Besides the chintz-covered chairs, there are two old English chairs
covered with English needlework. These chairs are among the treasures of
the Club. There are several long mahogany tables, and many small tea
tables. The rugs are of a spring green--I can think of no better name
for it.
In modern English and American houses of the smaller class the staircase
is a part of an elongated entrance hall, and there is often no
vestibule. In many of the more important new houses the stairs are
divided from the entrance hall, so that one staircase will do for the
servants, family and all, and the privacy of the entrance hall will be
secured. In my own house in New York, you enter the square hall
directly, and the staircase is in a second hall. This entrance hall is a
real breathing-space, affording the visitor a few moments of rest and
calm after the crowded streets of the city. The hall is quite large,
with a color-plan of black and white and dark green. You will find a
description of this hall in another chapter. I have used this same plan
in many other city houses, with individual variations, of course. The
serene quality of such a hall is very valuable in the city. If you
introduced a lot of furniture the whole thing would be spoiled.
I used an old porcelain stove, creamy and iridescent in glaze, in such a
hall in an uptown house very similar to my own.
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