A well-designed interior should be both functional and aesthetic. In addition to adequate light, heat, ventilation, comfortable seats, and tables of the proper height, it should provide an atmosphere of peace and serenity and an aspect of beauty and charm. As previously stated, it should reflect the personalities of various members of a family and conform with the design of other rooms in the house and, in general, with its architectural values.
Intelligent interior design can overcome structural faults and transform uninteresting space into a useful pattern. The professional designer-decorator could doubtless create a more successful interior if permitted to recommend all its com¬ponent parts, but he should also understand the necessity for making use of some available furnishings in the average home-owner’s possession. Invariably he can improve on these by refinishing, repainting, or by modifying overornate pieces.
Room arrangement, as noted earlier, takes into considera¬tion the number, size, and arrangement of windows and doors, the fireplace and mantel, built-in features such as cabinets, or shelves, and all the trim. All the elements of design—scale, proportion, balance, emphasis, harmony—and of course the budget, must be considered in order to achieve a satisfactory interior. Traffic patterns must be established, and wall space and dimensions taken into account. It is ad¬visable to draw a floor plan, using a scale of one quarter inch to the foot. In this way furniture may be placed in various groupings without actually moving it before determining on a final plan.
Furniture too large in scale for the room’s size will give an effect of overcrowding and make the room look smaller; underscaled furniture will have the reverse effect and will result in a sparse, unfurnished look. The apparent size of furniture may be reduced by upholstering it in a color to match the walls. The use of a brilliant color or bold pattern on a piece of furniture will make it look larger. Heavy, upholstered chairs should be placed in positions that are fairly stationary. Sofas and two-seated sofas (love seats) should also be in fixed positions. In the living room, it is important to strive for the creation of groupings that will encourage conversation. To achieve a well-balanced look, all the low pieces of furniture should not be placed at one end of the room, but should be arranged in relation to the high pieces and also in relation (in scale) to the windows and doors.
The open plan, typical of much contemporary architecture, requires very special consideration in a room arrangement. Storage cabinets and pieces of furniture which serve as room dividers can be used to separate one area of interest from another. Furniture can be arranged effectively so that one room will achieve the effect of several units, such as a living room, dining room, or study. Furniture purchased for such open-plan areas should have an all-purpose quality, which will enable pieces to be switched from one unit of interest to another. Furniture designed in “suites” is not suitable to this type of room. Each piece should be chosen for its special qualifications. Free-standing furniture should look well from all vantage points.
Each room should have one or more focal points of interest. In most living rooms it is the fireplace or windows with a view or with special window treatment; or it may be the music area which accommodates a television set, radio, and record player. One fine piece of furniture or a treasured antique, a painting, a piano, a collection cabinet, shelves of books, an unusual arrangement of pictures on the wall, a fine rug, or any outstanding element will make a focal point. Even a striking accessory can be the center of interest. With¬out such a focal point a room lacks character.
Chairs and sofas in conversation groups should be provided with suitable accessories alongside them, such as tables of appropriate height with sufficient surface to hold a lamp and an ashtray or on which to lay down a book or a pair of spectacles, for example. A long sofa is sometimes served better by two or three small matching tables in front of it rather than by a long coffee table which is difficult to get around. If there is space, a large cocktail table before a sofa, with chairs which can be drawn up to it, will be found very convenient. Mobile chairs are especially useful in open-plan rooms, which are subject to routine rearrangement. Heavy upholstered armchairs can be rendered mobile by attaching oversized casters to their feet.
It is necessary to establish a traffic pattern—the route taken when entering, walking through, and leaving a room—for the proper arrangement of a room. Otherwise people will stumble over chairs or tables which get in the way of the natural traffic patterns. An interior which does not reconcile the natural pattern with the established arrangement of a room will never achieve an air of serenity.
The Living Room. The living room is the center of the house and should be designed for various activities. It is also important to create a mood here. It should be comfortable for one, harmonious for two, and hospitable for many. Furni¬ture should be well-designed, serviceable, and eye-appealing. A fireplace and mantel is the best focal point for a living room, but lacking that, another point of interest must be determined upon and played up. At least two conversational groupings should be planned if the room is large enough. Since this is the room one opens to the outside world, win¬dow treatments may be slightly more formal than in other rooms, and the color scheme should embrace the spirit of both sexes. Sofas and chairs should be comfortable. It is in¬advisable to have too many low, deep chairs; many people prefer to sit on straight arm or side chairs. One’s best ac¬cessories should be incorporated into the plan, and table and commode tops and any shelves and chests decorated with great care. Lighting must be adequate and convenient. The areas of interest should be suited to the entertaining habits of the family. It is also necessary to plan for the easy service of refreshments.
The Dining Room. Since the dining room is a social area which is not in use at all hours of the day, the design can be more daring and dramatic and should inspire good conversa¬tion as well as good eating. The color scheme can incorporate bright, spirited colors. Walls may be treated with mirrors, murals, or outstanding wallpapers. Dining room chairs may be made of painted wood with bright, unusual fabrics or brilliant leather for the seats. But the first requirement of the room should be comfort—proper ventilation, adequate lighting, elimination of cooking odors, and ease of service. The table should be of convenient height and the chair seats ample enough for comfort. If possible, the door into the kitchen should be made to swing so that the kitchen is not visible when the door is opened. Window treatments should be simple, charming, and gay. Heavy fabrics and wall-to-wall carpeting absorb and retain odors and attract soil in a dining room and should therefore be avoided. Highly pol¬ished floors of wood, vinyl, or tile are preferable, with a sturdy patterned rug which does not show soil and can be readily cleaned. Serving pieces are important in facilitating the progress of a meal. It is useful to have a sideboard or two serving tables, if possible, but they should not be so deep as to interfere with the passing of food. Dining table tops of polished wood, laminated plastic, marble, glass, or mosaics are all satisfactory. In table decoration, flowers should be kept low so that conversation across the table is possible, and candles should be high enough to avoid shedding light at eye level.
The Kitchen. Kitchens should be planned to achieve the j maximum in convenience and function. It is of the utmost importance to give first consideration to the plan of kitchen operations, based on work habits and traffic patterns. Wher¬ever possible, the kitchen should provide work islands as well as work space which is available to both sink and stove. Many kitchens incorporate laundry units, bars, snack bars, and nursery areas. There are numerous new examples of technological assistance available, such as dishwashers, dis¬posals, wall refrigerators, freezing units, and wall ovens. Equipment should be planned in harmonious units of various color schemes, and may be purchased as desired and incorporated into a large-range plan. Concealed lighting under wall cabinets, as well as over-all illumination, is generally available in new kitchen interiors. Charm may be imposed on the clinical aspects of kitchens in various ways. One of the simplest is in the choice of bold and original colors, in the use of oil paintings or framed prints on the walls, in the selection of brass chandeliers, colorful pots and pans, and in other unconventional accessories. Kitchen floors should be chosen for comfort and should be impervious to grease spots and chemical stains. For instance, old brick is picturesque but hard on the feet. Absolutely essential to a kitchen is a good ventilating fan to handle cooking odors, and adequate wiring for small and large appliances.
The Bedroom. The main requisites of a bedroom are ‘privacy, the control of morning light, ventilation, and unit control of artificial light. With either double or twin beds, it is desirable for both occupants to have their own bedside
tables, as commodious in size as space allows. Lamps should be selected for function rather than for their decorative ap¬pearance, and a center fixture in the ceiling providing gen¬eral illumination will be of aid when dressing. A desirable floor treatment would be wall-to-wall carpeting, which de¬presses noise and adds a feeling of luxury. In selecting colors, fabrics, and furnishings for a master bedroom, the tastes of both partners should be considered; it is important for the man to feel at ease with the decor. The atmosphere of any bedroom should be reposeful, so color schemes should be subdued and clutter avoided. Adequate hanging and storage space for clothes should be provided. A sitting-room area would be welcome if the room affords the space. Every bedroom should have a comfortable upholstered chair or even a chaise longue if space permits. Bedspreads should be practical; frilly spreads may be suitable for young girls’ rooms, but a good, wrinkle-free, cotton quilted or patterned fabric with a bright dust ruffle is more appropriate in a master bedroom or in sleeping quarters in constant use.
The Library. Since the library is planned for reading, writing, and concentration of various sorts, chairs should be comfortable, the desk functional, and the lighting especially good. Books are of course an intrinsic portion of the library interior’s decor. They may be arranged effectively with bric-a-brac or art objects, depending on the formality of the room. In formal libraries the color schemes are usually subdued but rich.
Informal libraries often double as card rooms, a second living room for parents of teen-agers, or even as extra guest rooms in contemporary houses. In this event, the dual aspects of the room should be considered in the color scheme, fur¬nishings, window treatments, and accessories. When this room houses high fidelity, stereo, and television installations, such apparatus requires great care and planning for proper reception. An informal library can display the hobbies of the family or special collections and may achieve a particular brand of personal privacy for the parents of a lively family. Such a small, intimate room is also useful for serving after
Children’s Rooms. Rooms for children should be planned with their interests, activities, and habits in mind. It is better to plan a child’s bedroom for the future than to have a frilly nursery, since infants have no interest in decor and soon grow to need a room of their own. Thinking and imagination should take the place of large expenditures in chil¬dren’s rooms, since the occupants rapidly outgrow any elaborate style suited to a special age. The chief consideration of these rooms, whether for infants or children, should be the element of washability. Washable curtains, bedspreads, wall coverings, and rugs, on a vinyl floor, are most desirable. Good fabrics to consider for curtains and bedspreads are cotton corduroy, denim, cotton tweed, or ticking. Girls often prefer an Everglaze chintz or a sheer material. Colors should be bright and gay, but not necessarily pastel. Wall¬paper should not be strident, for it may frighten small children. Furnishings should be sparse, but of the proper size something can be of normal size right from the start, since storage space is always necessary. Unpainted wood sections which can be painted to harmonize with the color scheme, or varnished in a natural wood finish and waxed, may be used as cubicles for toys. Lighting should offer good general illumination, and for a school-age child there should be a proper lamp, easy to switch on and off, on a substantial desk or table. It is most inadvisable to have breakable accessories, heavy lamps, or cumbersome chairs which the child can pull over on himself. Box springs and mattresses without headboards make the most suitable beds for growing children, since beds of this type can be used for lounging in the daytime. Most children like bulletin boards where they can tack up their treasures. A child usually responds eagerly to an attractive room which he is not afraid of spoiling, and often prefers it to the rest of the house. However, it is important to the child’s character-building that he have respect for the room, and it therefore must reflect his personality and not be merely a cell-like retreat
The Bathroom. The luxurious bathroom is an American symbol, but now its spaciousness seems on the decline, ow¬ing in large measure to the great demand for living space within a prescribed area, particularly in urban centers. A bathroom should have good lighting, with lights on each side of or over the mirror and general illumination over the bath and in the shower stall. Because of the steam engen¬dered in a bathroom, wall treatments should be carefully studied. Walls of tile, marble, opaque glass, or plastic-coated wallboard are very practical, or heat-resistant, damp-resist¬ant wallpapers. Curtains and shades should be washable. Color schemes in general can be gay and frivolous here. If colored bathroom fixtures are desired, it is wise to avoid heavy dark colors which are hard to keep clean-looking, or bizarre colors which get tiresome or dated. White fixtures are always good. Towel bars should be plentiful, dependable, serviceable, and within easy reach. Old Bristol or crystal lighting fixtures add zest to a bathroom, and such accessories as cut glass perfume bottles, apothecary jars, special spigots and soap dishes, oil paintings, or framed prints are amusing if there is ample room. A good-sized wastebasket and hamper should always be provided. The color scheme em¬ployed in towels and other bathroom accessories is a matter of personal taste, but bathrooms opening off a bedroom should not have a general color scheme too glaring in contrast.
This brings up special problems in interior design. For a basement room, the first step is to eliminate any dampness which may exist and then to remedy the gloom. The color scheme should be bright and gay and the fabrics practical, durable, and resistant to wear and tear. Some arrangement for refrigeration and the preparation of snacks is both desirable and advisable. Floor coverings should be hard-surfaced, with removable rugs, and should be capable of being waxed for dancing or games. There should be good general illumination and proper lighting for card games. Wall treatments should be amusing since such rooms usually have no architectural distinction and often have low ceilings. Since the high fidelity, stereo units, and television are often located here, cushions of foam rubber in bright colors for comfortable lounging would be popular, par¬ticularly with teen-agers. In general, an atmosphere of gaiety and cheerfulness should be the aim in these rooms.
