This section is from the book "Home Furnishing, Practical And Artistic", by Alice M. Kellogg. Also available from Amazon: Home Furnishings, Practical And Artistic.
China and pottery are to be had in these days for so little money, and their collection is a source of so much pleasure, that their care and arrangement is a matter of considerable interest in the home.
In colonial times pottery was rare and china was scarce and very precious. It was often preserved in locked cabinets that stood across the corner of the room, or on closets built against the walls. Both places are still in favour. The old-fashioned, built-in cupboard with small panes of glass set in the doors is revived in houses reproduced on colonial lines, and the corner cabinet is made up in mahogany or oak.
Collections of china or pottery require a suitable setting for general enjoyment. Valuable specimens must, of necessity, be kept behind closed doors, but for the majority of pieces there is no better place than an open shelf which, with its simplicity of form, is adaptable to all kinds of treatment and the most varied conditions. Its introduction in houses elaborately constructed should, of course be undertaken by an architect; but in unpretentious dwellings it may safely be left to an intelligent cabinet maker or a competent carpenter.
"Plate" shelf or rail is the popular name for the narrow shelf, but it may be used for pieces of pottery, copper or plaster. In fact, the older fashion of keeping bric-a-brac on the mantel and tops of tables has very much been given up to the newer style of having it appear against the wall.
The plate rail is omitted in the formal hall, but is often introduced in the living hall. It is not seen in the parlour or reception room, but is frequently found in the living room and den. Its presence in the dining room makes a pleasing feature among usually commonplace furnishings.
The construction of the plate shelf should conform to the general style of the room in which it appears. With handsome panel-work or finely-executed carvings a shelf of simple design would be inadequate, and a shelf heavily ornamented would appear out-of-place in plain surroundings.
The placing of the plate rail should be with due regard to the proportions of wall space, the height of the ceiling and the horizontal lines already in evidence in the room. If the rail can be kept on a line with the top of the mantel, doors or windows, a better effect will be gained than if it forms a separate track of its own. It is not imperative that the rail should be carried entirely around the room; in fact, it is often wiser to fit it into certain angles or "jogs" in the room. The material of which the rail is made should correspond with that employed for the doors, windows, mantel and other woodwork, finished with the same paint or stain. An inexpensive plate rail can be bought by the foot at the paper hangers' establishments in white enamel paint, oak, cypress or cherry. The picture moulding should not be omitted when the plate rail is put up, as the former finishes the upper wall and is often called into use to hang a plate or tile.
The width of the plate rail should not ceed four and a half inches, and in certain places a narrower shelf might be advisable. The height of the shelf is another matter that is important, for the whole room may be spoiled by the wrong placing of the shelf. Other errors in the width, length and background will prove less vexatious than one of wrong placing.
The treatment of the ceiling, again, may interfere with the requirements of the rail, or the spaces be too much broken up to per mit its being used at all. If placed low enough from the ceiling line the shelf will add to the cosy feeling of the room, but the opening of entrance and closet doors may interfere with this plan. A position that is too high makes a plate rail and its contents too insignificant, and does away with the pleasure of a critical examination of the china. The "simple plate rail" is, after all, a matter of more wisdom than expense, and its various limitations the guide in arranging its details.
The plate shelf being properly designed and finished and correctly placed upon the wall, it has not achieved its full measure of success until it holds an interesting assortment of china or pottery. A common mistake in arranging a shelf of this kind is to expose pieces that are personally pleasing or valuable, losing sight of the decorative point for which the shelf exists. The choice should be such as to arrest the attention pleasantly and hold it by agreeable colour or artistic design.
A shelf for the dining room seems at first thought to be almost entirely utilitarian in purpose, while in reality, its contents should be distinctly ornamental. The china that is exposed to the dust and dirt is not available for emergencies, and the vacancies it leaves when taken away rob the room of its orderly appearance.
The possession of a plate shelf means an often unlooked-for test of artistic knowledge This is the arrangement of plates, cups and saucers, pitchers, vases, jars, howls, or whatever forms of pottery or porcelain are used as a decoration on the shelf. An eye for colour effect is helpful in meeting this test, but it is also necessary to have a true sense of correct lines, shapes and proportions. In placing pottery together of the same colour but of different shades, some contrasting colour should separate them, and pieces of one height and size should alternate with pieces of other sizes and shapes.
Cups and saucers can be grouped together by standing the latter on the shelf and hanging the cups from small hooks that are screwed underneath the rail. This plan is also followed in corner cabinets with glass doors, where the china may be examined from the outside.
To prevent plates from slipping off from the narrow ledge a narrow strip of wood can be fastened half an inch in front of the plates. Or, a more simple expedient is to place a double-pointed tack in front of each plate.
No specific rule may be given for the wall covering of a room where a plate rail is used. The fact of the china or pottery being worthy of attention gives the wall behind it the character of a background. If a figured paper, therefore, is chosen, it should be without sharp contrasts in lines and colours. A self-woven fabric or a two-toned paper will produce a richer appearance than a single colour, but the last named is the safest choice for the inexperienced.
The space below the shelf, if it is to be papered, may have a closely set pattern in heavier tones than that employed in the upper division. Some of the cloth effects like buckram, burlap, crash, book cloth and Japanese leather papers that are made for wall hangings, make a substantial covering below the plate rail. Sometimes a contrasting colour above the plate shelf brings the woodwork into better harmony with other furnishings in the room than a repetition of the colour used below. Striped papers above or below a plate rail spoil the perpendicular lines of a room by their cut-off appearance.
 
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