of art.  Many modern jars are copies of the old and these should be used.  There are lacquer lamps, bronze, and brass, and carved wood lamps, and lovely Wedgwood and alabaster vases.  There are charming little floor lamps, some of wrought iron with smart little parchment shades, some in Sheraton design, some in lacquer or painted wood, which can be easily carried about to stand by bridge tables or a special chair.  There are dozens of different jars and lamps to use, but the one absolutely necessary question to ask oneself is:  is it right for my purpose?

Lamp shades are a part of the scheme of the room’s decoration and should be chosen or made to order to achieve the desired effect.  Special shades are made by many clever people to harmonize with any room or period and are apt to be far better than the ready made variety.  There are all manner of beautiful shades, lace, silk, plain and painted parchment and paper, mounted Japanese prints, embroidery, and any number of other attractive combinations.  To be perfect, beside the fine workmanship, they must harmonize in line with the lamps on which they are to be used, and harmonize in color and style with the room, and have an absolute lack of frills and furbelows.  The shade for a reading lamp should spread enough to allow the light to shine out.  Lamp shades simply for illuminating purposes may be any desired shape if in harmony with the shape of the lamp.  Lacquered painted tin shades are liked by some for lamps on writing tables.  There should be a certain amount of uniformity in the style of the shades in a room, although they need not be exactly alike.  Too much variety is ruinous to the effect of simple charm in the room.  The chintz which is used for curtains will supply a motif for the painted shades if one wishes them, but if there is a great deal of chintz, plain shades will be more attractive.  Side lights may have little screens or shades, as one prefers, or none may be used.  In that case the bulbs may be toned down by using ground glass and painting them with a thin coat of raw umber water color paint.  Bedroom shades follow the same rule of appropriateness that applies to the other shades in the house.  There should be several sets of candle shades for the dining-room.

There is really no reason why so many houses should be so badly lighted.  Often simply rearranging the lamps and changing the shape of the shades will do wonders in the way of improvement.  Radical changes in the wiring should be carefully thought out so there will be no mistakes to rectify.

Painted Furniture