RENTED ROOMS 419

AN INEXPENSIVE ALL-PURPOSE FURNISHED ROOM
Planning the Decorating and Furnishing

Evaluate the furnishings, itemizing good and bad pobts.

Consider the background, walls, ceiling, wood trim, floors.

Decide on a theme to express your own personality.

Select a color scheme.

Plan the means of concealing the kitchen area.

The kitchen area must be concealed or the appearance of the
room will be hopeless. If possible, plan one entire end or one side
of the room for utility, the corner nearest the closet or bathroom
for the dressing table, and the corner nearest the sink or bowl for
the cooking equipment. Several suggestions for concealing the
utility area from the living area follow. Hang two large natural-
colored bamboo roller porch shades on screw hooks from the ceil-
ing. Porch shades can also be hung so that the slats are vertical.

Hang a strong fabric in a plain color from the ceiling to the floor
on a thick wooden pole or a solid metal rod,

Use a rolling bamboo screen like the one on page 172. Use two
triple folding screens about 6 feet high with enough width to
conceal the utility area. These screens may be made of Celotex,
sized, painted, and nailed to a frame made of l-inch-by-2-inch
strips of wood. Reversible hinges should connect the sections.

Place book shelves 5 or 6 feet high as a semi-partition to hide
the utility area.

In selecting a color scheme consider the color already in the
room. Build a scheme around the colors that are good. For exam-
ple, if the curtains are a plaid of cream and navy blue, then the
entire scheme chosen might be:

Walls, wood trim, and ceiling—cream.

Couch cover—medium-blue denim.

Floor—navy-blue enamel.

Small rugs—cream colored.

Screen—natural bamboo.

Dishes—cream without decoration.

Table linen—dark shrimp-pink.

Two chair slip covers—shrimp-pink glazed chintz*