Evening Star Newspaper, September 25, 1930, Page 52

LIVING ROOM HELD NAIN HONE UNT Is Show Place of Dwelling, and Should Be Fitted for Threefold Use. AMILY life should center in the | living room, Helen Townsend Barton, widely known authority, sets forth in a discussion of home arrangement in connection with the | Home Furnishings Style Show to be! held here September 26-October 4. “Guests should find a friendly greet- ing in the living room, where family life | should center,” Miss Barton writes. “Thus this room has a double respon- sibility. Its arrangement must min- ister to the needs of every member of the home circle, and at the same time be ever ready to extend hospitality to callers, to convey an impression that makes your words of welcome ring true. | Standards Outlined. “In the arrangement of the lving Toom, the show place of the home, there | should be three furnishings—conversa- g. In smaller | rooms o1 two may be| combined, or the second and third. The minimum number of pieces for any group is three—a chair, table and lamp. Other pieces may be added, but never have less. “Arrange first the conversational group, with davenport or love seat, arm- chairs and occasional chairs, and the essential tables and lamps. This gr may have as its center of interest a fireplace or a pair of French windows, a radio or an impressive piece of furni- ture. Pieces should be close enough together so that conversation can be neighborly. “Then plan the reading group—one or two comfortable chairs, with & lamp, and table for books, magazines and smoking accessories. Maybe this will be “dad's corner,” in which case select | a big, mannish lounge chair, with or without an ottoman. Whenever two| chairs are used in a group, remember to use contrasting types. Suggestions Are Given. “One chair may be a large over- stuffed: the other a massive, though comfortable, chair. Where there is a youngster in the family one of the new | small size arm chairs will add a piquant touch to the room. “A writing group is a practical addi- tion to any living room. In desk styles there is almost limitless choice—the cclonial, Spanish, kneehole, secretary and kidney types are among the most popular. For a room without a fire- place, the writing group may be made the center of interest by adding a tall pier case on either side of the low desk, gsm. the upper. shelves for colorful ric. c. “None of the groups should be shut ©ff from the rest of the room. Set them out in ‘L’ or ‘U’ shapes, with the open part facing more or less toward the center of the room. This not only makes each piece more accessible but also tends to keep the room as a unit.” COLONIAL ARCHITECTURE MAY BE SEEN IN OHIO| Remained Until 1830, Long After Atlantic States Took Up Greek Influence. ‘The late Colonial fradition in archi- tecture lingered in Ohio until almost 1830, long after it had given way to the Greek revival influence in the At- lantic States. Especially in the northern part of the State, which was settled people mostly from Connecticut, there ean be found farmhouses, townhouses and | churches that have the slender columns or pilasters, delicate cornices, window &nd door trim and arches that recall the New d work of the period be- tween the Revolutionary War and the close of the th the the work in Ohio is much simpler and devoid of the richness of uxvlni'holz ‘which the examples boast. ‘was due to the fact that the ‘were constructed at the same time that the forests were being cleared and roads built and the people had neither the time nor the skill necessary to carry out any elaborate decorations in their houses and churehes. Despite the simplicity, or possibly because of it, there is a great deal of | charm in many of these old buildings— | ®ood proportion, well cut moldings, also a sort of naivete, that was probably due to lack of examples or books, as the builders of those days had to make memory their architects. TTRAINING OF DECORATOR MATTER OF HARD WORK | Preparation Should Include Course in Art School, Also Btudy of Fabrics. The training of s decorator is & mat- | ter of many years of study and hard work. & good training in an art school special- izing in decoration and allied work, articularly design, paint mixing and lending. Also, & careful study of fab- rics, their use for draperies and cover- ings and the knowledge of their his- toric character as used in period work, as well as an intimate knowledge of cabinetmaking, the woods used, the fin- ish and historical periods of design in furniture. Floor coverings of all kinds should be studied, with the large family of Orien- tal rugs. It is also important that the decorator should be familiar with light- ing fixtures, paintings, pottery and other accessories. In the wider practice the interior decorator will plan, design and execute or contract for the interior woodwork, paneled rooms, ornamental plaster work. There are decorators who specialize in limited circles, confining their scope to some particular period, historic or modern; to theaters, churches, office or bank work, bath rooms, kitchens and closets. There are others who specialize in figure and ornamental painting. | = FATIGUE CAUSED The preparation should include | the p including In any home in which there is a flreplmnfl a Windsor chair and wing back c! nd. Pictures on either side of the fireplace lend a good balanced effect. THE EVENING ir grouped maturally before th STAR, WA vides a likely central motif for the decoration plan. Here is seen a e fireplace, with a corner cupboard in the BY WRONG CHAIR Height of Other Furniture| Also May Affect Work of Housewife. C every one is familiar with the idea and almost every one agreeable to it. But furniture— other than beds, couches and lounges —is something not every one has considered as a cure for fatigue, ac- cording to Washington furniture mer- chants. “An eminent scientist has declared that more than 75 per cent of the American people suffer from over- fatigue and that ‘that tired feeling’ is Nature's little warning to stop and rest before a more dangerous condition de- velops. The importance of every aid to rest and conservation of energy can- | not be overestimated,” they explain. Height Important. “One of the most important consid- erations in regard to overcoming fa- tigue in the homefurnishings is that of the height of working surfaces. In almost every room in the house there are tables, desks, stoves, dressers or some other plece of furniture the sur- face of which is used for some activity. If this surface is not the correct and convenient height, the home manager is likely to expend as much energy ad- Justing herself to the incorrect height as shs uses in accomplishing the task itself. A great many pleces of kitchen furniture come in varying heights and the careful buyer will purchase the one which is the most comfortable for her. “Chairs have a great deal to do with fatigue. A chair may be to *“l:'keen from 4 ~ Wm éf E:y—ie depends on m"l'! chair. A W chair may be ideal for read- ing all wrong for . A chair which is too or too low or too large or too for the occupant will not be a restful chair. Comfort Is Stressed. “Dining room chairs may be very | nice-looking, exceedingly decorative, and | yet altogether the wrong thing in which | to sit at the table. Dining room chairs should be comfortable, and also con- ducive to correct sitting posture for eat- ing. Doctors say much of the good ef- fect of & mul‘.ml’ b"‘l.\ull.llied it 3! person eating is trying to make an ad- Justment to the chair. The correct dining room chair is one which calls for no strain or effort on the part of | the person sitting in it and which| makes an erect, yet relaxed, posture the | easiest possible one to sustain whil using that chair. | “A chair for u:fn‘cmfhfiu may be the means of preven a for many homekeepers. Many kitchen tasks may | be more efficlently performed sitting down. Kitchen chairs and stools match other kitchen equipment and are| 50 bullt that when not in use they may be easily placed under the table or sink, and thus out of the way for that time.” e e Al “JUST-BE-DIFFERENT” RULE LOSING GROUND| More Emphasis Placed Today on Good Effects, With Quality a First Requirement. Americans today are becoming in- creasinly individualistic,”’ and nowhere | OMFORT in furniture has been stréssed over and over until | e |is this more evident than in the homes | of the Nation. ‘We are giving more care and time | to expressing ourselves in the best way | possible. At the same time there is| less striving for uniqueness, and there is less insistence on having something different from the neighbors. A generation ago people looked for quality. Today they e quality for | granted and look for effects. Cat Whiskers Gone, Radio Now Is Asset In Home Decoration Ten years after radio made its first public appearance in this coun- try—then an ugly contrivance with “cat whiskers” and ear phones—it has come to be one of the most popular, and highly valued pleces of furniture in the home. Where people formerly paid the greatest attention to.the mechanicat rrt of the set, today they take this or granted, and are choosing the radios for the decorative value of | the cabinets. All too many of the earlier cases were horrible in design, and failed to harmonize with the other furniture in the home. While there is still room for im- provement in the appearance of the cabinets, great strides have o within recent months. Thoug] ful home furnishers formerly placed the sets behind floor screens so that they might listen without jarring their esthetic sensibilities. = Such steps are necessary no longer, due to the improvements in appearance, SHOW INCLUDES LATEST TYPE OF REFRIGERATOR | Color in Finish Br}ngl Decorative Effect Into This Important Household Item. ‘Women of this community who are interested in making thelr homes up to date and efficient will see the latest thing in refrigerators at the National Home Purnishings s?h Show here September 26-October 4. ‘The purpose of the show, which is! being sponsored by home furnishings dealers and manufacturers everywhere, Is to give the American woman an op- portunity to see the latest furnishings fashions correctly grouped and dis- played. It is a Nation-wide event, tak- ing place simultaneously in every city and town in the United States. Refrigerators are one of the most im- portant items in household equipment, and every home manager is interested in securing the one which she can de- models will be displayed, and the house- kupumumnmmzpamnltytoleun m!:gmvhlch e for satisfactory The refrigerator has become an item year around. Women depend on the refrigerator almost as much in Winter as in Summer for preserving the t;;nmy‘ and delicate flavor as well as the health | giving properties of food. Changes in style in refrigerators, as well as improvements in materials and | construction, make it desirale to re- place this article more often than was formerly thought necessary. Color has| been employed to make the refrigerator as attractive as it is useful and an item | of real decorative value in the kitchen. —_— New Trend in Tables. Tables for every room in the house is the new trend.” Several small tables now do the work one large one did in bygone di Beginning Tomorrow—for Eight Days The National Home Furnishing STYLE SHOW Showing You Leading Home Fashions Every day during the show Washington home-furnishing stores are holding open house for you and your family. Visit them— see their special displays of Fashion’s new furniture, rug, lamp and accessory creations for your home. Learn how to give your PLACE EMPHASIS ~ ON ART IN HOME Managers of Furnishings Style Show Following Public Demand. RT is becoming more and more important in the furnishing of | the home, as is evidenced by } the emphasis placed on beauty | in the home by the managers of the National Home Furnishings Style Show here September 26 to October 4. The local style show is a part of the national show, which is being con- ducted in every city of the United | States. It is sponsored by the home | furnishings dealers and manufacturers for the purpose or giving the Amerlcm‘ homemaker an opportunity to see the | latest fashions in furniture, The time when just any piece of fur- | niture would do has passed. Mrs. Aver- age American is demanding that her| | home be beautiful, and she 1s anxious | to learn how to make it so. She has| learned that it is not use that makes| furnishings valuable, but rather appear- ance and comfort. She wants her home | to be in style, just as she wants her car and her wardrobe to be the very| best and the very latest she can buy. Never before in the history of the home furnishings industry has there been a concentrated and intelligent ef- fort to supply the homemaker with an opportunity to see the latest home fur- nishings correctly and attractively dis- played. Never before have many home managers had at hand any one with whom they could consult about their particular furnishing and decorating problems. They now have at their dis- Dosal expert advice and suggestions from men who have been trained to solve all the problems in connection with fur- nishing the home. The bringing into the home of beauty and comfort does not depend on price; it depends on taste in selecting items which make up the furnishi Many women have felt this for a g time, but have been unable to about in their homes the atmosphere of com- fort and beauty they so much desire. The coming of the home furnishings style show will give the home manager this longed-for opportunity to see dif- ferent arrangements of furnishings, va- rious combinations of pieces, and many | color harmonies worked out as guides| ar-l inspiration to her in the furnishing | of her home. She will no longer need to purchase this or that piece of furni- ture blindly and hope it will add to her home the elusive beauty she so desires. She may know exactly what she is do- | ing and just what the result of the use | of certain furnishings will be. Colors Not Starling. | Controversy Once Caused by| | store at Nineteenth street and Pennsyl- t| the best, the office furniture, for in- INGTON, D. C., THURSDAY. SE -+ EMBER 25 1930. OLD STYLES SEEN | [omecrons o wocu. srvie swow_| AT WHITE HOUSE Dominant Note of Furni- ture Collection. (Continued From Pirst Page.) {frequent affairs are.delightful, according to those wib have received invitations. On the second floor is the private dining room, scene of many an impor- tant breakfast and luncheon conference. At these meals the President entertains ' his close friends and advisers. This| gracious room has walls of creamy | color. The design of the furniture is| Chippendale, and the works of the old master seldom have appeared to better advantage. Silk and damask cover the walls in the red, blue and green rooms. Drap- | eries of heavier texture and harmoniz- ing shade fiiter the sun's bright rays.| Fixtures are gold and crystal. i Old Four-Posted Bed. In one of the bed rooms is a fine old four-poster bed. Other old pieces in the room are not so glorious, but are in keeping and most satisfactory. Walls in this room are cream-colored and paneled. A few pictures, an ofl paint- ing or two on the walls, give the room added distinction. Another interesting bed room is that in which Prime Minister Ramsay Mac- Donald slept during his visit to this city last year. The elongated bed in which the Briton slept is believed to have been brought to the White House by Abraham Lincoln from his Spring- field, Ill, home. The heavy black wal- nut bed is typical of the mid-nine- teenth century, and its length lends credence to the belie”. Other pieces of the Victorian ‘period adorn the same room—the one in which Lincoln slept during his presidency. The elaborate carving, comparatively low footboard and high headboard of the bed seem curiously quaint today. It is difficult to trace any of the furniture now in the White House back to the day when its purchase was or- dered in John Adams' administration. It is considered very likely that Wash-| ington, with his connoisseur's eye, ad- vised on many of the pleces. Many old pleces are to be found, but, due to the firing of the White House by the British in 1814—an episode of the War of 1812 ~—the Madisons lived for several months in a building now occupied by a drug vania avenue. Hard use by presidential families over the period of a full cen- tury likewise destroyed the life of much of it. The present appropriation for replacement is evidence of this fact. Mrs. Coolidge’s Discoveries. It has been but a few years, too, that an American public has manifested an interest in old furniture. McKim re- built some pieces in 1902, and Mrs. Coolidge uncovered a few finds when the third floor was converted into stor- age room and servants’ quarters in 1927, ‘There are many admirable things about the furnishings in the White House, and many lessons for Washing- ton neighbors to draw. It is just as possible to make mistakes in huge, dig- nified and formal rooms as it is in the tiniest cottage living room. It is evident to the uninitiated that| the vast floor spaces, the lofty ceilings and the massive furniture are suited to the purpose of formal and informal affairs of state of a nation's execu- tive. Similar appointments against less grand background would be dis- tinctly out of place. Unconstraint Is Favored. ‘The usual home maker prefers an atmosphere of informality and uncon- straint. The preferences of the family, the requirements for guests and the family budget are matters which do not worry Neighbor Hoover. Discriminating students of home fur- nishing will find the Lincoln bed room interesting as a historical shrine rather than as a room to be emulated in the home. Victorlan furniture is regarded generally today as one of the best-to-be forgotten eras in design. As the years roll on it will be inter- esting to note the reaction of the cur- rent, Neighbor Hoover. While many are prone to accept today’s modernism as stance, combines the experience of years of study, and it is likely to stand a5 a monument of twentieth century progress, commentators say. Place for Love Letters. Some designers of Louls XVI furni- ture carried mechanical ingenuity to | the last word. They provided in-| numerable secret drawers in vanities | and ecabinets, probably to hide the n: merous love letters, so profusely pr duced. Cosmetics were likewise depos- ited in the hidden panels. . Outlets- Are Provided. | ‘White color is very noticeable In all | new styles. The tones are refreshing rather than startling. home greater charm and beauty. Local Stores Participating in This National Event Dulin & Martin Company, Connecticut Ave- d‘. ffie iron at the same time are a ne Wm. E. Miller Furniture Company, 7th and Kitchen cabinets equipped with sock- ets for using toaster, percolator and elopment eration to the contributions of | | Upper, left to right: J. Phillip Herrmann, chairman of the Executive Com- mittee; ford Moses and E. L. Geasey. and Dermott Nee. Lower: James W. Hardey, James Rotto CHANGE N STYLE LAID T0 MILADY Feminine Demands Held Re- sponsible for Reform of Manufacturer. URNITURE fashions today are set by the women of the land. Time was when manufacturers could &lt in their offices and arbitrarily dictate what they would put on the mar- ket. After the war furniture was hard to get, and the contumer took what they told her was “the thing.” Today the consumer is queen. When certain woods were not finding @ market in those days, buyers were offered that wood nevertheless. The shiny, caramel-colored finish was what the customer got—take it or leave it. Retailers took what the manufacturers sent them and were glad to get it. Milady Was Ruffied. Then something happened. eternal feminine bey to assert her- led. She was tired self. Milady was of being told what she could have. She 80t huffy. She walked out. She didn't | are who was stuck with certain woods. She didn’t care what any one thought about design but what she thought her- self. Half the time she was wrong, maybe; but she knew what she wanted. Homes today are much more attrac- tive because women took things into their own hands. Rooms are beautiful, comfortable and usable. The retailer finds out what his customers are go to want and gets it instead of suiti his own fancy or that of his staff, Now, the woman knows something more than style—she knows woods, she knows utility, she is studying construc- tion, and she wants, above all, some- thing which will fit into her own scheme for her own home. Wi shington, local merchants agree, The Ing ing STRIPPED BY ELECTRICITY 13,000-Volt Victim, Picked Up in Street, Walks to Hospital. BQSTON, September 256 (N.AN.A). —Thirteen thousand volts of electricity passed through the body of Anthony Nicollazzo when he came in contact with a charged pipe. The electricity stripped most of the clothes from his body and burned him about the face, nack, shoulders and arms. Nicolazeo dropped to the street, picked up for dead. He was rushed to a hospital in an ambulance. While be- stretcher Nicolazzo opened his eyes and | exclaimed: “Hey, this thing is shaking me up too much. I'l walk.” And he |got to his feet and walked into the hospital. — is in a class by itself in wanting certain | types of merchandise. Flashy, ornate mmmingy and gingerbread may go over in New York, Chicago, Detroit or Holly- wood, but Washington-—never, they say. Early American and Colonial styles are rolling up popularity all over the country. It has been fashionable here for years. Washington was one of the cradles of the Colonial style. Woman has dabbled in color and found it pleasing. color is all over the house. Woman decided she needed more compact styles for the apartment. producer made and the distributor sold daintier, more re- fined types of furniture. ‘The home is a better looking place | today than it was a decade ago. And it's all due to the little woman, Wash- ington dealers agree. AMERICANS DEVELOP DISTINCTIVE STYLES ‘The American people ‘are developing a very definite style of their own in dress and home furnishings. The colors we demand are neither the garish , nor are they the ing carried from the ambulance on a |t STORESCONTRBUTE MANAGIN ADES |Furniture and Department Firms Lend Officials to Furnishings Show. OTH furniture and department stores are contributing to the management of the National Home Furnishings Style Show here. The chairman of the exposition s J. Phillip Herrmann of House & Herr- mann. The vice chairman is Harry T. Roche, manager of Mayer & Co. James Hardey, advertising manager of Woodward & Lothrop, is chairman of the Committee on Advertising and Publicity; Radford Moses of W. B. Moses & Sons Co. is rman of the Committee on Public Relations. James Rotto, sales promotion manager of the Hecht Co, 18 in charge of style show features. G. A. Lewis of the Lewis Advertis- ing Agency is director of the style show. Dermott Nee of the P. J. Nee Co. is treasurer and Edmund L. Geasey, ad- vertising manager of House & Herr- mann, is secretary. SMALL HOUSE OWNERS CAN CREATE ATMOSPHERE |Can Throw Away Style and Ar- range Interior 8o as to Express Life Lived in It. How independent the small house owner can be in the choice of his fur- nishings! He can throw away style and do things in the mode to create for himself the interior of his house so that it will express the life lived in The small house can be the most intimate expression in materials of the aims and desires of its owners ‘The simplest forms give the greatest restraint and in the end the greatest distinction to your house. Therefore, do not fear to be too sparsely or too simply furnished, for you gain distinc- tion by the elimination of non-essea- tials and the discriminating choice of the essentials. After this 1enenl concept of your ideal you can list your minimum needs and carefully purchase them, thinking only of the relation to your own house and the particular form of expression you wish to give your house. This word of warning you should heed—do not be in haste to complete your house, but have environment grow with you and become & part of you. The small house owner has this ad- vantage over the owner of a larger place: He participates in the develoofi ment of his environment and can m it to meet the needs of his household. . It 1s well to think through your gen- eral scheme for your interior and step by step develop it as you have the . means and the ogpmunlzy to make your purchases. There is no prescribed way which every plan is matured, nor are the rules fixed as to how rooms are developed. Queen of a Housekeeper. Queen Anne possessed great pride in her ability as a housekeeper, as well as her prowess as gardener and seamstress. shadowy, uncertain, somber shades. They are clean colors, stronger than pastel shades and yet not vivid; de- cidedly bright but not garish, Patterns are similarly clean cut and simple, rather than ornate, and above Her love of nature is mirrored in the flower motifs of the needlework of her day. Groups of thrifty housewives gath- ered to make covers for chairs and couches. Gay chintzes, printed cottons were comfortable and cheery, therefore all positive. broidered much as were linens and eme strie Established Over 50 Years The Home of Today Must Be Different From The Home of OUR home furnishings reveal your taste and culture with telling fidelity. The correct style, the color and ngemen livable home—one in tertain your guests L proper harmony of t make for a more which you can en- and feel confident that your furnishings are in keeping with the tastes of the times. THIS organization is dedicated to the better decorating and furnishing of homel. O\ll‘ ItOCkl Ogfit d’lfl newest flfld best in home furnish ings—our decorat- ing service represents the experience of over half a century, Qlnspection in no way involves obligation. Esti- mates gladly furnished. Yesterday Fine Furniture amps and Mirrors Draperies and Laces to order Upholstering Paintind and Paperhanging vy ol i nue at L Street Goldenberg’s, 7th Street at K ‘The Hecht Company, F Street at 7th James B. Henderson, 1108 G Street N.W. House & Herrmann, 7th Street at Eye Hub Furniture Company, 7th and D Streets N. W. Lansburgh & Brother, 420 7th Street N.W. Julius Lansburgh Furniture Company, 909 F Street N.W. Mayer & Co., Seventh Street between D and E N.W, 'W. B. Moses & Sons, 11th and F Streets N.W, * E Streets S.W. National Furniture Company, 7th and H Streets N.W. P. J. Nee Company, 7th and H Streets N.W. Palais Royal, 11th and G Streets N.W. D. S. Pool, Inc., 729 11th Street N.W. W. & J. Sloane, 711 12th Street N.W. Thompson Brothers, 1220 Good Hope Road JAMES B. HENDERSON Fine Furniture, Upholstering, Paperhanging, Painting 1108 G Street—Phones District 7676 District 7677 Woodward & Lothrop, 10th, 1ith, F and G S The candlesticks on the mantel and @8 attractive arrangement. The ship is an