A morning-room should be furnished as a small informal living-room, and the simpler style of the chosen period used.

The style of Louis XVI is beautifully adapted to libraries, for they do not have to be dark and solid in style, as many seem to think.  In fact a library may be in any style if carried out with the true feeling and love of books, but of course some styles are more appropriate than others.  In a Louis XVI library the paneling gives way to the built-in bookcases which are spaced with due regard to keeping the correct proportions.  There is usually a cupboard space running round the room about the height of a dado and projecting a little beyond the bookcases above.  The colors of the rugs and hangings may be warm and rich as the books give the walls a certain strength.

There are also beautiful reproductions of bedroom furniture, chairs and dressing-tables, desks, chiffoniers and Chaises-longues, and beds.

Andirons, side-lights for the walls and dressing-table, doorknobs and locks, can all be carried out perfectly.  Lamp and candle shades and sofa cushions should all be in keeping.  The walls may be paneled in wood enameled with white or some light color, or they may be covered with silk or paper, in a panel design, with curtains to match.  There are lovely designs in French period stuffs.

The rugs most appropriate for French period rooms are light or medium in tone, and of Persian design.  The floral patterns of the Persians seem to harmonize better with the curves and style of furniture than do the geometrical designs of the Caucasian rugs.  Savonnerie and Aubusson rugs may also be used, if chosen with care, and the plain carpets and rugs mentioned later are a far better choice than gaudy Orientals of modern make, or bad imitations.

Country Houses

The Country House is a comparatively modern idea, and one which has added much to the joy of life.  There are all kinds and conditions of them, great and small, grand and simple, and each is a joy to the proud possessor.

Life was such a turbulent affair in the Middle Ages that country life in the modern sense was an impossibility.  The chateaux and castles and large manor-houses were strongly fortified, and there were inner courts for exercise.  When war became the exception and not the rule, the inherent love in all human beings for the open began to assert itself, and the country house idea began to grow.

Italy was the first country where we find this freedom of attitude exemplified in the beautiful Renaissance villas near Rome and Florence.  The best were built during the sixteenth century, and were owned by the great Italian families, like the de Medici and d’Este.  They seem more like places built for the parade and show of life than homes, but the home ideal with all its conveniences was another outgrowth of peace.