The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
Theory Of Decoration
This budget may be altered as the plans proceed, but it serves somewhat as a guide during the process of development. If proposed expenses run too high for certain portions of the work, the decorator will know that it will be necessary to economize elsewhere. Costs vary extensively in different localities, and the ability to approximate them must come from observation, experience, trade catalogues, or by comparison with other work of a similar nature.
3. In every room there are always certain architectural features that cannot easily be changed and must often be used as a starting point for a new decorative scheme. These are primarily the length, width and height of the room, the size and location of the windows and doors, the design, material and color of the trim, which may include the door and window casings, mantel, baseboard or wainscot, picture moulding or cornice, and radiator coverings; and the color, material, and texture of the floor and walls. Sometimes the lighting fixtures or the location of the electric light outlets must remain unchanged.
If some of these features are so inartistic as to be impossible of use in a decorative scheme, they should be painted the same color as the walls, thereby making them as unobtrusive as possible.
4. In addition to these fixed architectural features, the decorator is often confronted with the necessity of using existing furniture, draperies, or other decorative objects. It is very seldom that the decorator ever approaches a "perfect" room from his point of view. Even if a "perfect" room is planned it is seldom accomplished in practice, because the exact design, materials or colors are not obtainable in the market. It is therefore usually a question of selecting the lesser of two evils, and the beginner need not feel that he is forced to confront an unusual problem, if old furnishings must be retained. On the contrary, this often simplifies his work, as it gives something to build upon. In addition, old furnishings, if not in a too dilapidated condition, assist materially in expressing the character of the owner.
5. A plan of the room should be made to scale, in which the fixed features, whether architectural or decorative, should be located. A plan of each piece of furniture should also be drawn on a separate sheet of paper so that it may be cut out and moved around the floor plan until its best location from a utilitarian and aesthetic view point is discovered. It is very essential in this matter to be accurate in the dimensions of furniture, and the approximate length and depth of standard pieces should be noted. The best way to learn and remember these dimensions is to measure the furniture in one's own home and put it down in a note-book for the purpose.
