How They Furnish Town and 
Country Houses in France 
THE CONSOLE WITH BUST SHOWN IN THIS BEDROOM 
USUALLY SEEN IN THE GRAND 
CHARMING EXAMPLE OF DIRECTOIRE MANTEL, ETC. 
occupant, the same 
room can be seen in 
any furnishing shop 
window of g o o d re- 
pute, no feminine 
touch, nothing that 
denotes the inner life 
of its inhabitant. 
The English and 
American influence is 
being very much felt 
in Paris apartments, 
at present; the circle 
around th e fir e is 
broken in many 
homes, and groups are 
formed about the 
room; the English 
tea-table has also 
been introduced and 
is taking the place of 
the dry biscuit and 
glass of sherry, and 
there is less of the 
feeling of stiffness. The apartment here described is 
that of the average French couple just starting in life; 
it has been furnished for them, just as their marriage 
has been made for them, and the individual touch is 
wanting; they seem satisfied with things as they are 
planned and so it remains. It has all the neces¬ 
sities of life, but few of its luxuries; is all very 
correct, but denotes that the life of the owner is 
not one of the “home” but rather of the cafe and the 
Boulevard. 
As compared in point of decoration and furnishing 
with the average home of the American, it is in some 
respects better, for there is nothing that shocks the 
eye; its simplicity is a point in its favor, but the 
American apartment is often more interesting, for it 
is generally an expression of the individual. A happy 
combination is the home of an American living in 
Paris. 
Much can be said of the delight of the country 
home in France. The quaintness and beauty of the 
houses themselves often is largely due to the perfect 
way in which they fit into the picture; in other 
words, their harmony, in color and form, with the 
surrounding country. 
Most of the French country homes are inherited 
estates and full of a peculiar old-time charm. Here 
one finds the highly polished bare floors, perhaps a rug 
immediately in front of the fireplace, and (in the bed¬ 
rooms) a small one at the bedside; chairs arranged 
against paneled walls, old family portraits or histor¬ 
ical paintings, and big fireplaces; the heavy window 
curtains are used as they are in town, for the same 
desire to be closed in snug and dark at night exists in 
the country as well as the town home. The first duty 
OF NAPOLEON IS THE KIND 
SALON 
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