The appropriate character of living-room furniture, both oak and mahogany, for inexpensive furnishing has already been indicated in the previous chapter. In either case the paint-pot, whether professional or amateur, may frequently be an added advantage; that is to say, a few painted pieces will give relief to those of the natural woods.

These pieces may be ordered in the colour desired, or may be bought unfinished and painted by the householder, if he is thoroughly competent to do the work. Plates 31 and 32 will give him hints. Occasionally some articles of furniture in the possession of the family may be just what is needed, and these may be painted at home or by a house-or coach-painter. The colouring of such pieces will be considered in the general scheme now to follow.

No facility should be overworked, but a moderate use of stripes in two rooms of the home will not be too frequent an employment, and, in addition to those in the hall, we may therefore choose them for either the living-room or the dining-room as preferred. Good combinations in inexpensive goods are by no means easy to obtain - and so because of their infrequency are all the more individual and desirable. Plate 36 shows, at the lower right, bold stripes of blue and buff-yellow with a narrow stripe of green. The blue is rather brighter than that of the door-hangings but well accompanies it. The settee and large easy chairs may be covered in the blue rep of the door-hangings or in a similar shade of medium blue denim. The manufacturers of the settee shown in Plate 14 supply denim covering as well as the leather illustrated, and no doubt send samples from which to choose. One of the small self-figured blues, which would accord in colour with the door-hangings, would be attractive. The pillows and cushions for the side chairs would be of the striped goods if used in this room.

If stripes are not used then the coverings had better be of the deep mulberry rose, and an old gold and linen figured fabric that would make attractive covers for pillows and side chairs is to be found in "Canterbury Kenton Furniture Covering." This is 54 inches wide. A rug containing old gold or deep tan would then continue the yellow note.

Another combination would be the mulberry-rose settee-covering and the same stripe for pillows and side chairs as used in the hall, the two mulberrys precisely accompanying each other.

If the blue is chosen, strong buff-yellow appears in the stripe but the modified red of the triad is lacking. Braided or rag rugs in which some shade of rose is prominent may be chosen, or a rug with a rose border. The lamp-shade may be of rose silk and there may be other accessories containing the hue, such as a vase, or a white or grey vase holding the attractive artificial Japanese cherry-blossoms, which may be bought at oriental or department stores. Brass or glass candlesticks with square rose candles might also find their place. Good table-runners may be made of heavy linen crash, and these might have a broad band applique of either rose, blue or buff-yellow sewed across near each end, the colour chosen being that found to be most wanting in the room.

The manner of introducing a lacking colour by the use of accessories is shown in Plate 2. In that interior there are no large surfaces of modified yellow, yet tones of that colour are carried through the room by this means.

As the living-room is likely to be larger than the others it will be well to break the wall-space by a hanging and mirror. These may be placed over a console, a low chest-of-drawers, or book-case, or over an ordinary table as also in Plate 2. The old gold "Kenton Covering" previously mentioned would be good, or another with small figure in purplish mulberry and linen colour ("Colony Furniture Cover" No. 1702, Marshall, Field & Company, distributors).

The pictures by Mr. Hall Thorpe of London (Plate 30) will have been noticed. As was mentioned in the section on English Furniture these were designed by him especially for this Modern furnishing. The backgrounds are black and the vases and flowers in bright attractive colouring, with white margins. Narrow black frames, matching the background, may be used, or the frames may be painted in one of the dominant colours of the picture, which should also be one of those of the room. Unless he possesses a good knowledge of art the usual householder finds pictures one of his worst stumbling-blocks, so that these decorative and unusual prints will be a great aid in his furnishing.

An alternative scheme was given for the hall in the triad of modified violet, orange, and green, and this will also be carried through the other rooms.

The door-hanging there suggested was of brownish violet and grey, so that in the living-room we begin with this already established. Admirably accompanying this is the stripe at the upper right of Plate 36. As before, these strongly contrasting materials should be used on but a few side chairs and for settee cushions. The covering of the settee itself and large chairs would best be of a rep or denim matching the dusky violet of the striped goods. With these the pillows may be of an orange-tan and the wall-hanging of the old gold previously mentioned. The rug may be tan. In order to introduce more green a couple of seating-stools may be cushioned with a solid-colour material of the same green as the stripe. The beautiful breakfast-room suite illustrated in Plates 90 and 91 shows chair-cushions attached as these may be. A heavy cord would be sewn around the edge of the cushion, with cord and tassels at each corner.

This brings us to the colour of the stools themselves; for these are among the pieces which may be painted to afford relief. In addition to these a console table or wicker armchairs might also have the benefit of colour.

With any of the combinations the stools might be lacquer-black and the broad ridge around the back and down the arms of the wicker chairs the same, the remainder of the chairs being left the natural colour. In the present case the cords and tassels might be either green or black, or, if more colour is preferred, then of the dusky violet.

If the console be a light table that also may be of the lacquer-black, but if a cabinet-piece then it should be relieved by striping the edges either green or tan. Buff or fawn relieved with green or dull violet would also be good. Either colour with the same trim would then be used for the stools.

PLATE 37. A BUNGALOW LIVING-ROOM AND DINING-ROOM WITH BUFF WALLS AND FLOORS OF BROWN JASPÈ LINOLEUM.

BY Courtesy of Armstrong Cork Co., Linoleum Dept., Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

In the event of the previous triad being chosen, grey, buff, or fawn relieved with blue, or grey or fawn relieved with rose would be in order. Black could be relieved with buff, rose or blue.

In "The Practical Book of Interior Decoration" another mode of carrying a colour-scheme through the premises was suggested. This was the use of a quiet derivation of yellow as the background, other colours being used in the various rooms as relief; and it is exemplified in Plate 37, illustrating the living-room and dining-room of a modern bungalow. This interior also shows that such simple and practical furnishing is attractive and homelike. If a quiet rug had been employed it would not only have been more restful but would have possessed greater style. The floor here is Jaspé light brown linoleum, and the effect is excellent in combination with the light tan walls and dark furniture.

With this background practically all colours look well, so that for the various rooms a choice may be made for the hue of the textiles from such tones as greyed blues, old gold, quiet violet, apple green, burnt orange, plum, and the like. Combinations, in the forms of stripes, chintzes and printed linens, may also be used and accessory objects will be an aid here as elsewhere. Where rooms communicate with a wide opening, as in this bungalow, the most noticeable hue (in this case bright green) should prevail in both. Rose chair-seats might be adopted in one bedroom, blue in another and old gold or burnt orange in still another and the tan background would preserve unity; or the material used might of course combine some of these hues.