Pastel Linens For Renovations Chosen By Queen

Southland Times, Issue 24106, 20 April 1940, Page 13

Pastel Linens For Renovations Chosen By Queen

It was three years ago, in February, that the King and Queen took up their residence in Buckingham Palace, and during this short period the Queen has continued the good work begun by Queen Mary of making the palace a really well-appointed modem home. The Queen has concentrated largely on the redecoration of her own apartments. While Queen Mary’s favourite colour was pale blue, Queen Elizabeth likes pale pink equally well, as her choice of furnishing colours show, says a London writer. At one time it was the fashion to decorate the State apartments with heavy masses of colour. The Queen has changed all this. She prefers lighter colour schemes for fabrics and flowers and the generous use of foliage. Many successful alterations have been made at her suggestion in the Royal apartments which are the concern of the Office of Works. AT SANDRINGHAM Long before the British housewife begins her spring cleaning she plans necessary renovations in the home, where winter shabbiness must be cleared away before the sunshine seeks it out. So, in February and March, the househould linen departments in the big stores are as popular as .the dress salons. It was in one of these departments that the Queen recently chose a supply of pastel-coloured linen for the bedrooms at Sandringham. These bedrooms are each to have linen sets to match the colour scheme cf the paintwork and wallpaper. In some there will be blankets, sheets, pillow-slips, tray-cloths, towels and bed cushions of a pale rose colour, while in others the new linen will match pale apple-green decorations in certain guest rooms. Towels, blankets, and so on, will be specially monogrammed with a large silk crown, as are the beautiful damask cloths used for Sandringham’s luncheon and dinner parties. Usually the Royal monogram is embroidered in a comer of each linen article, the embroidery being done by hand. But in the case of the table napkins, the crown is worked in the centre.

Most household renovations will be of a very simple nature this year. English housewives must guard their purses, and because of this, gingham is likely to prove a popular fabric for new curtains and covers. In carefully chosen shades this Cinderella among furnishing fabrics can be very smart for dressing up windows, chairs and beds.

A new way of using gingham effectively is to ally it to small round or oval mirrors over dressing-tables which have full gingham skirt draperies.