The Sunday Oregonian., September 26, 1909, SECTION SEVEN, Page 9, Image 73

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THE SUNDAY" OltEGONI AN, PORTLAND, SEPTEMBER 26, 1909.
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'VI house of beauty, clean and strong,
WHAT Is coming: to be the rlogran
of th lowliest students of
that most democratic of all arts,
the making of a home? From the villa
of the millionaire, tilth Its classic re
straint of elegance, to the home of the
laborer, with Its modern mission sever
ity, "beauty la being; recognlied as a
result rather of simplicity and utility
than of expense and ornamentation.
After a long; period of Indiscriminate
Imitations and revivals, the typical
American home' of today Is an -example
of good taste, both as regards archi
tecture and decoration. Though Infi
nite In design and treatment, the tend
ency of the times la toward a certain
rugged chastity of structure and a re
pression of the excessive Interior dec
oration so prevalent a few years ago.
Hornebuliders are realizing-, more and
more, that It Is as Important to secure
the services of a good architect as It Is
to employ a good surgeon. Nobody
feels quite capable of mending; his own
constitution, but nearly everybody Is
confident he can plan his own house.
And yet architecture Is a science re
quiring as long and thorough prepara-j
tion as surgery. It Is these abortive
efforts, however, -that have impressed
prospective builders with the need of
that prime requisite of a successful
bouse, a consolentlous architect. Such
a one will, first of all. study the setting
a home will have. He will not try to"
build a bungalow on a treeless, rolling
lawn, which may demand a colonial de
sign, nor will he snuggle a Swiss chalet
where a Spanish mission effect should
be developed. The close relationship of
the home to Its environments Is the
main secret of successful building.
The adaptability of the hslf-tlmbered
houses and the bungalows.. In this re
spect, no doubt accounts for their pop
ularity. The "modern half-timbered
work is far removed from the original
elaborate style that prevailed In the
16th and 17th centuries. It now con
sists simply of a pattern of Inch boards
nailed to the sheathing, with panels of
plaster on wire lath. One particularly
good model employs chestnut, hewn
with an adz, and stained a dark, rich
brown, for the half-timbered work and
for all the exterior woodwork, doors,
window frames, etc. Paint would have
given a dead, cast-iron result, but the
long, open grain of the wood was thus
preserved by merely staining. The
pebble dashing was uniquely handled.
Instead of the usual slushy mixture of
pebbles and yellow wash, the pebbles
were thrown dry upon the soft plaster,
which gave a delightful mosaic effect.
. The bunsralow may be constructed of
wood, plaster or brick, but wood has
the preference, finished in a variety of
ways, from the4 vertical boards to the
overlapping shingles. The rough spilt
shake Is desirable, and the rough siding
is always staple and in unquestionable
taste. The sine qua non of the bunga
low Is unpretentious. This sometimes
leads, however, to the error of suppos
ing that a small house on a small lot
must have a narrow front. But if the
house is too narrow It only calls atten
tion to the limited ground on which It
stands.
With these simpler forms of archi
tecture has come the fusion of the first
floor rooms into a living-room which is
at once parlor, library, den, music-room
and study. It Is not unusual to find
living-room and dining-room combined,
though an archway may indicate a sep
aration which does not exist. Some
times bookcases stand out Into the
room as screens, but to make this
treatment pleasing there must be a cer
tain similarity in the lines and the ef
fect of the woodwork. The raised dining-room,
reached by a couple of steps
or so, gives a pleasant break to the
floor line. The entrance hall of the
moderate home is fast becoming as ex
tinct as the parlor. Sometimes a screen
forms a little entrance way, shutting
off the main part of the living-room,
but as a rule the front door opens hos
pitably into the heart of the home.
Nothing gives a greater sense of hos
pitality and comfort than the open fire
place, with Its cosy lnglenooks. The
English type is perhaps best adapted
for beamed ceilings and plastered
walls. In one attractive home, having
the mullioned windows separated by
pilasters, and a beamed celling with
panels above the beams, a wide brick
hearth was laid in herring-bone. The
chlmney-plece not In the exact center
of the inglenook was a successful de
parture. Hand-made furniture is
greatly In demand for the modern type
of living-room, and copper ware and
pottery seem the best suited for deco
rative purposes. Shelves, which have
been the saving grace of many a room,
are always effective when carefully
used.
When the dining-room is separated
from the other rooms, its finish and
furnishing usually depend upon the lo
cation of the room. Where there is
little light, white enamaled woodwork,
with a warm-toned paper and mahog
any furniture, will be favored, but In
an east room, for example, the Flemish
Btyle may be employed or 4 modified
English type. The Jacobean paneling
and detail Is admirable for its quiet
dignity and the substantial effect pro
duced. One criticism often heard of a new
home is that, while the first floor was
successfully planned, the second floor
seemed to have Just happened. The
bedrooms, in reality, should le more
carefully planned than the living
rooms, because of the absolute neces
sity for air and light. Then, jtoo, the
shape of a bedroom is of vast import
ance because of the essential pieces of
large furniture. The most successful
results are obtained when the consid
eration of every piece of furniture to
be used is made a part of the building
plan. Then there will be a space large
enough for the bed. a nook for the desk
and a general harmony throughout. We
are adopting slowly the custom of the
French, who have long used the bed
room as a sort of private sitting-room.
With Its fireplace, window seats, couch,
sewing table, desk and comfortable
chairs, It Is a becoming place to receive
one's intimates. An alcove for the
bed. or a screen placed about It, con
verts the room into an upstairs living
room. Perhaps the most luxurious feature
of the American home of today is the
bathroom. It is not uncommon for a
bathroom costing $1000 to be, built in
a $15,000 -home. Rampant cleanliness
is responsible for the extravagant tiled
bathroom, with polished plumbing and
spotless enamel. It is now a primitive
hardship to have "to dabble among
dishes In a bedroom," as Stevenson
once put it. If we have not the luxury
of the Roman bath, nor the marbled
pool of a Croesus, we have Bnug little
bathrooms where Immaculate beauty,
sanitation and convenience have be
come absolute necessities.
A BEAUTIFUL HOME
With its charming air of simplicity, comfort and restfulness is easily
within your reach. Such a home is not a matter of merely costly
furnishings, but of well chosen and harmonious ones of good taste, in a
word, plus decorative skill and the proper stocks from which to select.
Our facilities for furnishing attractive homes are well known. Hundreds
of such homes bear witness to the beauty and distinctiveness of our
furnishings. You may not realize, however, that while the store is every
where associated with elegance and durability in furniture, yet
OUR FURNITURE COSTS
NO MORE THAN THE COMMONPLACE KIND
Investigate this statement: you will find that we offer you the advantages
of correct and exclusive designs and the services of trained interior decor
ators, on the basis of strictly competitive prices. When the task of
creating a beautiful home is so easy can you afford to live in any other?
FLOOR
COVERINGS
American and Im
ported rugs are
shown in hun
dreds of patterns
and in sizes run
ning up to twelve
by fifteen feet. "We handle every standard weave in
Wiltons. Axminsters and Brussels Rugs, the celebrated
Saxony Rugs. New Seamless Wiltons, genuine Caledon
Scotch Rugs. Martha Washington Rag-Style Rugs, and
many absolutely new and inexpensive weaves not seen
elsewhere. ,
Carpets include Wiltons, Wilton Velvets in the new
double width, five grades of Axminsters, Velvets. Brus
sels, etc in scores of private patterns and the widest
range of colors. . .
FURNITURE of
CHARACTER
FIFTH AND STARK
Our furniture is
marked by sim
plicity and correct
ness of design, ex
clusivene s s and
staunch construe-
tion. JBeautitul ana
authentic reproductions of Old Colonial furniture, classic
pieces in the famous French and English periods, and the
best of modern designs are represented. For the living
rooms we show very large assortments of mahogany in
Colonial and English designs. Ed. Jansen's Willow furni
ture, Stickley Bros'. Quaint furniture in the Fumed Oak
and so on; for the Parlor, Dining Room, Library or Hall
equally complete selections: for the Bedroom suites or
single pieces in mahogany, prima vera. oak. maple and
Circassian walnut. For every room we carry without
sxception the products of makers whose names are house-.
hold words wherever good furniture is known.
J. G. MACK;''. CO.
DRAPERIES and
DECORATIONS
Draperies contrib
ute something to
the warmth and
comfort of a home,
but their chief end
is to beautify it.
Failing in this purpose, they are worse than useless. Our
force includes men familiar with the very best decorative
work of the country. What they tell you about dra
peries is authoritative and you may rest assured that your
draperies, if we plan and execute them, will enhance to the
utmost the beauty and attractiveness of your rooms.
A visit to our Drapery Section is urged upon all who care
for exclusive and beautiful fabrics and papers, and for
their harmonious combination.
FIFTH AND STARK