“ What a queer jumble life would be. But here stands our partner—paint—ready to jump into any breach, and make [2] life full of comfort and happiness and cheer, from the building of a new house, where the painting of every wall, every bit of trim, has to be carefully planned and decided upon, to the many small things about the house that can be transformed by the “Magic Touch” of paint.
The dear old home that has stood in rain, and wind, and snow, for years, and begins to show its many battles, seems to implore us to brighten up its faithful face. ”

“ Paint is pigment, or color, and a medium, whether it be oil or wax, or something else by which it is applied, but it has its own [6] far reaching psychology. It is inspirational, and really spiritual in its reaction on mankind. We may paint a house for the most practical of reasons, to preserve it from the weather, but we are carried, in spite of ourselves, beyond the point of hard fact, to a certain positive feeling of pleasure and satisfaction and joy it gives us. ”

“ Paint is a loyal friend to your balance in bank, for it protects and beautifies everything of yours which it covers. In your office, paint makes cheerful surroundings. [54] It makes an agreeable atmosphere. In your store, it makes an effectual background for your goods. If you operate a factory, it will make better light and better work. It will save wood and metal from rust and decay. It gives the exterior of your plant an air of prosperity and creates a pride of connection in the minds of employes. Paint makes cheer inside and outside, in home or business home. ”

“ There are no better examples of domestic architecture than many of the simple homes of New England. These are almost invariably white with green trim. Their interiors were designed for comfort. Their gardens are literally festivals of color from early Spring until late Autumn. They are restrained in character, refreshingly free of “ornament,” dignified, restful and pleasant. They come nearer fulfilling the true conception of “Home” than any type of building which has since been evolved. ”

“ Suppose we were to wake up some morning to find that paint in every form had been eliminated from the world, from our lives! What consternation, surprise, indignation, and havoc would reign everywhere! Whether for better or worse, for good or evil, it is part of the very warp and woof of our every-day existence, and what a pal and benefactor it really is. ”

“ Only very thin curtains of grenadine covered the windows, with a hanging at either end of the arch to give color and soften the frame. It is marvellous, once our eyes are opened to the possibilities of the changes we can bring about in our surroundings. And if only people can be made to realize the extraordinary reaction on their lives—in their spirits, in their very health itself. ”

“ Old brass sconces made into fixtures added another quaint touch, with soft yellow silk shades lined with deep rose to give a glow of color when lighted. Old mahogany table, chairs, sideboard and corner wall cupboard fastened high up into the corner. The floor, which was finished in a very dark stain, varnished and waxed, was covered with a dark brown—“tête de negre”—seamless chenille rug. None of it expensive, none of it done in a “scheme,” yet all harmonious, happy and unobtrusive.
The loveliest rooms are those that grow from one thing to another as the suggestion is developed. ”

“ The next matter of importance is room at the front for a flower garden, however small it may be. For a front garden is like the opening chapter of a book. It gives an idea of what to expect as one proceeds up the path to the presentation of an idea. ”

“ The more green with which you can surround your home, the prettier it will be; the more inviting from the outside, the more restful within. A man who spent his working hours in the city once said that he wouldn’t take a thousand dollars a morning for the view which he had with his breakfast and the green he saw from his easy-chair on his porch.
The home should be a part of the landscape. It should not be a violent spot either in design or color. It should look as if it grew in its surroundings with the flowers and shrubs and trees. It should be designed by a good architect. ”

“ I shudder now in remembrance of a set of black walnut furniture in my grandmother’s bedroom, particularly an enormous bureau, with its marble top, huge great mirror supported by carved columns that wiggled upward, and topped [34] over all by massive carved grapes. How I gazed in awe while a terrible stillness always filled me as I planted my small person in front of it!
And oh! the terrible “best rooms” of the past! I remember a friend telling me that in her father’s house the “best room” door was never left open. ”

“ I honestly believe that much illness would be spared if we tried to make our homes more happy in color and furnishings. It is not possible to be gloomy in a room full of sunshine and color and life.
You can get a gloomy result with very beautiful furniture. Men decorators (I am sorry to have to say it) generally do get this result. Their interiors are handsome, expensive, but heavy, and never by any chance intimate or charming. You can make a home with a red geranium, a muslin curtained window, a few unpainted chairs, a freshly scrubbed floor and a clear kerosene lamp. ”

“ Those who believe in paint and use it, are known for their thrifty ways. The tumble-down citizen always lives in the unpainted weather-grey house on the edge of town—the same chap who borrows coal from his neighbor and change from his wife.
Paint is always good. The colored stuff which peels, checks and blisters in a few months, isn’t paint at all. It is poor stuff to buy. You can generally tell what it is, before you use it, because it doesn’t cost enough to be good. Good paint pays because it lasts three times as long as color in disguise. ”

“ The secret of successful house-painting is in the maintenance of a neutral effect, with enough of color to give relief to the eye. Monotony is as offensive as too [20] much variety. So our task is to establish a medium that shall be happy and tasteful.
Let us not forget that the renewal of paint at stated intervals is quite necessary and should be made at least once every four years. Only a good master painter should be employed—one who believes in the use of good paint and good craftsmen. Given paint of first quality, two workmen may produce entirely different results. ”

“ Paint Our Partner PAINT as our partner in all the affairs of life may be a new thought, but it is an old established fact nevertheless. In reality paint is so interwoven with every turn of the wheel, that it is forever at our side, like our Siamese Twin. ”

“ In your verandah furnishings you have room for no end of color. You can let yourself go to your heart’s content—not freakish color but good strong ringing tones. The out of doors absorbs them in [41] such a way that they are never garish or hard. Avoid heavy stuffy coverings and portieres, avoid “schemes” of decoration. Plan for comfort, for a suitable background that expresses the life of the family living within the walls of your house. Keep your floors low in tone—a well finished floor has much to do as a background with all the furniture we place upon it. ”

“ Painted shingles have a far greater resistance to fire than unpainted shingles. While it is true that the oil in paint is inflammable, it is equally true that, after drying, the surface is practically metallic and to a high degree fire-resisting. Painted shingles do not warp, with the result that they do not form pockets in which a burning cinder or spark could settle. Furthermore, actual experience proves that painted shingles are rain-proof and remain so as long as the paint endures.
Painted shingles of a color in harmony with the rest of the house, are, first of all, a good investment ”