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Show WOMAN'S WORLD Use Practical Knowledge, Vision , To Achieve Room Atmosphere j By Ertta Haley j TS THERE SOME feature in your Ahome that annoys you, such as a dark hall, a jumbled room, a shabby shab-by bed frame or no space for books? Maybe it isn't anything like this, but something intangible such as atmosphere or style? How do you go about getting it? Surprising though it may seem, many of these decorative problems are easily solved in many cases. It may involve (changing a furniture furni-ture of picture arrangement which requires no money, only knowledge. It may mean taking the old-fashioned trimmings off some of the furniture and a bit of refinishing which takes, not money, but "elbow work." It may mean constructing a shelf over a studio couch at very little cost. The first problem is not one of how to do it, but one of what you have to do with. Look over the problem critically and think about the possibilities. See what the desired de-sired effect should be, and then it's much easier to go about getting it. Style and atmosphere are a result re-sult of imagination, but they must be based on practical knowledge and certain basic rules. You cannot can-not violate the principles of balance or rules of color harmony and achieve a result pleasing to the eye. When you feel you lack imagination, imagina-tion, study good examples and soon you'll feel yourself becoming creative. crea-tive. In this way you can achieve You may accomplish wonders .... the style you want, and, at the same time, have a lot of fun. Simple practical tricks that you do with pictures or decoration add the atmosphere and individuality that make a room or a home yours. . Carry them out with neatness and dispatch and you will have created something that gives you and anyone any-one else real pleasure. Let Picture Arrangements Reflect Personality It's not necessary to rush out to buy expensive originals if you like pictures in the home. People have been known to collect inexpensive with simple decorating tricks. prints or greeting cards that they like or which reflect a certain hobby hob-by of theirs. Groupings of several of these over a couch, above a desk, or on some bare wall reflect the personality of the owner. Groups of pictures which go together to-gether might be pasted on a wall near a deep window without frames of their own. Colored glue tape, to match some color in the drapes or in the room itself would serve to frame each of the pictures. Family portraits might all be Be Smart! This Is the classic dress style of the times. For the winter season you'll find it in sheer wools, dressweight gabardines gab-ardines and similar fabric that take to tailoring in a handsome hand-some way. For the spring season sea-son it is beginning to appear in moire, faille and similar fabrics fab-rics of silk and rayon, and in handsome linens. It's a wonderfully wonder-fully flattering dress with its slim lines undisturbed by the deftly inserted fullness in deep inverted or accordian pleats. This style has a long fashion life ahead. I Preparation Center Light over the counter, cupboard cup-board space near the range and a countertop of sanitary clay tile makes a convenient preparation center in this kitchen. kitch-en. Hot pots and pans can be 1 set from the range onto the counter without damaging it, 1 since the tile Is unaffected by heat and is also stain-proof. framed together on a neutral background and hung above a couch. This would take care of the odd shapes and styles in which they so frequently come. When you're preparing pictures for a, group arrangement, have them all conform in some way or another. Different types of birds go together just as do prints of flowers. Charcoal sketches might be used together as would photographs photo-graphs of the family. All of these have something in common which would dictate their belonging to a certain group. Framing should suit the furnishing furnish-ing of the room. For modern use light or black woods, or even white. For period rooms, select framing that goes pleasantly with your furniture wood. Informal rooms may have their pictures framed with wallpaper or tape, provided this is taken from the room in which they're used. The width of the frame depend? upon the picture which is useo When selecting frames, try several sev-eral different widths and wood; against the picture to make the choice. Re-Arrange Furniture For Pleasing Effects One of the basic rules in arranging ar-ranging a room is that it should have a center of interest or focal point as this is sometimes expressed. ex-pressed. When a room does not have this, you feel restless in it because attention does not become drawn to one particularly pleasing aspect of the room and cannot settle. set-tle. When the room has a fireplace, this gives a natural center of interest, in-terest, and arrangements are built around this with chairs to either side of the fireplace and perhaps a table in the middle. You don't need a fireplace, however. how-ever. An interesting arrangement of furniture which invites a group of people to sit down and talk comfortably com-fortably could serve just as well In dens, hobby room and such, the center of interest might be a hobby collection, a knick-knack shelf, a wall with a large map. or some other . distinctive' feature which is interest catching. Where rooms have a lot of sunlight sun-light or a row of windows, these might be utilized for the focal point. Plants, glass collections china or miniatures might be used on small shelves on the windows to center attention. Even hallways can be made interesting. in-teresting. If dark and cheerless, induce light into them by means of wall color. Substitute glass pan, els for wood. Shallow wooden or glass shelves on the glass panels brighten the hall considerably if they hold plants or colorful jars on them. Panels might also be painted a light neutral, and you could use decals appropriate to the room pasted on each panel. If the hall or any room is rather bare and you do not want to buv any decorative objects for it, a scenic wallpaper can do the work of these things. Avoid Clutter In Decorations. Many rooms offend simply because be-cause there's too much in them They're so busy they appear restless rest-less and create this feeling in you when you enter. Many needless chairs and other furniture might be cleared away and used to bettpr effect in a hall that needs cheering. cheer-ing. Ornateness is usually to be feared more than plainness since ii destroys the feeling of unity. High ly decorative pieces of furniture with good lines could be trimmed down so as not to distract from their basic good lines. This applies to ornate headboards on beds, as well as to highly curvaceous legs seen on some furniture. When you have too much pattern on furniture, you might try slip covering It. employing plain, soliri colors, with the primary interest in the texture of the fabric. |