The editor will gladly answer queries pertaining to individual problems of interior decoration and furnishing. 
please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope 
When an immediate reply is desired, 
Placing the Shelf Clock 
HE old adage “a place for everything 
and everything in its place” is a 
very good rule to follow to maintain 
peace and order in the household, but, un¬ 
fortunately, there are some things which 
it is very difficult to find place for and still 
preserve the harmony which makes for 
appropriateness and beauty in house 
furnishing. 
This is particularly so in the case of the 
quaint and lovely old “shelf” or “half” 
clocks of our forefathers, as lucky modern 
possessors of these precious family heir¬ 
looms can testify. These tall, stately 
time-pieces with their mahogany cases, 
painted glass doors and big dials, when set 
up on the mantel shelf over the great open 
fireplaces of Colonial days, with mas¬ 
sive girandoles at either end and fla¬ 
gons of copper and brass or Staf¬ 
fordshire china figures between, were 
not only picturesque but in perfect keep¬ 
ing v/ith their surroundings. Yet they 
look thoroughly out of place in the center 
of a modern mantelpiece, towering above 
the plate rail or molding outlining a drop¬ 
ceiling and flanked with modern bric-a- 
brac. Nor does a stand or table pushed 
back against the wall nor a bureau or 
chiffonier top afford an appropriate rest¬ 
ing place. 
After trying every seemingly possible 
place and room where such a clock would 
not be too obviously prominent the mo¬ 
ment we stepped into the room, the in¬ 
spiration suddenly came to a member of 
the household to put up a shelf expressly 
for it; and the problem was solved. 
The dining-room being furnished in 
old mahogany was chosen as the most fit¬ 
ting apartment, and the carpenter was 
commissioned to place a shelf, which is 
painted white to match the woodwork, in 
the narrow panel between the front win¬ 
dows at such a height as to permit of the 
clock fitting beneath the plate rail. A pair 
of brass candlesticks, one on either side, 
and a collection of old hand-made wooden 
objects, one a mortar and pestle, complete 
what is pronounced one of the most at¬ 
tractive niches in the house. 
A small antique mahogany bedroom 
dock not in keeping with the mantel fur¬ 
nishings has been similarly placed with 
good effect on an oldtime walnut bracket 
in a small niche between the window and 
side wall. 
In the case of the large shelf clock, un¬ 
less a room contains other oldtime fur¬ 
nishings or furniture closely following the 
plain, simple lines of the antique, even the 
shelf fails to provide the proper environ¬ 
ment, and it would be better to put up the 
latter in a hall or foyer where there would 
be little or no furniture to detract from 
the quaintness and beauty of the ancient 
time-piece. 
Rare English shelf clocks of the Chip¬ 
pendale and Sheraton type being lower 
and less massive than the early American, 
may be appropriately used on the mantel 
of a modern library or the top of a set of 
book shelves, provided brass or silver 
candlesticks and other harmonious objects 
constitute the ornaments. 
A shelf specially made and placed for the clock 
is used with good effect 
Japanese Lamp Screens 
E VEN the softest and most delicately 
colored lamp shade does not always 
shut out the glare of the light, especially if 
if is not required for reading or working, 
and to assist in this there are some pretty 
little shades in the shape of miniature 
Japanese screens. They are perfect repro¬ 
ductions, with panels of embroidered silk 
and frames of wood, in two and threefold 
models, and when in use they are placed 
on the table as close to the lamp as possi¬ 
ble, thus shutting off the glare that strikes 
downward from the light. The same 
shades may be had in a less expensive va¬ 
riety, with painted silk panels stretched 
tightly over very slender frames, and deco¬ 
rated with quaint little Japanese ladies, like 
those on the more or less familiar silk fans. 
A Practical Coal-Scuttle 
SEFUL as it undoubtedly is, the coal¬ 
scuttle is not a pleasing-looking 
object, with the exception of the shining 
brass ones that are considerable trouble to 
keep in good condition. A happy medium 
between the cheerless-looking black scuttle 
that is an eyesore and the brass one that 
requires so much elbow grease, is one in 
a dull black with copper trimming. The 
handle across the top and the little orna¬ 
mental pieces by which it is fastened to the 
scuttle are of copper, as is also the smaller 
handle low down at the back, by which 
the scuttle is tilted forward. This kind 
is really quite ornamental, without being 
hard to keep in good condition. 
The Writing Desk 
HE well - known “kidney - shaped” 
writing desk that has long been a 
standard article of library furniture is now 
shown in a different style more suitable for 
a boudoir or small writing-room. The top 
of the new desk is the same shape and just 
about the same size, but underneath there 
is only one shallow drawer in the center 
(386) 
