THE ROOM HARMONIOUS

Ladies' Mirror, Volume I, Issue 3, 1 September 1922, Page 30

THE ROOM HARMONIOUS

by W. H. Gummer, F.N.Z.I.A.

is one sphere in which every woman of taste is an artist —her home. For the harmony, the subtle charm, the soothing sense of refinement and of culture she alone is responsible. The presence of this harmony gives that distinction which is the final hall-mark of every gentle lady; its absence leaves the consciousness of dis-harmony and lack of ease, of displeasure. Harmony is achieved by the art of composition—the art of arrangement. The possibilities of composition—orderly, sympathetic, balanced arrangement — are boundless; the human desire for it is fundamental; but, alas, the considered application and satisfactory realisation are the exception rather than the rule. Yet harmony is within the reach of all who seek it. It depends not on size of rooms, on costliness of furnishings or richness of hangings. It depends not on ostentatious display, but primarily upon judgment and taste, the possession or acquisition of which are within the reach of all. Who has not experienced that indefinable something that spells comfort and culture in even a modest home; who has not been jarred by crude dis-harmonies where wealth alone was rampant? Only by conformity to artistic laws is the room harmonious made possible. The room itself in its shape, proportions and elements must be satisfactorily designed and worthy to decorate and furnish; there must be ability to select wisely decorations and furnishings and to dispose them so that they can best serve their respective functions; their shape and their position in relation to each and all the other objects in the room and to the room itself must make for harmonious association or arrangement; in other words, they must “compose” to the best instincts of the placer. This is harmony. Design, of the Room room must be considered as an individual problem—an individual opportunity. Good rooms do not “happen”; they are created. They are the result of thought, of plan,

of design for a particular function, the provision for which establishes “character,” while apreciation of form determines the particular disposition and finish of doors, windows, skirtings and cornices, brings line and proportion— intimate and attractive relation of partsin short, achieves “design.” Thus, the “plan” of the bedroom usually determines definite-

ly the position of the bed; the position of the table in the dining-room and of the larger pieces of furniture in each room. “Plan” also determines the position of the windows, the provision of artificial light, and entrances in relation to the functional and aesthetic purpose of the room. In this planning of doors and windows, the

necessity is not generally recognised of always securing wherever possible a fair area of wall space at the side of these; this space should be at least as wide as the door or window , concerned. Without such wall space each architectural feature has not the setting -which its influence on the happy effect of the room dictates it should have. Another essential characteristic

of these architectural features should be similarity of proportion and finish tending towards sympathy of line, rhythm and repose. Selection of Furniture TJPON the broad canvas of that room the home artist must now

build towards her ultimate effect by the selection..of, furniture and decorations. Care and courage are here required. Rooms are not museums;

they are places to live in. The diningroom is designed for the partaking of meals together with happy social intercourse. Its chairs are designed for special comfort and convenience when seated at table. The decorations of this room should be, so . harmonious to its; purpose as to assist mastication and digestion, and not retard those functions by crude or inharmonious pictorial suggestion. The function of this room is not assisted by two or i three stag heads or a tiger head placed on the wall (their place is in the -hall), nor by a sideboard piled tier on tier of “ornamental” china or bowls of dubious use and design, and which stand in the way of doors and • other articles of daily use. Essentially, the purpose of a room should govern its decorative basis. In such a dining-room, in addition to the necessary furniture, the decorative features may consist of perhaps a few well-chosen prints, a cabinet and a ; little bronze figure, proper consideration being given to the setting of each object and the avoidance of such crowding as may prevent an object, decorative in itself, from performing properly its decorative function. In -the well-designed room, scarcity of decoration in no way detracts from it, while redundancy of - decorative ■ effect does. In the proper furnishing of other rooms it is essential to remember that “collecting” and “decorating” are not • the same thing. The crowding together of a miscellaneous collection of articles is not art, any more than mere expense and crowding of features constitutes decoration. Once it was decreed that only objects of one period could be arranged together, but as modern design has come into its own, it has been recognised that with discretion objects of one period or design may be associated with objects of another period or design. But don’t jumble! Above all, be severe on sentiment. When Uncle John died and left us the many mirrored, shelved and turned spindled overmantel with the decadent carved marble clock in front, his intentions were probably good; but he may have repented since,

and the spectacle of his gift grimly treasured “for his sake” and maintained in surroundings wncrc it is but an eyesore may be causing the old

gentleman the greatest spiritual discomfort. Surely these heirlooms, Christmas and wedding gifts need not, throughout the long years and generations, continue to exercise a damning effect upon a room, as they frequently do, in the loss of repose, refinement and “livableness” of a home. If the element of function, a

sense of fitness of things, is fully grasped and sentiment eliminated, personal taste is more easily expressed, and the successful composing of room areas simplified many times. Setting of Furniture AFTER the selection of suitable -CA furniture comes the final decorative touch with pictures and with hangings. Here is where personal taste achieves its greatest triumph or perpetrates its most dismal failures! With objects that are easily movable, a great deal, more elasticity of arrangement is possible than with fixed objects. With large and fixed objects oblique setting is never satisfactory. In our rectangular shaped homes, however, it will be found, on the contrary, that circular forms generally compose well, because they are assimilated by the rectangle lines of structure. Too much of the circular spells “movement,” and undue “movement” in decoration destroys repose, the first essential in house design. TJARMONY and repose is what we seek. The structural lines of our rooms arc generally rectangles, (how seldom a corner fireplace is really effective) ; it follows, then, that to achieve sympathy of line, single objects should be placed parallel, or at right angles, to the sides of these rectangles. In the best composed rooms, even though apparently most informally arranged, it will be found, perhaps with an occasional exception, that this rule has been followed. A small rug may be thrown obliquely across a floor, but a large one cannot be otherwise than laid square; by its mere size it would establish an opposing decorative idea. Chairs may be casually set, but not so a grand piano. Common sense and appreciation of form and grouping must go hand in hand in this matter. One’s idea of what is- a fine composition must not necessitate the annoyance of having to go round a table and brush V past the. corner of chairs, set aggravatingly in what is known as a “line of travel” in a room, nor should one risk the

breaking of valuable glass ware and the dislodging of other objects in the endeavour to open a bookcase or a cabinet. On the other hand, our table or bureau might be just as important in a different scheme of composition if set at right angles to the wall, not necessarily parallel, so that the sitter has his back to the room; or it may

be against the back of a settee placed at right angles to the room. Balance and Formality A ROOM without balance cannot satisfy artistic perceptions. Balance means the equalisation of attractions 'or the attainment of a sense of rest, repose or finished movement. Symmetry brings balance by the simple laws of mechanics. It also brings formality. A judicious blending of the formal and the informal seems to produce the happiest results in most households. Informality is produced by assymetry, and though balance in assymetry is a necessity to good composition, it is not so obvious —it is felt rather than methodically or scientifically determined. It is all a question of mechanics or of leverage. The child’s see-saw illustrates it; two children of unequal weight give assymetry, but also balance. Apply the same rules to interior arrangements as the placing of the unequally weighted children on a see-saw. There may be a fireplace in the centre of a wall, and on the left side, fairly close, a bookcase; balance can only be gained by the placing of a picture or other object at such a distance, according to its size, to the right of the fireplace, as will counteract the feeling of depression created by the bookcase to the left. The problem is similar in a blank wall, though in this case the centre is approximated, but the articles similarly disposed on each side to secure balance. Interior domestic composition is a fascinating study, for the problem is involved by the fact that besides composing each wall, the room must be considered as a whole, and the composition of one side may affect greatly that on another. Experiment is the best teacher. If one is sincere and painstaking, the natural s<*nse for balance will develop the sure instinct and the susceptible touch of good taste with which are framed the various elements which contribute to make the harmonious room and the successfully composed home.