CORNERS

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 45, 17 November 1926, Page 17

CORNERS

THEIR DECORATIVE VALUE SOME USEFUL HINTS Four corners to a room, eight rooms within a moderate-sized house, thirtytwo corners to be dealt with in some way or another, not to speak of those found in corridors, halls, and landings! Unless one lias some idea as to their treatment, sucli a prevalence of corners is liable to appeal, and one wonders why round or oval rooms are not the order of the day. _H ie truth is that corners have a definite decorative value, and the circular rooms in round towers, which still exist, unless supplied with blazing fires, strike monotonous and chill. Also, unless the structure be circular, round rooms waste a good deal of space which straight lines and right angles naturIt is, of course, the substantial square house which is so generously supplied with corners; my own sittingroom has not -.one, but boasts instead two doors and two recesses. L these recesses were shallow they could be treated as corners, but being four feet deep they have to be dealt with in a different manner. There is a habit, too in modern houses, of building small brick fireplaces into the corners of bedrooms, fitted basins, and fitted cupboards, so that the owners task of finding variety in corner treatment is not nearly so serious a matter as it appears at first sight. Corner effects which have a studied appearance are invariably bad, so it is impossible to lay down hard and fast rules regardina corner treatment. In small rooms one’s aim and object should be to use everv bit of available space to the best’advantage, which may frequently be to leave it blank! All corners in small rooms should be utilised in preference to their, centres, as unoccupied floor space is a vital factor in preventing the appearance of overcrowding. The only piece of furniture I can think of at the moment specially designed for corners are corner cupboards and corner washstands. These last are often converted into whatnots bearing a few pieces of brasscopper, or silver, which are invaluable for furnishing dark corridors . . . • A good example of symmetrical treatment shows a pair of glass-fronted corner cabinets filled with fine china. China and corner cupboards go hand-in-hand, and one is frequently the undoing of the other. In this case the contents are arranged so that the separate specimens are not cut by the wooden mouldings, as so frequently occurs when a cabinet has leaded’ panes. Instead of spoiled the effect by balancing a. number of pieces precariously on top, this space has been reserved for one heavy piece, which vet allows r.mple space between it and the low-beamed ceiling. Apropos of low-ceilinged rooms, the best effects are achieved with low pieces of furniture, and otherwise charming rooms are sometimes completely spoiled by the introduction of tall boys, bureau bookcases and similar pieces. Excellent inexpensive wardrobes can be made out of corners,, but unless they are properly fixed it is impossible to prevent'the contents from becoming dusty. A shelf about Iffin. wide and placed on iron brackets should be fixed 6ft from, the ceiliii” and a second shelf of similar width placed 6in. from the floor, these two being connected bv means rf fillets

of wood 2in. wide tacked to the wall. The top shelf should be fitted in front with a rod, placed in removable sockets, on which small curtain rings can easilv slide, and it is advisable to have both rod and rings of hard wood, as metal is liable to rust. The curtains should be tacked to both ends of the top shelf, and the sides rttached to the fillets of wood in the same manner, the curtains themselves clearing the floor but coming well, below the top of the second shelf. The side fillets keep the curtains in place, and the cupboard thus formed is practically dustproof. A point to note is that the pattern of the wallpaper and the cretonne used for . the cupboard, cushions and pelmet is exactly the same. . . An admirable way of furnishing a corner in a bed-sitti’ngroom is with an enclosed washstand. The top opens outwards from the. centre, forming the flaps and disclosing a basin, toothglass, etc., etc., all sunk in perfectlyfitting apertures. The nig.is kept in the cupboard, and below is a most useful drawer, while a mirror pulls vp at the back Whether open or closed, these little pieces are really charming, tlieir onlv drawback being that, as washstands, they are somewhat small for convenience There are. of course, a variety of wavs of furnishing corners,, not the least attractive being with gaily painted, low-fronted wig-cupboards, but these, alas, are far to seek. A charming arrangement I saw the other day consisted of a tiny corner cupboard in pearwood, with a large panelled settle below, and bearing at one end a plain saltbox filled with spiky delphiniums. The balance between the cunhoard and the saltbox was perfect

Other suitable arrange.-iftmts are a gateleg table, either with one or l oth crates open, a writing table and chair •ilnccd across the corner, shelves or books, a piano, either grand or _npricht, a small settle, or. in a fair-sized bedroom, the bed itself.—Freda Mosin "Tbe Ideal Home.”