File:American homes and gardens (1909) (17971189978).jpg

Title: American homes and gardens
Identifier: americanhomesgar61909newy (find matches)
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Architecture, Domestic; Landscape gardening
Publisher: New York : Munn and Co
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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December, 1909 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS XUl
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The Editor of America.n Homes a.nd Gzrdens desires to extend an invitation to all its readers to send to the Correspondence Department inquiries on any matter pertaining to the decorating and furnishing of the home and to the developing of the home grounds. All letters accompanied by return postage will be answered promptly by mail. Replies that are of general benefit will be published in this Department. Problems in Home Furnishing By Alice M. Kellogg Author of "Home Fumishing: Practical and Artistic" COVERING CUSHIONS FOR A WINDOW-SEAT A BROOKLYN subscriber, J. H. G., in repapering her dining-room, finds that the old covering for the cushions of the window-seat do not look well. "My cushions have had a cover of tapestry that looked right with the old paper; but now, with a fresh paper on the walls, and the woodwork re- painted white, the cushions look faded and soiled. The rug is mixed tans, mahogany and green, and the wall-paper is now a figured one with green and brown predominant. Are there any new materials for this special use?" Corduroy or velour is the best covering for a seat that has much wear, and these materials come in different styles from the plain kind that has been so long in vogue. The corduroy may now be had in wide and narrow lines, and instead of the twenty-seven-inch width, it comes fifty inches wide. The velour has always been made in a great variety of colors, but it can be had now in stripes and also woven with a fine gold line. There are also shaded velours in which two contrasting colors are blended. If the velvet surface of these goods is too fine for the room described by this correspond- ent, there are homespuns in a great many different shades, heavy linens, taffetas, jutes and mercerized cottons, all in plain colors. These will look better than a pattern with the tapestr)' paper and figured rug. BEDSPREAD FOR A CALIFORNIA HOME Will you kindly advise me as soon as pos- sible what kind of a spread to use on my maple Napoleon bed ? The room is papered in pale blue. I have white muslin curtains at the windows, with pale blue crepe curtains over them. Should the counterpane hang over the siderail ? Or, should it be tucked in ? Should I have a valance? Also, is a bolster better than a pillow? Please suggest the right material for my room, and oblige an interested reader in the Far West."— F. W. W. A bedstead of the Napoleon, or sleigh, de- sign looks best with the counterpane tucked down the sides and no valance. The color of the carpet or rug is not given, and this would enter into the scheme of the room. A blue and white room is improved by the addition of some color, green or pink, and this may be introduced in a cretonne spread, with a small spread to cover the pillow as it is laid flat at the head of the bed. A bolster is not used as much as it was some years ago. WRITING-DESK FOR A SMALL SPACE A reader who is furnishing her reception- room (Mrs. D. C. F., of Indiana), inquires if it would be in good taste to place a writing- desk or writing-table in the roam? "I have never seen a piece of furniture of this kind in a reception-room, but writing equipment is often needed separate from the regular desks of the family. My parlor, or reception-room, is not at all of the formal kind; in fact, it is so small that an ordinary-sized writing-desk would not be possible to install. Is there any- thing that would answer my purpose that would not be the conventional thing?" A writing-table, compact in shape and well- designed, would be an attractive part of the furnishings of this room. One of the popular half-moon card-tables could be adapted for writing by removing the lid that stands against the wall and fastening a rail at the back, with pockets for holding note paper and envelopes. A desk set of antique brocade would increase the interest of a table of this kind. WOOD FINISH FOR A NEW HOME A reader who has found many general helps in this department now asks for something more specific to meet the needs that have arisen in building a new house. "Our dining-room is trimmed in chestnut, but the stain has not been decided upon yet. There is a rough brick mantel and our furniture is of medium dark oak. The side wall is to be paneled five feet six inches high, with a plate-rail above. What material is best to use in the space above plate-rail ? Is it correct to hang pictures in this space ? For our living-room we have ma- hogany furniture and some well-made green velour portieres. What color of woodwork is the best for this room? Also, suggest the color to stain the woodwork in the hall. Up- stairs we have decided upon white paint with mahogany doors."—^H. W. The chestnut trim in the dining-room may be stained to match the furniture, if the color is a good one, that is, a color worth repeating in larger quantities. The space above the plate-rail looks best with pieces of copper, brass and pottery standing on the shelf. If carefully selected these pieces may be a very interesting part of the decorations of this room. The wall space, as it is to be a back- ground, should be in a plain or two-toned covering, crash, buckram, or one of the new fiber hangings. There are also some attractive materials that can be sewed together and tacked to the wall instead of paper. As the living-room opens out of the main hall, the same finish may be given both places. White paint, as a rule, is the best background for ma- hogany furniture, but when the room is to be the main living-room a quieter scheme for constant use is often more desirable. One of the weathered gray stains may be used in the living-room and hall, as its neutral tone will allow the introduction of more colors than a brown. The green door curtains and mahog- any furniture, especially if the latter is covered with greens and blues, will both look well with this wood finish. BATHROOM RUG "What kind of a rug shall I buy for my bathroom ? The pink-and-white and blue-and- white rugs seem to me too delicate for much service. Is there anything else?"—S. E. F., of Virginia. The cotton rugs that are made for bath- rooms in white with one color added are more easily soiled than the Wilton rugs that are copied from Oriental patterns. There are also plain Wilton rugs with a band of darker color around the edges. A new rug is made of wool in the natural color, and this is advan- tageous as there is nothing to fade or discolor. The mohair rugs are used in the bathrooms of our large hotels. These cost ten dollars for a size three by six feet. In some households an inlaid linoleum is fastened down over the floor and the heavy Turkish towels laid down for bathing, and no rug kept on the floor. Some- times a strip of velvet carpet, with the ends neatly finished, makes the most suitable rug for a bathroom floor. As the velvet carpet comes in different widths this plan is often the most practicable. ARRANGING THE FURNITURE One of the frequent problems at this season of moving from one house, or apartment, to another, is the arrangement of the furniture. Sometimes, in the new house, it seems as if none of the old furniture would fit. "I am quite disheartened," writes Mrs. V. L.." after moving all of my furniture in from a subur- ban house of ample spaces to a city flat, to find that my rooms look like a shop or mu- seum. Nothing seems to fit together, and, in trying to follow out the same arrangement that I have always had nothing looks right." The new conditions naturally make the old arrangement out of place, and it would be better to begin at once to adapt the furniture to the place in which it is to be kept than to try to maintain the former plan. It is difficult to give up one's furnishings, but this is some- times the wisest thing to do when spaces are too small to allow them to fit comfortabh". If there is no storeroom where unnecessary ar- ticles may be kept, the auction-room may be re- membered, or some household where a gift of furniture would be welcomed. In placing the furniture in a new home the wall spaces will be a guide in distributing the larger pieces. After this the grouping of chairs and tables may be adjusted to the ways of the family.

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