The Style of Curtains and the Architecture of the House

The style of curtain should suit the architecture of the house, more especially perhaps from the outside, since curtains lend so much of the personal to a house. Viewed from the inside of the house the curtains should have a certain amount of uniformity. If rooms open into one another with large openings the curtains should be of the same material or well blended as to color and material. Thus, if the living room curtains are linen with a pattern of rose, dull green and old blue, have the dining room curtains of old blue stripes or plain dull green. If the same material is used in both rooms, introduce variation by binding the living-room curtains with plain green and the dining room blue or whatever color one wishes accented in the room. Linen curtains used in one room and taffeta of a similar shade make a well blended scheme for adjoining rooms. Mulberry and sage green are two contrasting colors that may be used successfully in this way. They produce a uniformity in feeling, because the contrasting colors are so harmonious.

An excellent material to give a house uniformity is casement cloth. In a stucco house with oak inside woodwork this material is extremely good. Casement cloth comes in various colors tans, golden brown, cream, green and dull orange.

The warp is wool and the over-weave silk. It hangs well, wears well and cleans well.

It is particularly appropriate in houses of an English style of architecture, but may be used in any room without offense. One good weave has a tiny herring-bone effect in silk on the wool. Casement cloth can be used where scrim could be used. It has a closer, thicker texture and should be hung on rods with rings and pulled back and forth at will. It is not transparent.

Uniformity in the bedrooms may be obtained by using scrim or even the best quality cheesecloth and putting an inch binding on the edges. The binding being the same width but of various colors, and the curtains of the same cloth, a uniform appearance is seen from the outside. The binding may be in whatever color is used in each room, thus carrying out the various color schemes, but from the outside this detail of color is not noticed. The overhangings may be in any color and design of chintz.

Beautiful curtains of Brussels net with real lace may be used in the downstairs rooms, and simpler, plainer nets, with or without lace insertions and edges, may be used upstairs. For the formal city house this is preferable to any window treatment, but it is a matter of much expense. The over-draperies must be of a consistent richness in texture, and formal as to hanging and arrangement.