398 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



October, 19 lo 



A book stand 



Some suitable furniture 



A comfortable divan 



Decorations and Furnishings for the Home 



By Alice M. Kellogg 



VIII — Furnishing a Boy's Room 



GOOD many elements enter into the equip- 

 ment of a boy's room if it is to be up to 

 date in the practical and artistic details. 



Naturally, the rooms which the family 

 use in common are of the first importance, 

 and the furnishings for the living-room re- 

 ceive the chief attention. The dining- 

 room, too, is favored by a generous outlay for the furnish- 

 ings, but upstairs there 

 often appears a curious 

 contrast when the boy's 

 apartment is examined, for 

 here one may discover a 

 collection of misfit articles 

 that have been transferred 

 from other parts of the 

 house. Or, there may be a 

 lack of such comfortable 

 arrangements as are suited 

 to the occupant's needs. 



With the general inter- 

 est now evinced in raising 

 the standard of the interior 

 furnishings of the home, it 

 is strange that any portion 

 should be neglected; but 

 one may count on a rapid 

 change In this direction, 

 for even the younger mem- 

 bers of the present genera- 

 tion are directing their 

 thoughts toward Improve- 

 ment In their particular do- 

 mains and every season 

 there may be found a bet- 

 ter provision in the stores 

 for meeting their ideals. 



If a room can be fitted 

 from the beginning for boy 



ownership, the various details may be carefully planned to 

 meet the individual requirements. In one home a large 

 garret space was used to advantage for a sitting-room for 

 the boys of the family. The architectural lines were treated 

 in a way to add to the masculine expression of the place, 

 and an open fireplace was introduced for its homelike 

 qualities. Casement windows were set above a long bench, 

 and the stationary seats were boxed In to add closet space. 



The ceiling visible between 

 the beams was colored an 

 Ivory tone to contribute as 

 much light as possible, and 

 the side walls were inexpen- 

 sively paneled with a ma- 

 terial to represent wood. 



A writing desk, a center 

 table for reading lamp and 

 wooden chairs of the 

 Windsor type were the 

 only pieces of furniture, as 

 the built-in settles made 

 comfortable lounges. Grass 

 mats were laid on the floor 

 and attractive covers were 

 made for the seat cushions 

 and pillows. The success 

 of this room might suggest 

 similar efforts In other 

 homes, modified, of course, 

 to meet different conditions. 

 When a boy's room Is 

 to be specifically a sitting- 

 room, Its equipment may 

 be of a more utilitarian 

 character than almost any 

 other part of the house, al- 

 though the practical point 

 need not exclude artistic 

 study excellence. For instance, 



