The Studio yearbook of decorative art (1920)

ON THE DECORATION AND FURNISHING OF SMALL ROOMS
perhaps unfortunate that so many folk exhaust their energies in lamenting
the scarcity and cost of articles to which they have been accustomed in
the past, without troubling to consider whether such articles are necessary
or even desirable in their traditional form ; or whether substitutes cannot
be procured equally serviceable and less costly without sacrificing the
charm of the home. This conservative element is also in evidence
among manufacturers and shopkeepers. There is much talk concerning
“mass production” to bring down prices ; but if all that is done is to
reproduce the same or similar designs to those in vogue before the war,
the community as a whole will have failed to rise to the occasion. Un-
fortunately there is already evidence of a regrettable lack of imagination
and foresight in some quarters where one is treated to a foretaste of the
fare to be provided. One can only hope that the more enterprising and
intelligent firms will, as time goes on, seek out the best talent available
in this country and encourage the designers to do their utmost.
At a time when so many people own the houses they live in, the econom-

CORNER CHIMNEY-PIECES (PAGE 12)
4