June, 19 10 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



229 



Decorations and Furnishings for the Home 



By Alice M. Kellogg 



IV. — Fitting up the Porch 



SUITE a radical change is in progress re- 

 garding the furnishing of the porch, or 

 piazza. More and more, as we come to 

 I understand the benefits of open-air liv- 

 ing do we value the opportunities af- 

 forded by the veranda, and, instead of 

 making this part of the home a catch-all 

 for miscellaneous articles, its fittings become a matter of 

 discriminating care. 



In many suburban towns the piazza faces the street, and 

 some protection is imperative from "the public eye." Some 

 hardy vines, Virginia creeper, wistaria or clematis, may be 

 started at the base of each of the porch supports, and, as 

 a temporary expedient, a quick-growing annual vine, coboea 

 scandens or wild cucumber, may fill the spaces. Foliage or 

 flowering plants set in tubs are also helpful as a screen. 



The Japanese rolling screen (a wide one is shown in the 

 large illustration), made from rattan and varnished, has 

 met with great popularity. A more expensive substitute 

 has this year been brought over from Germany, made of 

 basswood and painted dark green, with metal pulleys and 

 durable cords for adjusting. Where the price of the first 

 one would be, in a size eight feet wide by eight feet long, 

 about a dollar, the German make would cost about six dol- 

 lars. 



Awnings add very much to the exterior attraction and 

 interior comfort of a porch. Green-and-white stripes are 

 cool-looking, but they do not resist the stress of the ele- 

 ments. Red-and-white awnings are festive in appearance, 

 but transmit a glare that is often trying. The orange-and- 

 white are claimed to be the only colors that are really dur- 

 able, and these may nearly always be satisfactorily com- 

 bined with the color scheme desired in the other furnish- 

 ings. 



The furniture for the piazza need not necessarily be all 

 of one type. Wicker work in its various materials — reed, 

 rattan, willow and rush — has come into prominence for its 



lightness of weight and strength of construction. The wil- 

 low examples shown in the illustration are especially good 

 types. These may be had either in the natural wood or 

 stained to match any desired color. The corner settle may 

 be bought for $26.75 ^^ the natural color; the chair at its 

 side for five dollars; the rocker with broad arms for $6.50 

 and the small arm-chair for $7. The work table costs 

 $13.50. As the charge for staining the willow must be 

 added to these prices, one may do this at home with ready- 

 made paints, as a matter of economy. 



There are few patterns in the rattan make, the one in 

 the large illustration with flat arms costing $7.50. A long, 

 reclining chair can be had of the same material, and a 

 small, armless chair. 



On the selection of chairs for the porch depends so much 

 comfort that thought as well as money is worth expending 

 to meet the individual preferences of the different members 

 of the household. A set cushion at the back of a chair is 

 often annoying by its rigidity, and a loose pillow in its place 

 may be an item worth changing. 



A swinging settle is a recent device to take the place of a 

 divan or lounge. When it is fitted with cushions and pil- 

 lows, it is a luxurious resting place. There are various 

 styles of swinging settles, some made on the mission plan, 

 others of bamboo and willow, others of heavy white duck. 

 If the seat covering is chosen from plain material, the pil- 

 lows may be of a more distinctive order, as the mediaeval 

 design illustrated. Bird chintzes, which are now very much 

 in demand, add to the interest of piazza seats. 



If a material for the pillow covers is desired that will 

 not fade, some of the curtain stuffs that are guaranteed im- 

 pervious to sunlight may be utilized. 



A cover for the porch table may be an item of interest if 

 chosen from among the Persian prints showing a peacock 

 design. In the thirty-six-inch square this cover costs a dol- 

 lar and a quarter, and a smaller size seventy-five cents. 

 Flower and plant holders are one of the needs of the sum- 



A cozy rocker 



A willow sewing-table 



A low-backed chair 



