COOL ROOMS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19232, 22 January 1926, Page 5

COOL ROOMS.

Life nowadays is so strenuous that one wants all the rest one can get, and how can this be obtained if all the rooms in the house are hot and stuffy ? In the first place, a great deal dopends on the actual selection of the room. It should bo as large as possible, and ono that does not get too much sun. Everything that is not, in actual use in the way of furniture should bo sent away to the boxroom for the time being. Get rid of all heavy curtains, for you will never feel cool with these around you. Whore tlio floor is just polished or stained, a mat or so in the centre will bo all you require. summer nse, rush, bass or string mats aro eminently suitable. Light furniture is much cotaier-looking than dark, so where possible have white or a light coloured, enamel fjraituro in your cool room. The walls should bo distempered i11,,a light colour bat if they arc already papered wo will hope that it is light colourejjl and not heavily patterned. Do away with as many pictures and ornaments as possible. I have soon some most successful schemes where there was not a picture to be seen ? unless, indeed, it was an occasional etching or engraving in a plain black frame. The curtains should be made as simply as possible, and of cotton or linen material A gay coloured crctonno also looks well, and makes an excellent contrasting colour note to an otherwise plain colour furnishing scheme. It is very important that the colour scheme should bo wtill thought out beforehand, as nothing gives a more worrying and, therefore, heating effect colours vying with each other. Certain colours have a moro cooling effect than others. A delightful scheme I saw recently was where the walls were distempered a pale grey. The floor was polished, with cream and violet coloured rush mats placed here and there; the windows were curtained with pale violet-coloured casement, and the only other colour note was a large black bowl of anemones placed in the centre of the gate-legged table. To prevent the glare of tho sun coming into the room reed blinds arc excellent. Another excellent method of cooling a room is to occasionally sprinkle with . water, to which a little eau-de-Cologne has been added. Another device I have seen used with great success is to mako a screen of a wooden frame covered with gauze. This can bo kept constantly wet in front of the open window. It really is surprising how tho temperature of the room can bo lowered by tfxese means.