e are a number
of old French prints from some Eighteenth Century fashion journals hung
on the cream ground. The dressing-table is placed against the windows,
over the radiator, so that there is light and to spare for dressing.
Half curtains of white muslin are shirred on the sashes back of the
dressing-table. The quaint triplicate mirror is of black lacquer
decorated with Chinese figures in gold, and the little, three-cornered
cabinet in the corner is also of black and gold. The chintz is used as a
covering for the dressing-seat.
Another illustration shows the writing-corner of the bedroom which leads
into this dressing-room. The walls and the rose-red carpet are the same
in both rooms, as you see. This bedroom depends absolutely on the rose
and blue chintz for its decoration. There is a quaint bed painted a pale
gray, with rose-red taffeta coverlet. The bed curtains are of the chintz
lined with the rose-red silk. There are several white-enamel chairs
upholstered with the chintz, and there is a comfortable French couch
with a kidney table of mahogany beside it. The corner of the room shown
in the illustration is the most convenient writing-place. The desk is
placed at right angles to the wall between the two windows. The small
furnishings of the writing-desk repeat the queer blues and the rose-red
of the chintz. A very comfortable stool with a cushion of old velvet is
an added convenience.
The chintz curtains at the windows hang in straight, full folds. A flat
valance, cut the length of the design of the chintz, furnishes the top
of the two windows. Some windows do not need these valances, but these
windows are very high and need the connecting line of color. The long
curtains are lined with the rose-red silk, which also shows in a narrow
piping around the edges.
[Illustration: MUSLIN GLASS CURTAINS IN THE WASHINGTON IRVING HOUSE]
The other two color illustrations are of the most popular room I have
done, a bedroom and sitting room combined. Everyone likes the color plan
of soft greens, mauve and lavender. There is a large day bed of painted
wood, with mattress, springs and cushions covered with a chintz of mauve
ground and gay birds. The rug is a self-toned rug of very soft green,
and the walls are tinted with the palest of greens. The woodwork is
white, and the furniture is painted a greenish-gray that is just a
little deeper than pearl. A darker green line of paint outlines all
the furniture, which is further
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