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Page 72
72INTERIOR DECORATING
But one must alter only under the inspiration of a craving for beauty and suitability.
Such an inspiration will lead us naturally to approach our homes first from the standpoint of the outer world. We will consider their exteriors before we proceed to their insides, and even before we contemplate the outside of the actual house we will view its position with reference to its immediate surroundings and its background. It is obvious that a house that is backed by great green mountains may be differently treated from one that stands on flat ground or one that is itself on the top of the highest hill in its neighborhood; moreover, the number of trees immediately surrounding a residence may affect the colors that will be selected for painting it. Perhaps the most universally pleasing color scheme for the usual house is that of a white body with green window casings and shutters, and a red roof. This is the treatment generally employed in the modern stucco buildings with tile roofs, but it is just as effective for well-designed frame houses. Very bright colors should not be used for the flat wall surfaces outside any more than inside a house, for the walls must always be a background, even when the roof and shutters are treated brilliantly.
In the same sense that the outer walls are a background for the exterior decoration, the porch of the country house is a background for its furniture and for the vines or ivy that may be grown upon it. These vines are a considerable artistic addition to white or gray-hued houses: they give an essential touch of life to an otherwise cold exterior. The same is true o* flower beds at the base of one's porch or along th
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