Fabric Wall Hangings

Fabric Wall Hangings

Fabrics for wall coverings, such as silk, cotton or wool damask, linens and chintzes, all have their own beauty and service if properly applied. To appear well, they must be carefully seamed. The pattern should not be too startling, as the fabric should serve as a background and not as a decoration. The mechanics of hanging a fabric, while simple in themselves, require skill and care. They should be stretched on thin laths tacked to the wall, and finished with guimpe or molding. They should never be applied flat against the wall; the air space behind is requisite.

The design of the fabric should be in harmony with the architectural details of the room. If the trim and mantel of the room are Georgian, a damask or linen of Georgian design should be used with a pattern of the scale consistent with the size of the room. Or, if the furniture of the room is mainly Italian, an harmonious interior can be created only by using a fabric of an Italian design.

The use of fabrics for wall covering is particularly adapted to old houses that are being remodeled and in which the walls are not in a perfect condition. In remodeled farm houses the bedroom walls may be hung with cretonne, and the effect will be very pleasing. English glazed chintz also lends itself to this use, and because of its glazed surface the walls will not collect much dust and may be wiped down.

A still better treatment for a bedroom is to paint the wainscot and apply a cretonne above it. The painted wainscot will give better service than the cretonne carried down to the mop board.

Another method of using fabrics on the walls is to treat them as panels, enclosing them in molding. The design should be well centered and of good pattern, as the treatment makes such panels conspicuous. In this instance they become a decoration instead of being merely a background. Jute damask fifty inches wide, with a large striking pattern is the most telling of inexpensive fabrics for this use.

Painted panels, both on the walls and over doors, may be considered as one feasible and very beautiful method of treatment. As they come under the head of pictures, they will be considered elsewhere.

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