MENUS FOR A THANKSGIVING--A CHRISTMAS AND A LENTEN DINNER
[Footnote: From "A Book of Good Dinners for My Friend." FANNY
MERRITT FARMER.]
THANKSGIVING DINNER
Clam Soup, Browned Crackers. Halibut Rolls, Sauce Tartare, Dressed
Cucumbers. Roast Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing, Giblet Gravy, Maitre
d'Hotel Potatoes. Mashed Winter Squash, Onions in Cream, Cranberry
Punch. Pear Salad, French Dressing, Thanksgiving Pudding, Hard Sauce,
Vanilla Ice Cream, Hot Chocolate Sauce, Sponge Cake, Assorted Nuts,
Fruit, Black Coffee.
CHRISTMAS DINNER
Clam and Tomato Consomme. Browned Soup Rings. Olives and Salted Pecans.
Fillets of Sole, Mushroom Sauce. Roast Goose, Giblet Gravy, Frozen
Apples. Riced Potatoes, Glazed Silver Skins. Pimento Timbales.
Chiffonade Salad. English Plum Pudding, Sherry Sauce. Coffee Ice Cream,
Almond Cakes. Bonbons. Crackers and Cheese. Black Coffee.
LENTEN DINNER
Smoked Salmon and Anchovy Canapes. Tomato Bisque Soup. Buttered
Croquettes, Croutons. Tartlets of Egg with Curry. Boiled Cod, Venetian
Sauce. Hot Potato Salad. Cauliflower au Gratin. Cheese Souffle.
Chocolate Bavarian Cream. Black Coffee.
[Illustration: DIAGRAM OF A BUFFET TABLE]
HOW TO PREPARE A MEAL
[Illustration: DIAGRAM OF TABLE LAID FOR HOME DINNER WITHOUT SERVICE
OF MAID]
[Illustration: LUNCHEON COVER IN DETAIL]
[Illustration: FORMAL DINNER COVER IN DETAIL]
INTERIOR DECORATION
CHAPTER I
LINES AND CURVES
Straight lines in a room call for straight lines in furniture, rugs and
hangings. They make a room dignified and serious in appearance. Italian
Renaissance chairs and other pieces of that period, and our modern
Craftsman and Mission chairs (often hard and stiff examples of the
straight-line type of furniture, just as Bokhara, Kazan and Afghan rugs
are of the straight-line rug) are furniture of this kind. The severe
line is also produced by velvet draperies topped by straight-lined
lambrequins. A straight line is to be preferred to a weak curve. And
it is usually possible to redeem too straight and rigid an appearance
in furniture by relieving long, straight lines (as in tables) by carved
ornamentation and the application of curved lines on a secondary plane,
i. e., in parts of the legs. In general, when not too rigid, straight
lines in interior decoration stand for repose, sobriety and dignity.
CURVED LINES
Curved lines in decoration and furniture are of various kinds. The
rococo styles (Louis XV and the Regency) are overluxurious and often
weak; the curves in Arabic or Celtic ornamentation vague and obscure.
The undulating curves of Persian rugs suggest movement. Curves, in
general, which turn _up_, make an effect of animation and
happiness. Wall papers and draperies used to emphasize such furniture
curves lend an air of happy animation to the rooms in which they are
used.
Contrast to stiff, straight lines is afforded by the use of the curved
line in decoration, which offers soft, rich and lovely effects. In
general, curved lines make for grace, flexibility and softness.
BROKEN LINES
Broken lines give us a feeling of life and movement. But they should
not be used for the permanent decorative lines of a room--the lines of
the walls, openings, hangings, draperies, carpets, or large, immovable
pieces of furniture which have a fixed place. In pillows which break
the long back line of a couch, in cornice moldings, lambrequin bottoms,
chair backs, screens, etc., they lend life. But as a rule they should
be sparingly used.
VERTICAL LINES
Vertical lines express aspiration and disquietude; diagonal lines,
action. In wall paper designs and rug patterns the diagonal line is not
always excellent. Diagonal lines are sometimes effective in rugs; but
the feeling of energetic movement they produce in wall papers or drop
patterns is objectionable. It annoys the eye and is usually inartistic.
CHAPTER II
FORM, COLOR AND PROPORTION
Never overemphasize one of the dimensions of _height, width_ and
_depth_ at the expense of one of the others. They must be
harmonized.
OBLONG
The proportions of any room are best when they make a normal impression
on the eye. The oblong is the best decorative art _form_, as a
rule. It can be used in nearly all ornaments, in walls, doors and
windows, ceilings and floors, in rugs and furniture, because it is
obvious.
THE SQUARE
The square form is solid and firm, but tends to be monotonous. Square
windows, fireplaces and wall spaces, as well as square rooms in general
and pictures, are usually uninteresting, and this applies to cubes as
well. The big cubical chair, for instance, is something to be avoided.
THE TRIANGLE
The triangular form (in mantel clocks, lampshades, highboys, bookcase
foundations, and sometimes where it appears in wall paper or Turcoman
rug designs) expresses movement in repose admirably, and has real
decorative values.
CURVED FORMS
Curved forms, the circle, the oval and the ellipse, are all agreeable.
There is in them "a hint of the mysterious dualism of life."
COLOR
Colors makes decorative shapes easy to see. (For the character of the
colors and the principles of their effective combination the reader
will find much useful information in the "Color Harmony and Design in
Dress" included in this series.) Art, Nature and books will all help
the interior decorator in the matter of color adjustment. Trim in most
houses compels the adjustment of the color harmony to suit it. In
general white paneling calls for the use of one warm and one cool
color, while dark brown or black paneling needs two or more warm
colors.
PROPORTION
All parts of a furnished room must help express one ideal of balance.
The realization of this ideal is proportion. A horizontal room calls
for horizontal furniture and lines, a vertical room for vertical ones.
Every important decorative feature of a room must be selected in
accordance with its proportion in general. The size of a room
increases the form scale (or scale of the forms) represented by
furniture, pictures, rugs, etc. In every room the important individual
pieces, such as library table, piano, bed, dresser, must parallel one
or another wall. Do not violate proportion and artistic effect by
overcrowding.
CHAPTER III
INDIVIDUAL ROOMS OF THE HOUSE
THE DINING ROOM AND "WORK ROOMS"
The dining room, with which we were so directly concerned in the
preceding portion of this book, offers a natural point of departure for
considering the individual rooms of the house with regard to
decoration. First, as to a dominant dining room color: The dining room
should be a room of good cheer, a bright, happy room. But it should not
be too bright. If it is on the sunny side of the house, let one of the
colors dominate--white, cream white, blues, greens, grays or violet--if
on the shady side, gain warmth by the use of yellows (save lemon),
orange, warm tans, russets, pinks, yellowish greens and reds. (This
applies to all rooms.)
Do not use restless-patterned wall papers. Leather (used with paneling
or above wainscot), modern tapestries, fabrics of all kinds are
suitable for covering dining-room walls. If low, the ceiling should
never be dark, since this makes the room appear still lower. (A
breakfast room done in lacquer is very effective, however, if not too
low.) A single large rug, harmonizing with the wall color scheme is
admirable in any room. In the dining room, however, a figured carpet is
often preferred for practical reasons: it stands wear and tear around
the table better. Well-chosen paper (See Chapter II) often improves a
badly proportioned room by optical illusion. The ideal lightings for
dining rooms are side lights. Dining-room drop lights or domes are very
trying to the eyes of those who dine, and are unbecoming. Side lights
(adding candles for grace and charm) are far pleasanter to the eyes and
look better.
In the dining room the table is the dominating furniture note. A round
table, an oblong table or a square table may be the more desirable
according to the shape of the room. But a round dining table may be
harmonized with an oblong dining room by means of an oblong rug, with
rounded medallion, by a round flower bowl, a round tray or even the
wheels of the tea table. In the dining room, as elsewhere, repetition
in color establishes the color tone of the room. In the dining room, as
elsewhere, every individual room presents an individual case, to be
worked out decoratively in accordance with the principles already
given. One more color hint regarding the dining room, drawn from a
modern authority: "When we think of the ideal dinner--the soft lights,
the hospitable warmth, the sparkle of crystal, the gleam of silver, the
quick talk and gay laughter of the guests--we think of _red,_ for
that color is indissolubly bound in thought with the idea of richness,
hospitality and excitement." Yet red, as we will see later, is a color
to be used with great caution.
WORKING ROOMS VERSUS LIVING ROOMS
Before passing to the other rooms of the house, we will pause to
consider a more purely utilitarian group.
_The Kitchen_.--These rooms which are strictly utilitarian, more
or less escape decorative control. The kitchen, aside from the elements
of proportion in arrangement of its furnishings, is not properly a room
for decoration. A cheerful color, plenty of light--a practical
essential--and practical arrangement of its furniture and equipment
are of more importance than the decorative element. Neatness, color
harmony and a restful eye effect should be obtained. This applies as
well to the butler's pantry. Pantry and kitchen should always be shut
off from the dining room, so that the latter's decorative values are
not affected by them.
_The Bathroom_.--Tiled or hardwood flooring, painted or glazed
washable walls, sanitary plumbing, glass shelves, washable cotton rugs
and bath mats, all the modern conveniences in keeping with the purposes
of the room, thrust the decorative element into the background. The
curtains must be simple and quite easily washed.
_The Home Sewing Room_.--The home sewing room, too, may be viewed
decoratively as well as practically. A sunny room with western
exposure, kalsomined in pale warm gray, the floor covered with
cream-colored matting, windows fitted with white Holland shades--a
combination restful to the eye--and furnished with hard-wood framed,
cane-bottomed chairs.
CHAPTER IV
LIVING ROOM, DRAWING ROOM AND LIBRARY
We now return to the rooms where decoration is the rule. While always
remembering that connecting rooms must harmonize with one another in
color, individual colors may always be appropriately chosen for certain
rooms, because they express the dominant mood and character of the room
in question. Thus, for the living room or drawing room, the yellows,
oranges and golden browns, which combine the cheer of yellow and the
warmth of red, are excellent. If a restful instead of a cheerful
quality is desired for the living room or drawing room, green may be
made the dominant hue. Yellow is a joyous tint, also a good breakfast-room
hue. It will harmonize in the living room with plain fumed oak,
willow furniture and cretonne hangings as well as with painted and
paneled ivory walls, old Chinese rugs, damask hangings and satinwood
and lacquered furniture. But furniture, bric-a-brac and walls always
_must_ be good in line and color. For proper floor balance use a
large rug in a large living room, and several small ones in a small
one. Furniture, too, should be chosen in view of the emphasis each
individual piece has; and its relations to the room in general. The
effect of stiffness is not overcome by placing heavy pieces of
furniture askew in a room. Yet this is often done. Scale and
proportion should always dictate the choice of furniture, lamps and
pictures. Each has its place in the general decorative scheme. Red is a
hard color for the eyes. Many a red living room has been the cause of
chronic headache. Not that red need be entirely tabooed. A living room
for example, paneled in oak, with a soft red-toned Oriental rug, red
draperies, a touch of red in a stained glass window panel, and red
cushioned window seat will have far more warmth and charm than a room
whose walls are completely covered with red.
_The Hall and Library_.--Red, however, makes a hall seem
hospitable and full of welcome. It is also a good library color. In
halls where walls are papered or paneled with stripes or draperies rich
red may appear in the ground of an Oriental rug on the floor, and be
matched in the hue of the portieres or stair runner. With damask or
tapestry, or large-figured duplex papered hall walls, a soft-toned red
rug, with hangings and stair runner matching it, is best. The walls
should show a neutral tint, and red will dominate with pleasing effect.
In the library, in winter, with a glow from the open fire playing over
a red rug, "revealing shadowy outline of bookcases, and dim velvet
draperies, as a deep-shaded lamp throws a beam of light over the arm of
a big reading chair," red seems indeed an ideal color for the room.
CHAPTER V
BED ROOM, NURSERY AND PLAY ROOM
For the bedroom, though other colors such as green and violet, in
particular (save red, which is a poor bedroom hue) are not barred, blue
is an ideal color, expressive of repose and tranquil ease. In the
bedroom, however, as in all other rooms, the light and location must
always be considered in establishing the color note. Curtains either
make or mar a room, especially a bedroom. Bedroom curtains, whether of
expensive or cheap material, must emphasize the restful charm of the
room. If a bedroom (or other room) is plain in color, the curtains may
be either plain or figured. But it is dangerous when wall designs of
bedrooms is apt to convey a feeling of restlessness. The bedroom may be
provided with one large or several smaller rugs as a floor covering,
according to size. Plain rugs are more restful in effect, and with
plain walls and chintz often present a charming effect.
NURSERY AND PLAY ROOM
These children's rooms should always give out a gay and cheerful
atmosphere. To obtain this wall papers with colorful friezes with
characters from fairy tale, Mother Goose or Noah's Ark, may be used
above a simple wainscot. Painted walls with stenciled designs are also
attractive. Small chairs and tables with good lines, a bookcase, a toy
cupboard, a sand table, and window boxes where the children may plant
seeds, are all possible decorative units of such a room. The general
color scheme must be soft and cheerful, plain linoleum is the best
floor covering, the few pictures should hang low, and the window
curtains should be of white muslin, with side hangings (down to sill)
with some special nursery design in cretonne.
CHAPTER VI
SOME HINTS ANENT PERIOD FURNITURE
Period furniture is a means to a decorative end. It is a _part_ of
the decoration of a room, and must be adapted to its lines and
proportions. Halls for instance, call for tall chairs and cabinets and
long and narrow wall tables. Pictures and bric-a-brac are out of place
in the hall. In the living room, where spaciousness and repose are
wanted, substantial, comfortable chairs, long, low sofas, cabinets and
tables, and no fussy furniture adjuncts are demanded. Similarly in the
dining room, the furniture lines should make the room a more
comfortable and restful one in which to eat; and bedroom furniture
must in all decorative ways carry out the idea of rest and sleeping. If
period furniture is used, the drawing room usually gives the dominant
note, which should be carried out (in more or less modified form)
throughout the other rooms. Do not make too abrupt contrasts in using
period furniture. Late Louis XVI and Early Empire have much in common.
But it is a shock to find Louis XV and Late Empire in the same room.
Sheraton and Rococo, Early Jacobean oak and late eighteenth century
English mahogany do not mix. If your rooms are Colonial use Colonial or
Georgian styles of furniture. For ball rooms, small reception rooms,
and the boudoirs of blooming young beauty--not those of dignified old
age--Louis XV is to be commended. Formal dining rooms stand Louis XV
and Louis XVI styles very well. On the other hand the simple beauty of
line of Adam, Sheraton, Heppelwhite and Chippendale are better suited
to simpler rooms--though they may be quite as subtly and perfectly
finished. In general, the choice of all furniture--chairs, tables,
beds, mirrors--should be influenced by the size of the house and
rooms, individual circumstances and individual taste, where the last
does not conflict with established laws of decoration.
CONCLUSION
Interior Decoration is a very extensive and complicated subject. What
we have here attempted to do has been to give an idea of the general
principles underlying it, together with as many direct and practical
hints and suggestions as has been possible within the limits allotted.
It is hoped that they may lead the reader to take a more personal
interest in a fascinating subject of study. If this be the case, a
large number of specialized works which treat every least phase of
"Interior Decoration" in exhaustive detail, are available.