A lovely old oblong walnut table, which we had come upon quite accidentally in a dim corner of a modern furniture shop, was placed against the wall on the left side of the reception room. Its beautifully seasoned top was left bare and it held a single important object - a modern writing case of violet leather lined with orange and equipped with note paper, pencils and pen so that our desks would not need to be disturbed for a hasty note, or the use of guests. A little candlestick lamp with an orange shade was placed beside it and sometimes a black bowl with orange or red flowers. This table had another use, but it was a secret one - it was called into service for informal entre-nous luncheons and suppers for which its adjacency to kitchenette or serving-room made it very convenient. The real dining-table was in the studio.

On the right side of the reception room we placed a day-bed which served in the dual capacity of hall bench and extra accommodation for over-night guests. It was bought unfinished and stained walnut, being afterwards waxed to a dull finish. The upholstery was linen burlap in an interesting blue, violet and dull red stripe, and two flat cushions at either end were upholstered in the same. There was no mirror in the reception room but a full length one was attached to the door on the inside of the hall closet. A small walnut chair stood beside the table.

In the studio proper we were confronted with the utilitarian problem of finding a place for a hospitably sized dining table which would not betray its function except at meal time, and the decorative problems of conceiving an adequate grouping for the important window and concealing a high radiator which loomed up conspicuously in front of it. We managed to solve all three at one stroke by placing a long walnut refectory table, seven feet long and two and a half feet wide in front of the window and by converting the radiator by boxing it over, into the back of a long bench with a low bench placed against it to form the seat. This took the place of four or five dining chairs which would have been awkward to manage when not in use. This way, the bench fits compactly under the table and the table takes up very little space beside its width. A long runner of hand dyed orange silk was laid the full length of the table. In the center a green-blue Chinese porcelain vase was placed and on either end, simple brass candlesticks with long yellow wax candles.

The decoration was simple but it seemed adequate, and it formed a pleasant dining-table with the guests seated all on one side and two high backed Jacobean chairs put into service at either end for the host and hostess. For larger dinner parties it could be drawn out into the center of the room and a large oblong top hired from the caterer's placed upon it. This necessitated a raid on our neighbor's chairs and we soon learned in what apartments those were located which went best with our furniture. The dining-table was frequently loaned in reciprocation.

Two charming Italian side chairs of very different design and picked up at different times, one at auction and the other in an antique shop, made excellent desk chairs. The one was slender with delicately carved back and a rush seat. The other was square and sturdy and we had the seat reupholstered with a bit of modern embroidery. For the cane seats of the high backed chairs we had found it necessary to have cushions made as the seats seemed to wear very poorly. We used hand dyed orange velvet. There was only one other chair in the room and that was a low, luxuriously upholstered reading chair which stood next to a floor lamp in the stairway corner. The chair was covered with the same blue, violet and dull red striped linen burlap as the day bed in the reception hall, and the lamp had a brilliant orange shade. There was just room enough left in the corner for a tiny nest of tables which we lacquered peacock blue, and crowned with an orange luster jar. It received the name of the reading corner and was, indeed, a cozy and delightful place to spend a studious evening.

By drawing the bench out from beneath the table we had adequate seating capacity for fourteen people; when an occasional gathering was larger we preferred to bring down chairs from upstairs or impose on the good nature of our neighbors rather than clutter our interior with chairs which did not earn every inch of the precious space allotted them.

There were no other important pieces of furniture. The centers of both rooms were kept absolutely clear, and the furniture was arranged as far as possible in perpendicular planes. The stiffness of the composition was broken, however, by the two high chairs which stood with their backs silhouetted against the window, the bright pieces of modern porcelain of irregular heights on top of the bookcases, the reading corner placed in an angle of the stairway, and a tall brass candlestick and a large dull red cloisonne vase set on either side of the wide entrance to the studio. The vase, which stood on the floor, was kept filled with foliage or generous armfuls of flowers when they were plentiful, and its graceful contour lent a homelike and informal note to the room. While there was a careful restraint exercised in the selection and arrangement of furnishings, the free use of color robbed it of any tendency toward coldness or severity.

There were four distinct lighting systems in the room, and they were never found too many. The system of general illumination consisted of two amber ceiling globes, one in the center of the ceiling of each room. The specialized lighting consisted of the floor lamp for reading, the candlestick lamp for writing on the table in the hall, and two desk lights of the variety used in offices but which we removed from their stands, painted blue green and attached to the desks in a manner which provided for their slipping under out of sight when the desks were closed. Side fixtures furnished a general subdued lighting and these were rather unique in that they were covered with shields of silk the same color as the walls which made them invisible in the daytime, but when in use the shields could be pivoted around toward the wall, their bright orange lining forming a pleasant reflector for the frosted bulbs of the imitation candles which were then revealed. On rainy or snowy nights when we thought covetously of a blazing open fire, we lighted the candles and really found their soft glimmering light with accentuated shadows not a bad substitute.

The decorative inspiration for the main bed-chamber above stairs was received from a piece of hand blocked linen which we chose for hangings. The background was what we termed a brown orange but is sometimes known as tame yellow, and the design was a prim, conventionalized open flower dispersed at fairly wide intervals and blocked-in in peacock and a shade between a red and a violet which was located afterwards as a violet red in the color-chart. We used the brown orange for the walls and for the baseboard and window trim, but to the latter we added a stripe of peacock which related it to the doors which were stained peacock. We used a Throop bed which folded up into cabinet arrangement because the room was not over large and because it was both a comfortable and sightly piece of furniture. This we painted the background color and curtained with the hand-blocked linen. A high, narrow chest of drawers was painted blue green and placed between the windows where it was a pleasant touch framed by the linen hangings. A small oblong mirror with an antique gold frame hung above it. Against the opposite wall was placed a small side table with two drawers. It was also painted blue green and had a triplex mirror which folded up and formed a wall medallion above it. A wicker stool painted brown orange was placed in front of it and it became a very important article of furniture, being pressed into service as dressing and writing table. There was an easy chair and two side chairs of the wicker painted brown orange, and the rug was an old one dyed violet red.

The upstairs also included a children's room done in tan, cobalt blue and turkey red, and a combination sewing and guest room done in black and bright yellow.

The little home was made to fit us and to serve our needs adequately. The cooperative kitchen simplifies living and allows the luxury of whole hearted hospitality. The kitchenette also afforded the joy of impromptu feasts. Recreation and exercise were provided within the walls of the building by a ball-room, a swimming-tank and squash courts so that a fairly well rounded existence could be carried on within the narrow confines of a New York City apartment - albeit a very livable one!