If you own only a small piece of antique silk, make a square of it for the centre of the table, or cleverly combine several small bits, if these are all you have, into an interesting cover or cushion.  Nothing in the world gives such a note of distinction to a room as the use of rare, old silks, properly placed.

The fashion for cretonne and chintz has led to their indiscriminate use by professionals as well as amateurs, and this craze has caused a prejudice against them.  Chintz used with judgment can be most attractive.  In America the term chintz includes cretonne and stamped linen.  If you are planning for them, put together, for consideration, all your bright coloured chintz, and in quite another part of your room, or decorator’s shop, the chintz of dull, faded colours, as they require different treatment.  A general rule for this material—­bright or dull—­is that if you would have your chintz decorate, be careful not to use it too lavishly.  If it is intended for curtains, then cover only one chair with it and cover the rest in a solid colour.  If you want chintz for all of your chairs and sofa, make your curtains, sofa cushions and lamp shades of a solid colour, and be sure that you take one of the leading colours in the chintz.  Next indicate your intention at harmony, by “bringing together” the plain curtains or chairs, and your chintz, with a narrow fringe or border of still another colour, which figures in the chintz.  Let us suppose chintz to be black with a design in greens, mulberry and buff.  Make your curtains plain mulberry, edged with narrow pale green fringe with black and buff in it, or should your chintz be grey with a design in faded blues and violets and a touch of black, make curtains of the chintz, and cover one large chair, keeping the sofa and the remaining chairs grey, with the bordering fringe, or gimp, in one or two of the other shades, sofa cushions and the lamp shades in blues and violets (lining lamp shades with thin pink silk), and use a little black in the bordering fringe.

PLATE VIII

     Shows an ideal mantel arrangement, faultless as a composition and
     beautiful and rare in detail.  The exquisite white marble mantel
     is Italian, not French, of the time of Louis XVI.

Though the designs of this period are almost identical, one quickly learns to detect the difference in feeling between the work of the two countries.  The Italians are freer, broader in their treatment, show more movement and in a way more grace, where the French work is more detailed and precise, hence at times, by contrast, seems stilted and rigid.

     Enchantingly graceful are the two candelabra, also Louis XVI,
     while the central ornament is ideally chosen for size and design.

     The dull gold frame of the mirror is very beautiful, and the
     painting above the glass interesting and unusual as to subject
     and execution.