Part 2 (2/2)

Let us take the suite of rooms suggested in Diagram IX. We must consider desirable colorings in all of the rooms to be treated, and so far as possible adjust the sequence of treatments, as shown in Diagram VIII, so that the approach to each room will be in harmonious order as viewed from any room. We have five rooms to treat. The library happens to be on the north side, hence we wish to treat it in colorings that supply the deficiency of suns.h.i.+ne. The hallway is rather dark. The living-room has only one window, and requires more warmth of color than the billiard-room and dining-room, which being suns.h.i.+ny can be treated in more sombre tones. Therefore we select combination 6 for the hallway.

The one room on the right we treat in No. 1. The rooms on the left we treat in Nos. 5, 4 and 3. We have, therefore, as we stand in room No. 6, treated in green, citrine and orange, a view to the right of yellow, orange and red, which is in harmonious juxtaposition. To the left we have a glimpse of rooms, the floors of which adjoining the orange floor of the entrance hall, are yellow, green and blue. The wall s.p.a.ces adjoining the citrine wall s.p.a.ce of the hall treatment are green, slate and violet. The frieze lines adjoining the green of the hall treatment are blue, violet and red--all juxtaposed harmonies. The floors of all rooms are of one deep scale; the walls lighter scale; the friezes and ceiling still lighter. If viewed from room 4 the harmonies are equally effective.

47. Diagram VII is useful for many reasons. In its present shape it shows the harmonies of a.n.a.logy or related parts. To arrange harmonies of contrast, combine the colors of the first room with the fourth room, the colors of the second room with the fifth room, the colors of the third room with the sixth room. (See -- 37.)

-HARMONIES FOR THE ROOM-

48. The floor should usually enter into the color scheme as the low note in the scale. It is the background for the furniture, and should be deeper than the dado or wainscoting. The wood trims--baseboard, doors, plate-rails, and everything of that character, except the picture molding--should be like the woodwork of the furniture. This brings the woodwork into contrast with the wainscoting (unless the wainscoting be wood) and into harmony with the side-walls, although the degree of harmony is far removed. Thus, if the woodwork of the furniture is mahogany, the wainscoting green, the side-walls pink and gray, we would find the window trims of mahogany, or imitation mahogany, in harmony with the side-walls. (See -- 51 and -- 52.)

49. I would lay down the rule that the wood trims of a room should harmonize by a.n.a.logy with the side-walls where such walls are provided with a contrasting wainscoting; but if there is no wainscoting, or the wainscoting be also of wood, then the wood trims and furniture contrast with the side-wall.

Subst.i.tute green side-wall for the pink, -- 48.

White woodwork is always permissible. Study Diagram VI on page 22.

50. The picture molding may harmonize with the ceiling. Indeed, a white picture molding frequently is better than one matching the general woodwork (See -- 37); a dark upper molding, moreover, reduces the apparent size of a room.

51. Where black furniture is used, or gold furniture, it will of course be understood that the wood trims shall not be black or gold; but so long as they are in harmony, that will be sufficient. White wood trims are nearly always permissible as a subst.i.tute for colored wood.

52. Tones of gray with soft colorings (See -- 32), are always safe.

To summarize (Note -- 37):

53. In harmonies of contrast the side-walls, the furniture woodwork, wood tr.i.m.m.i.n.g, cove, ceiling and the curtains should be related.

54. The rugs, frieze, wainscoting or dado, furniture upholsterings and the curtain borders should be related. (See -- 49.)

55. If the curtains have no borders, then the curtains contrast with the wood trims.

56. Remember always cove and ceiling should be the palest tint of the side-wall color, and the rug should be of the deepest contrast to the side-wall, in harmony with the wainscoting, if there is a wainscoting.

Remember, also, that the colors here prescribed are never to be of the same scale. The rug or carpet is of the deepest, and the ceiling of the palest. While certain colors are to contrast, they are not to contrast in the same scale. (See -- 37 and -- 40.)

57. If we find that the tone of color of the wainscoting, for instance, is a bluish green, the side-wall should be of a reddish orange; for the reason that if green contrasts with red, and if blue contrasts with orange, a bluish green would contrast with a reddish orange.

58. Exception to -- 56. Only large or well-proportioned rooms can stand the diminis.h.i.+ng or reduction effects of contrast. In low ceiling rooms, leave out the contrasting frieze, and let border, cornice and ceiling be in receding colors. (See -- 89.)

59. We all know that a northern exposure gives a room a deficiency of sunlight, and the wall treatment should supply this. A southern room, on the other hand, gives so much sunlight that counteracting wall treatments in cold color are permissible.

60. In the color treatment of a room one has either to adopt a harmony of a.n.a.logy or a harmony of contrast, and this is a matter which depends upon so many conditions that it should be carefully considered.

(See -- 88 and -- 89.) Where a plate-rail is used one must remember that a great deal of color may be furnished by the bric-a-brac, and that the wall behind this plate-rail should be of a color in contrast to the contents of the plate-rail.

61. When we follow a scheme of _contrast_ the borders should be usually complements, and if the reader has studied our diagram he will very readily understand how to determine the exact complementary color.

-WALL PROPORTIONS-

62. The wainscoting or dado should be the same as the top border or frieze, but of a darker tone. The intermixture of white or black is always permissible; thus a paper as a side-wall might have as its frieze the complementary coloring with more white, while the wainscoting or dado should be the complementary with black added.

<script>