Household Furnishing io59 



Rugs of ingrain weave, called by various names, may be bought in good 

 colors and patterns. They are inexpensive and durable, but they wrinkle 

 because they are thin. Perhaps no rug purchased could be more satis- 

 factory than a good body brussels showing an all-over pattern in a mix- 

 ture of such colors as will harmonize with a variety of furnishings. Rugs 

 containing mixed patterns in tans, browns, greens, dull reds, and black 

 unite pleasantly with any usual color scheme. One should never invest in 

 tapestry brussels, which is cheap but short-Hved, as the pattern, being 

 merely hooked into the surface threads, soon wears off in spots. Wilton 

 velvet rugs are rich and durable, and are preferable to axminster since 

 the latter mats down and loses nap at every sweeping. 



Straw mats are less expensive than almost any other floor covering of 

 a given size. They are an artistic product, but are not very durable on 

 floors that receive hard usage. The warp threads that hold the straw 

 intact soon wear through and leave grassy, whiskery ends projecting up- 

 ward. To keep them wearing evenly, straw mats should be constantly 

 shifted and turned over. 



If one contemplates purchasing an oriental rug, he should become in- 

 formed on the subject and should buy only from a reliable source. The 

 beauty of oriental rugs lies in their richness of texture and in their ex- 

 quisite coloring. Many commercial tricks, such as burying in the earth, 

 are resorted to in order to make new rugs look ancient and only an expert 

 can detect the real from the false. 



FURNITURE, ITS CONSTRUCTION AND DESIGN 



Every piece of furniture should serve some useful purpose. The con- 

 struction should be strong and honest, and the shape of each piece should 

 be a frank statement of its use. The material of which any given piece 

 is made is of secondary importance to the straightforwardness of the 

 design. Thus, through all combinations of oak, mahogany, walnut, or 

 pine with leather tapestry or cane, a chair should immediately proclaim 

 that it is made for the purpose of receiving human weight in a sitting 

 posture with comfort and with stability. Most furniture, as bookshelves, 

 chairs, tables, or beds, must bear up under weight or pressure of some kind ; 

 therefore, the upright structural members should be approximately straight, 

 since force, unless interfered with, tends to move in straight lines. A 

 piece of furniture showing an elaborately bowed and curved structure 

 should be viewed with suspicion; its fancy shape is often obtained at the 

 expense of strength. The cost of constructing curved and molded members 

 is greater than that of making plain ones; yet the cheapest furniture is 

 often of the former fashion, indicating either that the workmanship has 



