Friday Back When.

"There's no larger area of color in any room than its four walls and ceiling. This mass of color sets the stage for furnishings  if used cleverly."

"With today's innovations in materials and designs, walls become more than an expanse of space on which to display an accessory or two. As part of the room's background, they should complement its furnishings- but they can do more."

"Walls can be the dominating feature of room decor. They can draw attention away from awkward architectural features (if you learn the basics of camouflage), visually change the size and shape of a room, and provide the focal point for furniture arrangement."

XX,

Jamie

Friday Back When is a weekly feature highlighting images and text from vintage decorating books. Today’s exert is from The Practical Encyclopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement Volume 1 A-AME

Friday Back When.

"Throughout history, walls have always been either lavishly ornate or austerely stark."

"With the colonization of America, homes reflected a more simple way of living. Solid whitewashed walls took over. As affluency flourished, so did decoration, and heavily patterned wallpaper became stylish. Its popularity remained until almost twenty years ago, when wallpaper was discarded for gallons of pastel paint. Recently wall coverings again have become in vogue. Now the list includes leather, aluminum foil, and plastic."

XX,

Jamie

Friday Back When is a weekly feature highlighting images and text from vintage decorating books. Today’s exert is from The Practical Encyclopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement Volume 1 A-AME

Friday Back When.

"An examination of this plan shows how many ideas a thoughtful arrangement of space can inspire. Notice how open this plan is. There is a minimum of interior walls."

"Folding doors can be pulled when privacy is desired. The dining area and the family room can be separated from each other and from the kitchen. Both dining and family rooms open onto the patio. All of this space can be united when you want to entertain a large number of guests."

"The family-room furniture grouping is arranged around a large area rug. Mom, in the kitchen, can keep an eye on the children when sliding doors are open. She can also use the counter between the kitchen and the dining/family rooms as a breakfast eating area."

"The kitchen plumbing is part of a central core in which all plumbing is contained. The upper-level baths are directly above the kitchen so plumbing is confined to one area, which represents a saving in plumbing costs. This arrangement makes it easy to keep track of washing cycles. No more running up and down to see if laundry is ready to be put in or removed from the dryer."

XX,

Jamie

Friday Back When is a weekly feature highlighting images and text from vintage decorating books. Today’s exert is from The Practical Encyclopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement Volume 1 A-AME