WOMAN DECORATES BANK

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 151, 22 March 1939, Page 4

WOMAN DECORATES BANK

Empire Furniture And New Colour Schemes 'THREE hundred bankers were guests at a recent housewarming party given by a leading French bank in the heart of London. Champagne, sent over specially from France, and French cakes were served to guests in the conference room, and in the manager’s room. No women were present, but all the decoration and furnishing of the new premises had been carried out by a London hostess. Much of the beautiful Empire furniture and lamps in the pearl-grey and mist green conference room was found by Mrs. Eykyn in London. The walls have been hung with pearl-grey brocade in an Empire design, and the armchairs upholstered in ’soft green brocade. There is no centre light, and bookshelves and radiators are recessed into the walls behind decorative ironwork grilles. Elephant-breath is the colour of the velvet curtains falling from grey-green painted wooden pelmets. Portraits o£ Napoleon hang on the walls. Two concealed clothes cupboards for coats and hats have been provided. Reflected lighting in a big shell, painted to match the falls, is a feature of the hidden clothes cupboard door in the manager’s room. Applewood was used for this door, and the walls have been hand-painted to resemble pine-panelling. Curtains are midnight-blue velvet. Satin-finished reeded glass is used in the corridor, which faces on to an old London church, St. Mary Abchurch. A new pale oatmeal sandstone paint gives a fashionable roughcast appearance to the corridor walls. Lighting is concealed in built-up corner shells near the plastic painted ceiling.