June, 1913 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
487 
ready for use, or they can be made to order 
from any pattern chosen to match the 
scheme of the house or room. For bright¬ 
ening a large living-room with a dark 
wall, one might select window shades with 
gorgeous red birds, perched on greenish 
brown branches, or just large, convention¬ 
alized red or mulberry flowers with ample 
foliage. For a brown room, shades with 
the long spray of golden glow as a decora¬ 
tion would be successful. 
A fascinating glazed chintz, imported 
for use in a rambling Colonial country 
place, which has white woodwork, ma¬ 
hogany furniture and rag-carpet rugs, has 
a creamy background, dotted with blue 
butterflies in different sizes, and small rose 
tinted blossoms. One cannot picture just 
how lovely this particular shade of ma¬ 
terial is until it has been put up and the 
sunlight streams through it into the old- 
time rooms it is to beautify. Other shades 
which are proving popular, judging from 
the orders taken by a large furnishing 
firm, have the buff surface, showing tiny 
pin dots of black and small old-fashioned 
garden flowers of red, blue, yellow, etc. 
For bedrooms, too, these shades promise 
to be particularly in vogue, especially the 
ones with light designs on the dark back¬ 
ground, as they will answer the purpose 
of darkening the sleeping room. But, as 
with the regular plain window shades, one 
of a black or dark green is provided to 
keep out the very early morning light. 
New Willow Work for the Porch 
N planning the furnishing of an ar¬ 
tistic, comfortable, utilitarian summer 
porch, the most necessary “room” of the 
home, willow furniture seems to lend 
itself most willingly to any style of house. 
Willow chairs in the natural color may be 
used anywhere with or without cretonne 
cushions, giving an effect of springtime 
brightness and cheer; when colored a 
bronze, gray or blue, the effect is more of 
warmth and decoration. The natural wil¬ 
low. or a green stain, gives a coolness 
quite desirable, where the extreme heat of 
the summer sun makes the porch a veri¬ 
table haven f refuge all day. Green is 
always restful to the eyes; one is apt to 
tire of other colors much sooner. Do not 
make a mistake, however, and have your 
willow stained or dyed such a vivid and 
shiny green that it will make the foliage 
look faded in comparison. There is a 
very soft moss tint, a green that is not 
gray, but savors of it, that is very cool and 
restful to the eye, yet artistic and harmon¬ 
ious. No bright stains should be used on 
willow; whatever color is selected, let it 
be of a soft pastel shade. 
In selecting the easy chairs this year 
there is more of a choice than usual, for 
willow workers have been experimenting. 
The result of their experiments is quite 
noticeable in the weaving of chair backs, 
and if one is careful to ask for the “basket 
weave” back, he will find it “springy,” and 
a comfortable rest for the back and 
shoulders, instead of the somewhat stiff 
This willow hourglass table is convenient for 
piazza or lawn 
and unresisting support that the old weave 
back affords. If he will also notice that 
the finish or braided trimming of the wil¬ 
low is set on flat, he will find that this 
method allows far more “give” to the chair 
than the old method of applying the braid 
to make a rigid finish. 
The round willow breakfast table, with 
four graceful side chairs to match, is an 
almost indispensable comfort. The chairs, 
with sixteen-inch backs, are made to fit in 
under the table when not in use, so that 
they may readily be used on a small porch 
as well as a large one. A forty-two inch 
top table with four chairs costs thirty- 
three dollars, and may be had either with 
plain wood or with willow top —the former 
perhaps better if used as a breakfast table, 
althougff a very heavy felt or asbestos 
mat used under the breakfast cloth will 
eliminate the roughness of the willow. A 
willow lamp with electric connection (ten 
dollars, in natural or stained) provides 
for a supper room or for evening reading. 
The new magazine and book rack, made 
with three shelves and two pockets, will 
prove a most useful living-room piece and 
also very serviceable as a side table at 
meal time. This can accommodate a wil¬ 
low tray with glass bottom over cretonne, 
or over real flowers, ferns or leaves, if 
desired. The rack is strong and stable 
and costs nine dollars. 
In addition to the large willow table 
and the book rack or serving table, a small 
hourglass table with serving tray, sold 
for ten dollars, will be found most con¬ 
venient for piazza or lawn use, it taking 
the place of the tea table in serving cold 
drinks. This is made all in one piece as 
in the picture, with stationary compart¬ 
ments to hold bottles and glasses; or the 
bottle basket alone may be had for four 
dollars, and an hourglass stool for three. 
There are also hanging lanterns or lan¬ 
tern cases of willow, and shades for the 
porch electric lights, if one desires to fur¬ 
ther carry out the willow scheme, and the 
willow tea-wagon is always useful. 
With this equipment in willow, not for¬ 
getting, of course, a few armchairs or 
rockers, a large willow basket to hold a 
common bowl filled loosely with wild or 
garden flowers, also a willow scrap basket, 
all forming a contrast with the bright 
colored rug and the cretonne, or toning 
in with rug and cretonne of pastel shades, 
a more delightful “living-room” cannot be 
imagined. 
Here is some of the new willow work that is especially good. When not in use the chairs may 
be pushed under the table, out of the way 
