s, copper or pewter
you may own.

If sitting-room and dining-room connect by a wide opening, keep the
same colour scheme in both, or, in any case, the same depth of colour.
This gives an effect of space. It is not uncommon when a house is very
small, to keep all of the walls and woodwork, and all of the carpets,
in exactly the same colour and tone. If variety in the colour-scheme
is desired, it may be introduced by means of cretonnes or silks used
for hangings and furniture covers.

Avoid the use of thin, old silks on sofas or chair seats.

Avoid too cheap materials for curtains or chair covers, as they will
surely fade.

Avoid too many small rugs in a room. This gives an impression of
restless disorder and interferes with the architect's lines. Do not
place your rugs at strange angles; but let them follow the lines of
the walls.

Avoid placing ornaments or photographs on a piano which is in
sufficiently good condition to be used.

Avoid the chance of ludicrous effects. For example, keep a plain
background behind your piano. Make sure that, when listening to music
you are not distracted by seeing a bewildering section of a picture
above the pianist's head, or a silly little vase dodging, as he moves,
in front of, above, or below his nose!

Avoid placing vases, or a clock, against a chimney piece already
elaborately decorated by the architect, as a part of his scheme in
using the moulding of panel to frame a painting over the mantel. In
the old palaces one sees that a bit of undecorated background is
provided between mantel and the architect's decoration.

If your room has a long wall space, furnish it with a large cabinet or
console, or a sofa and two chairs.

Avoid blotting out your architect's cleverest points by thoughtlessly
misplacing hangings. Whoever decorates should always keep the
architect's intention in mind.

Avoid having an antique clock which does not go, and is used merely as
an ornament. Make your rooms _alive_ by having all the clocks running.
This is one of the subtleties which marks the difference between an
antique shop, or museum, and a home.

Avoid the desecration of the few good antiques you own, by the use of
a too modern colour scheme. Have the necessary modern pieces you have
bought to supplement your treasures, stained or painted a dull dark
colour in harmony with the antiques, and then use dull colours in the
floor coverings, curtains and cushions. If you have no good _old_
or