chair for each servant, as a comfort for weary bones when the
day's work is over.
In establishments which include a servants' dining-or sitting-room,
these moderate luxuries are a thing of course, but in houses where at
most but two maids are employed they are not always considered, although
they certainly should be.
If a corner can be appropriated to evening leisure--where there is room
for a small, brightly covered table, a lamp, a couple of rocking-chairs,
work-baskets and a book or magazine, it answers in a small way to the
family evening-room, where all gather for rest and comfort.
There is no reason why the wall space above it should not have its
cabinet for photographs and the usually cherished prayer-book which
maids love both to possess and display. Such possessions answer exactly
to the bric-a-brac of the drawing-room; ministering to the same human
instinct in its primitive form, and to the inherent enjoyment of the
beautiful which is the line of demarcation between the tribes of animals
and those of men.
If one can use this distinctly human trait as a lever to raise crude
humanity into the higher region of the virtues, it is certainly worth
while to consider pots and pans from the point of view of their
decorative ability.
More
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Bed Room Nursery And Play Room
For the bedroom, though other colors such as green and violet, in particular (save red, which is a poor bedroom hue) are not barred, blue is an ideal color, expressive of repose and tranquil ease. In the bedroom, however, as in all other rooms, th... Broken Lines
Broken lines give us a feeling of life and movement. But they should not be used for the permanent decorative lines of a room--the lines of the walls, openings, hangings, draperies, carpets, or large, immovable pieces of furniture which have a fix... Builders' Houses
"Mine own hired house." A large proportion of homes are made in houses which are not owned, but leased, and this prevents each man or family from indicating personal taste in external aspect. A rich man and house-owner may approximate to a true... Ceilings
As ceilings are in reality a part of the wall, they must always be considered in connection with room interiors, but their influence upon the beauty of the average house is so small, that their treatment is a comparatively easy problem. In simp... Chambers
The walls of bedrooms should be decorated in light tints and shadings, with a narrow rail and deep frieze. Most housekeepers prefer rugs and oiled floors to carpets, but this is a matter of individual taste. Rugs are as fashionable as they are wholesom... Character In Houses
"For the created still doth shadow forth the mind and will which made it. "Thou art the very mould of thy creator." It needs the combined personality of the family to make the character of the house. No one could say of a house which has fami... Color
Colors makes decorative shapes easy to see. (For the character of the colors and the principles of their effective combination the reader will find much useful information in the "Color Harmony and Design in Dress" included in this series.) Art, Nat... Colour In Houses
"Heaven gives us of its colour, for our joy, Hues which have words and speak to ye of heaven." Although the very existence of a house is a matter of construction, its general interior effect is almost entirely the result of colour treatment... Colour With Reference To Light
In choosing colour for walls and ceilings, it is most necessary to consider the special laws which govern its application to house interiors. The tint of any particular room should be chosen not only with reference to personal liking, but first... Curved Forms
Curved forms, the circle, the oval and the ellipse, are all agreeable. There is in them "a hint of the mysterious dualism of life." ... Curved Lines
Curved lines in decoration and furniture are of various kinds. The rococo styles (Louis XV and the Regency) are overluxurious and often weak; the curves in Arabic or Celtic ornamentation vague and obscure. The undulating curves of Persian rugs sugge... Decoration As An Art
"Who creates a Home, creates a potent spirit which in turn doth fashion him that fashioned." Probably no art has so few masters as that of decoration. In England, Morris was for many years the great leader, but among his followers in England no... Draperies
Draperies are not always considered as a part of furnishings, yet in truth--as far as decorative necessities are concerned--they should come immediately after wall and floor coverings. The householder who is in haste to complete the arrangement of... Final Tips
Interior Decoration is a very extensive and complicated subject. What we have here attempted to do has been to give an idea of the general principles underlying it, together with as many direct and practical hints and suggestions as has been possi... Floors And Floor-coverings
Although in ordinary sequence the colouring of floors comes after that of walls, the fact that--in important houses--costly and elaborate floors of mosaic or of inlaid wood form part of the architect's plan, makes it necessary to consider the effe... Form And Color Tip
Never overemphasize one of the dimensions of height, width and depth at the expense of one of the others. They must be harmonized. ... Furniture
Although the forms and varieties of furniture are infinite, they can easily be classified first into the two great divisions of good and bad, and after that into kinds and styles; but no matter how good the different specimens may be, or to what s... Home Decoration
The chief features to be observed in house furnishing are color, form, and proportion. All stiffness of design in furniture should be avoided. Do not attempt to match articles, but rather carry out the same idea as to color and form in the whole. It is... Kitchens
The kitchen is an important part of the perfect house and should be a recognised sharer in its quality of beauty; not alone the beauty which consists of a successful adaptation of means to ends, but the kind which is independently and positively a... Lines And Curves
Straight lines in a room call for straight lines in furniture, rugs and hangings. They make a room dignified and serious in appearance. Italian Renaissance chairs and other pieces of that period, and our modern Craftsman and Mission chairs (often ... Living Room Drawing Room And Library
We now return to the rooms where decoration is the rule. While always remembering that connecting rooms must harmonize with one another in color, individual colors may always be appropriately chosen for certain rooms, because they express the domina... Location Of The House
Besides the difference in treatment demanded by different use of rooms--the character of the decoration of the whole house will be influenced by its situation. A house in the country or a house in town; a house by the sea-shore or a house situated... Nursery And Play Room
These children's rooms should always give out a gay and cheerful atmosphere. To obtain this wall papers with colorful friezes with characters from fairy tale, Mother Goose or Noah's Ark, may be used above a simple wainscot. Painted walls with stenci... Oblong
The proportions of any room are best when they make a normal impression on the eye. The oblong is the best decorative art form, as a rule. It can be used in nearly all ornaments, in walls, doors and windows, ceilings and floors, in rugs and furnitur... Proportion
All parts of a furnished room must help express one ideal of balance. The realization of this ideal is proportion. A horizontal room calls for horizontal furniture and lines, a vertical room for vertical ones. Every important decorative featu... Some Hints Anent Period Furniture
Period furniture is a means to a decorative end. It is a part of the decoration of a room, and must be adapted to its lines and proportions. Halls for instance, call for tall chairs and cabinets and long and narrow wall tables. Pictures and bric-a... The Dining Room And Work Rooms
The dining room, with which we were so directly concerned in the preceding portion of this book, offers a natural point of departure for considering the individual rooms of the house with regard to decoration. First, as to a dominant dining ... The Diningroom
The dining-room should be furnished with a view to convenience, richness, and comfort. Choose deep, rich grounds for the walls—bronze-maroon, black, Pompeiian red, and deep olive—and the designs and traceries in old gold, olive or moss-green, with ... The Hall
The hall being the index to the whole house, due care should therefore be given to its furnishing. Light colors and gilding should be avoided. The wall and ceiling decorations now mostly used are in dark, rich colors, shaded in maroons or deep reds. Pl... The Kitchen
It is a remark too often made that this or that “is good enough for a servant.” If all knew that unpleasant surroundings made unpleasant servants and ill-prepared meals, we think more pains would be taken to have pleasant and comfortable kitchens. ... The Law Of Appropriateness
I have laid much stress upon the value of colour in interior decoration, but to complete the beauty of the home something more than happy choice of tints is required. It needs careful and educated selection of furniture and fittings, and money eno... The Library
The walls of the library should be hung with rich, dark colors, the latest style in wall paper being a black ground with old gold and olive-green designs. The carpet comes in Pompeiian red, with moss-green and peacock-blue patterns. Statuary and the... The Sitting-room
The sitting or everyday room should be the brightest and most attractive room in the house. Its beauty of decoration should not be so much in the richness and variety of material as in its comfort, simplicity, and the harmony of its tints—the main fe... The Square
The square form is solid and firm, but tends to be monotonous. Square windows, fireplaces and wall spaces, as well as square rooms in general and pictures, are usually uninteresting, and this applies to cubes as well. The big cubical chair, for inst... The Triangle
The triangular form (in mantel clocks, lampshades, highboys, bookcase foundations, and sometimes where it appears in wall paper or Turcoman rug designs) expresses movement in repose admirably, and has real decorative values. ... Vertical Lines
Vertical lines express aspiration and disquietude; diagonal lines, action. In wall paper designs and rug patterns the diagonal line is not always excellent. Diagonal lines are sometimes effective in rugs; but the feeling of energetic movement they ... Walls Ceilings And Floors
The true principle of wall treatment is to make the boundary stand for colour and beauty, and not alone for division of space. As a rule, the colour treatment of a house interior must begin with the walls, and it is fortunate if these are blank ... Working Rooms Versus Living Rooms
Before passing to the other rooms of the house, we will pause to consider a more purely utilitarian group. The Kitchen.--These rooms which are strictly utilitarian, more or less escape decorative control. The kitchen, aside from the elements of p...