May, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



IX 



PROBLEMS IN HOME FURNISHING 



{Continued from page 214) 



By eliminating designs from the furniture 

 coverings an improvement may be begun that 

 may, later on perhaps, be furthered by chang- 

 ing the curtains. 



For the present, the two prominent colors 

 in the wall paper, brown and green, suggest 

 themselves as the most desirable for repeating 

 in the new materials to upholster the furni- 

 ture. A new kind of velour, which is plain in 

 effect but in which a gold thread is woven 

 with olive green, is well adapted for the 

 tufted chairs and sofas. (This material is 

 fifty inches wide and costs three dollars a 

 yard.) For the arm chairs, where the ma- 

 terial is applied without tufting, a green linen 

 damask with a small self-woven pattern 

 (three dollars and sixty-five cents a yard, 

 fifty inches wide) may be chosen. One of 

 the sofas and two of the small chairs may 

 have brown velvet in a narrow stripe (two 

 dollars and a half a yard), and brown wool 

 tapestry (four dollars a yard) may be chosen 

 for the other pieces of furniture. 



DINING-ROOM CHAIRS 



"I intend buying six chairs to go with a 

 round dining table. Shall I get two arm 

 chairs? Or shall I have only one with arms? 

 I notice in some dining-rooms that there are 

 only side chairs." 



There is no specific rule to follow in this 

 matter. The popularity of the round dining 

 table has brought into favor the side chair for 

 general use, as this permits a larger number 

 to be seated comfortably than when arm 

 chairs are used. Sometimes certain members 

 of the household prefer an arm chair for din- 

 ing, and sometimes there is no choice in the 

 matter. 



A RECEPTION HALL 



A Minnesota reader wishes some sugges- 

 tions for a small reception-hall that will make 

 it different from other houses. "There is no 

 stairway to consider and only one long Dutch 

 window with small panes of glass and a wide 

 sill. I do not know how to treat this win- 

 dow. The woodwork is a pretty shade of 

 weathered oak." 



In a hall of this kind one may depart 

 somewhat from the conventional to create an 

 attractive impression, but it would not be wise 

 to introduce many novelties. English oak fur- 

 niture would be substantial, with chairs of 

 the Cromwellian period. A fine leather in 

 dull orange color could be upholstered on the 

 chairs and settee. A thin silk curtain in the 

 orange color may be hung at the sides of the 

 window and closed at night. Three pots of 

 flowers in Japanese jardinieres with saucers 

 to match may be kept in the center of the 

 window ledge. 



A large rug made of English Axminster 

 carpet in a small, set pattern woven in dark 

 blue and brown may be the floor covering. A 

 hammered copper holder for umbrellas may 

 stand near the front door, and an oak cos- 

 tumier take the place of a hat rack. Wall 

 paper showing a bold design of forest scenery 

 will give decoration without the need of 

 framed pictures. 



MATERIAL FOR PORTIERES 



An inexpensive material suitable for a door 

 curtain between a dining-room and sitting- 

 room in a farmhouse has been inquired for. 



There are many novelties being produced 

 these days in double-faced goods at a moderate 

 price. One of the easiest to obtain is the 

 cotton rep, which comes in a great variety of 

 colors and costs less than a dollar a yard. As 

 the hemming will show on one side of the 

 curtain, it will look better to add a band of 



CARPENTERS 



in these days of close competition 



Need the Best 

 Possible Equipment 



and this they can have in 



BARNES' 



Hand and Foot Power 



Machinery 



W.F.& JOHN BARNES CO. 



567 Ruby Street ROCKFORD, ILL. 



Our New 



Foot and Hand Power 



Circular Saw No. 4 



'T^HE strongest, most 

 powerful, and in every 

 way the best machine of 

 its kind ever made. For 

 ripping, cross-cutting, bor- 

 ing and grooving 



Send 

 for 

 our 

 New 

 Cata- 

 logue 



The Greenhouse and the Garden 



One is as indispensable as the other — one the complement of 

 the other. 



One for the few short summer months, the other a protected 

 garden for every month. 



Both beautiful— ornamental— indispensable. 



Surely, no country grounds can be complete without a green- 

 house. Let us consider the question with you. 



HITCHINGS & COMPANY 



1 1 70 BROADWAY, NEW YORK 



Cortright Metal Roofing Co. 



Philadelphia and Chicago 



Beauty 



That talks when the 

 building is just finished. 

 It takes years to dem- 

 onstrate durability, but in 

 both cases CORTRIGHT 

 SHINGLES have no equal. 

 They last as long as the 

 building itself, and they 

 add a distinctive quality 

 that is positively fascinat- 

 ing. "Wherever one house 

 is covered with them, 

 another follows. It pays 

 architects to specify them. 



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