December 24, 1928

Detroit News Quilt History Project; Michigan State University Museum; Susan Salser

Detroit, Michigan, United States

A portion of a Beauty in the Home column discussing Duncan Phyfe tables and cherry red curtains.

By Edith B. Crumb
The regulation folding bridge table is often a jarring note in an otherwise well furnished room. For this reason it is wise to have a card table of the period style in which the rest of the room is decorated.

In the accompanying illustration is shown a Duncan Phyfe card table of mahogany with panel of black satin inserted in the top. For an early American room this would be an excellent choice.

The side chair is of the same style and makes a fitting companion is as a whole- one that would appeal to the woman who loves to have her home simple but smart.

The woodwork and walls are pale green for this is a west room and requires a cool color and the floor covering is of green Wilton.

The curtains are of cream voile with pleated ruffles of light green chintz and the furniture covering is of yellow ground flowered chintz piped in green

... trimmed with green rickrack braid. The furniture may be finished in yellow trimmed in black.
The curtains in your bedroom may be of cream French marquisette and the over draperies of yellow silk broadcloth. For the bedspread you might use a striped material in blue and yellow.

Yellow Organdy Curtains
Dear Decorating Department: My kitchen is rather small and very dark although it has two windows and a window in the door. The linoleum is black and white blocks about four and one half inches square, electric refrigerator, white and the stove is grey and white. The breakfast set is to be painted, the walls are to be painted apple green, and the woodwork ivory. I would live to make this room cheerful and any suggestion you offer will be very much appreciated. I forgot to mention I have a large cupboard.
Mrs. C.R.

Your kitchen will be much lighter if you use bright yellow organdy for the curtains, and these will also be very pretty in combination with your light green walls and black and white floor covering.
The furniture may be painted in bright yellow trimmed in black. Make the seats of the chairs, top of table, three inches of the lower part of chair and table legs and outer rims of chair backs black and the balance yellow.
< br />The interior of the cupboards may be painted in this same shade of yellow, the shelves covered with green oil cloth and trimmed with green and white embossed paper edging.

Cherry Red Curtains
Dear Decorating Department: The upper part of my kitchen walls is painted light and the lower park dark buff. The woodwork is dark brown, oil cloth blue and gray.
Please tell me what color the curtains should be and what to paint the furniture. Would like to lighten the brown woodwork.
Mrs. A.A.

The furniture may be painted in cherry red trimmed with a medium shade of blue, and the curtains may be of cherry red and white checked tissue gingham trimmed with blue rick rack braid.
If you wish to ename the woodwork, it will be attractive if made in the color of the lower part of the walls.

For the Man's Room
An attractive covering for the bed in a man's room consists of a taffeta covering in a café au laut shade, which is beautifully quilted in silk of the same shade. A flat pillow of the same material is included to make the set.

Courtesy of The Detroit News Archives.