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AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



April, 1908 



This is where we manufacture our Monarch Porcelain Ware 

 Trenton, New Jersey 



Uniformity §f Design 



Architects DO appreciate the fact that by specifying 

 Wolff Plumbing Material exclusively they are 

 protecting their clients from the annoying con- 

 fusion of design and mechanical standards that 

 is sure to creep into even the most carefully 

 selected line of "assembled" plumbing equipment. 



L. WOLFF 



MANUFACTURING 

 COMPANY 



Established 1855 



Manufacturers of PLUMBING GOODS EXCLUSIVELY 



The Only Complete Line Made by Any One Firm 



Showrooms: 91 Dearborn St. 

 Denver CHICAGO Trenton 



oors, Furniture and Interior Woodwork 



4 



©IfcEnQliebSS 



jfloov 



1 The Wax with a Guarantee ' 



^<C 



has become the standard of "quality" with professional decorators simply because it 

 is made a little better than any other wax. 



Old English Floor Wax gives that much-sought "rich, subdued lustre." It is transparent and accentuates 

 the grain of natural or stained woods. Equally suitable for the finest inlaid hardwood or plain pine floors. 

 Never peels nor shows heel marks. Won't scratch or become sticky. Preserves the floor and is sanitary 

 because dust and dirt do not adhere. 



Economical— 1 lb. (50c. > covers 300 square feet. Put up in 1. 2. 4 and 8 lb. cans. 



Nothing equals it as a finish for furniture and woodwork. 



Write for Our Free Book, " sm ^S^SSS iSEMF™ 8 



which contains expert advice on the finish and care of floors, woodwork and furniture. 

 A book to read and keep for future reference. Write for the book now and 

 A C L Fnr Freo "iimnlo ana mention your dealer's name when you write. Sold by 

 ASK ror rree aampie dealers in paint, everywhere 



We guarantee Old English to give entire satisfaction when used as Jirected, or money refunded. 



A. S. BOYLE & COMPANY, Department O. Cincinnati. Ohio 



Largest Exclusive Manufacturers of Floor Wax in the World. 



PROBLEMS IN HOME FURNISHING 



(Continued from page 160) 



is space for a swinging settle it may be sus- 

 pended from the ceiling. In buying chairs 

 for the sun-parlor it is better to get a few that 

 are really comfortable and well made than to 

 have a larger number cheaply made and unin- 

 teresting in shape. If the ordinary piazza 

 chairs of sprint are chosen, they may be 

 brought into better relations with their sur- 

 roundings by painting them the color of the 

 woodwork. A further help in making such 

 seats attractive is to add some thin cushions 

 and cover them with a French cretonne show- 

 ing a bold design of birds, trees and flowers. 



If foliage plants can be kept in the sun- 

 parlor, they may be grown in some of the 

 artistic garden pots that are made of terra 

 cotta or composition. For holding cut flowers 

 the Japanese hanging vases, covered with bas- 

 ket work, will give a variation from the 

 ordinary glass or pottery holders. 



ARRANGING A PLATE SHELF 



The plate shelf in dining-rooms has be- 

 come popular, as it affords an opportunity for 

 varying the decoration of the walls of a home. 

 What to put on this shelf, and how to ar- 

 range whatever objects are selected for it, has 

 puzzled one of our readers who has lately 

 moved into a house where the dining-room 

 walls are fitted with a plate rail. 



Without the collector's instinct for gather- 

 ing together china and pieces of metal, the 

 plate shelf is liable to take on the appearance 

 of a bargain table, as there is a great tempta- 

 tion to pick up odds and ends at the depart- 

 ment stores. The mission of a shelf of this 

 kind is to bring together really choice articles 

 in a position where they will be out of danger 

 yet near enough to be seen and enjoyed. To 

 avoid the commonplace must be the aim of 

 one who is buying for a plate shelf. The lo- 

 cation of the object and its background are 

 also to be remembered. On a warm tan- 

 colored wall pieces of blue china appear to 

 advantage, and on a tapestry-covered wall a 

 brass or copper tray, bowl or loving cup looks 

 well. The Moorish and Spanish pottery, al- 

 though rough in shape and crude in texture, 

 is interesting when it is not brought into com- 

 petition with finer ware. It is not necessary 

 to have only plates upon a shelf of this kind, 

 but other objects that fit on the narrow space 

 may be added for variety. 



A SUBSTITUTE FOR LACE CURTAINS 



As the preference is for short curtains to 

 hang to the sill, and the conventional, ready- 

 made curtains are not desired by this corre- 

 spondent (A. W. N., of Nebraska), the new 

 filet lace by the yard is suggested. This ma- 

 terial shows a fine square mesh, instead of the 

 round mesh of the bobbinet, on which the 

 pattern is woven. The width is forty-five 

 inches, and the price is a dollar or more a yard, 

 according to the design. As the filet lace 

 comes in both white and ecru, it can be 

 adopted either in rooms with white-painted 

 woodwork, or where the wood finish is of a 

 dark tone. The edges of the curtains may be 

 trimmed with a narrow linen lace. 



SIMPLE WALL COVERING FOR A MUSIC ROOM 



"What is an inexpensive treatment for the 

 walls of a room that is used chiefly for music?" 

 asks a Michigan correspondent. 



If the minimum amount of expense is to be 

 paid for decorating these walls, a coat of 

 water-color paint may be laid on the hard 

 plaster. At some additional cost this plain 

 effect may be relieved by stenciling a pattern 

 over the tint, with a slightly darker shade. If 

 a paper of good quality may be afforded one 

 of the English silk fibers would look well. At 

 still more expense a Japanese grass cloth in one 



