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192
The House in Good Taste
·
Elsie De Wolfe
11
II
SUITABILITY,
SIMPLICITY
AND
PROPORTION
When
I
am
asked
to
decorate
a
new
house,
my
first
thought
is
suitability.
My
next
thought
is
proportion.
Always
I
keep
in
mind
the
importance
of
simplicity.
First,
I
study
the
people
who
are
to
live
in
this
house,
and
their
needs,
as
thoroughly
as
I
studied
my
parts
in
the
days
when
I
was
an
actress.
For
the
time-being
I
really
am
the
chatelaine
of
the
house.
When
I
have
thoroughly
familiarized
myself
with
my
"part,"
I
let
that
go
for
the
time,
and
consider
the
proportion
of
the
house
and
its
rooms.
It
is
much
more
important
that
the
wall
openings,
windows,
doors,
and
fireplaces
should
be
in
the
right
place
and
should
balance
one
another
than
that
there
should
be
expensive
and
extravagant
hangings
and
carpets.
My
first
thought
in
laying
out
a
room
is
the
placing
of
the
electric
light
openings.
How
rarely
does
one
find
the
lights
in
the
right
place
in
our
over-magnificent
hotels
and
residences!
One
arrives
from
a
journey
tired
out
and
travel-stained,
only
to
find
oneself
facing
a
mirror
as
far
removed
from
the
daylight
as
possible,
with
the
artificial
lights
directly
behind
one,
or
high
in
the
ceiling
in
the
center
of
the
room.
In
my
houses
I
always
see
that
each
room
shall
have
its
lights
placed
for
the
comfort
of
its
occupants.
There
must
be
lights
in
sheltered
corners
of
the
fireplace,
by
the
writing-desk,
on
each
side
of
the
dressing-table,
and
so
on.
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