International studio (20.1903)

WRITING-TABLE

DESIGNED BY A. W. SIMPSON
EXECUTED BY TOWNSON GRAHAM

near a dusty thoroughfare, or snug rooms near the
roof, a glossy and dust-resisting surface may be
quite pardonable in curtains and draperies, and a
strong pattern acceptable even in a limited space.
Mr. Cecil Millar has caught something of this old-
fashioned charm in his " Rose Garden " chintz,
executed by G. P. & J. Baker—a charm not to be
recovered by imitation, but by a certain fluency in
the disposal of conventional forms which the best
of early Victorian textiles undoubtedly show, and
which has its use among the more laboured and
deeply studied patterns from " nature" schools.
Mr. Millar, however, is by no means lacking
in modern feeling, as he shows by his beautiful
" Rose and Pomegranate design for silk and wool
tapestry, executed by Warner & Sons—a form of
decoration demanding clean air for its habitat, and
a minimum of daily friction. Probably half the
ugliness of our grandmothers' chintzes came from
their being regarded chiefly as so much covering
for the best furniture—a sort of respectable
in which it might spend most of its time,
never allowing us to forget its presence, but effec-
tually shut off from all the comfort and usefulness
for which it might be supposed to have been made.
In fact, the dominant note of modern draperies is
that they are made to be decorative in themselves,
and not to serve the pinafore ideal of furnishing.
The designs of Mr. Lewis F. Day in Recess No. 2
were admirable illustrations of this. His printed
cottons, linens, and velvets were each sufficiently

rich and interesting, both in design
and colour, to furnish a room, a wall,
or a window-nook in a dignified and
satisfying way.
For textiles of a more sunny and
springlike character we may turn with
pleasure to the fresh and vital work
of Mr. Allan F. Vigers, whose ex-
cellent wall-papers have elsewhere been
noted. His " Rose" design, carried
out in several bright and clear colour-
schemes, is as wholesome and gladden-
ing a piece of decoration as any one
might wish to live with ; and its spirit
has been very successfully kept in the
printing by Swaislands (Messrs. G. P.
and J. Baker).
The woven hangings included some
of the handspun and woven silks with
which Mrs. Annie Garnett and her
helpers have now made us happily
familiar. For purity of colour and
fineness of texture and surface these

DESIGNED BY A. W. SIMPSON
EXECUTED BY JOHN SHEARER

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