at it is only those who have mastered the
steps in dancing who can afford to forget them. It is the same in
every art. Therefore let us state at once, that all rules may be
broken by the educated--the masters of their respective arts. For
beginners we give the following rules as a guide, until they get their
bearings in this fascinating game of making pictures by manipulating
lines and colours, as expressed in necessary furnishings.

* * * * *

Avoid crowding your rooms, walls or tables, for in creating a _home_
one must produce the quality of restfulness by order and space.

As to walls, do not use a cold colour in a north or shaded room. Make
your ceilings lighter in tone than the side walls, using a very pale
shade of the same colour as the side walls.

Do not put a spotted (figured) surface on other spotted (figured)
surfaces. A plain wall paper is the proper, because most effective,
background for pictures.

Avoid the mistake of forgetting that table decoration includes all
china, glass, silver and linen used in serving any meal.

In attempting the decoration of your dining-room table avoid anything
inappropriate to the particular meal to be served and the scale of
service. Do not have too many flowers on your table, or flowers not in
harmony with the rest of the setting, in variety or colour.

Do not use peasant china, no matter how decorative in itself, on fine
damask or rare lace. By so doing you strike a false note. The
background it demands is crash or peasant laces.

Avoid crowding your dining-table or giving it an air of confusion by
the number of things on it, thus destroying the laws of simplicity,
line and balance in decoration.

Avoid using on your walls as mere decorations articles such as rugs or
priests' vestments primarily intended for other purposes.

Avoid the misuse of anything in furnishing. It needs only knowledge
and patience to find the correct thing for each need. Better do
without than employ a makeshift in decorating.

Inappropriateness and elaboration can defeat artistic beauty--but
intelligent elimination never can.

Beware of having about too many vases, or china meant for domestic
use. The proper place for table china, no matter how rare it is, is in
the dining-room. If very valuable, one can keep it in cabinets.

Useless bric-a-brac in a dining-room looks worse than it does anywhere
else.

Your dining-room is the best place for any brasse