A console has the place of honor opposite the fireplace,
and above it there is a mirror like that over the mantel. In the two
side panels are the two large Mennoyers. There are five of these in the
room, the smaller ones flanking the chimney piece. You see that the
salvation of this room depends on this careful repetition and variation
of similar objects.
Color is brought into the room in the blue and yellow of the Chinese
rug, in the chairs, and in the painted table. The chairs are painted a
creamy yellow, pointed with blue, and upholstered with blue and yellow
striped velvet. I do not like high-backed chairs in a dining-room. Their
one claim to use is that they make a becoming background, but this does
not compensate for the difficulties of the service when they are used.
An awkward servant pouring soup down one's back is not an aid to
digestion, or to the peace of mind engendered by a good dinner.
[Illustration: MRS. OGDEN ARMOUR'S CHINESE-PAPER SCREEN]
[Illustration: MRS. JAMES WARREN LANE'S PAINTED DINING-TABLE]
The painted table is very unusual. The legs and the carved under-frame
are painted cream and pointed with blue, like the chairs, but the top is
as gay as an old-fashioned garden, with stiff little medallions, and
urns spilling over with flowers, and conventional blossoms picked out
all over it.
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