s and a door leading to the
service-pantry. A large, four-fold screen, made of an uncut tapestry,
shuts off the door. We need all the light the windows give, so there are
no curtains except the orange-colored taffeta valances at the top. I
devised sliding doors of mirrors that are pulled out of the wall at
night to fill the recessed space of the windows. Ventilation is afforded
by the open fireplace, and by mechanical means. You see we do not
occupy this house in summer, so the mirrored windows are quite feasible.

The fourth wall has no openings, and it is broken into three large
paneled spaces. A console has the place of honor opposite the fireplace,
and above it there is a mirror like that over the mantel. In the two
side panels are the two large Mennoyers. There are five of these in the
room, the smaller ones flanking the chimney piece. You see that the
salvation of this room depends on this careful repetition and variation
of similar objects.

Color is brought into the room in the blue and yellow of the Chinese
rug, in the chairs, and in the painted table. The chairs are painted a
creamy yellow, pointed with blue, and upholstered with blue and yellow
striped velvet. I do not like high-backed chairs in a dining-room. Their
one claim to use is that they make a becoming background, but this does
not compensate for the difficulties of the service when they are used.
An awkward servant pouring soup down one's back is not an aid to
digestion, or to the peace of mind engendered by a good dinner.

[Illustration: MRS. OGDEN ARMOUR'S CHINESE-PAPER SCREEN]

[Illustration: MRS. JAMES WARREN LANE'S PAINTED DINING-TABLE]

The painted table is very unusual. The legs and the carved under-frame
are painted cream and pointed with blue, like the chairs, but the top is
as gay as an old-fashioned garden, with stiff little medallions, and
urns spilling over with flowers, and conventional blossoms picked out
all over it. The colors used are very soft, blue and cream being
predominant. The table is covered with a sheet of plate glass. This
table is, of course, too elaborate for a simple dining-room, but the
idea could be adapted and varied to suit many color and furniture
schemes.

Painted furniture is a delight in a small dining-room. In the Colony
Club I planned a very small room for little dinners that is well worth
reproducing in a small house. This little room was very hard to manage
because there were no windows! There were tw