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1. Letters requiring advice to be address to Mrs. TALBOT COKE, HEARTH
AND HOME Office, 204, Regent Street, London, W.
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3. Letters requiring advice on the arrangement of a room should be
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MERCI. - For your own room Knowles's, 166, King's Road,
Chelsea, Clarence in two shades of pink, 1s, 9d. the piece, with Dahlia frieze
and yellow Agra ceiling paper. Paint of the darkest shade of paper, rich gold
panelling. I would have Shoolbred's charming Mignon Brussels carpet, 4s. 1d. The
yard (Mr. Myatt knows the colouring I approve), and bed furniture of Graham and
Biddle's, Graham House, Oxford Street, pretty Dahlia cretonne, 1s, 11d, the
yard; the one with the celadon ground, please. As to furniture I would
choose Wallace's, 151, Curtain road, E.C., quaint Olivia, in two coloured woods,
price £34, or, if too expensive (it is such a help when people limit me
to price!), the Pamela, £15 10s., is delightfully quaint in shape, and
beautifully made, have walnut if you choose this suite. I think the corner
between the fire and "window with balcony" would be the best for the
corner bookshelf and writing table I illustrated in Myra, Emmerson, 223,
Regent Street would carry it out well and reasonably. The wood should be stained
walnut, and the little curtain grey green plush. You would never get Japanese
screens the colour for this bedroom, and, indeed, the regular
"Skeleton" bedroom screens (Shoolbred keeps them), about 18s. 6d.
each, I think, are more suitable. I would have fine terra-cotta cambric.
(Liberty has lovely shades at 7d. the yard, write to the Chesham House shop),
gathered from the top rail to the bottom, it looks far better than with
cretonne. As to your niece's room, light ash furniture to me always demands a
very decided blue paper, I therefore prescribe Essex's, 116 Victoria Street,
Turquoise Picotee, 1s. 6d. the piece, paint the same shade, with gold leather
paper panelling, yellow and white picotee ceiling; carpet, my favourite golden
brown daisy, Shoolbred, about 3s. 11d. the yard (Mr. Wyatt knows the shade; I
dislike the dark one). Gold serge curtains, Holroyd Barker, 488 Oxford Street,
25s. the pair, thin ones; Shoolbred's bordered yellow marigold, 7d. per yard
(tear off both borders to make the frill). Light ash varies so in colour that I
am not sure if this will be a real harmony; with most shades of ash, however, it
would be. For the bathroom have Essex's grey-blue Medlar (washable paper), 1s.
9d. the piece, over a pure white Anaglypta dado; all paint of course
white. Corticine (which I fancy any good local upholsterer would procure for
you) looks nicer than linoleum, and is far warmer to the feet, price, I
think, about as 2s. 6d. the square yard. Curtains of Holroyd Barker's blue
and green Iris cretonne, 1s. 6 1/2d. the yard. I should paper the "water
recess" to match bathroom, but no dado. I am afraid I cannot give you space
for the smoking-room, passage, landing, etc., till next week.
MAFFEO. - I do hope I am in time to prevent you buying light
oak furniture for your smoking-room; it never looks well for the "cosy
semi-oriental room" you want. If you, however, wish to keep to it, have a
dado of Knowles's lovely brown and gold Japan Lily, about 3s. the yard, 36
inches wide, with wooden dado rail a few pence per foot, all paint the same tone
as the ground of the leather paper. Cover the rest of wall with Knowles's blue
Boston, 2s. the piece; have greeny-blue plushette curtains from Holroyd Barker,
42s. the pair (488, Oxford Street), and Liberty's lovely golden Sundew
frilled muslin ones, at 15s. the pair. I ought to have said have yellow and
white Agra ceiling paper, 1s. 6d. the piece. Stain one foot all round the floor
with Chambers's Crown Varnish Stain - walnut - Kensington Works, Oxford Street,
Hull, and have a square of Shoolbred's Aristo pile carpet, 6s. the yard (the one
with red ground). You need not have a border for such a room as it adds
much to the expense. I consider a gilt-framed mirror would spoil this room. From
the Cavendish House Company, Cheltenham, you can get a quaint, irregular,
long-shaped mushrabeyah bracket, price about 28s.; fix this 3 feet above the
mantelpiece, with a board (same width) covered with Liberty's Medici velvet,
in dull blue, wide width, 6s. the yard; this should reach the mantelpiece, and
will make a capital place for the display of the daggers, amulets, and other
curios. Do not have any material on the mantelpiece (I know it will be crowded
with pipes, fly-books, "reels," and other horrors, so refrain from
advising any ornaments but the clock and Japanese bronzes), merely have a
five-inch frill of the blue velvet nailed along the edge of the shelf. . . . . .
Hearth and Home, May 28, 1891