But when things "pair" logically, pair
them! They will furnish a backbone of precision to the room.
The dining-room in the Iselin house is a fine example of stately
simplicity. It is extremely formal, and yet there is about it none of
the gloominess one associates with New York dining-rooms. The severely
paneled walls, the fine chimney-piece with an old master inset and
framed by a Grinling Gibbons carving, the absence of the usual mantel
shelf, the plain dining-table and the fine old lion chairs all go to
make up a Georgian room of great distinction.
The woman who cannot afford such expensive simplicity might model a
dining-room on this same plan and accomplish a beautiful room at
reasonable expense. Paneled walls are always possible; if you can't
afford wood paneling, paint the plastered wall white or cream and break
it into panels by using a narrow molding of wood. You can get an effect
of great dignity by the use of molding at a few cents a foot. A large
panel would take the place of the Grinling Gibbons carving, and a
mirror might be inset above the fireplace instead of the portrait. The
dining-table and chairs might give place to good reproductions of
Chippendale, and the marble console to a carpenter-made one painted to
match the woodwork.
The subject of proper furniture for a dining-room is usually settled by
the house mistress before her wedding bouquet has faded, so I shall only
touch on the out-of-ordinary things here.
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