113

A WORD
WITH THE WOMEN

(By Elia W. Peattie)

It is a gratification to know that
Edouard and Jean de Reszke, the famous
singers, have ordered the plans for
a villa to be built in Poland of an Amerian
architect, J Sidney Villere of Chicago.
It is to be a picturesque affair,
called the "Cottage Americaine," and is
to stand on a hill among woods, approached
by centenary cedars. Pillars
of porphyry granite will guard the portal,
which is to be of bronze; the balustrade
of the porch is also to be of porphyry
granite, with pots for tropical
plants. Following is a description of
some of the rooms.

The first room is exceedingly ornate.
Three steps from the first landing there
is a monumental mantel, with side window
and a seat, and then the starting
of the grand staircase. All the decorations
here will be old bibelots of the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. On
the right is the parlor, done in the choicest
white birds eye male, polished and
waxed. It resembles a square pavilion,
the antique conceits in the hall being repeated
with the addition of large panels
of ancient tapestry and all manner of
rare furniture to harmonize. Cream
white forms the background, lacquered
in two shades, with a few delicate
touched of dulled gold.

These two masters will banquet their
guests in a great feastroom, trimmed
in red pine. Here the wainscoting and
panels are heavily carved and molded,
as is also the wooden cornice of the ceiling,
with the rich work in Sevres blue.
Personal friends of the brush are to contribute
four hunting scenes for the walls
showing the chases of the bear, wolf,
board and reindeer.

The entire villa is composed of curious
rooms and passages, conspicuous among
which is the "hunters' den". This is en-entered
by an archivolte in the dining
room, passing through a gallery, from a
porch and private vestibule. This "piece
intime" has a spacious fireplace, where,
Mr. de Reszke writes, he will burn nothing
but logs of applewood. There is
also a sideboard and a duke's table in
the center for luncheons and the like.
Around all sides of the den are voluptuous
divans for lounging as the sportsmen
tell stories of the days in the woods.
All the walls here are covered with
stamped Russia leather.

Edouard and Jean both have suites on
the third floor, and down the halls are
ten more elaborte apartments, with
quarters for retinues of servants. All
the appliances and inventions which
make the Amerian living rooms the
most comfortable in the world are lavishly
applied.

Wide acres surround the villa, with
bridges and brooks, all adding to the
originally picturesque outline of the
structure itself. The entire scheme results
from years of extensive travel and
the De Reszkes really congratulate Chicago
that its architectural ideas surpass
those of all the rest of the modern
world.

There is no subject in which women
are most interested than in that of
houses. Indeed, the pastime of many
women is to imagine or design houses in
which they would like to live, although
they may not have the least expectation
of ever having any other place of abode
than the unsatisfactory one which they
are occupying It is very seldom that a
woman has a house which is in all respects
as she would have it. Personally
I never saw but one house I wanted. It
stood on a noble plain beyond a great
river, and the approach to it was
through mighty elms. The house itself
was in the style of the Parthenon. Its
white marble pillars supported the portico
with a strong serenity. It was
chaste, white and still. Nothing earthly
ever brought such a sense of rest as that
abode. It was seen but once and for only
a few moments, but it will never be forgotten.
The de Reszkes are to be congratulated
on the possession of such a
little palace, embodying the ideas which
please them best.

A WORD WITH THE WOMEN
(By Elia W. Peattie)

It is a gratification to know that Edouard and Jean de Reszke, the famous singers, have ordered the plans for a villa to be built in Poland of an Amerian architect, J Sidney Villere of Chicago. It is to be a picturesque affair, called the "Cottage Americaine," and is to stand on a hill among woods, approached by centenary cedars. Pillars of porphyry granite will guard the portal, which is to be of bronze; the balustrade of the porch is also to be of porphyry granite, with pots for tropical plants. Following is a description of some of the rooms.

The first room is exceedingly ornate. Three steps from the first landing there is a monumental mantel, with side window and a seat, and then the starting of the grand staircase. All the decorations here will be old bibelots of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. On the right is the parlor, done in the choicest white birds eye male, polished and waxed. It resembles a square pavilion, the antique conceits in the hall being repeated with the addition of large panels of ancient tapestry and all manner of rare furniture to harmonize. Cream white forms the background, lacquered in two shades, with a few delicate touched of dulled gold.

These two masters will banquet their guests in a great feastroom, trimmed in red pine. Here the wainscoting and panels are heavily carved and molded, as is also the wooden cornice of the ceiling, with the rich work in Sevres blue. Personal friends of the brush are to contribute four hunting scenes for the walls showing the chases of the bear, wolf, board and reindeer.

The entire villa is composed of curious rooms and passages, conspicuous among which is the "hunters' den". This is en-entered by an archivolte in the dining room, passing through a gallery, from a porch and private vestibule. This "piece intime" has a spacious fireplace, where, Mr. de Reszke writes, he will burn nothing but logs of applewood. There is also a sideboard and a duke's table in the center for luncheons and the like. Around all sides of the den are voluptuous divans for lounging as the sportsmen tell stories of the days in the woods. All the walls here are covered with stamped Russia leather.

Edouard and Jean both have suits on the third floor, and down the halls are ten more elaborte apartments, with quarters for retinues of servants. All the appliances and inventions which make the Amerian living rooms the most comfortable in the world are lavishly applied.

Wide acres surround the villa, with bridges and brooks, all adding to the originally picturesque outline of the structure itself. The entire scheme results from years of extensive travel and the De Reszkes really congratulate Chicago that its architectural ideas surpass those of all the rest of the modern world.

There is no subject in which women are most interested than in that of houses. Indeed, the pastime of many women is to imagine or design houses in which they would like to live, although they may not have the least expectation of ever having any other place of abode than the unsatisfactory one which they are occupying It is very seldom that a woman has a house which is in all respects as she would have it. Personally I never saw but one house I wanted. It stood on a noble plain beyond a great river, and the approach to it was through mighty elms. The house itself was in the style of the Parthenon. Its white marble pillars supported the portico with a strong serenity. It was chaste, white and still. Nothing earthly ever brought such a sense of rest as that abode. It was seen but once and for only a few moments, but it will never be forgotten. The de Reszkes are to be congratulated on the possession of such a little palace, embodying the ideas which please them best.