Edith
Saatkamp _

U of the times

FURNISHING ROOMS on a
tight budget may hint at
compromise, but with some .
ingenuity and bargain shop-
‘ping it can be done success-
fully.

Question: | have planned and
prepared myself for quite some time
to-open a smal} teahouse in our
neighborhood,

Now I have found just the right
place and will be taking it over in

two months from now. The house

- .has-oak floors; it was originally

* ‘built ‘as a residence, but is now.com-
mercially zoned. I plan to use the
“ground floor for my new venture
and will be living upstairs.

«The \ layout i is ideal since it has

'_ separate living and dining rooms,

. .,and'T don’t need to tear down any
alls. My biggest expense will be to

install a new kitchen and a second
“washroom to satisfy building codes
.. for restaurants.
~ _ My question has to do with fur-
nishing the living and dining rooms
where I will! be serving guests. My ©
_ budget will be quite small; but I
would like to recreate the teahouse
atmosphere; chintz end all —
“maybe even with some Victorian
’ furnishings.

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Small items make the difference

Do you have any suggestions
mearding color scheme and furni-
ture, what kind of wall coverings
should LT use. Is it OK to have older
chairs and tables that don’t match?

Answer: Let's start with the
color scheme since many of the
other decisions will be based on
that.

Since you do want to use some
chintz. I suggest that you first find
the fabric with a floral pattern in
vivid colors, maybe even on a
strong dark background — some-
thing that reminds you of old and
finely detailed paintings of flower
bouquets. [ imagine balloon or
appliqued shades that come one
third or halfway down the window.
(After all, you do want to give
passers-by a glimpse of the interior.)

The background color — dark
blue, green or red — could become
the color for your walls. Paint will
be the most economical treatment.

THE CLASSIC look of a Tiffany ©

lamp can: add charm and
warmth ta ciy room.

You might even plan to install a
chair rail all around the room and
have the darker color below the
moulding, and a lighter hue of the
same color above — for instance
dark blue and Wedgwood blue, or
deep red with light rose.

Combined with cream-colored
chair rails, door and window
frames, this will give your rooms 4
very fresh and appetizing look.

You could finish off with a crown
moulding at the top. Another
option would be to stencil a deco-
rative pattern at the top of the
wall,

Dark-stained oak floors are
ideal as a Moor treatment. It
sounds like an anachronism when
I suggest an old Persian-area rug
in a slightly faded Moral pattern
for the entrance, but these rugs were
frequently used in the Victorian era.

To complete the picture and cre-
ate that hint of old Victorian style,
you could try to find an antique
stand-up desk; they usually have a
slanted surface, combined with a six
to eight inch level area at the top.
With a small decorative Jamp and a
bouquet of fresh lowers this would
be the ideal place for you to wel-
come guests, check reservations or
have a guest book. If you have
space near the entrance, you could
add a couple of upholstered
Victorian chairs for visitors who
have to wait for their table.

Now to chairs, tables and ucces-
sories. By all means, use old-fash-
ioned, unmaiching chairs but have
them all stained ia the same color. }
have been in restaurants where no
two chairs were the same. it adds to
the charm. If you add chintz seat
cushions your guests will be so
comfortable they may never want to
leave.

For tablecloths I would suggest

WITH Lrauia ROOT
STIMULATOR, 1 KG}

ae DEFENDER |

oi

Friday, May 3, 19

CLASSIC PIECES such as an
armless chair (above) or an
Astral lamp (right) add style
and flair <0 a comfortable sit-
ting-rcom atmosphere,

starched white damask. ‘This will be
an ongoing expense, but nothing
else quite matches the sense of tux-
ury they create. And of course you
need candle-holders and small vases
for a single flower. The Victorians
had a vast variety of candle holders
with small shades on top. These are

not easy to find here, but every table ~ “

could have a different setting.

A three-tiered tray for serving
the traditional tea menu is mandato-
ry of course, as well as small glass
or porcelain bowls for jam and
cream.

Good luck, and let me know
when_you are ready so I can come

for tea. Nothing quite matches a tra-

ditional afternoon tea with scones,
clotted cream and strawbeny jam.

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98 -- North Shore News — 44