Your room and you
Media
Part of The Cross
- Title
- Your room and you
- Creator
- Alikpala, Ethel
- Language
- English
- Year
- 1952
- Rights
-
- Fulltext
- THE CROSS Your Room and You by Ethel Alikpola From The Orion Personality reveals itself in many ways. A man may be known through his hand-writing, which, experts claim, speaks volumes qbout the writer. Lindo Marquez, for one, is. willing to analyze each T-cross, each curlicue, each slant and to discover but there's nothing like throwing oneself down on one's own bed after an exhausting day at school without worrying, about an expensive bedcover spoiled by a moccasin-shoe print. I therefore plead to every girl to in each a particular character trait. There are others who speak authoritatively on clothes and cosmetics as means of knowing character, especially, that of young women. I wonder if ony girl has ever reflected on whether her bedroom reflects her— have a room definitely her own— bearing the mark of her personality, not that of a professional decorator — a room—simple, comfortable'and yet pleasing to t^e eye. Then, will she not be more flattered when whether the narra set, the "fancy floor lamp standing by the easy chair, the Venetian blinds and drapes, the pinkand-blue walls are like the curlicue friends admire her room because of or the slant, by which critical eyes could judge her personality! Professional interior decorators certainly know their job, but they leave me utterly cold. They usually sacrifice comfort to beauty or to "art for art's sake." So do some architects. Satin, quilted bedcovers with organdie flounces—matching curtains gracefully draped over the windows—thick rugs hiding the floor hardly make a room the welcoming haven for an ordinary teen-age girl. Yes—it's certainly wonderful to have a room worthy of the "House Beautiful" feature in the Sunday newspapers— some unique arrangements and of accessories ingeniously placed according to her personal taste, than when they lavish praise on an Arturo de Santos' work of luxuriant beauty? No one likes to see dear friends step gingerly into one's room, slide into the nearest chair and look with awe on their surroundings, while feeling uncomfortable __ and . awkward every minute. It is far more pleasant to see them feel "at home", sitting anywhere they please, praising maybe the new "headboard" of famous profiles cut out .from some prints and pasted on the plain pink wall paper, or commenting favorably on a lampshade that glories in the school colors. Ingenuity is the word if one wants to be unique—if one's room is to be MAY, 1952 19 distinctly one's very own. The first thing is to get new ideas, even adapt some old ideas to the new. Here are some tips. As Mama knows best about color combinations, her advice on any color scheme one has thought about and chosen for the bedroom is invaluable. Instead of gossamer tulle, organdie and quilted satin, a red and white polka dotted material would go well with pink walls. For flounces on the bedcover, the curtains and the dresser, some inexpensive net or organza will be the thing. A lively girl will love bright, warm colors for her room; plain subdued colors will be preferred by an "in-doors" type of girl. Built-ins are a "must" nowadays, so a teen-ager will want, her own miniature built-in altar—just a little space or so clearly visible from the bed. A lovely statue of Our Lady, or of the potron saint on it, if a crucifix is already hanging on the headboard. A little vase with fresh flowers will be very beautiful ond just fit. There is nothing so typically teenager as the small school pennants thumb-tacked into the wall somewhere in the room. Girls as well as boys have these. Why not pin them on the wall in front of the bed — arranged of course in a seemingly irregular order! Or if the bed is a doubledecker that reaches high . above, near the low ceiling, why not place them, as some people do, thumbtacked into the ceiling itself? Or, if one goes for screen idols or hero-worship — here's another tip. If the room has a wall paper of a single color, cut out the heads neatly and paste them on the wall in front of the bed, or, of the desk in the order wished. They might serve to give inspiration after all—except, if one is day-dreaming. A friend of mine, having no liking for actors, cut out pictures of all sorts of dogs, preferably those in Christmas cards, and pasted them on the wall behind her headboard. Or, if a girl would rather have pictures of cats—why not? If the study table is in the bedroom, it can be made to match too. Another friend has a table with a glass cover like office desks. Well, beneath it she has placed the pictures of . her closest friends, each with a short caption. The sight of the faces of one's chums might pull one through while sleepily reading tomorrow's subject matter. I could go on and on, relating many other examples for teen-agers to read, copy, or just use as a pattern. One thing is sure, once made use of, these "personal touches" in the art of arranging, beautifying the bedrooms become part of one — for like handwriting as I have said before, a girl's character can be judged by her bedroom. Did you ever notice how often a narrow mind and a wide mouth go together?