COOL ROOMS

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12355, 27 January 1926, Page 5

COOL ROOMS

HOW TO SECURE THEAI.

Life nowadays is so strenuous that one want* all the rest one can get, and. how can thi? be obtained if all the rooms in the house are hot and stuffy, says a writer in an exchange. In the first place, a gieat depends on the actual selection of the room. It should be as large as possible, and one that does not get too much aun. Everything that is not in actual 1 use in the way of furniture should: be sent away to the bosrdom for.the- time being. , Get rid of all heavy curtains, tor yap will never feel cool with these around’yon. Where the floor is just polished or stained, a mat or so in centre will he all you requiie. For summer use, rush, buss or string mats are- eminently, suitable. . Light'.furniture is much cooler-look-ing than dark, so where possible have white or a light-coloured enamel furniture in your cool room. Hie walls should be distempered in a. light colour, but if they are already papered we: will hope that it is light coloured and not heavily patterned. Do away, with as, many , pictures and ornaments as possible. I have seen some most successful schemes where there was , not a picture to he seen, unless, indeed,, it was an occasional etching or engraving in a plain black frame.

The curtains should be majie as simply as possible, and of cotton or linen material. A gay coloured cretonne also looks well, and makes an excellent contrasting colour note to an otherwise plain colour furnishing schema. '

It is very important that the coionr scheme should be well thought out be-fore-hand, as nothing gives a more worrying and, therefore, heating effect .than many colours vying with each other.' Certain - colours have a more cooling effect than others. A delightful scheme I <-a,v recently was where the wall 3 were distempered a pale grey. Hie floor was polished, with cream and violet coloured rush mats placed here and there; the windows were curtained with pale violet-col-oured casement, and the only other colour note was a large black howl of anemones placed in the centre of the gate-legged tabte. To prevent the glare of the sun coming into the room reed blinds are 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 succes-i is to make a screen of a wooden frame covered with gauzeHiis can be kept constantly wet in front of the open window. Ic really is surprising how the temperature of the room can be lowered by these means.