[Illustration: THE STAIRCASE IN THE BAYARD THAYER HOUSE]

When I planned the main hall of the Colony Club I determined to make it
very Colonial, very American, very inviting and comfortable, the sort
of hall you like to remember having seen in an old Virginia house. One
enters from the street into a narrow hall that soon broadens into a
spacious and lofty living-hall. The walls are, of course, white, the
paneled spaces being broken by quaint old Colonial mirrors and
appropriate lighting-fixtures. There is a great fireplace at one end of
the hall, with a deep, chintz-covered davenport before it. There are
also roomy chairs covered with the same delightful chintz, a green and
white glazed English chintz that is as serviceable as it is beautiful.
Besides the chintz-covered chairs, there are two old English chairs
covered with English needlework. These chairs are among the treasures of
the Club. There are several long mahogany tables, and many small tea
tables. The rugs are of a spring green--I can think of no better name
for it.

In modern English and American houses of the smaller class the staircase
is a part of an elongated entrance hall, and there is often no
vestibule. In many of the more important new houses the stairs are
divided from the entrance hall, so that one staircase will do for the
servants, family and all, and the privacy of the entrance hall will be
secured. In my own house in New York, you enter the square hall
directly, and the staircase is in a second hall. This entrance hall is a
real breathing-space, affording the visitor a few moments of rest and
calm after the crowded streets of the city. The hall is quite large,
with a color-plan of black and white and dark green. You will find a
description of this hall in another chapter. I have used this same plan
in many other city houses, with individual variations, of course. The