Timely Suggestions and 
Answers to Correspondents 
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A New Centerpiece 
ROM Japan there comes a novelty in 
the shape of a plant for use indoors, 
either as a centerpiece for the table or in a 
window garden. It consists of clumps of 
sea grass attached to the pieces of coral 
rock on which they originally grew. That 
is, in exporting the plants for use in this 
country pieces of the coral rock are 
broken off, each holding one or more 
bunches of the grass, which continues to 
thrive just as well in its new surroundings 
as in the old. No two of the plants are 
quite alike and they vary considerably in 
size. 
They are quite easily cared for, as they 
are placed in a shallow bowl containing 
about two inches of water with a layer of 
pebbles on the bottom if one happens to 
have them, though these are not absolutely 
necessary. The coral rock is so porous 
that the water rises in it and so keeps the 
roots of the plants moist, and the only care 
necessary, in fact, is to see that the whole 
thing is kept damp. If the rock is too large 
for the water to rise to the top of it, a little 
water should be poured over it every day. 
As an indoor plant, it is most satisfac¬ 
tory and quite unusual in appearance, for 
the coral, which is beautifully marked, 
looks like a miniature crag, and the grass 
is fresh and green and decidedly healthy 
looking. Tn arranging the small Japanese 
gardens for the table, these plants are 
quite useful, as they give just the right 
appearance of solid earth and rock with 
green and growing things. 
A Small Upstairs Living-Room 
CLEVER utilization of space that 
would otherwise serve only as a 
passageway has been made in a recently 
completed country house that has a wide 
frontage and is so planned that the hall 
on the second floor is rather long and nar¬ 
row, and instead of running through the 
house from front to back is parallel with 
the rear wall, the various bedrooms open¬ 
ing into it from front and sides. At one 
end of the hall is the staircase from the 
first floor, and although there is a third 
A new and attractive centerpiece from Japan, consist¬ 
ing of sea grass and coral 
story the stairs are not continuous, but an 
enclosed stairway to the next floor opens 
off one side of the hall and is built around 
the central chimney of the house. 
This handly little work stand folds up somewhat in 
the manner of a camp stool 
In most houses this upstairs hall would 
be merely a small, rather nondescript 
apartment with many doors and two stair¬ 
cases opening on it, but in this case it has 
been turned into an upstairs living-room 
by the addition of a fireplace and a large 
window seat. Almost the entire outside 
wall of the hall, which is also the rear wall 
of the house, is taken up by a large win¬ 
dow, built out slightly, so that a bow 
window is formed, and in this space is a 
window seat of generous size with a top 
that lifts up, disclosing an excellent stor¬ 
age compartment underneath. Directly 
opposite the window seat is the chimney, 
and a small fireplace of rough brick has 
been built, with a mantelpiece that cor¬ 
responds in size and general appearance. 
Neither of these attractive additions to 
the room occupies any appreciable amount 
of space, and yet with the big sunny win¬ 
dow and the cheerful fireplace it is by all 
odds the coziest and most homelike apart¬ 
ment in the whole house, and not just an 
ordinary little upstairs hall that is a neces¬ 
sary evil because there must be a space on 
which the various bedrooms and bath¬ 
rooms open. 
A Folding Work Stand 
F OR the convenience of the woman who 
likes to have a well equipped sewing 
stand but who does not care to give up 
much space to it or to have it too much in 
evidence, there is a new variety that is 
designed to meet just such requirements. 
It is made on the principle of a camp stool 
and the folding legs are of wood, wrapped 
with English wicker and tipped with brass. 
A large envelope-shaped receptacle made 
of dark green morocco and lined with 
moire silk of the same color is attached to 
the folding stand in such a way that when 
opened it forms a sewing stand with ca¬ 
pacity for a considerable amount of work, 
but when closed it folds perfectly flat just 
as a camp stool does. The stand is com¬ 
pletely equipped with scissors and all of 
the necessary sewing articles, each in its 
own holder, and there is a substantial 
snap lock of nickel with a key. 
