File:Home interiors (1878) (14579096589).jpg

Identifier: homeinteriors00gard (find matches)
Title: Home interiors
Year: 1878 (1870s)
Authors: Gardner, E. C. (Eugene Clarence), 1836-1915
Subjects: Interior decoration Architecture, Domestic
Publisher: Boston, J.R. Osgood and company
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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Text Appearing Before Image:
been no exception. There seemsto be no end of points in the thorough fin- I/O HOME INTERIORS. ishing of a large house. Having disposed of thestairs, we attacked the tiles, beginning with thekitchen. Here there is to be a dado four anda half feet high, of plain white six-inch tile, witha brown base at the bottom and a blue and whiteborder at the top. The bath-rooms are to besimilarly dadoed, and will also have tile floors.On these, rugs will be needed — small, woollyislands — for bare feet in cold weather and aftera hot bath. The fireplaces are lined fully withtile to the exclusion of soapstone, fire-brick, oriron, and the hearths correspond. Some of themantels have borders next the fire, and in onethe tiles extend above the shelf in an unbrokenmass. In selecting and arranging these there is thesame difficulty as with paper-hangings, — combi-nations cannot be judged by isolated specimens.Yet I find little satisfaction in anything butthe combinations. Separate tiles are sometimes
Text Appearing After Image:
/THE NEW YORK^ mUC LIBRARY ASTOR, CE^.ox AND J2!:££i:2^oAT,or;s. STAIRWAYS AND TILES. 173 very beautiful, well worthy of being set up asornaments, like vases or other pottery, but thereis certainly an incongruity in using them as dec-orations for wood-work in situations where theirdurable quality is of no value. Inserted in thetop of a sideboard, a heavy table, or a woodenshelf, either to cover the entire surface or for anornamental border, at the base of a newel post,next the fire, in a chimney-piece made of wood,and in various other locations, their hardnessjustifies their position, but they should not beset scattered about promiscuous like in pilas-ters, corners, and prominent places where theyhave no meaning except by reason of color andpattern. This is worse than new cloth on an oldgarment; it is like a cast-iron fence around acountry door-yard, a binding of brass on a velvetgown. If color and figures are needed, paint-brush and picture-books will supply them inmore consistent

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