In no room of the well-planned home is there greater opportunity for
good taste in woodwork than in the dining room. The room itself may
be attractive before furniture or drapery or carpet has been put in
place.
There must be, of course, a sideboard or buffet or perhaps a corner
china closet or a pair of them, in which to keep the china and silver
and linens. All of these may be had in Curtis built-in furniture of
excellent design and proportions, decorative in themselves and as a
display of handsome table-ware. They may be built into a recess,
or set out into the room. They come in different woods, suitable
for the finish that will best harmonize with your other woodwork or
furniture. There is a wide variety of sizes and types.
[Illustration: _Sideboard C-710_]
[Illustration:
“_Built-in furniture is very good in a small room,
because it takes and keeps its place as a part of the wall and
increases the floor space. It is advantageous in a room of great
size, because it then becomes of architectural importance, and may be
of great decorative value in mass and color._”
--_The Honest House_]
[Illustration: _China Closet C-703_]
[Illustration: _Buffet C-717_]
[Illustration:
_Curtis veneered doors have stiles and rails built-up as shown in
the section above. “C” are blocks of California white pine which
are tongued-and-grooved and glued together. They will not warp and
they are light. “B” are strips of hardwood which form the edges of
the stiles and rails and into which the molding is cut on Curtis
ovolo-molded doors. “A” are strips of veneer which are secured to
the white pine core by means of waterproof glue. Thus a door is
produced with all the beauty of grain of hardwood, combined with
the lightness, non-warping, non-checking characteristics of solid
softwood doors._]
[Illustration: _Curtis Standard Trim C-1620_]
A fireplace here is less essential than in the living room, but if
you can include one, it contributes to the spirit of hospitality and
cheerfulness which should characterize the room. Choose for it, from
among the Curtis standard designs, a simpler mantel than that in the
living room.
In a large room, beamed ceiling and wall paneling are impressive.
In a dining room of any size, wainscoting is always appropriate and
effective, and when you consider how easy it is to clean, and the
fact that it never needs renewal, it is an economical wall treatment
as well.
One of the important things about the background of the dining
room--as of every other room in the house--is the choice of doors,
windows and trim. These you must have, and on account of their
number, they may do much to improve or to destroy the effect of the
whole interior scheme. If you choose Curtis doors--whether they be
veneered or solid, whether with raised panels or flat ones, whether
with delicate moldings or of Puritanical simplicity--you will have
doors of correct proportions and guaranteed construction. The same
is true of Curtis windows and casements. The trim around windows and
doors offers a splendid opportunity for a choice between molded or
plainer Curtis patterns.
[Illustration: _Interior Door C-300_]
[Illustration:
_Above are shown the two different kinds and patterns of standard
moldings on Curtis doors, the “ovolo” and the “flush”. The former
is cut on the stile or rail; the latter is a separate piece that
is applied, being nailed to a spline, not to the panel, with the
result that when the panel shrinks the molding will not be pulled
away from the stile or rail. Note the panel thicknesses, too. Solid
raised panels are shown. In doors 1-3/4-inch thick these panels are
1-1/8-inch thick, while on 1-3/8-inch thick doors the solid raised
panels are 9/16-inch thick. The same depth of “reveal” is therefore
presented in every door. Solid flat panels in 1-3/4-inch doors are
7/16-inch thick; in 1-3/8-inch doors, 5/16-inch thick. Laminated or
3-ply panels are always 5/16-inch thick._]
[Illustration: _Interior Door C-305_]
[Illustration: _Combination Kitchen Dresser and Worktable C-760_]