A manual of home-making

Doors of good pattern in various wootls may l)e obtained ready-made in standard sizes. They should be of the same gen- I I HOME FURNISHING 'ta\ finish as the trim and other woodwork. Doors of uniforn liright, on each floor contribute to unity of effect. The widtt may be varied far eonvenieoce. Mantelpieces i cornices ^ and picture-moldings. Any wood used in connect ion with such features as fireplaces should l>e conHiatcnt in etiaracter and finish with the other trim of the room. The mantel should be planned with and for the room, not purehiist^d ready-made and graftcil upon it* Ltke- \y\se any tile or brick farinas used in tlie fireplace should bar- nM>nize in texture and <'o!or witb the entire decorative Mchenie. A cornice of wood like the trim may mark the intersection of ceiling and side w^all and shoukl of course be finished like the other woodwork. A picture-molding marking: this intersection is an effective finish for low rooms or those of ordinary height. A picture-molding so placed should be heavier than one loweiJ on the wall In some cases, a second molding may !ie used on' the wall some distance lielow t!ie one at the ceiling. Tliis second molding then become*s the picture-rail. Ceiling. The treatment of the ceilinp? should harmonize with the finifih of the walls and woodwork, Ordinarily the ceilings in dwellinja:s are finished with plaster. This lends itself through the use of calcimine (water color paints), to any color scheme. Paper is a leas desirable finish for eeilings. If it must be used, as sometimes happens in old houses where the ceiling has cracked or become discolor€*d, a phiin tone slioukl be chosen. If a ceiling is cracked, canvas or burlap may be put over the ol plaster and then paint or calcimine applied to it. Beamed ceilings produce an interesting structural and dec- orative effect. The lieams should preferafily be finished like the other w^oodwork in the rm>m. If peculiar problems are presented by the WTiodwork, the finish of the beams may Ijc considered only in relation to the ceihng. Beamed ceilings are often found in houses of early colonial architecture. They are also a feature of the new Craftsman houses. In the first case a 1 44 A MANUAL OF HOME-MAKINO I I they would usually \yQ painted^ nineo most of the woodwork Is painted; in the latter, they would be finished like the oak or similar woods gemerally used. C'eilinj^s of wood, except in stieathed or paneled rooiQs^ are likely to look heavy and oppressive. In summer cotta|i^ aiid in some parts of the country, rooms sheathed and ceiled in yellow pine or cypress are often finishtHl in the natural color and varnished. Paint is the only antidote and should be usi**! on the ceiling at least, after '"cutting" the varnish. Wliito metal ceilings are in line with the progress toward fireproof construction. They cannot as yet be obtained in pleasing pat- tern except for very large rooms, and even here their construc- tion is unpleasantly oljinisive. Floors,