Design Your Home Anew

Do not be deceived, madam, by appearances. It is not necessarily the case that everything current in the art of building is up-to-date in the sense of 'modern.' Quite the contrary — that only shows a failure to understand truly the tendencies of the age.

For every new art of building must express, in some respects, the spirit of the age it belongs to. Hence it cannot be invented outright, for it exists — before the architects set it down on the plan — in the conscience of society and the conscience of the age. Architects, then, invent nothing new; rather, thanks to their grasp of the age's inclinations and needs, they give expression to those inclinations and needs.

Some may fancy that the purpose of all the architectural arts is not to express the spirit of the age, but for us to express, by their means, that we are able to surpass the ancients; and that for this reason these arts must express not the age but our own superiority. This is a theory that cannot be true in every respect. We may surpass the ancients in some regards and remain behind them in others; for it is not permissible to deny the immortal artistic heritage the ancients possess.

We must not forget, for all that, that in the modern age we are strongly affected by the material side of things. High prices rule in every quarter, beginning with labor and ending with the last of the necessities. The ordinary man therefore finds cruel difficulty in providing the requisites of ostentation, and can in no case make of every piece of furniture a museum treasure. And withal, he yearns anxiously for a quiet 'home' where he may find the pleasure of life and the bliss of happiness, and which possesses a goodly share of order and taste.

And we can obtain this order only if we arrange the furnishings of the house with harmony and art. The furnishings need not be luxurious or many in number; what matters is that they be arranged in a way that sound taste can accept. Keep away, then, madam, as far as possible, from complicated arrangements, and try to be very simple: simplicity is

one of the foundations of modern beauty.

The presence of reinforced concrete in the art of building has had the greatest effect on the way a single house is divided into rooms. And one consequence of this modern division is that the rooms have come out small. For that reason, madam, try to arrange the rooms in a simple and acceptable way. There is nothing splendid in making a single room choke on a thousand pieces of furniture.

Then, too, it has been one of the necessities of modern art that windows have become lower than they were before; you should therefore not use the old high beds, but beds and furnishings that harmonize with modern architecture.

If, however, you live in a house built in the old style, you may keep furnishings that suit that style.

And do not forget, madam, to see that your room is adorned with colors that invite cheerfulness and ease. Sky blue is the favored color, for it suggests hope and peace of mind.

The aim of all this is to flood the 'home' with an abundance of gladness and repose. And you alone, madam, can breathe this gladness and this repose into it. For in preparing the comfort of the 'home,' the lady has a hand the man's hand cannot match. Stretch out your hand, then — blessed and fortunate — in the cause of family happiness; and in your noble feeling of heart and your inborn artistic sense you have the best helper and guide.

I shall speak to you in a coming issue of the kinds of rooms and the arrangement each kind requires. Until we meet again, then, and a thousand good wishes.