1906 
June, 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
401 
Improvised Furniture at Little Cost 
By Mabel Tuke Priestman 
N FURNISHING the summer cottage it is 
often necessary to make use of inexpensive 
makeshifts, in order to cut down the cost 
of properly furnishing a house used only for 
a few months. Many are the expedients 
resorted to, and often the results obtained 
are very satisfactory and worthy of imitation. 
Most women like to have dressing-tables in their bed- 
rooms. Inasmuch as a dressing-table appears to be some- 
what of a luxury, a bureau and dressing-table are more often 
combined. A small kitchen table, possibly bought second- 
hand, can be used for this purpose. Chintz or muslin, one 
pair of curtains, and a cover, will equip my lady with her 
luxury. Four widths must be joined together, and after 
making a wide hem at the top and bottom, the whole length 
must be put on a drawstring. ‘This is then fastened securely 
to the edge of the table with nails or drawing pins. A good 
mirror can be picked up secondhand for a dollar at many of 
the junk shops. After having been painted white the frame 
can be properly fastened on the wall. <A big peg secured 
firmly on the wall some distance above the mirror will answer 
for a hat. Over this a chintz curtain to match the lower 
part of the dressing-table, or a fine Swiss curtain, can be 
thrown. This can either be tied back and hung just 
below the dressing-table cover, or it can fall to the floor at 
either side. 
Reseating a Worn-out Chair 
A cheap washstand can be made in the same way, using 
white dimity trimmed with a ball fringe, in preference to fig- 
ured chintz. A pretty splasher at the back of the washstand 
would be more suitable than a mirror, although a mirror 
can be used in a man’s room, if there is no shaving stand or 
chiffonier. Cheesecloth can also be used for washstands or 
dressing-tables. In a girl’s bedroom a more dainty effect 
can be obtained by using cheap glazed lining of pink or blue 
stretched round the table and another piece tacked on the 
top. This will make a foundation for dainty Swiss draperies, 
consisting of the skirt, the cover, and the curtains. The 
Swiss could have either a ruffle or just a plain hem, or even 
a lace edge, according to the choice of the occupant. 
Another attractive dressing-table can be made of a board 
fitted across a bow window. ‘Two tapered legs will support 
it about three feet from each end, while the extreme ends 
may be secured to the side window sills. Such a dressing- 
table is particularly pretty in a square recessed window. | 
Making a Table out of Two Peach Baskets 
have myself made a very attractive one only eighteen inches 
wide, as the recess was not at all deep. The legs were painted 
to match the woodwork of the room, and were unconcealed 
by any draperies. A long beautiful embroidered cover was 
laid all over the top, and a large mirror was fitted into a 
six-inch frame by a carpenter. A well made support at the 
back allowed the mirror to stand as if it were a photograph 
frame. It is not necessary for the board to extend as far 
forward as the side windows if the recess is too deep. With 
casement windows the effect is most quaint. 
The room I have in mind was in an old gabled farmhouse 
in England. The casement windows with diamond panes 
overlooked an orchard. The black woodwork showed up 
the dainty white Swiss curtains, and the beautiful embroidered 
cover on the board matched the valences on the old black 
four-post bed. Extending across the ceiling were some heavy 
oak rafters, and a quaint old world chintz paper was on the 
wall, while a whitewash ceiling was ornamented with a flight 
of swallows rising above the wallpaper, done by the artist 
who had arranged the improvised dressing-table. 
A dainty effect can be given to a very ordinary bedstead by 
placing it in a corner or in the center of a side wall. Ata 
height of eight or ten feet place a curtain pole, which must 
be fitted into a socket on the wall, and project the width of 
the bed. It must be finished off in midair with what is called 
