THE DINING ROOM.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20108, 11 December 1930, Page 4

THE DINING ROOM.

TENDENCY TO GROW SMALLER. COMPORT AND COSINESS. Dining-rooms tend to grow smaller, (says the London "Daily Telegraph") partly because houses themselves are smaller, but also because it is not considered worth while to give up a large room all' the time to the functions of eating and drinking. There is the dining-room in tho corner —in reality part of a big livingroom —and there is the dining-room-hall, which also economises space. But most people have come to the conclusion that tho matter is best solved by tho little dining-room which offers enough space for a comfortable meal and yet has the cosy, comfortable feeling which even the cave-man sought when choosing his apartment. Dining-rooms depend a good deal upon their walls, because they depend for their comfort a good deal upon colouring. Warmth of tone is generally liked, and reds and pinks have in the past been alternated with browns and yellows in dining-room colour schemes. Vivid Victorian Green. Recently green has been a good deal revived. It is the deep vivid green of the old Victorian reps which goes well with dark brown furniture. Djo-bour-geoyj combines it with the brightness of nickel, and so gives us a silver and green dining-room, warmed up principally by its walls. These walls are panelled in cedarcoloured wood, used in its natural tone. The lower part is entirely of the wood, at is also the Strip over tho window, and the drawers and shelves at one end of the room. Above this there is a warmishgrey tone, which goes with the strips of grey in the green and white curtains. Tho handles of the drawers are of the bright nickel, Djo-bourgcois is very skilful in using mirrors to enhance his groy tones, and against them ho sets the bright greens of tho chairs and the tone of the carpet. The table is of glass, thick enough to have a greenish tinge, and tho pedestal is of nickel, as are also the frames of tho chairs, with their sledge-runners instead of legs. The lighting comes partly from tho half-cylinders on the walls, which are made of frosted glass, and partly from the panes of glass over the top of the window, which gives a soft diffusion over the room. The whole effect is of a clear brightness which is exceedingly appetising. This is pointed by the setting of the setting of the table, with its white plates having a silver ace of clubs in the middle, with its glasses and jugs on silver stands, and with its silver three-pronged forks and knives with tho blade and the handle all in one straight line. M. Michel Dufot gets most of his effects by his very skilful use of wood. His little dining-room is smart and clean-cut, as a check or black and white is smart and clean-cut in dress. Ho also escapes from tho more obvious effects of dining-room colourings, without in ftny way losing in warmth or comfort of appearance. Hore all the furniture is angular, but the angles are both tempered and reinforced by the white maple and polished walnut together. The sideboard is made to look smaller by means of its dark-coloured base, the idea of which is carried on in the handles of the cupboards. The chairs have ' the light wood backs which tone in with the light-coloured upholstery. The table, on tho other hand, is treated the other way round. Hero the top surface is dark, while the undersurface is in a light tone. The dark legs of the chairs set against it bring the dark wood into play lower down. In this little dining-room the table is also set in what is now becoming a rather typical French way. That is to say, there are four goblets of different sizes which are set in a straight line in front of the mat. The lights by Laeroix are rather unusual,, consisting of tho bunch of torches on the sideboard with a single tulip-like torch in the middle. With this black-and-white effect a dark bowl is used for very bright flowers. In many casos tho whole table really loads up to the flowers, which form an integral part of tho decorations.