THE PARLOR AND DRAWING ROOM, CIRCA 1880

"The comedy was that so many of these rooms were alike"...A.E.Richardson

Who can not recall the huge, towering bouquets of dried grasses in gaudy china vases on the mantel; the numerous family photographs on the walls, in a bleak margin of ghastly white, enlivened, perhaps, by a coarse chromo given as a premium by the vapid periodical that is piled up in back numbers on the table ; the ugly horsehair or brocatelle sofa; the tapestry carpet, combining all the colors of the rainbow ; the showy curtains of coarse lace ; the "fairy basket," filled with artificial flowers, suspended somewhere ; the hideous plaster busts of popular men ?
The entrance hall of such a house is usually furnished with oilcloth and a map of the United States; the best bedroom has a "cottage set," fearful with highly colored flowers and gilding, and the other bedrooms have whatever they can get. Crocheted mats and tidies, of all sizes, shapes, and denominations, overrun everything, like weeds ; and it is quite possible that such works of art as cone frames and wax flowers under glass are added to the other things that should not be. In all this melange there will probably not be a single growing thing, nor a bit of the woods near by, to give a touch of nature.
From, How to Furnish a Home by Ella Rodman Church, 1882

But here I must protest against fluffy wool mats scattered about the tables, antimacassars of lace, worsted, or other work hung loosely over the backs of the chairs and sofas, velvet-covered brackets, with useless fringe fixed on with brass-headed nails, on which too often are placed trumpery bits of Dresden or other china, in the shape of dogs, cats, or birds. The wool mats and velvet-covered brackets are nothing but traps for dirt and dust, while the loose antimacassars are an endless source of untidiness and annoyance.
From, Decoration & Furniture of Town Houses by Robert W. Eddis, 1880

Church and Eddis were two highly regarded decorationg authorities of their age, Mrs.Church being American, Mr. Eddis, English. Decorating advice from both countries is interchangeable. One finds the same “ do’s and don’t’s” on both sides of the Atlantic.
Most of this article is repeated from their books as they were written. Again, you’ll see that in some cases woodwork was painted in others, not.
On the question of a chair rail or dado in the drawing room, it was felt by some, generally, that the drawing room should not sport a dado. Cabinets, bookshelves and other unequally sized furnishings would look better against a wall decorated as a single unit rather than against one cut in two by the dividing dado. A frieze, however, would be good addition. Of course, the dado or no dado ruling depended in the size and proportions of the room in question.

1882 parlor mantle



One drawing-room in a large house was described this way, ….“a rich and effective treatment of the wall would be with a low panelled dado of dark black, with a delicate inlaying of ivory-toned ornament, the doors and general woodwork being painted to match, the general wall surface painted bright warm-coloured golden yellow, and powdered all over with a flower pattern or diaper of a darker tone of golden brown, the frieze being coloured in a delicate vellum or ivory tone, with arabesque or figure decoration in black, the cornice treated with delicate shades of brown and green, and the ceiling slightly tinted to match the frieze”. It should also be noted that when black was used, it was often advised that it be a matte finish, not a glossy one.

More descriptions of drawing rooms from this 1880 period follow, from Mr. Eddis’ book.

I saw lately a drawing-room of a newly built so-called Queen Anne house, in which the whole of the lower portion of the walls was covered with a good golden yellow pattern paper, the woodwork painted a vellum or cream-coloured white and varnished, and the frieze formed m decorative plaster-work in very slight relief, like Adam's work; the ceiling formed after similar designs, and all slightly tinted like Wedgwood ware. The general appearance was bright and cheerful, and the low tone of colour throughout formed an excellent contrast to the Persian rugs, marquetry furniture, blue and white china, and other decorative objects in the room.

Drawing-room, about 28 ft. by 18 ft, .and 14 ft. high.Adam's ceiling, in low relief, tinted in ' Wedgwood ' colouring ; the cornice relieved in somewhat stronger tones ; the walls hung with ' brocade' paper of pale Indian blue, divided by pilasters of'Adam's' arabesques, painted in quiet tones of brown, warm greens, and russets, with carved medallions in each. Dado and woodwork of quiet cream tint, with line ornaments in drab and gold.

Drawing-room, 30 ft. by 18 ft., and 13 ft. 6 in. high.The plain ceiling was divided into three, and ornamented with plaster enrichment in low relief, very lightly tinted, and slightly relieved by gilding, cornice picked out to harmonise with the walls. The walls hung with crimson ground ' brocade' paper, with a pattern in very dull white and gold ; the dado and woodwork black and gold, with margins of rich maroon, next the gilt mouldings of the panels.

Small drawing-room or boudoir, 12 ft. high. Flat ceiling, panelled out with a painting about 8 ft. by 4 ft. in centre, with low relief ornament outside this. The whole room panelled 9 ft high, with pale wainscot oak; the space above this hung with embossed
leather paper, with pattern in gold, and colours of a light dull green tone. Curtains, silk and wool tapestry. Floor, oak, rather darker than walls, with Oriental carpets. Furniture, dark mahogany; the coverings varied to some extent. A few water-colours hung on the oak panelling; chimney-piece carried up in light oak, with arrangement for bronzes, statuettes in side niches, and spaces for china.

Another decorative treatment of a small drawing or music-room would be by panelling the lower portion of the walls with a deal dado, delicately painted in yellowish pink or blue, and covering the general wall surface with a golden-toned paper, arranged in panels to suit the proportion of the room, with painted and stencil arabesque patterns on the dividing spaces ; the frieze treated with good figure or ornamental enrichment of canvas-plaster or papier mache' in low relief, painted white, with a groundwork of reddish gold or Bartolozzi engraving tint. The floor might have a border of light ebony and maple or boxwood parquet, with a low-toned Persian carpet in the centre, with easy lounges or divans all round the room for rest and comfort, the centre space being left clear of furniture, so as to allow of ample room for guests passing through to other rooms, or to congregate, whilst listening to song or music. Or the general tone of the wall surface may be of a bright bluish drab-coloured pattern paper, with a frieze of small yellowish diaper pattern, the woodwork throughout being painted in brighter tones of blue, with mouldings and stencil decoration on white, like Wedgwood china.

COLOR OF WALLS AND CEILINGS ETC.
In the following excerpt, the author refers to the decoration of earlier, beautifully decorated Adams period ceilings in Britain. Otherwise, the information is also applicable to the US. I’ve seen similar suggestions in American decorating books from the last quarter of the century.

“It is a somewhat difficult matter in most town houses, where the ceilings are generally plain, and bordered by cornices of inferior design, to treat them with any amount of colour. In houses of the date of Adams, the ceilings have generally some very delicate enrichments all over them, either flowing or arranged in patterns very slightly raised. Whenever these occur, it is well to treat them almost like Wedgwood ware, with, say, light tones of pink, green, grey, or buff, in very delicate tinting ; but where the ceiling is quite flat, it is desirable to tint it a light tone of grey or cream colour, to get rid of the extreme glare of pure white. Next, the cornice, a simple distemper pattern, of a darker shade of the same colour, will often be found effective and useful, or one or two simple lines with stencilled corners. The tinting of the cornices must materially depend upon their design and contour; if plain moulded cornices, they may be tinted in one or two shades, the lighter tones being always at the top or next the ceiling, and gradually darkening off to the wall decoration.”
….Eddis

The following is from Mrs. Church’s book.
White ceilings and white woodwork should only be used with a light colored wallpaper, but a slight amount of color in the whiting would give the ceiling a more agreeable tint that stark white. If the woodwork in a room is pine, and must be painted, then any nuetral light color would be agreeable and preferable to plain white. It should never be grained to imitate richer woods as the graining is never very good and it tends to peel in spots over time leaving a blotchy effect. Pine could also be shellacked and varnished, but most people preferred to have it painted.

A French pearl-gray, a warm stone-color, a pale buff, a delicate green, are all beautiful for parlor walls. The faintest suspicion of pink, like the inner lining of some lovely sea-shells, is both pretty arnd becoming, and will go well with most things in the way of furnishing. A frieze of flowers and butterflies would not be inharmonious with this tint; and a dark, almost invisible, green dado, divided, perhaps, by narrow gilt panels, would bear a lighter green in furniture covering. Pale lemon-yellow is a pleasing tint, or a fuller apricot-yellow is very effective, especially with black wood-work. In speaking of the color of a room it is not meant that the walls must be of one single tint, but reference is made to the predominating hue, which exists even when pattern and coloring are complex.

A pale, dull sea-green goes admirably with a rich crimson or Indian red ; a pale, dull red with deep green ; but they must always be of very different intensity to look well together, and are always difficult to mingle pleasantly. Turquoise ….mixes very sweetly with a pale green ; ultramarine, being a red-blue…… is horrible with green. Pure pale yellow is a very becoming color, and will harmonize with purple; with blue, the contrast is too coarse.

As lovely a drawing-room as we ever saw in point of color was carpeted with gray felt with a deep dark-blue bordering ; the lounges and chairs were covered with chintz in the most delicate shade of robin's-egg blue….and the remainder was of wicker-work and black lacquer; the heavy pieces of furniture were in black lacquer and gilt; the curtains were of snowy muslin under lambrequins of chintz ; and the rest of the room was made up of vases, tripods, cups, pictures, flowers, and sunshine, till it seemed to overflow with harmonious color…

Somewhere in the sea of reading a parlor was described that lingers in the mind a warm, glowing, cheerful room, but not in the least glaring ; and, still rarer virtue, it was not expensive. The carpet was in two or three soft shades of red in a mossy pattern ; the walls were cream color with broken red lines in the corners; the curtains were crimson of some twilled material that hung in soft folds. But the furniture, two low sofas and one or two lounging-chairs, was covered with raw silk in rich Oriental colors ; and light chairs and tables broke up all appearance of stiffness. A lovely swinging lamp, with a wine-colored globe shade, hung over the reading-table ; and it was supported by a gilt, triangle, which was also the shape of the candlesticks on the mantel. Here was crimson judiciously used, and yet in sufficient force to make a deliciously inviting apartment
….Church
The following is a description of a wallpaper, from Eddis.


The general tone is a warm creamy yellow, with wall-flower pattern diaper (or diamond) of golden brown, in harmony with the yellow ground; the whole brightened up by the powdering over of the pale pinkish-toned petals or leaves, falling, as it were, from the sprays of almond flowers in the frieze. This frieze with its delicate blue ground and well-coloured sprays, with swallows flitting in and out, forms an exceedingly good contrast with the lower paper, when divided by a simple painted deal moulding or picture rail, painted golden brown and varnished, as suggested in the illustration.



FLOORS

I've mentioned quite a bit about floor treatments and coverings in other articles, so I won't repeat it. What was written stands true in the 1880 drawing room. I did however, want to relay this short paragraph written by Mrs. Church.
"It must be admitted that many sensible people are quite opposed to uncarpeted floors, and especially to stained floors, on the score of their showing dust and every footmark, as well as the roughness and inequalities of the boards, when not made for this particular purpose."...people liked their wall to wall carpets.
A carpet and accompanying border from 1882


THE FIREPLACE

The usual mantel-piece is a shelf of white marble, …… and the sooner this cold, unsuggestive surface is decently buried out of sight the better. A plain covering of any kind that harmonizes with the other draperies is a great improvement; and this should reach the bottom of the slab beneath the shelf, and be finished with a fringe. Most elaborate mantel coverings are wrought with crewels, and silks, and applique ; but these are not always in good taste, and should be well considered, before venturing upon them, in connection with the other furnishings. The latest fashion is for wooden mantel-pieces, ….In the parlor the mantel is usually surmounted by mirrors, but shelves for holding vases and other bric-a-brac are admissible. The shelves may be covered with cloth, in colors to harmonize with the drapery of the room if preferred. In Fig. 17 we give an example of treating a mantel-piece with lambrequin and back piece supported by rings on a pole. Vases and plaques standing against the drapery have a good effect. The screen and hanging cabinet in the engraving are from objects exhibited in the rooms of the Society of Decorative Art in this city.

figure 17


FURNITURE
The following advice is from Mrs. Church
A sofa should, if possible, turn toward the fire, so that its occupant may have his face toward the cheerful glow. At the same time, a little wicker-work tableblack and gold, if you willmay hold a lamp for reading.


As to chairs, a couple of good, well-stuffed easy-chairs…….arranged so as to look toward the fire, ought to be sufficient for luxury while six or eight little ebonized and cane-bottomed gossip chairs are the simplest and prettiest "occasional" furniture one can have. The gossip chair has a curved back which exactly fits the natural curve of the body, and the seat slopes gently downward and backward so as to give the best possible support with the least angularity or awkwardness.
With these pretty little clean cane seats, a black wicker-work chair, two easy-chairs, and a sofa, you should have enough places for family and guests in a quiet household.
The ugliest piece of furniture that can be put into the parlor is a piano ; the cottage, or cabinet shape, is tolerable, because less prominent, but the dark, clumsy, obtrusive structure in general use is a perfect nuisance in a small room, and should be gotten as much out of the way as possible. An irregularly shaped room with recesses is delightful for this purpose, if any of them will accommodate it; and, if there are two rooms, let the piano by all means be placed in the farther one. A handsome cover will clothe its dreary aspect with a little beauty, and its loud sounds will be sweeter from the enchantment lent by distance. Some parlors are all piano and carpet; but such apartments can in no sense of the word be called "living-rooms."
For furniture covering,………Raw silk is an excellent material ; and there are many woolen and other stuffs. The soft, pretty cretonnes of endless tints and styles are charming for a cottage parlor, and also for a city one that may be treated as such. The curtains should be of the same material, while a carpet of plain brown felt with a bordering of green, and a mantel-cover of some brown material embroidered with roses and leaves, would make a cheerful room.
A screen also affords good opportunity for the display of home skill in embroidery.



A cabinet is usually a handsome piece of parlor furniture…..This is the proper receptacle for all sorts of dainty and fragile things : choice bits of china, carving, or engraving, the numberless little treasures that one picks up along the path of life, and that one does not like to see carelessly handled.
Many parlors as well as purses will not admit of a large piece of furniture … and the small hanging cabinets are both pretty and convenient. These may be made by an ordinary carpenter of common wood, and ebonized at a comparatively small expensethe two little doors painted, if one can paint, in birds and flowers, with a little gilding judiciously added. Where painting is not to be had, panels of Indian red oilcloth decorated in various ways or pieces of embroidery can be used instead. Small, hanging shelves without doors, and a railing across the top, will make a very good substitute.


Marble-topped tables have very justly been stigmatized as parlor tombstones; and the simplest cover is preferable to one of these cold, polished surfaces. A crimson table-cover gives a warm, bright look to a room ; and the effect is heightened by making it long enough to touch the carpet. What a rich, warmly tinted picture is made by the "Cloth of woven crimson, gold, and jet".

Parlor tables are of various shapes and sizes ; and, whatever may be said to the contrary by those who condemn center-tables, a goodly sized round table with a crimson cover on it, and on that a handsome lamp, emitting a soft, steady light, and two or three new books and magazines, looks cozy and delightful, and as though the room was really lived in and enjoyed. A small upper cover, being in fact a square formed of small squares of white linen and drawn work alternately, saves the crimson cover as well as the eyes, and can be laundried as often as necessary.
Small corner tables with fancy covers are useful for five-o'clock tea, and, where this is not indulged in, for a great many other purposes, besides being exceedingly pretty and "helping to furnish." Very cheap ones can be bought, made of walnut or of ebonized wood, and apparently well made; these, with the tops covered and fringed, are quite unexceptionable. Felt, velveteen, canvas, satin, are all used for this purpose, and embroidered as fancy dictates.

Brackets, pictures, knickknacks, give a home look to a room ; but, with abundant means, there is such a tendency to overload in these matters that some are disposed to resort to the opposite extreme.

MIRRORS AND PICTURES

Large mirrors in quiet frames, a walnut frame with a gilt line of from a quarter to three eighths of an inch in the middle of the molding, and with perhaps a slight ornament at the corners, is recommended as having a richer effect than a gilt frame. Mantel mirrors are always handsome ; but a long, narrow one in the pier is a by-gone fashion belonging to heavy gilt cornices and immovable window draperies. Small, ornamental mirrors are almost as decorative as pictures, and may be hung in any part of the room.
The subject of pictures is one which opens a wide field for discussion ; and bare, indeed, are the walls that have not two or three of these ''counterfeit presentments" to relieve their bareness.
The next two art works mentioned by Mrs. Church must have been displayed in many a parlor.
What pleasure is there, for instance, in contemplating that dreary engraving, " The Death-Bed of Washington," or " Queen Elizabeth signing the Death-Warrant of Essex"?

I believe the engraving mentioned may have been based on this painting done in 1851

And here is Queen Elizabeth signing the death warrant of Essex


Yet there are rooms where these are the most cheerful adornments of the Avails. Neither is a picture made up principally of figures in black coats capable of giving the pleasure that a picture should give ; and many dismal representations of an historical character that are fondly supposed to be embellishments cast a gloom over country parlors, and depress the casual visitor.
Many valuable paintings, especially those of the Spanish and French schools, are no better, but rather worse : who, for instance, wishes to see portrayed on the wall the very unpleasant manner in which Cato committed suicide, or the details of a dissecting-room ? A picture that treats of a revolting or gloomy subject, if designed for a mural ornament, should be discarded as not answering the purpose for which it is intended.
Oil paintings are handsomer and more valuable than any other kind of pictures ; but fine oil paintings can only be secured at a price that places them quite beyond the reach of the majority.
Paintings in water-colors, some of which are expensive enough, may often be found at moderate prices by those who understand buying such things ; and, as a rule, they are better suited to moderate rooms than more pretentious pictures in oil. Colored pictures are bright and cheerful-looking, and their moderate use is very effective in a quiet parlor. Steel engravings, on the other hand, are somewhat depressing from their somber tone, and require the neighborhood of warm hues in walls and hangings to be thoroughly pleasing.
Engravings and photographs of the works of the old masters, or of any paintings that educate the eye, are always desirable ; and the low price at which really fine works of art may be purchased brings them within the reach of nearly all who care for such things.
The latter class of pictures look even worse side by side with water-color sketches than do the water-colors with oil paintings; "the print looking cold and harsh beside the water-color sketch, and the sketch seeming unreal and gaudy by the side of the photograph." It is also advised never to hang glazed drawings, when it can be avoided, opposite a window. " The sheen of the glass reflects the daylight and annihilates the effect of the picture behind it."
The frame of a picture should always be subservient to the picture itself, and, except in the case of oil paintings, it is better to have it of noticeable plainness. It should be substantial, but not wider than is absolutely necessary for a look of strength, a slight frame around a heavy picture being particularly objectionable. A walnut frame, with straight lines and a little gilding in the middle of each of the sides, or one of eboriized wood treated in the same way, has an appearance of quiet elegance; and very suitable
frames for engravings and photographs can be made of common pine, painted or covered with velvet.
Steel engravings and water-colors can not, like oil paintings, be framed with the frame close to the picture, and a space of white paper usually intervenes, which commonly makes an ugly and inharmonious spot on the wall. This can be avoided by first having the picture mounted in a passe-partout with a mat of gray or some neutral tint, and then placed in a frame. The required space around the picture is thus secured, while the objectionable expanse of white is avoided.
On the hanging of pictures we are told that, " to see them with anything like comfort or attention, they should be disposed in one row only, and that opposite the eye, or, on an average, about five feet six inches from the floor to the center of the canvas. A row thus formed will make a sort of colored zone around the room; and though the frames themselves may vary in shape and dimensions, they can generally be grouped with something like symmetry of position, the larger ones being kept in the center and the smaller ones being ranged on either side in corresponding places along the line." The cords used to suspend them should match the general coloring of the room ; wires, which have been so much in fashion, give an uncertain look to pictures, as though they had no visible means of support.

WINDOW COVERINGS
Finally a few window covering suggestions from Mr. Eddis
In the lower sitting-rooms of most town houses it is necessary to have some sort of lower screen or blind, to render the rooms fairly private from the gaze of too curious passers-by. For this purpose all kinds of contrivances have been carried out, from the old wire-gauze blind, with its general dirty and dingy look, and everlasting painted ornament of Greek fret or honeysuckle border, to the curious twisted cane inventions, which are bad in design, and infinitely too spotty and strong in colour to be pleasant accessories in any room, in which artistic decoration of any kind is thought of. Instead, therefore, of these coarse and unsatisfactory arrangements, I suggest that either a pattern of good diaper (note, by this is meant a piece of prettily embellished cloth hung in a triangle, or draped over a simple rod, point downwards.)or good ornament, be done on the lower portion of the window-glass, by the ordinary means of embossing, or that a second sheet of glass containing the pattern which may be done in slight tints be fixed on the inside face ; or, better still, have blinds of what is called jewelled glass in square quarry lights, or good figure or flower decoration in leaded glass, either done in outline, and stained in delicate tones of yellow, or worked out in good stained glass of various colours ; these can be made to any height, and fixed inside the sash so as to be easily removed for cleaning purposes....Blinds fixed to the sashes in this way may be objected to, on the ground that the sash weights will have to be altered to carry the extra weight of the blind, and that when the lower sash is opened the use of the blind is practically done away with ; but the first objection may be got over at the price of a few shillings per window, and if flower-boxes are fixed on the sills outside, made of ordinary zinc, with blue and white tiles inserted in the front, at a cost of from 205-. to 30^. each box, not only will the latter objection be done away with, but the bright and cheery look of low shrubs in winter, and many-coloured and sweet-scented flowers in summer, will add materially to the pleasantness of the room.
I am quite aware that I am offering no new suggestions in these remarks on blinds and flower-boxes. I am simply advocating their much greater use. For, beyond the pleasure to yourselves in the pleasant outlook upon bright flowers, the colour of the tiles and flowers would be grateful spots of life and colour in the dreary monotony of our town streets. All this kind of arrangement will be found much better than the ordinary frame blinds, which are fixed with bolts to the sash-beads, and are troublesome to take down and often in the way, especially when flower-boxes are set outside as I have suggested.
....Eddis




Decoration & Furniture of Town Houses: a series of Cantor lectures delivered before the Society of Arts, by Robert W. Eddis, 1880


How To Furnish a Home, by Ella Rodman Church, 1882

More pictures are available at
http://picasaweb.google.com/grazhe

1870-90, part II,colors, wallpapers, floors & windows

At one time there were a few basic paint colors. These were mixed on the job site to produce the shades wanted. With developments in paint technology, manufacturers were able to introduce ready made paints in new brighter, longer lasting colors. Once sample cards were introduced the homeowner could see exactly what they were getting.

COLORS
The Hall
During the 1870’s most critics agreed that the hall should be decorated with tripartite walls in subdued colors. Some preferred paper, while others argued for more durable paint in this heavy traffic area. The, as one critic putit, “invariable Sienna marble paper”, which had been popular since the 1830’s, was out. Generally, they agreed that if the space was sunny, a deeper color like Pompeiian red or browns or deeper grays. If the room was dark, delicate greens or soft grays might be in order.
In the mid 1880’s homeowners were urged to use more vibrant colors in the entry hall.
Some color schemes for entry halls form 1886:
Walls painted in old gold or terracotta with old oak stained woodwork. The ceiling painted a lighter shade of the wall color, and the frieze have a background of Pompeiian red with designs in olive, red and yellow. The floor should be stained a deep olive green.
Walls painted old gold or terra cotta with old oak woodwork. Ceiling a lighter shade of the walls and a frieze of Pompeiian red background with designs in olive, red and yellow. Floor to be stained deep olive.
Walls painted olive green with old oak woodwork. Frieze with a plum colored background and designs in dull purples, tans and sunny greens. Floor to be stained mahogany or deep olive green.

Another listed the following color combinations to be used together with a 3 to 5 foot high dado finished in paint or paper.

Walls - Dado/woodwork
Yellow or buff with Chocolate or olive green or dark blue toned with black
Pale salmon with dark bronze-green
Pale sage-green with dark sage-green or dull blue-green or olive brown or India red
Turquoise blue with Chocolate or maroon



Yet another book suggested a higher, two part wall treatment with a paneled wainscot 6 or 7 feet high and the rest of the wall treated as a frieze. Two of the designs suggested using stained mahogany for the woodwork. One paired it with walls painted and stippled in light red similar in color to the mahogany with the ceiling painted yellow with red lines around the perimeter, and the frieze done in a yellow pattern. The other scheme used yellow walls patterned in light brown or bronze, the latter color being carried into the ceiling for about 18” and ending with painted moldings or bands in “strong colors”. The rest of the ceiling was to be painted in a lighter version of the wall color and left plain.

Drawing rooms

The term “living room” was first used in the 1870’s. Many critics writing for middle class Americans felt that a room just for show, to impress formal visitors, and another for family use were unnecessary. However, there were others who treated drawing rooms separately from sitting rooms.

For many, drawing room or parlor colors should be soft, delicate, gay and feminine. One author advised colors be used like “peach blooms”, “tender blues”, “ethereal greens” and “gold colored satins”. Another source preferred rich tints of blue, drab, gray or pale rose. These were some very old fashioned colors popular throughout the 19th c.
Other writers felt you should consider during what time of day the room was to be used. If the room was used mainly in the evening, then one should decorate it with colors that reflected artificial light like whites, sea greens, golden yellows, etc. Another critics recommended the use of a wallpaper with gold specks or threads to reflect light.

Sunny rooms were easier to decorate. A decorating scheme from one magazine for a south facing parlor with a peacock blue carpet, olive green window shades, bronze-green woodwork: lemon yellow or old gold walls and a lighter tint of that for the ceiling, with a frieze in either bronze-green flocked paper or a dull peacock blue.
For a darker look, the same room could use bronze-green walls, a pale yellow ceiling and a frieze of deep lemon yellow flocked paper.
Another room suggestion for a summer home, was terra cotta for the parlor walls, Tuscan red for the dado, gray for the ceiling, dark brown stain on the woodwork and stenciled patterns in “suitable primary colors” for the “center pieces, borders, corner-pieces and dados”.

One author suggested that the parlor should contrast pleasingly with the dining room, since these rooms were often next to or across from each other. Several other authorities agreed, thus ending the days “when dining rooms were decorated red. Studies brown and drawing rooms white and gold”. Trends were changing. Thirty years before most families of moderate means used the same room as a dining room and a sitting room, but by the 70”s they were using it only for meals. Even the art on the walls was changing. In mid century people were subjected to oil paintings of dead fish or game staring at them from the walls during dinner. Now pictures of flowers or fruits or portraits hung on the walls.

Since the urban working half of the population was getting home later, and no longer home for lunch, the main meal of the day was often eaten by lamplight. The old traditional dark, light absorbing colors were no longer appropriate. Brighter, more cheerful colors began to make their way into the dining room during this period.

Tripartite walls were very popular in the dining room. Those who weren’t too sure which colors went well together tended to stick to varying tones of the same color.

Below are various color schemes recommended by critics of the times.

Bluish slate gray outlined in dull India red with a royal purple carpet
Citrine colored walls with the purple carpet
Wallpaper of pale azure with a delicate lemon yellow pattern and peacock blue carpet
Red walls with a crimson and deep blue Turkish carpet
Black walnut wainscot with pale yellow paper with figures in dark green and red, ceiling papered in 2 shades of blue-gray, 3” cornice painted red and black with a ½” gold molding below it.
Baseboard and chair rail painted black, brown paint in the dado area and Venetian red for the walls
Pale green walls with thin red and blue stripes outlining the woodwork
Crimson dado and frieze with light yellow wallpaper covered in a blue and black design for the field.
Frieze of light olive green with a wainscoting painted maroon and gold or black and gold and a field of sage green.

Terra cotta, yellow or olive green schemes were considered good for dining rooms. Golden oak woodwork went well with olive greens.
Mahogany or walnut furniture went well with sage, olive green and dull gray-blue. Oak or ebonized furniture went well with reds and crimsons.

The Library
Most sources of the 1870-90 period seemed to feel that a library was vital to a refined household. Following are some suggestions on how to decorate this room.

High dadoes topped with deep purple, violet or emerald green colors.
Wallpapers patterned in rich red and blue with gold and silver.
Plain or embossed leather paper for the walls in brown, stone, dark green crimson or dull red.
Papers in shades of deep red with a golden olive ceiling, bronze picture rail and woodwork a golden oak.

Bedrooms
Simply put, there was a lot of diversity as far as color recommendations went for this room. Color selection would generally be determined by the amount of sun the room received. Bedrooms tended to be much more simply decorated than the rest of the house. Things like wainscot, dadoes and chair rail were not in use here.

Wallpaper
Throughout much of the century consumers continued to prefer wallpaper and carpet done in realistic three dimensional designs, even though quite a few critics hated them.

The Centennial of 1876 allowed visitors to see the new styling favored by Eastlake and his compatriots. In addition to the new English designs, visitors saw many exhibitions from lesser known, exotic countries like Japan and Turkey. Americans bought almost all the Japanese products exhibited.

Some wallpapers of the 70's and 80's

above and below are some wallpaper made from Eastlake's designs



Designers started producing Japanese inspired wallpapers during the 70’s and 80’s, eventually, however, by the end of the period, manufacturers were down to producing papers that were Japanese only because they portrayed patterns of fans, vases and kimono-clad figures.

The floral papers that had been popular were falling by the wayside. The newer designs were flatter, as the critics wished. Flowers and foliage, when used were portrayed in a stylized manner. Of course, consumers still bought papers that the critics hated. Vertical stripes were still very popular. One critic complained, “a favorite wall-paper lately has been white or gray, plain or watered ground, with a stamped and gilded bunch of flowers, or a huge ‘fleur-de-lis’ at regular intervals…”
Whatever their choices were, Americans became major consumers of wallpaper in the last quarter of the 19th c.


Floors
Americans were still buying a lot of wall to wall carpeting well into this period, but the idea of Oriental carpets laid over wooden floors was beginning to take hold. It still took some time for this look to become widespread. Most houses still had their original softwood floors. Critics advised painting floors, laying a “wood carpet” over them or replacing the floor with parquet. The latter, however, was quite expensive, so the idea of a parquet border was presented, with a carpet in the center. “Wood carpet” could give the look of parquet, but at a lower cost. The material was thinner, about ¼” thick, and glued to a muslin backing. It could be installed over an existing floor. The price of this kind of flooring was competitive with that of a good carpet.


wood carpet and borders
Even at this point, however, some architects continued to specify softwood floors, and many homeowners kept their floors as they were. Books and magazines offer suggestions on how to decorate your old wooden floors. Once the surface was cleaned, cracks puttied and the surface smoothed, you could stencil a pattern in 2 or 3 stains to resemble inlaid woods. The less adventurous tried staining the floor in dark brown with a little red, then coating with shellac. Another alternative was to paint the floor, perhaps with a decorative border. A carpet could be laid in the center. Paint companies were offering products meant expressly for floors. The Glidden Varnish Co offered a combination varnish and stain in 12 colors for floors, baseboards and wainscoting in bathrooms, kitchens, laundries and toilet rooms. Another company produced a line of 6 colors for floors: silver gray, lead, light yellow, dark yellow, terra cotta, and maroon.

Tiles for floors were still expensive, but heartily recommended for vestibules and entry halls because they could take the tough wear and tear. In order to meet the rising demand, many factories were opened in the US in order to produce tile for the domestic market. Tile was also advised for conservatories, porches, kitchens, laundries and bathrooms.
below are some approved tile patterns for floors







Oilcloth, linoleum and a cork product called kamptulicon were all generally less expensive than tile. Eastlake recommended oilcloths for hallways, but he condemned those cloths that imitated marble or parquet. From this we can surmise that those were two popular patterns. He felt the design should consist of a simple diamond pattern in 2 colors or even better, two shades of the same color. American critics liked the use of oilcloth and also recommended simple geometric patterns. One declared that the earlier much favored black and white marble pattern was “too gray and gloomy”. He liked a combination of chocolate and buff or Indian red and buff.

Writers also liked linoleum for hallways and other rooms. Some felt it was warmer than oilcloth, better wearing, cheaper than the imported British oilcloths and had better designs. Linoleum quickly gained favor in the kitchens of America. Kamptulicon, a rubber-cork product, was soft and pleasant on the feet, but expensive, so it wasn’t used as much.

Paper carpet was another floor covering used throughout much of the century, and you could make your own. Start by layering the floor with newspapers, then add a coating of thick flour paste. On top of this add a layer of wallpaper in a “decided” pattern. This was then sized with glue, and finally varnished. Another method was to stretch course muslin and tack it down into place, then wet it with a thin paste. After this, apply lengths of wallpaper in a checked or mosaic pattern. Varnish when dry with 2 coats of shellac topped with two coats of copal varnish. If finish coats were reapplied periodically, the cloth would last for years. It is not known how many homeowners made these.

Grass and hemp matting remained popular during this period, they were the least expensive floor covering you could buy. It was often used in bedrooms, because wall to wall carpet had come to be considered dirty and unhealthy. Few houses had hardwood or parquet flooring on the upper floors. In winter, carpets would often be put down over them for extra warmth. Mattings were available in assorted patterns and dark colors, but the dye didn’t penetrate the fibers very deeply and so showed signs of wear quickly. In order to make the plain, light straw colored mats more appealing, they often had a colored woolen border added. Matting was also used on stairs and in vestibules, though some didn’t care for its use in the latter as it held the dirt and dust. Sometimes it was used in formal rooms also, with smaller rugs and mats spread artfully about upon it.

Drugget was rarely mentioned in this period, except for use in the dining room. Suggestions for this room included a drugget of “coarsely woven flannel stamped in a brilliant pattern” or burlap painted to imitate a Turkish carpet. Earlier in the century drugget was placed over carpets to protect them, but by 1870 it was sometimes the only floor covering placed over parquet or stained and varnished floorboards.

Around this time most carpet making in America had become mechanized, resulting in a less expensive product. A rug that could be periodically lifted and shaken out was much more hygienic than wall to wall carpet. Of course, the new style of carpets laid on varnished wood floors took a while to take hold. Some critics advised that homeowners sew coordinated borders onto existing wall to wall carpets to make them appear more fashionable.

There were two methods of carpeting floors during the last quarter of the century. The preferred was to center the carpet on the parquet, varnished wood or matting. The other was to use the border over wall to wall carpet.

Critics preferred the costly Oriental carpets, but most Americans purchased the domestic products. Axminster carpets were the most expensive, followed by Brussels, Wiltons and mosquettes. The latter were thinner imitations of Axminsters and cost less than the Wiltons and Brussels. The older style carpets, ingrains and Venetians were still in use, though in wealthier homes they might be confined to servants’ areas.

Flowered carpets, so popular for so long and condemned by critics for almost as long were finally on the way out. Oriental designs and simplified patterns were being purchased. The vibrant colors of past carpets, in primary colors were being replaced by more subdued tints.

carpet patterns from Eastlake's book
Front halls might be covered with a small, easily shaken out carpet. Stairways built of hardwood could be carpeted if desired. In a narrow hall, the carpet might be the same color as the walls or woodwork. Carpets in double parlors did not need to match, but should complement one another.

Windows
Eastlake and his followers preferred simpler window coverings which they believed emulated Gothic styling, but not all householders subscribed to the new fashions. Many preferred the more ornate, traditional designs, generally based on French taste. Others continued to use old fashioned, simple window coverings.

Exterior shutter blinds were now painted to contrast with the body color of the house rather than being painted the nearly universal green or stone of the past. Interior shutters with movable louvers were being stained or painted to match the woodwork of the room.

an ad for window screens
Americans were using the still often home made gauze or wire screens to keep out insects. Many were still being painted with decorative designs. By the 1880’s, however, American factories were beginning to produce window screens. The wire mesh was painted to guard against rust in green, black or drab, or with landscapes.

Window shades came in several varieties. One was made of a fine linen called Holland and came in a variety of colors. An 1885 catalog listed white, ecru, sage, brown, blue and cardinal. Critics, however, preferred white, buff or gray. Darker colors would dramatically tint the light entering a room. A red shade, for instance suggested “a descent into the Inferno at every afternoon tea.” The shades were often finished with fringe or decorative stitching.
Some homeowners liked transparent shades made from artist’s tracing cloth. The artistic family member could decorate the shade with landscapes or tracings of medieval knights and ladies.
The third type of shade was opaque and made of oilcloth and came in white or colors. Some came in marbleized or grained patters and they ran the gamut from being simply decorated to quite colorful and gaudy.

An interest in Gothic design resulted in the use of stained glass in the home. The look of stained glass could be achieved inexpensively by using colored, transparent paper or transfers (similar to modern decals). One could also paint design on the glass or make an “epiphanie” by cutting a design into heavy cardboard, then filling the spaces with tissue paper or colored cellophane. One could make imitation etched glass by bouncing a putty bag all over the window, and once the putty dried, varnish it. This technique could also be used with stencils. As a side note, the effect was probably similar to the one achieved with Glass Wax for those who remember that window cleaning product.


Portiere hung across a doorway and Eastlakes preferred method of drapery hanging
Eastlake felt that draperies should be hung at doors and windows to keep out drafts. They should hang from rings strung on sturdy 1 or 1 ½” metal rods. Because the rod was placed just above the window, something was needed to keep any wind from blowing upwards and into the room. A wooden box was to be constructed above the rod, then it was covered with a simple valence. In general the window treatments critics advised were a call back to the treatments of the 1830’s and 40’s advocated by Downing and others. There was once difference, though. Curtains were not to be looped back during the day, but allowed to hang straight down on both sides of the window. Because they were no longer to be looped, they were now shorter, just floor length. By the 70’s curtains that puddled onto the floor were considered vulgar.
The height from which the curtains were hung depended on the style of the room. During the 30’s and 40’s, poles were usually attached to the molding at the top of the window. In the 70’s rooms decorated in the Gothic manner continued the practice with an addition of an ornate frieze occupying the space above the window. Rooms decorated in a Renaissance or Louis XIV style used cornices and lambrequins at the top instead of the frieze. No matter what style was used, window treatments did not cover the frieze or molding.
The manner in which lambrequins or as they are known today, valances, were used depended on the style of the rooms furnishings. Some were fairly simple, others ornate. Some were of the same color as the draperies below, others contrasted.

Lighter curtains and roller blinds were used in addition to the heavier drapes,. Eastlake liked Swiss lace made of heavy cotton thread as a glass curtain. Lace curtains ran the gamut as far as cost. Plain muslin edged with lace or having lace panels was a cheaper alternative, and a curtain made of cheesecloth edged in a bit of lace was cheaper still.
Most critics agreed, however, that sheer curtains alone were unattractive. A lace curtain with a lace lambrequin was allowable for summer, though.

Portieres, or doorway curtains were almost universal during the last quarter of the century, while they were almost unknown prior to the 1870’s. They were usually hung at the doorways of public rooms, the parlor, library or sitting room. They were also used in the doorways of double rooms, even with sliding doors. American architect E.C.Gardner would have preferred to do away with the banging nuisance if interior doors altogether and replace them with portieres. Other critics also advised homeowners to banish their doors to attics and basements and replace them with draperies. Portieres, once introduced, remained popular for about 50 years.

Portieres from Eastlake's book


During the 1870’s and 80’s many surfaces were draped. Critics disliked the old marble mantels of earlier days. They advised hanging a lambrequin about 6 to 10” long from the mantle. Others even recommended curtains to hide the grate when not in use. These mini-portieres took the place of the earlier fireboards. Embroidered velvet, felt or satin covers covered the old marble tabletops one critic referred to as “parlor tombstones”. There was a craze for doing needlework in the 70’s and 80’s and most surfaces began to be covered with the resulting artistic endeavors.


beautifying an ugly, outdated marble mantel
The favored fabrics for bedrooms continued in much part to be the washable cottons like dimity, chintz, cretonne, muslin and plain or dotted Swiss. It was stressed at this time that bedrooms required sunlight and fresh air. The half-tester bed came into favor, because while draped, it still allowed the movement of air around the sleeper.


a half-tester bed from Eastlake's book
Most American critics preferred that the bedroom toilet table be draped, in opposition to Eastlake. They suggested things like dimity for the top and cretonne, Swiss or lace over colored muslin for the skirt.
For beds and curtains, it was felt that the same fabric be used on both. If the walls and floors were patterned the fabric should be plain, or vice versa.