advisable to weigh this knowledge in the scales of practical
observation, however, in houses of late date. This is not so much
because of changes in fashion as for the reason that improvements in
process are always being made, and even the omnipresent folk who write
books sometimes overlook a point. Concerning fashion, which of course
has its sway in decoration, we will remember that the simplest
treatment survives longest.



WOOD IN DECORATION

It seems that with the steady increase in cost of lumber we have grown
more and more to appreciate the beauty of our woods. At any rate, wood
is being used more extensively than ever in interior finishing. This
is in some ways a healthy tendency, as it makes for simplicity and
admits of artistic treatment at a reasonable cost.

Hall, living room, and dining room, for instance, may be treated with a
high or low wood wainscoting and wooden panels extending to a wooden
cornice at the ceiling. The wood may be a weathered oak, and between
the panels is a rough plaster in gray or tinted to suit the house
scheme. Friezes and plastic cornices are somewhat on the wane, in
smaller houses at least; though, of course, they will never go out of
use altogether.



PANELS AND PLASTER