68 
AMEEI0A:N' J\aKIOULTUEIST. 
[F:ebbuary, 
A Corner Bracket. 
A larp;e bracket, fastened to the wall in a corner 
in such a manner that it is capable of supporting 
considerable weight, is very useful and answers 
many purposes of a small stand. As supports, 
screw firmly to the wall two narrow pieces of board, 
an inch thick, at any desired bight; two and a half 
feet from the floor, or the hight of an ordinary 
stand, is convenient. The shelf may project twelve 
to eighteen inches from the inner corner, with 
rounded front. The coyer may be of any material 
preferred. Cut one piece for the top and a straight 
piece, ten to twelve inches deep, according to the 
size of the bracket, and long enough to go around 
its front. Trim this piece with a band of a con¬ 
trasting color about two and a half inches wide; 
finish the lower edge with fringe, and seam the 
two pieces together. Cut the eover for the top two 
inches larger than the board, so that it can be 
drawn down over the edge and tacked on the 
wrong side. To prevent its tipping by any weight, 
fasten to the wall with a small piece of leather or 
strong muslin, under the inside corner of the top. 
Dark-red felt, with a band of deep-gray or brown 
plush, makes a pretty cover. The good part of a 
worn-out coat can often be used. Many kinds of 
gray or brown cloth are very good on the wrong 
side, after the right side is quite worn and faded, 
and by cleaning and pressing it may be made to 
look almost as well as new cloth. A band of em¬ 
broidered canvas may be used in place of the plush, 
or some ijattern may be worked directly on the 
Stull. If in a bedroom where there are window 
curtains of chintz, the braeket may be covered to 
match, leaving off the band around the front and 
finishing oil the lower edge with fringe, or a plait¬ 
ing of the chintz. Mrs. Busthand. 
Housa-Furnishing. 
A lady of limited means, but of rare taste, whose 
touch molded almost everything into soniething 
beautiful, and whose success in all practical mat¬ 
ters pertaining to every-day home life made her an 
oracle to the young and inexperienced, recently 
said: “ I have never coveted any lady’s jewels, 
silks, and laces, or even her position in ‘society;’ 
but 1 am afraid I have sadly broken the Tenth Com¬ 
mandment when I have seen the beautiful, well- 
ordered homes of some of my friends, where every 
department seemed complete and filled with all 
that could be desired for health, comfort and 
beauty.” There are thousands of ladies with the 
same longings, and who, if they have an extra five 
dollars, would much rather spend it for home deco¬ 
ration than on dress for themselves. It is possible 
with limited income to make a very modest home 
more attractive than a much richer one, and its in¬ 
fluence on the family, especially upon children, 
cannot be estimated. Such a home does more to 
form the character for good, than the teachings or 
discipline of parents. We would like occasionally 
to help those trying to make pleasant, cheery 
homes, who have not the means to employ a pro¬ 
fessional decorator, but whose own heads and 
hands must design and do all. For these comforts 
we would say: A home where the furnishing of 
each room has been thought out and perhaps 
worked out by mother and daughters, has a value 
to father and sons far beyond one committed to 
some stranger to “furnish throughout as stylish as 
possible,” at any cost. Its influence does not cease 
when it is broken up, but reaches down through 
generations in other homes. 
Harmony of color is of the first importance in 
furnishing. Not that walls, carpet, curtains, chairs, 
etc., should be of the same color; that would make 
a room cold and uninviting. There should be two 
or three colors in a room, but these should harmo¬ 
nize. If one is conscious that she has no eye for 
color, she should consult some one of known taste 
before purehasing articles which, although by 
themselves might be desiiable, would perhaps 
if placed with others spoil the effect of the whole, 
and be a disappointment to be endured for years. 
A carpet for instance should not be purchased 
without considering what the color of the paint 
is; and so of the sofa and chairs, if they are up¬ 
holstered. A carpet is like tie background of a 
picture, it brings into effect the whole. Styles 
for carpets have entirely changed within a few 
years. Patterns of huge bouquets of impossible 
flowers used to be seen almost everywhere; now a 
very small, set figure, so small as to look almost 
like a plain color at a little distance, is in much 
better taste. This may be enlivened by a border of 
bright colors. The lovely pearl and -gray grounds, 
with vines or tracery of a darker shade, and bright 
borders of Persian patterns, are very desirable, and 
look well with almost everything. The fashion of 
staining floors black-walnut color for a yard or more 
around the walls, and having a square of bordered 
carpet in the centre, is gaining ground, and much 
liked for the pretty style and the convenience of 
taking it up for eieaning. It is also economical. 
There are now plain, ingrain carpetings, in solid 
colors, called “filling,” which are used around 
these center rugs, instead of staining the floor. 
We have seen parlors carpeted with dark, turquoise- 
blue filling, with Persian rugs over them, not in any 
set or regular order. The effect was very good. 
Curtains are a very important part of furnishing. 
Of course there must be shades. There ought to 
be drapery, however simple; no one thing adds 
more to the pleasant, cheery look of a room. 
Shades are now rarely white, but tinted, either 
gray, cream, or old-gold color. They should never 
be of a very deep shade. Many use red for the din¬ 
ing-room, but that color is better suited to some 
public place. A fringe about two and one-half 
inches wide finishes the bottom. For drapery there 
are many beautiful and artistic patterns in Notting¬ 
ham lace, which is low-priced and durable. They 
may be selected to look so like real lace that they 
can hardly be distinguished from it. The yellowish 
tint should be chosen, and in light patterns. Linen 
scrim, with inserting and edging of guipure lace, 
is always handsome. Simple cheese cloth, plain or 
figured muslin, or cretonne, are all pretty. Heavy 
fabrics should be used only in large and richly 
furnished rooms. They may be used with good 
effect for portieres, to hide or replace a door, or to 
separate rooms. Heavy lambrequins are not in 
style. Curtains are hung with rings on poles of 
brass or wood, and the lambrequin, if any, is 
straight across, narrow or broad, embroidered, or 
trimmed with fringe, or it may be a simple plaiting. 
Mantel lambrequins are a plain scarf across the 
front, with decorated ends hanging low. There is 
often, as a back ground for ornaments above the 
mantel, a curtain, plain or plaited, of the material 
of the lambrequin, about half a yard wide, hung 
upon a rod with rings. This may be of velvet 
paper, beaded by a narrow gilt molding. Halls 
are no longer the barren entrances to the home, 
but are a part of it. Old and quaint chairs look 
well here, and if there is a window, a drapery cur¬ 
tain with a large plant on a small stand, is very 
pretty. An ornamental umbrella stand is often 
seen in halls, instead of the old heavy marble-top 
stand. We will go farther into the home at some 
future time. Ethel Stone. 
Drop-leaf Tables. 
Tables of a single leaf hinged to the wall are very 
convenient, and should be in much more general 
use. They are useful in almost any room in the 
house, and can be of any desired size. A simple 
small desk, for a dictionary or other reference 
book, a writing or study desk, a temporary shelf 
for plants, a kitchen table, etc., may each be con¬ 
structed in this manner, and be of the breadth and 
length required for the use for which they are de¬ 
signed, or that the space will allow. When not in 
use, they can be dropped down or turned up against 
the wall, or be so arranged as to be removed en¬ 
tirely. A correspondent sends the sketch of 
one in his own kitchen, made thus: “A double- 
beaded strip, about three inches wide, an inch 
A CONVENIENT WALL TABLE. 
thick, and about three and a half feet long, is firmly 
attached to the wall, about thirty inches above the 
floor. A drop-leaf eighteen inches wide is strongly 
hinged to this, and supported by a swinging leg, or 
by side ehains, indicated by the dark lines. The 
chains ai’e more secure and I’eliable, When not in 
use, it is raised and held against the wall by a but¬ 
ton. Neatly made, it is not unsightly, and is very 
useful in baking, washing dishes, etc.”—Unless 
very strong, it would hardly be firm enough for 
such heavy work. We have used such a table sup¬ 
ported by stout irons wire for a long time. 
A Home-made Lounge. 
Many things can be made for the kitchen at little 
expense, which will add greatly to its comfort and 
attractiveness. A lounge is almost as restful to a 
weary woman as a rocking chair, and may ivell be 
in every kitchen large enough to hold one. Here 
is one which serves not only as a lounge, but as a 
repository for many things required in the house- 
A CHEAP LOUNGE. 
hold. It was, to begin with, a box six feet long, 
about two feet wide, and fourteen inches high, as, 
to be comfortable, it should be low and wide. To 
the top a cover was fitted, hung with hinges at the 
back. Four casters were added to. the corners. 
For a covering, a pretty, cheerful cretonne was 
chosen, as this material is durable, if of good qual¬ 
ity, and it does not absorb and retain dust, like 
most woollen cloths. Of course any material can be 
used, old dresses often making effective coverings. 
