MODERN FURNISHINGS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23223, 22 June 1937, Page 17

MODERN FURNISHINGS

When June Clyde invited me to tea at her new flat near Kensington gardens, 1 discovered she had decorated it throughout in a patriotic scheme of red, white, and blue, which was most attractive (writes a Londoner). The walls were painted a soft, restful ivory and the furniture was a shade deeper, set off by the dark blue pile carpets The touches of scarlet were cleverly introduced in the picture frames and the Chinese lacquer clock and there were wee scarlet dots on the pique cushion covers, too. June told me that pique was a very popular furnishing material in America because it is so easily laundered and stands any amount of hard wear. Though a film star herself, June is very keen on acquiring other famous people’s autographs, and she showed me what she calls her “ friendship cushion ” an idea I shall certainly copy. You just get your friends to write their names with a hard pencil on a cover of plain white material, preferably cotton, and then embroider them over in coloured washing silk or stranded cotton in stem or satin stitch.

And that reminds me. I was visiting friends near Chester recently, and they have>a living room in which the walls are pure white. Whenever guests come they are asked to write their names “as large as possible please ” on the white wall The names are then gone over with an indelible pencil and as sections of wall are filled up they are varnished The effect is strangely enough that of a wall paper with a very modern design And talking of patriotic schemes ol decoration the British Colour Council has prepared a chart of Coronation colours for house painting. These colours are recom mended by the three architects appointed to prepare schemes of decoration for his Majesty’s Office of Works, the City of London and the City ot Westminster, For window frames and front doors Garter blue and Coronation red and Coronation green are suggested, while for interiors Marlborough blue

(something of the blue of the hyacinth beloved of Queen Mary), Holyrood Green, Buckingham Lilac, and St. James Rose are recommended.