A Touch of Colour Here and There

Radio Record, Volume III, Issue 35, 14 March 1930, Page 22

A Touch of Colour Here and There

Re-Coat the Living-rooms Before Winter

EFORE another moon wanes we shall put back our clocks to standard time, and many of us will sadly miss that extra half-hour’s daylight and its opportunity for enjoying ‘the glorious out-of-doors" at close of day. It behoves us, therefore, to take a look round our rooms and see what can be done to brighten the evenings that must from now onwards be spent indoors. Some, no doubt, will have one or more rooms redecorated, and to them we suggest a cheerful note, Let there be light-that in plenty, of the right sort, without glare-and do not be afraid of colour. To those who have not already decided upon one or more colour schemes for themselves, the following combinations may appeal. All of them can be adapted to any room, be it sitting-room, bedroom, or kitchen. Tan, rust and yellow with a touch of deep blue make a beautiful room for a man's own, for a library or a study. Yellowy buff walls, delphinium blue and parma violet will harmonise well, while for rooms with a sunny aspect, greeny-gray walls, leaf green and a touch of mandarin-red can be substituted. Rose-red. soft green with a touch of black; yellowy-tan and _ leaf-green; black and ivory with jade green; dark ‘blue and red with a touch of green all combine well. Aim at a light ceiling (not necessarily white or cream-pale blue or creamy yellow can be most attractive) slightly darker walls and darker floors. Bright splashes of colour can be introduced by one or more articles of painted or enamelled furniture. Where the paper in a sitting-rooim, or a chief living-room is still quite good, we may still have tired of it or it may have become monotonous to the eye, in these days of rapid change. If it is plain, mottled, of a neutral tint, or of a fairly nondescript background, we ean transform it, and indeed the whole room, by simply hanging a cutout decoration of wall-paper over it at one or more corners. These corners come in hanging sprays of virginia creeper, rambler roses, or wisteria; they are easily applied, graceful in design and highly artistic in colour-

ing. Should you feel inclined to go farther, and picking up the chief colour in the new design, repaint the picture rail and woodwork, you will be delighted with the result. There are now many good enamels and paints on the market, supplied with such full and explicit instructions, that even the average woman, who claims ye snecial knowledge, can easily undertake the work herself. ( WHERE the walls are too patterned to admit of the corner decoration suggested, they can be brought up-to-date by bordering each wall space, to produce a panelled effect. This, too, is only the work of an hour or two. A harmonising but contrasting border should be selected, ie., a light border on a dark paper, and vice versa. A rearrangement of the actual furniture is also usually called for at different seasons of the year, and this panelling effect will suggest many a pleasing grouping. Coloured chintzes and cretonnes, so effective in design, and now being sold very reasonably, can be used to advantage to introduce a note of colour or carry on the scheme, and can often replace to advantage the lighter curtains. A painted and enamelled floor will often bring furniture and draperjes into line, and can easily be/kept in good condition. A worn but still good linoleum responds admirably to a coat of paint or enamel, and provides an excellent background for rugs or mats. In fact, these paints and ennumels are really invaluable as an inexpensive, easy means of introducing colour, and freshening anything from a vase to shabby tables, chairs, fitments or chests.