Dining Room
First of all make a dining-room fulfill its
main purpose-a room in which to eat three meals a day comfortably. Make it a cheerful and yet a restful room. If possible choose
a room which is sunny in the morning. Arrange to have it lighted
pleasantly in the evening.
Side lights are especially to be desired, as they give a soft
general light, while an overhead light, directly over the table,
is a little too concentrated to be attractive.
The custom of using candles in candlesticks,
with or without shields, on the dining-table, is a very attractive
one which is inexpensive and little trouble to follow.
If there are children in the family, a plain rug is not so economical
as a small figured rug, which does not show spots. In all dining-rooms a screen, which hides the swinging door to
the pantry or kitchen, is desirable. It is necessary, however,
that there be good light behind this screen, or dishes will be
broken.
The arrangement of furniture in a dining-room
is stereotyped: a table in the center of the room; a sideboard
or console-table on the main wall; a service-table near the pantry
door; and possibly a china closet on the secondary wall or in
a corner. It is well not to leave more than two or four chairs
at the table between meals.
A bowl of flowers or a silver or glass dish is kept on the bare
table between meals, with nothing under it. It is now the fashion
to put most of the silver and glass behind closed doors between
meals, showing only a few pieces on the sideboard. Or dispense
with all of it and use only a dish of fruit and two candlesticks
set on a lace or linen runner.
The dining-room is preeminently a place to
put family portraits or a favorite picture over the mantel, provided
that the walls are covered with a solid color or an inconspicuous
pattern.
Personality and individuality can be shown in this room, as in
all others, by the ornaments chosen, the color of the background,
and the pictures. As a dining-room is not used to sit in for an
extended length of time, a scenic paper may be used pleasantly,
whereas it might become tiresome in the living-room.
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