The partnership of paint

The Partnership
of Paint

Class. J_T;^i^.a.

CopightN".

COEmiGHT DEPOSIT.

The Partnership
of Paint

Published by

John W. Masury & Son

in Brooklyn, New York
at Fifty Jay Street

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Cojjyriglit, l''Jl»

JOHN W. JIA^IRV «r SOlN

Brooklyn, N. V.

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A CKNO WLEDGMEN T

We wish lo express our indebtedness to
Mrs. Eda A. Oliver, of New York City, for
the pages on Interiors, ller suggestions
are based upon her wide professional
experience and may well be considered
tlie last word in correctness and good
taste.

John W. Masury & Son.

Paint Our Partner

PAINT as our partner in all the afTairs
of life may be a new thought, but it is
an old established fact nevertheless. In
reality paint is so interwoven with every
turn of the wheel, that it is forever at our
side, like our Siamese Twin.

Suppose we were to wake up some morn-
ing to find that paint in every form had
been eliminated from the world, from
our lives! What consternation, surprise,
indignation, and havoc would reign
everywhere! Whether for better or
worse, for good or evil, it is part of the
very warp and woof of our everyday ex-
istence, and what a pal and benefactor it
really is. Think of our morning train, our
motors, our boats, our houses, as paint-
less! What a queer jumble life would
be. But here stands our partner — paint —
ready to jump into any breach, and make

[1]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

life full of comfort and happiness and
cheer, from the building of a new house,
where the painting of every wall, every
bit of trim, has to be carefully planned
and decided upon, to the many small
things about the house that can be trans-
formed by the "Magic Touch" of paint.

The dear old home that has stood in rain,
and wind, and snow, for years, and be-
gins to show its many battles, seems to
implore us to brighten up its faithful
face. And so we do. We paint it a soft
old ivory white with fresh green shutters,
and it seems to expand with joy and hap-
piness, and smiles back at us a radiant
smile of thanks; and as we regard it wdth
warm affection, we suddenly realize
anew how much we love it and owe to it,
and a feeling of most tender warmth fills
us, and fdls our day, and Life takes on a
fresh beginning. We return at night with
a new glow of well-being in our hearts.
It passes on to our friends, to whom our
radiant newly dressed house also gives
joy. It permeates the very air, and indi-
rectly works its way into unknown chan-
nels for good; for nothing we ever do can
remain unto us alone. Every act, how-

1:2:]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

ever small, has its immediate reaction,
like the circles made by a pebble, spread-
ing ever wider, far beyond our vision.
The whole community is cheered because
of our freshly painted house.

Take the practical side. Suppose you
have a house you want to sell. It is
shabby, down at the heel, forlorn and s^d.
If you will put it in condition and paint
it inside and out (give it the "Magic
Touch"), your chances for selling it are
ten to one in your favor. You present
your house at its best, at its highest pos-
sibilities. Everything depends upon the
way a thing is presented. A purchaser
immediatel}^ sees what it really looks like.
One out of a hundred prospective pur-
chasers has the imagination to see it in his
mind's eye and realize its possibilities, if
he first beholds it in its downtrodden state.
Besides, he isn't buying possibilities, he
wants to see what he is buying. He sees
it, he likes it, he buys it. The "Magic
Touch" has brought it fresh, beautiful,
and living to his recognition. In his
mind's eye he sees his family installed,
happy and cozy, within its cheerful walls.
The deed is done. The house is sold.

1:3]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

Then the joy that paint brings into our
lives, the radiance, the color. We all love
color, color that Nature first taught us to
love. How can we bring it into our midst,
with its gay vibrant song? By paint, and
only by paint. And so again our debt to
paint grows greater with our realization
of all that it can mean.

Paint is so clean. Almost any condition
of grubbiness can be made sanitary and
wholesome by paint, and it keeps out and
prevents illness and disorders.

The use of paint is as old as history. We
find it on the mummy cases of Egypt, on
the shores of the leaden, swinging Nile,
though the medium used then was wax
mixed with the pigment. The medium
has changed, but it has gone down the
ages, steadily at our sides, varying, grow-
ing, developing, never standing still, ac-
tive, ready for any call of life. It went
into the Service, holding off the iron rain
of shell on the painted dust-colored hel-
mets of our boys, thus eliminating the
target they would otherwise have made;
camouflaging our ships, our trains, our
tanks, and our trucks. It helped in all

[4;]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

the campaigns. What would we have
done without the posters, the banners,
the inspiration offered by paint on every
hand? We couldn't have done anything
without it, without its magic. It is part
of life and a very serious part of it. It
transforms; it brings joy and gladness in
its train. It is sanitary, it is practical, it is
most constructive; only good follows in
its wake.

Paint is historical, and teaches us much.
Take the characteristic painting of the
Norse countries. The furniture used in
the peasants' houses is painted in flat,
hard, brilliant colors, expressive of the
climate. It is a record of what people see
and feel, and so translate into their lives
and surroundings. The subtle, inscrut-
able, complicated civilization of the East
is expressed in the Oriental painting of
every description, meticulous as it is, de-
tailed, and fdled with most exquisite color
of every possible nuance, the most deli-
cate shades and tones.

Paint is pigment, or color, and a medium,
whether it be oil or wax, or something else
by which it is applied, but it has its own

[5]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

far reaching psychology. It is inspira-
tional, and really spiritual in its reaction
on mankind. We may paint a house for
the most practical of reasons, to preserve
it from the weather, but we are carried,
in spite of ourselves, beyond the point of
hard fact, to a certain positive feeling of
pleasure and satisfaction and joy it gives
us.

Back of all seeming hard, cold facts lies
the truth of Life: it is Inspiration. Foi"
that reason our debt to Paint mounts
higher and higher, as we think about il
and realize that it is in very close associa-
tion wilh everything about us, a very vital
part of our human existence, and that we
could not, at the present stage of our
development, possibly be comfortable, or
clean, or happy without the "Magic
Touch," the Miracle of the wonderful
"Partnership of Paint."

liei

Nature and Color

NATURE is unerring in her choice and
use of color. She is the mistress of
color, always in good taste and the greatest
respecter of the fitness of things. In the
main, her dress is green and brown and
grey in a frame of blue and white. To re-
lieve the monotony, she punctuates her
work with spots of brightness tliat stand
out in harmonious contrasts.

From earliest Spring days she operates a
kaleidoscope which brings changes to the
eye and keeps it interested and unwearied
of the transitions which gain in attrac-
tiveness as she touches time with her
wand and carries us unwittingly through
a maze of huef ul glory.

In her scheme of things, she uses gold and
pink, lilac and amethyst, crimson and
green, blue and purple, yellow and

[7]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

brown, orange, buff and neutral silvers
and drab. Go where you will in the flower
months and you cannot get away from her
combinations of colors.

In March she brings the trailing arbutus
into blossom with its delicate pink flowers
nestling in a bed of green. April comes
with her lap filled with wild honeysuckle,
with its red spurs that seem to be a recep-
tion committee to balmy daj^s and re-
newed life. So it goes as the season ad-
vances. Nature is never violent in her se-
lections of color. From the departure of
snow to the turning of the leaves in Au-
tumn, she teaches us the use of color, and
never once going wrong. With May
comes the beautiful wild lady's slipper,
followed in June by the grass-pink. The
spring season is a pink and green season,
and with the warmer days, meadow and
roadside, woods and swamps become
dotted with stronger colors until in
September the golden-rod and Jo Pye
weed vie with each other in the carnival
of beauty.

So, if we would put harmony in the sur-
roundings which make home, we will do

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

well to follow the order and the skill of
this scheme of universal decoration.

Let us consider, if you please, the spirit of
liome-making as nature herself and the
home and the rooms within it as nature
and the seasons passing in review\ It is
the purpose of this book to treat of the
home in its entirety and of all the ele-
ments that go to make it. For inasmuch
as all things are relative, it becomes im-
perative to consider the details as well as
the project of general requirements.

Let us picture and see the home from the
outside and the inside points of view. Let
us see the physical structure and its uses.
Let us not only make walls but a place to
live, ready for its owner to walk into, sink
into an easy-chair and meet eye rest and
mental satisfaction, called comfort.

[9]

Choosing the Site

1ET us assume Ihat this home is to be
J built in tlie country, or at least in a
suburb where there is still enough of na-
ture's garb to give proper setting. There
is nothing so good for a background as
nature-made landscape; and if we cannot
dwell in a home that is a part of it, we can
choose a spot where some of its elements
have been spared the axe of over-zealous
man.

See to it that your site has trees that may
be permitted to remain if this is possible.
And see to it too that their roots are not
mutilated in the business of building.
The next matter of importance is room at
the front for a flower garden, however
small it may be. For a front garden is like
the opening chapter of a book. It gives an
idea of what to expect as one proceeds up
the path to the presentation of an idea.

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

The more green with which you can sur-
round your home, the prettier it will be;
the more inviting from tlie outside, the
more restful within. A man who spent
his working hours in the city once said
that he wouldn't take a thousand dollars
a morning for the view which he had with
his breakfast and the green he saw from
his easy-chair on his porch.

The home should be a part of the land-
scape. It should not be a violent spot
either in design or color. It should look
as if it grew in its surroundings with the
ilowers and shrubs and trees. It should be
designed by a good architect. It is no
part of this little book to create rules. It
is rather a suggestion or series of sugges-
tions which may or may not be fully ac-
cepted as your taste may prompt.

It may be that you have already built your
home, but these suggestions are quite as
applicable as to a new home. To meet en-
tirely your specific needs it would be nec-
essary to consult an interior decorator of
good repute. These pages are intended to
apply in a general way, though details are
discussed at some length.

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

To return to the structure: There are no
better examples of domestic architecture
than many of the simple homes of New
England. These are almost invariably
white with green trim. Their interiors
were designed for comfort. Their gar-
dens are literally festivals of color from
early Spring until late Autumn. They
are restrained in character, refreshingly
free of "ornament," dignified, restful and
pleasant. They come nearer fulfilling
the true conception of "Home" than any
type of building which has since been
evolved.

The one important reason why this char-
acter of home is successful in most sec-
tions of the country is that it is built from
wood — the best medium for artistic ex-
pression, in the opinion of many. If you
have doubts of the lasting qualities of
wood, you have only to remember that
the models in question have stood in
many instances for more than a century,
kept young and useful by an occasional
coat of your partner, paint.

Of course, there are other media of archi-
tectural expression. The stucco house is

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THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

favored by many, especially when it is
used in conjunction with half timber ef-
fect— borrowed from our English cousins
who use it structurally and sincerely,
while the general run of homes in Amer-
ica in this transplanted style are built
from the motif of appearance alone. In
some cases, the supposed timbers have
been fashioned from galvanized iron, un-
truthful in purpose and useless as a part
of the building. Even when wood is used
it is in fanciful patterns created for the
eye alone, from ordinary boards.

The wooden home is essentially Amer-
ican in spirit and design. In the early
days wood was used because it was the
only available material, quarrying not
having been introduced and bricks being
imported from England and Holland at
great expense. Besides, it was only nec-
essary to cut and artifice a material grow-
ing on every hand for adequate shelter
against all weathers. The material of
necessity proved so lasting, so easy to
work and so low in cost that the con-
sideration of other materials was super-
fluous.

[13]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

Now, as then, bricks and stone are almost
prohibitive in cost even to the well-to-do,
while wood is not only the cheapest but
the most natural elemental building ma-
terial. It is the easiest worked, costs the
least from the standpoint of labor
charges, and can be changed in color at
will to meet a desire for a new effect.

So let us consider first the wooden home
and discuss the details of the exterior
from the point of view of beauty, brought
about by a wise choice of color.

White is the preferred color for exterior
painting; that is, for the broad surfaces.
The blinds, window-trim, porch columns
and in many cases the cornices may be
one of numerous color tones. The pic-
ture which wc must consider is one which
nature would approve, so restraint is in
order, whatever our selections may be.
Following is a presentation of a variety
of combinations, all of which will blend
with any landscape and become a part
of it.

As there are so many different shades of
each color, we mention the technical trade

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THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

names, by which the intended color is
known.

Combination Number One: Broad sur-
faces, White; window casings. Warm
W Grey; sashes, Brown G Stone; shut-
ters. Woodbine Green; porch, cornices
and mouldings, same Warm W Grey
as used on casings; doors. White; cas-
ings. Warm W Grey; porch floors.
Green Stone Medium; roof. Woodbine
Green.

Combination Number Two: Broad sur-
faces, Cream D Color; casings. Fern
Green; sashes. White; shutters, Fern
Green; porch. Cream D Color; cornices
and mouldings. Cream D Color; doors,
White; casings. Fern Green; porch
floors. Blue E Grey; roof, Fern Green.

Combination Number Three : Broad sur-
faces. Pearl Grey; window casings,
Warm Drab; Shutters, Oxide Red; cor-
nices and mouldings, Pearl Grey;
doors, White; porch. Pearl Grey; porch
floors, Oxide Red; roof, Oxide Red.

Combination Number Four: Broad sur-
faces. Yellow M Buff; casings, Walnut
Brown; sashes. White; shutters, Wal-
nut Brown; porch, Yellow M Buff;

[15]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

cornices and mouldings, Yellow M Buff;
doors, White; casings. Walnut Brown;
cornices. Walnut Brown; other mould-
ings. Yellow M Buff; porch floors, Sien-
nese Drab; roof. Walnut Brown.

Combination Number Five: Broad sur-
faces, White; casings, Palm Green;
sashes. White; shutters. Pea Green,
porch. White; cornices, Pea Green;
other mouldings, White; doors. White;
casings. Pea Green; porch floor. Palm
Green; roof, Palm Green.

Combination Number Six: Broad sur-
faces, White; casings. Brown G Stone;
sashes. Warm W Grey; shutters. Brown
G Stone; porch. White; cornices and
other mouldings. Brown G Stone;
doors. White; porch floor. Brown G
Stone; roof, Woodbine Green.

Combination Number Seven : Broad sur-
faces, Grey T Stone; casings. White;
sashes. Tobacco Brown; shutters.
White; porch. Grey T Stone; cornices
and mouldings, Grey T Stone; doors,
Tobacco Brown; casings. White; porch
floor, Tobacco Browm; roof, Fern Green.

We must remember that harmonious con-
trast is in order, and there are greens and

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

greens, greys and greys, browns and
browns. In incompetent hands, the best
color scheme ever planned may be ren-
dered hideous. Home should not be a
paint-maker's color card, and cannot be
successful unless your own taste and in-
dividuality are reflected in its dress, inside
or out.

Assuming that you live on a street con-
taining representative American homes,
we must plan the color treatment of your
own so that it will not appear violent in
comparison with that of your neighbor's.
You have no doubt seen the deplorable
result of a variance of preference when
one side of a semi-detached residence has
been painted white and the other half
done in green. The straight, sharp line of
demarcation showed that each neighbor
cared nothing about what the other
thought of it — and less about the neigh-
borhood spirit.

We have assumed in our seven sugges-
tions that the house is one of board con-
struction. If it be of brick, it must be con-
sidered from a somewhat different point
of view. Brick and stone are elemental

[17:

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

in character and are better unpainted.
The little exterior wood trim should gen-
erally be done in very light colors, white
and buff being in order with shutters
white, buff or bright green. Sashes may
be dark if one chooses. There is much
less choice of colors to use with brick be-
cause there is so little variation in the
tones of the brick itself. The same is
practically true of stucco, save that it may
be colored to suit almost any fancy. The
general use of grey is prevalent, and inas-
much as grey harmonizes with nearly all
other colors, the same treatments of trim
as mentioned in our previous suggestions
may be applied to stucco buildings.

Shingle houses offer less variety of choice
as far as color is concerned, but there are
good and substantial reasons why shin-
gles should be painted, rather than left
to the weather. In the first place, there
never has been a shingle roof which has
not required patching at more or less fre-
quent intervals. The patch, usually a
fresh, uncolored shingle, becomes start-
lingly conspicuous when set among its
older, weather-stained neiglibors. When
the shingles are painted, repairs can be

His;]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

made as often as necessary, and a coal of
paint on tlie new pieces preserves the har-
mony of color and does not flaunt their
newness.

Painted shingles have a far greater resis-
tance to fire than unpainted shingles.
While it is true that the oil in paint is in-
flammable, it is equally true that, after
drying, the surface is practically metallic
and to a high degree fire-resisting.
Painted shingles do not warp, with the re-
sult that they do not form pockets in
which a burning cinder or spark could
settle. Furthermore, actual experience
proves that painted shingles are rain-
proof and remain so as long as the paint
endures.

Painted shingles of a color in harmony
with the rest of the house, are, first of all,
a good investment; second, good protec-
tion; and third, pleasing and attractive to
look at.

The secret of successful house-painting is
in the maintenance of a neutral effect,
with enough of color to give relief to the
eye. Monotony is as offensive as too

[19]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

much variety. So our task is to establish
a medium that shall be happy and tasteful.

Let us not forget that the renewal of paint
at stated intervals is quite necessary and
should be made at least once every four
years. Onlj' a good master painter should
be employed — one who believes in the use
of good paint and good craftsmen. Given
paint of first quality, two workmen may
produce entirely different results. From
the work of one may follow long wear
and weather resistance, and from the
other a coating that will prove short-lived
and inferior, with peeling and blistering
of the surface.

The time to paint depends more upon the
weather than upon the season. In many
parts of the country the cool clear days of
Fall afford as good and sometimes better
working conditions than the Spring. The
season is inconsequential. Dry weather
is the most important consideration.

[20]

As to Interior Furnishings

COLOR and arrangement are the two
most important factors in develop-
ing a sympathetic and attractive interior.
Color — first, last and always. The im-
portance of color is only just beginning
to be recognized. The reaction psycho-
logically is very powerful — and very
subtle.

How often, on entering a room or a
house, one has felt an overpowering sense
of gloom and depression — strong enough
to make conversation almost impossible,
so heavy were one's spirits! If analyzed,
the cause of this could almost invariably
be traced to color.

A charming old country house, lovely in
line and type, had, when purchased, an

[21]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

entrance hall about 25 feet square, run-
ning through the width of the house at
that point, with a Dutch door and two
windows opening onto a garden at the
rear. This hall had a fireplace and a
finely proportioned long low mantel. A
wonderful possibility! But— the walls
were covered with deep red paper of an
enormous pattern, with yellow grained
varnish on the trim — gloomy, repellent
and most hideous.

The paper was removed, likewise the yel-
low grained varnish; the walls were pan-
elled; and walls, trim and ceiling were all
done in soft, creamy, flat-tone paint.

A long box under a group of windows,
built in with mouldings and panelling
like the walls to the left of the door as one
entered, was covered with a cushion of a
small patterned velvet in dull gold. This
box held golf clubs, tennis rackets and
other odds and ends very conveniently.
The lighting fixtures were black sconces
with raised lacquer in gold. An old black
lacquer Chinese chest with raised gold
decorations served as a wood box and
gave color and character.

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THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

Above this hung a black Chinese lacquer
mirror of Queen Anne type. An inexpen-
sive Chinese rug of blue with gold figures
covered the centre of the floor, which had
been properly varnished and waxed.
Some Canton willow chairs with a low
table of the same, cushions of plain Chi-
nese blue and of brocades in Chinese de-
sign of blues, old golds and black carried
out the idea of color. The room was made
so attractive that it was decided to place
the piano there. The windows, being
small and many-paned, were hung to the
sill with sheer sash curtains against the
panes and soft old gold silk at either side
of the window, all pulled back so that the
vista into the gardens might not be ob-
scured— a vital point in a country house.

In one corner stood an oleander bush
which reached to the ceiling— a distance
of only nine feet — but imagine the glow
of color, the light streaming through the
old gold curtains and bits of gold, blue
and black everywhere against the cream-
painted background. A standing lamp of
wrought iron whose parchment shade
was banded with blue and gold, lighted
the piano. It all welcomed you most

[23]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

charmingly. An entrance like this must
express a happy, cheerful household. One
had a sense of pleasure and expansion at
once on entering. . . . Then close your
eyes and think of the red paper and yel-
low varnish. What a comparison!

The living room, opening off directly to the
right, had its walls done in a soft Colon-
ial yellow ilat tone with cream trim; old
mahogany furniture was covered in soft
brown and dull old greens; an Oriental
rug of great beauty and unusual coloring
in golds, browns, tans and blues covered
the floor. A piece of old brocade hung
flat against the chimney breast, against
which was hung a long oblong antique
Colonial mirror. A pair of old brass can-
dlesticks stood on the mantel with a bowl
of laurel leaves reflected in the mirror in
the middle; brass andirons and fender —
all gave sparkle and life to the room. A
wing chair with a low table at its left, on
which stood a reading lamp, was placed
beside the fire and gave a very inviting
touch. There were no fixtures in this
room, but many lamps all with gold
colored silk shades. The rooms all
opened so closely into one another that it

[:24]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

was felt best to employ the same colors,
though differently expressed.

The trim, throughout the entire house,
which was small, with very low ceilings,
was kept in the soft creamy tones. The
wainscoted dining room had the same
soft creamy paint, with a very quaint old
black-backgrounded paper above the
wainscoting, which was part of the orig-
inal old house. Old brass sconces made
into fixtures added another quaint touch,
with soft yellow silk shades lined with
deep rose to give a glow of color when
lighted. Old mahogany table, chairs,
sideboard and corner wall cupboard fas-
tened high up into the corner. The floor,
which was finished in a very dark stain,
varnished and waxed, was covered with
a dark brown — "tete de negre" — seamless
chenille rug. None of it expensive, none
of it done in a "scheme," yet all harmoni-
ous, happy and unobtrusive.

The loveliest rooms are those that grow
from one thing to another as the sugges-
tion is developed. Of course, if your
house is so pure in style or period as in-
telligently to call for only the period fur-

[25]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

niture of its type, that is a different prop-
osition. We are dealing liere witli the or-
dinary conditions of thousands of our
American homes — houses and apart-
ments that have no special architecture
or "period" background to work up to.

The guest bedroom contained a motley
collection which would have cost much to
replace with desirable and attractive fur-
niture. An inexpensive copy of a French
chintz paper in lovely soft blues and red
pinks was found to cover the walls. The
trim w^as painted creamy white. Then,
as an inspiration, it was decided to paint
the furniture, and a soft dull blue which
was in the paper was decided upon.
Everything — brass beds, bureau, chiffon-
ier, desk and chairs, all were painted old
blue. The dressing table had a much too
ornate cheap mirror which was removed
entirely and a small antique mahogany
shaving mirror was stood on the dressing
table in its place. Copies of old hardware
handles, etc., replaced the common com-
mercial variety. A red mulberry carpet
rug (also one of the tones in the paper)
made a wonderful background for the

C2G:]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

blue furniture, the tloor having been
properly done as to linish, varnishing,
etc. At the windows were organdie cur-
tains rufiled and looped back — no other
hangings. The whole made a most
charming room.

The same thing was done with another
])edroom, in which a soft green instead
of blue was used. The trim was done in
the same creamy white; a green and white
striped paper covered the walls. Again
everything, beginning with the brass
beds, was painted. An inexpensive Eng-
lish block print chintz w^as used in this
room for curtains. A chaise tongue was
upholstered in this same chintz which
had pink and soft mauves to offset and
balance the green paint. Bed spreads
with a full gathered valance covered as
much of the ugly brass bed as possible.
A dark green carpet rug was used, — and
so another room was transformed by
a coat of paint, at small expense, using
what one had and painting all to bring it
together happily. A few pieces of old
mahogany or w^alnut can always be used
in a room with painted furniture and
they relieve the hardness which some-

i:27]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

times occurs with certain types of this

kind.

• • • * •

In another old house in New Jersey, the
large living room had an old cupboard
with a wonderful green on the panels of
the doors. This made the starting point
for that room. The color was copied and
all the trim, doors and cornices done in
this tone. The walls were painted a flat
cream. A very simple type of wicker fur-
niture, painted black, was used, with old
gold cushions of very inexpensive mate-
rial. Portieres of this same material were
hung. The fireplace was painted black —
mantel and all — and black wrought iron
lamps with parchment shades of cream
with old gold bands and black lines were
used. Ruffled curtains of organdie looped
back were at the windows. . . . And, at a
very small outlay, simply the application
of color and paint, a really delightful
room was evolved.

It is always best to keep to the simplest
types in furniture, avoiding cheap adap-
tations and the kind of wicker furniture
that is full of scrolls and fancy loops.

128-}

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

A living room in an apartment had a most
distressing look when first beheld by its
prospective tenants. The apartment was
in an old-fashioned house which had
been made over. The doors and trim
were of heavy solid oak with a yellow
grained varnish finish — very expensive
and very ugly. Nothing could look well
against such a background.

This was entirely refinished and painted
a soft dull green with a gold line on the
smaller mouldings. The walls were
tinted a greenish grey, the ceiling a soft,
dull browny gold. At the windows were
hung, only to the sill, filet net curtains,
with old gold silk pushed back at the
sides, both curtains hanging flat against
the window pane to give full value to the
deep embrasure of the window and do
justice to the panelling and architectural
detail.

In this room a lovely English glazed
chintz was used to cover the large daven-
port and large winged chair. Pleated val-
ances were used on these pieces. The
chintz had a very soft pinky tan back-
ground with flowers in red pink and blue

1:293

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

and yellow, producing a very old mellow
effect. The other odd pieces of furniture
were covered in a dull dark old blue.
Built-in sunken book cases flush with the
wall were fdled with books whose bind-
ings reflected again the colors in the
chintz. A fireplace of Italian design in
dull green and gold composition with a
pair of very quaint andirons of Italian
reproduction and fixtures of the same
style made another note in the room.

A very beautiful old Sheraton table was
pulled up to the left of the guest as he sat
on the davenport, which was placed at
right angles to the fireplace, and held
magazines, books and a large reading
lamp with a gold colored shade. A room
which was a mixture of English, Italian
and Colonial, yet the effect of which was
warm, soft and most sympathetic — all of
which would have been impossible with
the yellow varnished oak background
originally in the room.

In every one of the rooms described, ex-
traordinary results were produced by
paint and color at small expense.

[30]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

Arrangement is most important and fur-
niture should be shifted and changed
about until, by the very sense of balance
you get, suddenly you know you have
hit it.

It is right. The light falls in just the right
way over your shoulder as you read,
write or sew. The chairs are grouped in
the living room in such a way that friends
dropping in for tea find a cozy spot at
once. It is not a question of vast expense.
With the right touch and the right color
it can be done with most satisfactory re-
sults and really marvellous things can be
done with paint. Every room herein
described has actually been done.

In furnishing the Hostess Houses at the
Camps throughout the country, wonder-
ful effects were produced almost entirely
with color and paint. The men craved
color. They were weary of khaki, tans
and dust color, and their joy in and appre-
ciation of the Hostess Houses was a de-
light to see. Expensive fabrics were out
of the question. How, then, to get color?
By paint! Perfectly ordinary kitchen

[311

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

chairs and tables in the cafeterias were
painted soft light cheerful greens. Body
color coats of brilliant warm orange and
deep royal blue were given to a very sim-
ple type of wicker chair in the huge liv-
ing rooms. The effect of these masses of
color offset by the khaki of the men was
gay and cheerful beyond words. Large
paper shades of orange color shaded the
lamps. The rooms glowed with a joy and
welcome that none of the men failed to
appreciate.

Make your homes as gay and cheerful as
you possibly can, not "jumpy" with hard,
unlovely color, but as full of warm soft
tones as you can get them, remembering
always that Home must be a place of
peace and rest as well as joy.

We feel like echoing the sentiment of the
old Gloucester fisherman who gave his
schooner a new coat of paint in the
spring, and, gazing with pride and ad-
miration at his work, remarked, "Ain't it
wonderful what a lick o' paint'll do!"

n323

The Small House

IN these servantless days, the bungalow
type of house grows more and more
popular. It is compact, convenient; it
only asks for a simple type of furniture.
A mixture of good willow, painted or left
in its natural color, in the body, and with
the braided edge painted or stained; some
old mahogany or walnut pieces, if you
are fortunate enough to own them, mix
in well, or good simple reproductions.
By walnut furniture I do not mean the
hideous black walnut "Eastlake" types.
These, with their scrolls and marble tops
and glooms, are, I hope, forever relegated
to oblivion.

I shudder now in remembrance of a set
of black walnut furniture in my grand-
mother's bedroom, particularly an enor-
mous bureau, with its marble top, huge
great mirror supported by carved col-
umns that wiggled upward, and topped
[33]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

over all by massive carved grapes. How
I gazed in awe while a terrible stillness al-
ways filled me as I planted my small per-
son in front of it!

And oh! the terrible "best rooms" of the
past! I remember a friend telling me that
in her father's honse the "best room"
door was never left open. That closed
door, at the foot of the stairs — how it
filled her with absolute horror! And she
had a trick of throwing herself around
the newel post with a tremendous swing
— with enough "way" to land her up two
or three steps of the stairs if she was go-
ing up, or 'way round, well past that aw-
ful door, if she was coming down stairs.
Imagine the effect on that little mind.
And the shrinking terror with which she
grew up. The awful something behind
those doors! What was it? What an op-
portunity for an inhibition! The "best
room," thank Fate, has forever left us,
and in its place we are putting the living
room where the family draws magnet-
ically together. Wonderful if it has an
open fire, and most bungalows now have.
The open fire is the soul of a room. We
gravitate toward it instinctively. We

n34]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

group our furniture round it. We draw
up chairs, stools, anything to get within
its cheerful gk)w.

Arrange your furniture with some mean-
ing, in groups if it is a large room. There
is the group around the lire; the group
around the tea table; the group around
the reading table, with its glow of light,
centred to draw the family together in
peace and concord.

Above all things avoid "small junk."
The sins that are committed in the name
of "bric-a-brac" can never be atoned for.
There is no Hades big enough! And the
amount of money that is spent is appall-
ing. If you can't have a few fine bits,
preferably antique, there are many mod-
ern Chinese porcelains that are lively and
full of color. Don't be afraid of empty
spaces — books, flowers, a work box, all
have meaning and purpose. There never
was a drawing room too fine for a lady's
w^ork box; and what a sense of cozy
human sympathy it always has — the chair
beside a low table with a work box, a vase
of flowers, a book. That brings us to an-
other point. Have low tables — as many

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

as your room will hold — without crowd-
ing, of course, and instead of cheap, ut-
terly meaningless junk — cheap though it
may have cost much actual money — have
flowers, or green branches of laurel
leaves or a small growing plant; and a
book or magazine on a low table placed
beside the chair where your family or
guest may take comfort and pleasure.

To go back to our starting point — the
bungalow. Arrange any rooms on the
first floor so that they do not clash, not
necessarily using the same tones but as
far as possible letting the colors in one
room lead into another or carry on a sug-
gestion from one to another. In other
words, keep your vista so that the effect,
while not being monotonous, avoids the
chopped-up restless result we have when
we break up our space by too many
colors. Have your house restful and
keep away from the temptation to put too
many things about. Rather do as the
Japanese — keep a lot in the closet and
change them around. Have a large table
with a large lamp whose shade permits a
wide radius of light, so that several per-
sons may sit within its circle. Put books

[36]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

and magazines and papers on the table or
in little racks, for your bungalow living
room is an informal room. Parchment
lamp-shades are lovely in a bungalow and
can be made plain with bands of color or
with a design, depending on the material
used for cushions, etc. Have one or two
large divans with loose cushions, depend-
ing on the size of your living room. Over-
stuffed pieces look much smarter and
most intimate if upholstered in chintzes.
If your chintz is delicate in color and de-
sign, have fitted slip covers well made
with corded seams and pleated valances.
Very tailored these must be — not at all
the loose baggy things we put on as dust-
covers in summer. The finest drawing
rooms in England have these fitted slip
covers, and the delicate chintzes can thus
be easily cleansed.

In the niches or corners between your
rooms put large Spanish or Moorish jars,
which come in a very inexpensive pottery
vivid in color; and one can always get a
bough of green to put in them.

Of course there are many types of bunga-
lows, from the very simple ones with pine

[37]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

sheathed varnished walls to the perma-
nent type with plastered and tinted walls,
which permit of a more elaborate and
permanent kind of furnishings.

For the primitive bungalow, grass rugs or
those made of fiber, of which there are
many charming and very smart ones to
choose from, are very effective, if your
furnishings are very simple and you
haven't much color about. But in the per-
manent type of house almost any kind of
carpet rug, Oriental or Chinese rug can
be used.

Have only lamps in your living room, lots
of them; no side lights, though these in
simple appropriate design are most at-
tractive and necessary in the dining room,
as you have no overhead light and no
other light except your table candles.
Painted furniture is most charming in a
bungalow dining room, or you can use
painted chairs and a mahogany table.
The color in your rooms should be deter-
mined by the exposure of your house.

Personally I like paper in country bed-
rooms. There are so many very pretty

[38]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

papers that are reproductions of line old
chintz designs, that give a deliciously
crisp fresh look, and it is so easy to take
one of the colors in the paper as your
color scheme for the room. Paint up a
lot of old furniture if you have it; body
color it some tone in your paper and put
lines of another color; or if you can paint,
take some motive in your paper or chintz
and reproduce it on your furniture.
Don't be in a hurry to do it all at once. It
will grow — one thing will suggest anotiier
and it becomes a perfectly fascinating
sort of game.

If your wall has a flowered paper, it is
well to use some plain material for cur-
tains— or something with very inconspic-
uous pattern. If your v^indows are very
small and your house is where no one can
see in, have your sash window curtains
pushed well back to give you all the
beauty of your view. Let in all the sun-
shine and air you possibly can.

For country bedrooms nothing is prettier
than dotted swiss — or organdie or ordi-
nary book muslin, made with little ruffles
on the inside. They dress up a room at
[39]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

once; and remember this — that if your
windows are properly handled, your cur-
tains well chosen and well made, your
room is half — more than half — done, for
immediately on entering a room our gaze
goes toward the window. Really en-
chanting curtains can be made of ging-
hams and voiles and many materials that
one sees in the day's shopping. For bed-
rooms a valance of chintz over the mus-
lin window curtain will give up color — if
we don't want chintz curtains at the sides
of our window.

Be very careful that you get the right
shade of your color. There are blues that
are warm and blues that are very cold.
Pink can be one of the hardest tones I
know, if it is in a room with the wrong
exposure. Some yellows are sunny,
others very dull. You have to try them
in your rooms — each with its own angle
of exposure and light and reflection.

In your verandah furnishings you have
room for no end of color. You can let
yourself go to your heart's content — not
freakish color but good strong ringing
tones. The out of doors absorbs them in

1140:

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

such a way that they are never garish or
hard. Avoid heavy stuffy coverings and
portieres, avoid "schemes" of decoration.
Plan for comfort, for a suitable back-
ground that expresses the life of the fam-
ily living within the walls of your house.
Keep your floors low in tone — a well fin-
ished floor has much to do as a back-
ground with all the furniture we place
upon it. See that it is well stained and
polished and your wall tones soft and
neutral. Be sincere — don't do things for
effect, but let your home express your life
and in return it will give you joy and
comfort.

i:4i:

The City Home

WE all know Ihe kind of narrow house
with the black hole of a middle room
to be found all over New York City. How
people endured the gloom of it all is a
mystery. I once was asked to do over a
house of this kind. The walls and wood-
work were tinted a dark brown. The
middle room was practically useless. My
client said rather pathetically: "Can't
this be made a place where the men
would like to linger and smoke?" — it ad-
joined the dining room. "They now run
through it as fast as they can to the
library above, which is cheerful." I
didn't wonder. Even a piano and a
"canned music" cabinet couldn't hold
them.

I immediately had all the woodwork
scraped and panelled and painted a soft
old ivory. I found an English chintz

[42]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

with large flowers in the gayest of rose
and blue and mauve tones on a cream
background. It was some time before I
could convince my client that the chintz
was what she wanted — but I have since
had the satisfaction of having her tell me
she loves it more each year. I knew she
would!

The curtains and portieres between the
dark middle room and the dining room —
the darkest spot in the room — were made
of this beautiful chintz, so full of color
and life. A large arm-chair was covered
with it and placed where you couldn't re-
sist it as you came out of the dining
room; a low table with a lamp was placed
beside the chair, the only light in the
room previously having come from re-
mole wall fixtures. Small low tables for
coll'ee cups also had lamps. Several
pieces of furniture were covered in the
rose red — a wonderful shade — in the
chintz, and warm old rose rugs deep in
tone were used. The room was trans-
formed. And my client laughingly said
she couldn't get the men away from it.
The moment they began to use it the
charm began to work; the evening papers

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

with their various items of interest placed
on a table as a lure made a topic for con-
versation and the ice was broken. Con-
versations begun at the table were easily
continued over the coffee cups and ciga-
rettes. The room still had a distinct dig-
nity and formality as well, but it had the
charm that only color can give.

We applied the same treatment to the li-
brary on the second floor, where golden
oak trim and green walls flaunted their
ugliness. The oak was rubbed down,
stained and waxed, hand rubbed to make
a soft velvety English oak finish. A
putty colored wall was used, a wonderful
tone where subdued yellow and green
blended marvellously; beautiful Chinese
rugs of exquisite golden brown back-
grounds— a rare color in Chinese rugs
— all made the setting, the frame for
all else that was used in the room. Book-
cases built awkwardly out into the room
were removed and placed in a heaven-
sent niche which we acquired by ripping
out two closets full of junk that were
placed between the library and bedroom
adjoining. These niches were large
enough to hold a desk on one side and a

[44]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

table with a reading light on the other,
the walls being lined with shelves and
filled with books. The space made by re-
moving the shelves from the room al-
lowed us to place very comfortably in just
the right light a baby grand piano.

This room had two great points of ar-
chitectural background: a very well
proportioned semi-circular window seat
commanding a heavenly view of the river
and Palisades, with casement windows of
small leaded panes and a deep window
seat; and a large fireplace framed in the
most villainous shade of green glazed tile
and a wildly ornate "over-mantel" with
endless jig-saw wreaths and mirrors ga-
lore in panels. The ornamentation was
most carefully planed off — the over-man-
tel and its mirrors entirely removed,
leaving a very nicely proportioned low
mantel, absolutely simple. The hearth
was re-tiled in old English clay tiles and
wrought iron fire-irons and andirons sup-
planted the modern brass of hideous and
much ornamented design. The same fur-
niture recovered was unrecognizable in
its new background.

[45]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

The only light came from the large bay
window which took up practically the en-
tire width of the room. Only very thin
curtains of grenadine covered the win-
dows, with a hanging at either end of the
arch to give color and soften the frame.
It is marvellous, once our eyes are opened
to the possibilities of the changes we can
bring about in our surroundings. And if
only people can be made to realize the ex-
traordinary reaction on their lives — in
their spirits, in their very health itself.
Wasn't it Whistler who said, after a visit
to Walt Whitman: "The room was fur-
nished by a large earthen jar filled with
golden rod and sunshine"?

It requires thought and judgment and it
results in a gain to us of perception and
observation. You can gain some sort of
a result out of almost any collection of
furniture if you will place it with a view
to producing a livable arrangement, just
as, on the other hand, you can "queer"
very beautiful things by a poor arrange-
ment.

Bear in mind that the home your children
will remember is the home Ihey are

1:46]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

growing up in now, today, and its effect
is now reacting on all their future lives.
I honestly believe that much illness would
be spared if we tried to make our homes
more happy in color and furnishings.
It is not possible to be gloomy in a room
full of sunshine and color and life.

You can get a gloomy result with very
beautiful furniture. Men decorators (I
am sorry to have to say it) generally do
get this result. Their interiors are hand-
some, expensive, but heavy, and never by
any chance intimate or charming. You
can make a home with a red geranium, a
muslin curtained windows a few un-
painted chairs, a freshly scrubbed floor
and a clear kerosene lamp. It's all in the
touch; and once we are awakened to it,
and begin to see that, we can do wonders.

A last word is about kitchens — in New
England, last summer, I was taken with
great pride by my hostess into her kitchen,
which was a revelation. The floor was
tiled in dark red, the walls w^ere lined
with shelves on which stood all the pots
and jars (containing ingredients of every
kind) with bands of old blue decorations.

i:47:

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

A large table, with a double frame going
up horizontally from the sides, made two
racks, on which to hang the spotless shin-
ing utensils. Gingham curtains with val-
ances hung at the grouped windows on
either side, as the room occupied the width
of the wing drawn out to build this model
kitchen. Flowers in pots stood in a row
on the window sill. No wonder we were
served delicious food. The cook's face
and that of her assistant shone like their
pots. Work in such surroundings be-
came a pleasant task. And my last plea
is to make your home happy by the right
furnishings and your lives will be fdled
with the joy of them. It isn't a question
of money alone. Much can be done with
little. It is just giving it the right touch.

[483

Paint and Business

PAINT is a good business partner. It
has helped make fortunes. When
Frank Woolworth started his chain of
five and ten cent stores he made them easy
to identify. He had the fronts of them
painted red. And a brilliant red it is. It
has become so much a part of the Wool-
worth enterprises that you need no sign
to tell you that a certain kind of merchan-
dise is sold within.

What town hasn't a "blue-front" hard-
ware store or grocery? And what town
hasn't a "red front" tea and coffee store?
These color signals are often the only
guides needed by a child, no matter how
young, in finding the desired mart when
sent on an errand. Paint becomes truly
a beacon when intelligently used for the
purpose.

1:49:]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

A jeweler in a large American city was
concerned because the light in his store
was poor even under artificial illumina-
tion. In talking the matter over, a friend
suggested that he change his color
scheme and make his woodwork while.
He had strong objections, because his fix-
tures were of mahogany, which had cost
a great deal of money; but after carefully
considering the matter, he took his
friend's advice. The result was amazing.
His place of business became the best
lighted shop in town. His wares were dis-
played to better advantage and his trade
grew because that interior was cheerful,
inviting and practical with its ivorj^-Iike
cases and trim. He made a transforma-
tion with two coats of white enamel over
three coats of flat white.

A scale manufacturer wondered why his
market didn't grow as he thought it
should. He made good scales — accurate
and thoroughly finished. But they were
painted black. Scales had always been
painted black. But one day someone told
him that white would be better. He
hadn't thought of it, but he determined to
try it. He tried two colors — white and

C50n

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

light blue. And his sales increased faster
than he had previously thought they
should.

A small town implement dealer was stuck
with a yellow-wheeled wagon. No one
liked yellow wheels. So he repainted
them a brilliant red and the wagon was
sold the following week.

Color determines the value of many com-
modities. You could sell a black buggy
with red wheels, but few would buy a red
body and black wheels. P'olks aren't ac-
customed to things in reverse from the
usual in most cases, though in other cases
reverse is the magnet which produces re-
sults— as did the light colored scales.

Gas ranges used to be all black. Now
they are made with enamelled parts of
wdiite or light blue, and many of them are
done in all white and light blue. A hard-
ware man made the statement that he
sold three oil heaters with a light blue cyl-
inder to one with a black cylinder.

Women demand wdiite kitchens with
white enamel sinks. They want white

n5i]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

refrigerators and white bread and cake
boxes. Prospective mothers will insist
upon a light blue or light pink basinette
for the expected babe.

So many things sold broadcast are painted
black — black handles on dust brushes
and wire potato mashers, on tack claws,
on vacuum cleaners. Why? Color
makes sales. Why not use it?

To be sure, there are manj'^ elemental ma-
terials of characteristic color. Ebony is
deep brown, almost black. Painting it in
most cases would be as sensible as gild-
ing the pump handle; but there are many
things spoiled in appearance by black
paint, only because we haven't courage
to violate custom, and exchange a sad
color for a glad one.

Who could sell all black toys? What boy
wants a black wagon or wheelbarrow?
What girl wants a black parasol? And
she prefers light blue shoes, for dolly, to
black ones. Just try it and see. Boys ac-
cept black toy locomotives because real
ones are black and for no other reason.

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

What do you make? Is it something
made more enduring or more practical
by a coat of paint? Just try bright colors.
Paint will help you toward bigger sales,
if you will. There is a washing machine
— on the market only a short time. It is
blue. And it is named after a bird. It is
selling like wild-fire, so it is said. Its
name makes it easy to remember and
women are asking for it all over the
country.

Think of paint as an advertising me-
dium. In an eastern city a florist oper-
ates delivery cars that are painted a beau-
tiful green. Everybody in town knows
him — and it seems as if everybody in
town who buys flowers, buys them at his
shop. A wholesale grocery concern in
another city has its fleet of trucks painted
a brilliant crimson in key with their ad-
vertising campaign for Crimson Band
Coffee. Every one of these trucks always
looks as if it had just left the paint shop.
Their owners believe in the partnership
of paint. Paint is a loyal friend to your
balance in bank, for it protects and beau-
tifies everything of yours which it covers.
In your office, paint makes cheerful sur-

[53]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

roundings. It makes an agreeable atmos-
phere. In your store, it makes an effec-
tual background for j^our goods. If you
operate a factory, it will make better light
and better work. It will save wood and
metal from rust and decay. It gives the
exterior of your plant an air of prosper-
ity and creates a pride of connection in
the minds of employes. Paint makes
cheer inside and outside, in home or busi-
ness home. It costs little and does a great
deal. The renewal of paint is common
sense, whether it is made on walls, wood-
work, metal cornice, roof or motor truck.

Paint is economy. It gives more real
service for the cash outlay than any other
protective element. It is insurance
against ugliness of buildings, against the
bad effects of snow, rain, hot sun. It
plays a strong and constant part in down-
keep and makes wood and metal stay
youthful. It keeps doors and windows
from warping and buckling, because it
keeps out dampness.

The partnership of paint is many sided,
from the standpoint of utility and good
looks. Its good offices are illustrated on

[54]

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

every hand. If a man wants to keep a
piece of property, he paints it. If he
wants to sell it, he paints it. If he wants
a good rental for it, he keeps his paint and
varnish renewed.

Paint is powerful. It influences us all, all
of our lives. It is as personal in its rela-
tion to industry as you are. It has a way
of sticking to business and growing more
useful everj^ day. Those who believe in
paint and use it, arc known for their
thrifty ways. The tumble-down citizen
always lives in the unpainted weather-
grey house on the edge of town — the
same chap who borrows coal from his
neighbor and change from his wife.

Paint is always good. The colored stuff
which peels, checks and blisters in a few
months, isn't paint at all. It is poor stuff
to buy. You can generally tell what it is,
before you use it, because it doesn't cost
enough to be good. Good paint pays be-
cause it lasts three times as long as color
in disguise.

Buy and use good paint and varnish. It
pays to pay the little difference in first

THE PARTNERSHIP OF PAINT

cost. It is the same as buying an all-wool
garment in preference to a cotton one.
Good paint is an asset in business. The
other kind is worse than a liability. It is
an attachment against your operating
costs.

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