Show I 0 I What Is Good Taste in Interior Decorating j I Ii i 5 I II FURNITURE Antique and Modern j I Written n by Julia Hoyt Mrs Lydig Hoyt j I C loll In 1 U. U V. V S 3 S. and All Canada rights right b y yo reserved North American Newspaper r Alliance j ji j J i In la i furniture as In clothes we all ha have pr pretty tty decided likes and dis I likes These however vever are subject i to change and and certain things we thought very vory lovely five or ten years ears I now regard with horlor hor hor- ago we may maJo lor Ve Yo may maJo even cen feel quite I ashamed that we ever wo-ever eyer liked them i We Ve then either give them away or hide them in the attic the chances being that some day Y they will be resurrected by our children or grandchildren as interesting an an- At one ono time we passed through I phases when to be really correct everything in tho the house must be Italian Spanish or whatever the craze might dictate even if It we were able to buy only poor Imitations of I Ithe Ithe the original Now thank Now thank Heaven this this is no longer the case It is true that people are beginning to appreciate the beauty of the furniture furniture furniture furni furni- ture of the American colonial ancestors ancestors an an- and nd as a consequence the price of articles of furniture dating from that time has has' Increased enormous enor enor- I 1 learned this to my sorrow sorrow sorrow sor sor- row for I have been collecting them for some time In a small way When hen collecting antiques one should be wary of imitations I am amnot amnot not one of those people who think I nothing Is beautiful unless It Is antique antique an an- tique but I do not want to pay I an-I the price an antique is worth if it has been made mado in America and left out I in the rain for tor a a. few weeks to acI acquire ac acquire ac- ac quire age Dealers in early AmerIcan American American Amer Amer- I ican furniture are very clever about i combining pieces of old chairs and andI I tables and selling them as genuinely old If we read some of the standard standard standard stand stand- ard books on the subject of the different dif dlf- ferent periods we will become ac acquainted acquainted acquainted ac- ac with certain definite marks by which we ve may be able abe to recognize the Imitation from the genuine Even at that we may be deceived at times but we are pretty well armed against the spurious an an- anI I tique A few tew years ago one could pick up very verJ l lovely vely early American pieces all through the countryside for a song Their owners did not appreciate appreciate elate them and end had not as yet learned of or their value from dealers and collectors But now things have changed so that not only has most of or the country been Pr pretty tty well ell bought out by city the owner has a very exaggerated idea of or the price his heirloom should bring A rather rattier amusing inc incident den happened happened happened hap hap- two years ago which shows that there are still some people who have poor opinions of those of us s who lore lovo old things My gardeners gardener's wife wh who had observed that I liked things which she evidently thought were not fit to use came caine to me one j day and said paid j I Mrs Hoyt mother and I 1 wore going over the attic the other day J and fo found nd some old things which we j didn't want perhaps you ou might like them S I I I 1 She showed me some charming early American bra bras brasi cornices and I I some lovely lovey old glass pieces which are used for or looping back curtains In j place of hooks X r already had a afew few tew of these latter which are not rare are but the cornices are very I scarce and much in demand 1 Needless Need Need- ed- ed less to say I was delighted with theold theold the 1 old things i As As I said in n a n previous article j people no BO longer find it necessary j to use only one period of furniture in a room However r one must be i rather careful about combining pe- pe nods Early Am American rican furniture I does not always combine very well with any but English It is quite I natural that these two should live happily together as all the early American Amerlean Amer Amer- I ican lean carpenters used English designs de designs de- de signs so 80 frequently although they simplified them for t their own requirement requirements re requirements re- re and Americanized them Natura Naturally one must pay somo some at attention attention at- at to the architecture of a room when it is to be furnished in period style and as a safeguard it Is well veli to select a dominating well balanced style so that pieces which are not strictly of ot the same period i j may be added from time to time without clashing Painted furniture has great charm I and is very well made these days There are of ot course lovely old I pieces of this description but I think the modern things are equally as attractive i Painted furniture Is I ideal for the breakfast room or perhaps perhaps per per- haps the bedroom In general genera I do not care for sets of furniture I find invariably thata that a room has more charm when it is I composed of individual pieces On I the other hand I think that the tho In- In I closed porch or little breakfast room may be quite delightful when done I In painted furniture even if It Jt It be a set Antique collecting Is an Insidious I i and expensive fad tad without doubt I and I dont don't think that the tho charm of a house depends upon the number of I antiques which fill fill- It better I think to go about the business of I collecting your furniture slowly and with much thoughtful care Remember Re- Re j member it is better to do without II 1 I a table or chair for tor a few months if I at the end of that time timo you Jou are goIng goIng go- go I Ing to be able to get something of beauty The jO joy and satisfaction will be well worth the time spent in waiting To be continued I |