THE FARM HOME 317 



the house, should be made easily accessible by means of con- 

 venient walks. 



The yard is perhaps the most important single feature of 

 an attractive setting for a house. The house becomes the 

 center of the picture; the lawn, trees, shrubs and flowers 

 form the background and frame of the yard. In making such 

 plans effective, three fundamental rules of landscape garden- 

 ing should be applied : avoid straight lines ; leave open spaces ; 

 plant shrubs and trees in irregular masses. 



A home, to be attractive, need not be one of luxury or of 

 elegance. Simple furnishings that show good taste and are 

 well arranged give the most pleasure and the greatest comfort. 

 Three easily applied principles need to be observed in furnish- 

 ing and arranging furniture in the rooms of a home. 



First, each room will have some predominating feature, 

 such as a fireplace, a rug, or piece of furniture that may be 

 regarded as the center of interest. The rest of the furnish- 

 ings should be subordinated to this feature. For example, 

 if the fireplace is the center of interest, the furnishings should 

 be so grouped and subordinated as to add to the pleasing 

 effects of this feature. 



Second, there should be symmetry or balance in placing 

 the furnishings. For example, in a living room the fire- 

 place with a picture above the mantle may be balanced by 

 having a davenport, or davenport and table placed opposite. 

 A large piece of furniture may be balanced by two smaller 

 pieces. 



Third, angles formed by one piece of furniture with another 

 should be avoided as much as possible. The placing should 

 be guided by the lines of the room. For example, a piece of 

 furniture set across the corner of a room gives a less pleasing 

 effect than if placed in a line with the wall. 



