Color Value Part 3

63. The cornice should be lighter than the border, and its members may show several tints, with the ceiling lighter still. (See -- 92.)

64. As a rule the color of the chair coverings should be the complementary of the side-walls, and the color of the furniture frames should be complementary to the wainscoting; so by following this rule we find that the wainscoting serves as a contrasting background to the chair frame.

65. Let us imagine a room wherein the side-walls are of a reddish tint; the wainscoting, being a complementary color, is of a greenish cast. The furniture is of mahogany, and in contrast to the wainscoting, while the chair covering, being greenish in contrast to the chair frame, is also in contrast to the side-wall. Here we have, then, the color relations of side-wall, wainscoting, furniture-frames and covering; but it is undesirable that these tones should be in the same scale. (See -- 62 and -- 92, also tables pages 42 and 43.)

{ { { _Furniture_: Large pieces, preserving broken { { { heights.

{ { { _Designs_: On walls, draperies and furniture { { { coverings follow rules of proportion.

{ { HIGH { _Color_: Subdued contrasts of somber tones { { CEILING { picked out in contrasts of gold, red { { { and orange. Ma.s.ses of luminous color are { { { permissible in well-lighted rooms. Borders, { { { friezes, dadoes and wainscotings may be { { { used, and a bordered carpet or large rug { WELL { { in the low tone of the color scheme.

{ LIGHTED { { { { _Furniture_: Avoid high pieces, excepting as { { { relief to the use of many low pieces.

{ { { _Designs_: On walls, draperies and furniture { { { coverings follow rule of proportion, { { LOW { using perpendicular stripes to give height { { CEILING { effect on wall; avoid friezes, wainscoting, { { { dadoes. Carpet borders may be safely used.

{ { { _Color_: Subdued contrast of somber tones { { { picked out in bright effects; luminous { { { ma.s.ses permissible.

LARGE{ ROOM { { { _Furniture_: Large pieces, preserving broken { { { heights.

{ { { _Designs_: On walls, draperies and furniture { { { coverings follow rules of proportion.

{ { HIGH { _Color_: Softly luminous, soft orange, yellow, { { CEILING { green, suns.h.i.+ny colors to give artificial { { { light, picked out with contrasting color.

{ { { Border, frieze and wainscoting may be used, { { { also carpet or large rugs in the low tone { POORLY { { of the color scheme.

{ LIGHTED { { { { _Furniture_: Low pieces relieved by some high { { { pieces.

{ { { _Designs_: On walls, draperies and furniture { { { coverings follow rule of proportion, { { LOW { using perpendicular stripes to give wall { { CEILING { height; avoid friezes, wainscoting or { { { dado; carpet borders may be safely used { { { in the low tone of the color scheme.

{ { { _Color_: Softly luminous, soft orange, yellow, { { { green, suns.h.i.+ny colors to give artificial { { { light, picked out with contrasting color.

{ { { _Furniture_: Small pieces, relieved by small { { { high pieces.

{ { { _Designs_: Small, proportionate to the size { { { of the room.

{ { HIGH { _Color_: Use harmonies of a.n.a.logy or related { { CEILING { parts and of a receding character, blue { { { or gray green, gray predominating; avoid { { { orange or red, excepting in the { WELL { { bric-a-brac. Small rugs. Horizontal { LIGHTED { { effects on walls.

{ { { { { { _Furniture_: Low pieces relieved by small high { { { pieces.

{ { { _Designs_: Small on draperies and furniture { { LOW { coverings; use perpendicular stripes to { { CEILING { give height effect on wall; avoid deep { { { friezes, wainscoting, dado or borders.

{ { { _Color_: Use harmonies of a.n.a.logy or related { { { parts, of greens or blues, grays { { { predominating; avoid luminous colors--yellow, { { { orange or red, excepting in the { { { bric-a-brac. Small rugs.

SMALL{ ROOM { { { _Furniture_: Small pieces, relieved by small { { { high pieces.

{ { { _Designs_: Small on wall and fabrics.

{ { { Horizontal effects.

{ { HIGH { _Color_: White in the woodwork gives artificial { { CEILING { light; use pale gray colors on wall, { { { slightly tinted green or yellow, faintly { { { relieved by red or orange--the stronger { { { colors only for the bric-a-brac. For the { { { floor avoid bordered carpets; use small { { { rugs.

{ POORLY { { LIGHTED { { _Furniture_: Low pieces.

{ { { _Designs_: Follow the rule of proportions, { { { with perpendicular stripes on wall, to { { { give height effect. Avoid borders on { { LOW { wall; use small rugs on floor.

{ { CEILING { _Color_: A preponderance of white in woodwork { { { and fresh gray on wall with a touch of { { { yellow and green in soft tones.

{ { { Contrasting colors only in bric-a-brac { { { and small details.

-ROOM PROPORTIONS-

66. In small rooms harmonies of contrast are unsafe, because contrasts must involve advancing colors, which make a room look smaller. (See -- 86 and -- 90.) Harmonies of a.n.a.logy are far better; and as frieze, wainscoting and dado are not recommended in the small room, we suggest that the furniture woodwork and the wood trims should be of one color note, unless it is desired that the wood trims should be white; and that the side-walls, curtains and chair upholsterings should be of a note in some degree related and of receding color, picked out with just a touch of contrasting color. (See -- 90 and -- 91.)

This contrasting color may be introduced in the accessories, the pictures, bric-a-brac, flowers (natural or artificial) or books.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "... p.r.o.nounced patterns must balance," etc.

(See page 38.)]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Broken heights. (See -- 75.)]

-DECORATIVE PROPORTIONS-

(SEE CHART)

On the preceding pages we present a quick-reference chart of rules that should be followed in furnis.h.i.+ng rooms under various conditions of Light and Proportion.

67. A large room with high ceiling and well lighted.

68. A large room with low ceiling and well lighted.

69. A large room with high ceiling and poorly lighted.

70. A large room with low ceiling and poorly lighted.

71. A small room with high ceiling and well lighted.

72. A small room with low ceiling and well lighted.

73. A small room with high ceiling and poorly lighted.

74. A small room with low ceiling and poorly lighted.

There are two considerations to bear uppermost in mind: Proportions affected by Color and Proportions affected by Design.

75. It is easily understood that a large room may be safely furnished with large pieces of furniture, but where there is a wide expanse of floor s.p.a.ce care must be exercised to secure broken heights: In a high-ceilinged room the furniture must not be all high; in a low-ceilinged room the furniture must not be all low.

Avoid straight line effects in the furniture heights and in the wall-paper, which, if in p.r.o.nounced patterns, must balance in conspicuous wall members and show the broken junctures or bad matchings in inconspicuous or obscure corners.

-COLORS THAT GIVE SIZE TO A ROOM-

76. The wall and fabric designs must be of a size proportionate to the size of the room. The color treatment of a well-lighted room must be subdued to offset the glare of the natural illumination, and the natural illumination be subdued to soften the color treatment; glare must be avoided.

77. Advancing colors are colors which contain red or yellow in the ascendancy; _receding_ colors are those which contain blue in the ascendancy. Green in its purity, being half yellow and half blue, is almost neutral. In the same way violet, being made up of half red and half blue, is theoretically neutral, although the blue tone is usually more a.s.sertive than the red and makes the color recede. Any color or hue possesses advancing or receding qualities according to the ascendancy of red, blue or yellow in its composition.

78. Orange is an advancing color; so also is violet in the shades approaching red; green in the shades approaching yellow.

79. Of the tertiary colors russet is an advancing color, because while it contains some blue in the violet of its composition, it contains a preponderance of red and orange.

-ADVANCING AND RECEDING COLORS-

80. Citrine is an advancing color, because while it contains some blue in the green of its composition, it contains a preponderance of yellow and orange; slate is a receding color, because while it contains some yellow in the green of its composition, it contains a preponderance of blue; in the same way plum may be regarded as an advancing color, because of its preponderance of red; buff is an advancing color, because of its preponderance of yellow; sage is a receding color, because of its preponderance of blue.

81. The carpet should always be in the low tone, and in a small room a bordered carpet should be always tabooed. So also should one avoid the use of one rug so placed that a border of woodwork shows around it, because this gives the border effect and makes a small floor s.p.a.ce look still smaller. Better use small rugs. The use of a lot of narrow rugs lengthwise along a narrow room will make the room look all the narrower, but the same rugs placed crosswise would make a room look wider.

The diagrams which we have prepared will give even the man who understands it all a quicker grasp of the points involved.

82. Width effect and distance effect are obtained best by arranging the smaller pieces at the farthest points.

83. It is the same with pictures. While a room should be balanced, and the pictures placed in a manner to give this result, it is best, where possible, to keep the larger pictures, larger effects, always near the eye. The crowding of large pieces at the farthest point diminishes the apparent size of the room.

-FLOOR TREATMENTS-

[Ill.u.s.tration]

84. Continuous design in ceiling or carpet weakens the size effect; hence rugs which break the continuity by being laid across the room instead of lengthwise are preferable. (See Diagrams and -- 81.)