THE KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN HOUSE
There is one thing that should be carefully considered in buying an old
farmhouse,--that is, character. In order to obtain this, distinct points
should be sought after and brought out. These can be accentuated not
only in the house but also in its surroundings,--the garden, the trees,
and the shrubbery; even the defining wall or fence does its part in
making a good or bad impression on the casual passer-by.
One must remember, in dealing with subjects of this sort, that the term
"farmhouses" is a varying one. These range from small, insignificant
little dwellings to the more elaborate houses that were built primarily
for comfort as well as shelter. There are many large, substantial
dwellings, not of the earlier type, for they were erected much later,
but which illustrate the progression of the farmhouse design. One looks
in houses such as these for larger rooms, higher stud, and more
up-to-date ideas.
The fireplaces are smaller and more ornate, for it must be remembered
that as time passed on, money circulated more freely through the
colonies, allowing for more extensive work and better finished details.
While it is not necessary to copy the Colonial wall hangings, yet in the
older houses it is much more satisfactory; still one can depart from
this custom in a more elaborate house and use his own taste in selecting
an attractive modern paper. Many people consider that houses restored,
no matter of what period, should invariably have carefully consistent
interior finish, without realization that it is sometimes better to look
for character than type.
The old-time wall-papers, more especially the picturesque ones, were
generally used in more expensive houses, although we find them here and
there in the more simple ones. Often this feature of the interior
decoration is not well carried out, the wall hangings being chosen for
cheapness rather than merit.
To-day there is on the market such a great variety of papers that it is
a very easy matter to get one suitable for any certain room and
suggesting good taste. Many of them are reproductions of old motives,
while others are plain and simple in character, giving to the room a
quiet effect and providing a good background for pictures and hangings.
There is nothing more restful in character than the soft grays; they are
effective as a setting for stronger colors that can be used in the
curtains, for this part of a room finish is as important as the wall
hangings themselves. There is an indescribable charm to a room that has
been carefully planned and shows good taste and restful surroundings.
In many houses, some decorative scheme has been introduced which
necessitates a particular kind of wall hanging, and even though it may
be most unusual in type, it illustrates a motive that has been in the
mind of the owner. Houses would lack character if the same line of
interior decoration were carried out in all of them. With a high
wainscot and cornice painted ivory white, comparatively little paper is
needed, which reduces the cost and permits a better paper than if the
room had a simple mopboard and a tiny molding.
Papers that are garish and discordant in themselves, if skilfully
handled, can produce harmonious effects, for it is often the unusual
wall hangings that attract most. In curtaining these rooms let the same
main tone be reproduced; this need not apply to every detail but to the
general tone. Many people are timid in the use of odd wall-papers or
curtains; they are afraid that they may look bizarre, but they should
remember that color is in reality a very powerful agent in making an
artistic home.
It is sometimes effective to treat a house as a whole, and then again it
is better that each room should have its own individuality. Very few
houses but have at least one corner that offers interesting
opportunities, and it is the artistic treatment of this that helps out
the harmony of the room.
There is a charming atmosphere surrounding "Quillcote," the home of Kate
Douglas Wiggin, at Hollis, Maine, where Mrs. Riggs spends three months
of the year. It may be that the quietness of the place lends to it
additional charm, and then again it may possibly be the result of its
environment.
[Illustration: Mrs. Kate Douglas Wiggin's Summer House]
The house itself is typical of the better class of New England
farmhouses, and since it has come into Mrs. Riggs' possession, many
alterations have been made, until to-day it is one of the most
attractive farmhouses to be found anywhere. Two stories and a half in
height, with a slant to the roof, it stands back from the road on a
slight elevation, with a surrounding of lawns and overshadowed by
century-old elms. To-day its weather-beaten sides have been renovated by
a coat of white paint, while the blinds have been painted green. A touch
of picturesqueness has been secured through the introduction of a
window-box over the porch, bright all through the season with blossoming
flowers. There is no attempt at floriculture, the owner preferring to
maintain the rural simplicity of a farmhouse devoid of flowers and only
relieved by the shrubbery planted around the building.
When the house was first purchased, it was not in a dilapidated
condition, having been lived in by townspeople and kept in good repair.
The work of remodeling has been done by the people of the village, and
it has been superintended by the owner of the house, in order that her
own ideas, not only in remodeling, but in decorating, should be exactly
carried out. The old shed is now used as the service department, a wide
veranda having been built at one side for a servants' outdoor
sitting-room. At the rear of the house is the old barn, which to-day is
used for a study and for entertainment purposes.
[Illustration: The Hall]
Entrance to the house is through a Colonial door with a fanlight on
either side. The owner has preferred to keep this in its original state,
rather than add a porch of the Colonial type. The only porch that has
been added to the house is a latticed, circular one at the side door.
The entrance hall is long and narrow, the staircase also being narrow
and built at one side in order to save space. The Colonial idea has been
carried out here in the wainscot, and the ornamentation of hand-carving
on the stairs shows it was done by a stair-builder and not by an
ordinary mechanic. The lighting is from a lantern which carries out the
general effect. The wall-hanging is in Colonial colors,--yellow and
white,--while the rugs are the old, woven rag carpets which are repeated
for stair covering. The balusters are very simple in design, while the
balustrade has been painted white, thus showing it is not of mahogany.
[Illustration: The Dining Room]
At the right is the dining-room, a bright, sunny room that has been
uniquely planned to occupy the front of the house instead of the rear,
as is more usual. It is a large, square room, in which little or no
alteration has been made and which has been treated so as to make an
effective setting to the rare old Colonial furniture. The size of the
dining-room has been considered in reference to the furniture, this
being one reason why Mrs. Riggs has chosen this large, square room--in
order to correctly place her old mahogany pieces. The decorations are
very simple and follow out the idea of Colonial days, there being no
pieces that are not in actual use. The walls are hung in shades of
yellow and brown, and she has been most successful in carrying out her
color scheme.
[Illustration: The Den]
The home study, or den, leads from the dining-room and has been
carefully planned with an idea of restfulness. A chamber at one end has
been converted into an alcove, and additional light is obtained by
cutting a group of casement windows over the writing-table. The room is
very simply furnished and shows marked originality. The walls are
papered with woodland scenes, for it was a fad of the occupant to bring
into the house by wall hangings suggestions of the outside world. While
it is unique, it has a distinctly restful influence and is in tone with
the fireplace, which has been decorated with unusual features and which
bears the name "Quillcote." The draperies in this room are original in
treatment, being decorated to order by a noted artist who has
introduced his signature in some part of the work. They are ornamented
with original designs suggestive of farm life, with such subjects as
wheat, apples, or corn and are covered with delicate traceries of rushes
or climbing vines. The fireplace has for andirons black owls, and on
either side stand altar candles. In the furnishing of the room
everything has been chosen with an eye to restful effects; the owner has
done away with the pure Colonial idea, using the mission type and
considering comfort more than conventionality.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Two Views of the Living Room]
Opposite the dining-room at the front of the house is the living-room,
where further originality is found in furnishings and in scenes from
nature introduced in the unique wall hangings. This room is in blue and
white, the wall-paper being delft blue with a rush design over which
hover gulls. Singularly enough, the idea is very pleasing. The hangings
are of white muslin with blue over-curtains, while the furniture is a
mixture of Colonial and modern pieces. An inglenook has been obtained
through the introduction of a built-in window-seat which is covered with
blue to match the tone of the paper. The furniture is all painted white,
and the white fur rugs laid upon the blue floor covering give a
charming effect. The decoration and furnishing of this room is quiet and
restful, for those two ideas form the basis of the owner's scheme which
she had in mind long before she took this house and while she lived in
the old family mansion that stands just across the way. It is a
comfortable, livable room and not used for state occasions alone, but
for everyday needs.
Just beyond is the sitting-room in which an entirely different idea is
presented. Here the china fad is evidenced in the ornamentation of
priceless old plates that have been collected by the owner's sister,
Miss Nora Smith, and arranged according to her taste. This room is a
typical Colonial room, and the furniture shown is all of that period,
even to a spinning-wheel which gives an old-time effect. From this room
one passes through a door on to the rear porch, from which fine views
are obtained of the little, old-fashioned garden, the pine grove
opposite the house, and the winding road.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Two of the Chambers]
The second story shows large, square chambers which have been carefully
planned, each following out a distinct color scheme. In one of these
rooms there is a combination of lavender, white, and green, shown in
wall hangings, curtains, and furnishings. The canopied Field bed, with
its lavender and white spread, has been painted white. Over it has been
draped a white muslin canopy. The walls are in light green and show no
pictures save that of a Madonna and Child, suggestive of the author's
love of children. On the mantel are several very rare pieces of
Staffordshire, many of which can not be duplicated. The furniture has
been painted white, with the exception of two chairs which have been
treated to a coat of green.
Another room, showing wainscot and a quiet yellow and white Colonial
paper, has a Field bed with white spread and white muslin canopy. Here
the Colonial idea in furnishing has been strictly carried out.
An original and yet artistic room has its walls entirely covered with a
dainty cretonne, the bed-covering and hangings being of the same
material.
The most interesting idea in remodeling is presented by the old barn,
which has been converted into a large music-room or hall, with a rustic
platform at one end. Here a new floor has been laid, many windows
inserted, and a few old-time settles placed, constructed of weathered
wood toned by time to an almost silvery hue. Nothing else has been
changed; the ancient rafters and walls remain as they were a century
ago. The hall is lighted by many lanterns hanging from ceiling and
harness pegs, also by curious Japanese lanterns painted especially for
Mrs. Wiggin and bearing the name of the artist. The lanterns, hung from
overhead, greatly relieve the somber effect of the heavy beams. At the
rear of the hall a broad door space makes a frame for a pretty
picture,--a field of buttercups and daisies, a distant house, and two
arching elms. A large closet, once the harness-room, is fitted up with
shelves and contains all the necessary china for a "spread" such as is
given to the village folk several times a year, when dances are held in
the old barn.