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Good Housekeeping Studio
Furnishings and Decorations
Helen Kones, Director
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING, 119 West 40th Street, New York, N. Y.
Copyright 1925, Good Houstiteping!
The fireplace with its old stone mantel and unique plaster ornament above becomes the center of interest in this early English room. The heavy andirons of wrought iron give the feeling of the entire room with their simplicity and good structural lines
Studio Service
Each month the room known as “The Studio” is rebuilt and refurnished by us to show how a room of a certain type may be constructed from procurable furniture, furnishings, and building materials made by American manufacturers. An English Renaissance living-room and its many details are illustrated in this eight page folio
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Modern Livabfene^s in ine /IfmQsplhere of Ike ingfijsfi Renaissance
THE style of the English Renaissance seems to be particularly well adapted to certain needs and locations here in America. The houses in the early English feeling are growing more popular as large country houses, but this style is quite suitable for the smaller suburban home. It is appropriate in its simpler forms for the very informal house, and because it may be made so very comfortable in the interior, it has become a very livable style. To create a living-room with this early English atmosphere, as we have here in the Studio, requires more than period furniture or furnishings—a well proportioned architectural background is a necessity. But with the correct background, a room similar to this one, could be created in an apartment-house even though it lacked a harmonizing exterior. Each apartment may assume for its interior architec-
The living-room that may be combined with the library is practical for this early English house. It has dignity, due to its architectural symmetry, and livableness is obtained by the comfortable arrangement of furniture and lamps, and the blending of mellow colors
ture what seems most desirable, the greatest difficulty being with standardized doors and windows. However, it is possible in some instances, to change these structural items sufficiently to make them in accord with <he style desired.
To create an atmosphere successfully in any style or feeling, there must be a controlling motive and to understand the motive expressed in this room the student must go back to the reign of Henry VIII (1509-1547), the Elizabethan (1558-1603), and the Jacobean periods (1603-1659). In those early days construction in building was more apparent and in following that type of design the heavy beams which carry the weight of the second story are exposed and become part of the decorative background in this room. The lintels, the wood construction above the windows, the trim under the broad case-The grouping of furniture is most important in a room of this character. Each chair with a good light and small table at hand, a comfortable sofa, and a well-lighted table for writing or study must all be so co-related that a large group of people may be accommodated
ment window, and other somewhat crude, but attractive, necessities of building which are usually hidden by plaster and interior finish in a modern house, have here become pleasing architectural detail.
The architect on the Studio’s staff, Henry Ives Cobb, Jr., has utilized old construction motifs to give architectural beauty as well as atmosphere to the room, which is of moderate size (17 x 22, by 9 high). Its place in a small house is shown in the floor plan, assuming the exterior to be of timber and plaster like the interior, or of brick. It would not be incorrect, however, to have a living-room of this character in a house conforming to any of the English styles or to the American Colonial.
Construction
But to return to the room itself. The entrance from the hall is through a pointed doorway, the plaster walls in a soft tan and the oak woodwork stained dark brown and waxed to a dull gloss finish, give the impression of the mellowing of time. As Mr. Cobb designed the woodwork to represent what, in the old days, would have been real structural timbers, the room may be so built, or this effect may be obtained in remodeling a house, or building one on less authentic structural lines, by the use of ordinary seven eighth inch boards nailed to the walls. The detailed elevation on page 7 shows the sizes of these boards which may be procured in oak or chestnut from any dealer in
A full-rigged ship, even in bas-relief, makes a very satisfactory overmantel. The two columns surmounted by most alert lions emphasize the architectural structure ofthe mantel and its heavy oak framing
mill-work. The ceiling has seven inch beams set at intervals of four feet six inches. These may be “boxed beams,” instead of solid, that is made up in box form of thin material shaped as the solid timbers would be. The doors show small panels and pointed tops to conform with the style of the room, and can be constructed easily by any carpenter capable of building the usual type of door. The windows are casements, opening out, but instead of using wooden frames, as in the sixteenth century, we have the most modern type of steel casement sash and frames. These can be bought in standard sizes ready to set in the wall, with all the necessary hardware.
One of the chief charms of this style is its irregularity. The designer need not be tied down by the necessities of symmetry. Therefore, there is a fireplace in the middle of one wall and a broad casement window in the middle of the opposite wall. But although the bookcases placed on each side of the fireplace are balanced by those on each side of the window, the door to the terrace, which would be disturbing to a perfectly symmetrical treatment, really adds to the quaintness ’when used with this style. See detail elevations on pages 6 and 7.
The Walls
In the sixteenth century plaster was a new material, and craftsmen were so interested in its plastic qualities that they amused themselves by
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Each group is complete in itself and this one between hall door and fireplace is most inviting with a low brown velvet upholstered chair. The tall cabinet with gracefully curved top gives height as well as color to the group in another corner

The heavy oak door with pointed top and well proportioned panels is one of the best architectural details in the room
modeling all sorts of odd ornaments in the wet plaster as the work progressed. These ornaments had no regularity of design or placing on the wall and were called “pargetry." This character is well shown in the Studio by the ornaments spotted irregularly over the walls, and by the plaster molding which forms the top of the wall under the ceiling beams. This molding may be purchased by the foot and applied in the same manner as the ornaments.
The wall is of hand-patted plaster which comes in sheets about five feet square, and may be applied over either rough or smooth walls, or wall board. When the sheets are put up and while the plaster is still wet, the edges are pointed together. The plaster parge ornaments may be purchased from any dealer in ornamental plaster work. When the wall was thoroughly dry one coat of glue size, with a little umber in it, was applied to give the soft antique color. The woodwork was stained with a “cathedral oak” penetrating stain which was rubbed down with wax to simulate the mellow tone of antique oak. The tile floor is of a stone-like composition which can be cut and nailed like wood. The old stone color harmonizes well with the antique plaster wall.
5Architectural Elevations and Details of Furniture
At the top of this page and the one opposite are working drawings made by the architect and from which the room was constructed. These two elevations are of the long walls opposite each other, the one showing placement of fireplace and books, the other, casement windows, books, and outside door to terrace. The drawings show the relations of spaces, and the placement of all the wood trim. The dimensions are marked for the different sizes of boards needed in the construction, if these boards are to be applied, and not an actual part of the structure of and house.
Arrangement
The hangings and furniture are in keeping with these early periods and yet lack none of our modern comforts. The arrangement of furniture in convenient groups is very important in a room of this type which combines library with living-room. Starting with the fireplace as a center of interest, on each side we placed an upholstered chair, with a lamp near by and a small table to hold a book or any other necessity for greater comfort. Opposite the fireplace in front of the window is an Elizabethan table of oak used as a writing table. The carved high-back chair behind it is placed with its back to the window so that the light may come over the shoulder. Conveniently near is a cabinet which while holding papers is also a decorative note in the corner and
A round top not quite even, and three square-cut solid legs are part of the charm of this antique oak cricket table
Wrought iron finds a fitting place in this tall fern stand with slender, graceful lines
COLORS SCHEME
Walls:	Plaster with antique finish.
Woodwork:	Oak stained very dark and
waxed.
Floor: Composition tile covered with oriental rug in old blues, mahogany, and soft rose.
Furniture:	Oak-stained and waxed.
Furniture Covering:	Sofa and one chair in
brown strie velvet, one chair in tapestry with deep cream, rose and blue, one chair with slip cover to match curtains.
Curtains:	Hand blocked English linen—
blue-green background, dull rose, blues, and browns.
Accessories:	Deep red pottery lamp with
ecru shade, brass lamps with dull gold shades, odd pieces of old pezvter and antique metals. The ferns, pole-screen, portrait, and antique globe repeat the same colors in mellowed tones.
adds height to that end of the room. The long sofa between the windows at the end of the room offers a comfortable corner for reading, or with the small table in front of it suggests a place for tea. The octagonal table at the left of the entrance is large enough to hold a fern or flowers, the porcelain lamp and shade, and a few colorful books. Each group is complete in itself, and yet so co-related that the total effect of a well-arranged and comfortable room is presented.
Furniture
Oak is the characteristic wood of this early period and the excellent reproductions made by some of our best American manufacturers are well constructed of seasoned wood and with a hand rubbed finish, closely approximate in tone the mellowness of the old pieces which time alone can give. The long table with bulbous legs is characteristic of the Elizabethan era as is the small octagonal table which matches it. The wooden pegs show on the edge of the table as they did in the seventeenth century pieces, for in furniture as in architecture, the means of construction was more apparent then than now. The lacquered cabinet belongs to a later period, but harmonizes with the sturdier oak pieces. The chair behind the writing table is Jacobean in feeling while the tapestry-covered arm chair between the table and cabinet belongs to the age
This pedestal table is a modern version of the carved bulbous legs and heavy base of the Elizabethan period
6A metal treasure chest in miniature provides a place for writing accessories on the table. The wrought iron bridge lamp has an adjustable arm and the paper shade is decorated with sailing ships
of Chippendale. The small oak tables and the joint stool are excellent copies of old pieces and because they are made of old wood seem to have more of the feeling of the antique.
In front of the sofa is a small cricket table—-the one genuine antique bit of furniture in the room—to hold the tea tray, the book being read, or a cigarette box. It should never have ornaments on it, as it is there for use, to hold whatever is required of it at the moment.
If you have never had such a table, just try one, and you will never be without it again. The upholstered pieces are also American-made and in addition to the pleasing lines of their design, they are made of the very best materials inside as well as out. This is an important factor in the construction of any upholstered piece, and we can be more sure of values in what we are buying when the products of our best manufacturers are used.
Above: A lamp made from an old brass candlestick with a shade of dull gold finished on the edges with twisted silk in two colors. The old pewter inkwell is very decorative with its gay quill pens

This heavy oak table is an excellent reproduction of a sixteenth century English piece with its two bulbous legs, and heavy floor stretchers. The Jacobean chair behind it is also hand carved
7The design of the Jacobean linen is shown above, the pattern printed as though it were embroidered by hand. The geographical globe to the left is eighteenth century English. The sang de boeuf porcelain lamp to the right is mounted on a heavy brass base and has an oval shade
Lighting
To get the best out of artificial light in any room, the lights must be so placed that the daylight is not only replaced, but supplemented. An arrangement of side lights as novel as it is pretty and practical is the hanging of electrically wired iron lanterns above the bookcases. These four lights give sufficient general illumination in the room, or may be used only as the necessary direct light for selecting a book. Old brass candlesticks are wired for the lamps on the long table, shaded with dull gold silk shades finished on the edges with a bit of twisted silk in two colors. Each of the two fireside chairs has its own reading lamp, by the chintz-covered one is the wrought iron bridge lamp with its swinging arm that may be raised or lowered, and the paper shade with painted ships. On the oak table near the brown velvet chair is a rare old lamp of sang de boeuf porcelain, which glows more beautifully under the soft light from the large ecru silk shade.
Color Scheme
The background colors of the room have been described, the old ivory of the walls blending perfectly with the antique stone of the floor, while the dark oak woodwork gives the necessary contrast. The curtains are of hand blocked English linen in Jacobean design 'suggesting old crewel work wffiich was so popular with the ladies of the seventeenth century. The background is a very soft blue-green and the design is mostly of browns with a little dull blue and mahogany. The same linen was used for a slip cover on the big chair near the fireplace. The rather large and spreading pattern lends itself very well to upholstery and the box-plaited ruffle adds to its quaintness. The repetition of the color tones of the curtains elsewhere in the room always tends to tie the whole together and so the sombreness of the sofa is lightened by using odd pillows of the print- ... cd linen. The rug, a beautiful	'
Royal Saruk, repeats these same colors with a predominance of dull rose running into mahogany and mulberry in the smaller border designs on a blue background. The sofa and chair are	ÆT
upholstered in a mulberry - brown strié velvet which
has a delightful lustre. The odd Chippendale chair has a striped fabric of tapestry weave with deep ivory background and a small pattern of rose and green.
The accessories in a room may tie up most delightfully with the color scheme, or they may ruin an otherwise well-planned room. The neutral lamp shades on the long table show up best against the decorative linen curtains and books
The Studio cooperated with the Jacobson Mantel & Ornament Co., wall and mantel; DeVoe £sf Raynolds, wall finish; J. S. Thorn Co., casement windows; Pushman Bros., rug; Century Furniture Co., upholstered furniture, large tables, cabinet; Palmer and Embury, carved side chair, oak stand; Louis Allen, other tables; Ehrich Galleries, portrait; Arthur Tod hunter, fireplace fittings, side lights, and latches; Edwin A. Jackson & Bros., andirons; lamps and shades:	Roland N. Moore,
Frank Norris, W. Irving Forge, Iva B. Kempshall; accessories: Florian Papp, Florentine Craftsmen, Ovington, McBur-ney and Underwood, Darn ley, Elsie Sloane Farley, Douglas Curry £sf Co.
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as their background, while the sang de boeuf lamp and its yellowish shade bring color to an otherwise colorless corner. Books are a decorative feature in any room and especially so here, placed as they are each side of window and fireplace, giving an equal amount of varied color to opposite sides of the room. The antique globe with all its gay colors mellowed by time is an interesting addition to any library, both for its educational value and as a colorful highlight. The vases and flower pots for ferns are very dull, rich, dark green with a frosty appearance, another tone that adds to the total effect. The pole screen by the fireplace with dull oil painting and lacquered frame, the flowers, ferns, the bright jade cigarette box all add color notes that help to make the room colorful and yet sufficiently subdued to be restful.
Accessories
Wrought iron played an important part in any of the Renaissance styles and fits in particularly well with the feeling in this room. The latches on the doors are hand wrought, and more suitable in this style of room than any standard hardware would be. The tall fern stand, which gives height to one corner of the room, is constructed of wrought iron as are the lanterns above the bookcases. The bridge lamp near the fireplace has a steel finish, while the andirons and fire tools are of the usual dull iron finish wTell rubbed down, with the added touch of brass handles on the long-handled fork and brush. Other bits of metal add highlights to the decorative value of the room—the heavy brass book-ends, the elaborate brass base on the porcelain lamp, both with an antique finish to match the candlestick lamps on the long table. The treasure chest might well be a miniature copy of a pirate’s strong box and on opening it one expects to \ find golden	doubloons instead of most
. modern writing accessories. A dark _ \ leather portfolio, the few bits of pewter, a handsome silver paper knife (an English skewer dated 1773), the family portrait, an antique box in the form of a tiny leather chest, are the all important things which give the look of a charming “lived-in” room, with the old-Aj-.-	.	world atmosphere
■" >	0f yesterday, but
the comfort of
Royal Saruk rug blending with the color scheme enriches the effect of restfulness	today.
SThis book is a preservation facsimile.
It is made in compliance with copyright law and produced on acid-free archival 60# book weight paper which meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (permanence of paper)
Preservation facsimile printing and binding by
Acme Bookbinding Charlestown, Massachusetts
2011