The Editor will gladly answer queries pertaining to individual problems of interior decoration and furnishing. When an immediate reply is 
desired, please enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope. 
The Essential Chest 
N airtight, dustproof chest is an ar¬ 
ticle of household utility that is too 
often overlooked in furnishing the home. 
It should be one of the necessities, not 
merely an ornament put to use—least of 
all a receptacle for gum boots. The old- 
fashioned “wedding-chest” idea is one to 
be encouraged, for besides urging the 
young girl to make and to save toward 
her own future home furnishing, it pro¬ 
vides her with a most important article 
of furniture for present use. 
It is essential that the chest be prop¬ 
erly made. There are ready-made chests 
to be found, some very well constructed, 
but a chest made to order by a good car¬ 
penter is likely to give more pleasure, not 
only because its design and trimmings 
may be distinctive, but because one can 
watch and superintend the making. 
Cedar is the most desirable of all 
woods for the utility chest, chiefly because 
of its imperviousness to insects. Old sea¬ 
men's chests were always made of cedar 
or camphorwood — a wise precaution 
when exposed to the insects of many 
lands. A cedar chest made air-tight is 
an absolute preventive of insects of all 
kinds. This is especially true in regard 
to moths. It will save a lifetime of worry 
over the destruction of woolens and furs, 
and annoyances at the odor of camphor or 
camphor balls. Mice will not gnaw ce¬ 
dar, and damp will not penetrate. For 
winter use as well as for summer, cedar 
is very satisfactory. Handsome gowns 
may be laid in a chest with the absolute 
certainty that nothing, not even a speck 
of dust, will mar. As cedar is expensive 
nowadays, a plain cedar chest made of 
good three-quarter-inch wood, hand pol¬ 
ished, is worth at least twenty dollars. A 
walnut, oak or mahogany chest, if a spe-. 
cial wood appeals to you to correspond 
with other furnishings, may be lined with 
cedar wood, and thus have practically the 
same value as one of solid cedar. 
The old English chests, usually made 
of walnut, were not decorated with much 
carving. If you buy an old chest in Lon¬ 
don and ask if the carving is old, the 
dealer will “size you up” before telling 
the truth—that the panels of the old chest 
have been removed and elaborate modern 
carving done thereon before replacing. 
Many of the old English chests stood on 
legs, which raised them from six inches to 
two feet above the floor. 
The chest in the dining-room is well- 
nigh indispensable for table linen. Suit¬ 
able trays or shelves can easily be ar¬ 
ranged inside. The pungent, spicy odor 
of the cedar is a desirable fragrance not 
only in clothes but in linens — it is even 
preferred by many housekeepers to old 
lavender or rose leaves. 
Colonial chests are trimmed with cop¬ 
per bands and studded with old-fashioned 
copper rivets, made to last for genera¬ 
tions. Others are trimmed with carved 
molding and panels; sometimes with oxy- 
dized or dull copper, or hand-wrought 
iron bands. Often the initials or the 
monogram of the owner, hand-wrought 
in metal, are fastened to the top or front, 
and the lock and lid-stay are made 
strong enough to last for many genera¬ 
tions. 
The seat fits in beneath the telephone stand, 
and together they take up very little room 
Book Blocks 
OOK blocks of wood, made with 
straight or curved Colonial lines, or 
carved to match any period furnishings, 
appeal to the housekeeper because of their 
simplicity, and the ease with which they 
are freed from dust. These blocks are 
heavily constructed to stand the strain of 
the row of books between them. They are 
an improvement on the regulation book- 
rack, as a pair of them form the complete 
rack. A unique pair is shown in mahog¬ 
any, cut in the straight Colonial lines. In 
one end is set a small clock. Monograms, 
initials or crests are also inlaid in the ends, 
satinwood being the best wood for the 
purpose. The advantage of these blocks 
for the library, living-room or bedroom is 
that their holding capacity is limited only 
to the size of the table itself. They are 
iron weighted, but the wood is so smooth¬ 
ly polished that it does not mar the un¬ 
covered table. Eight dollars will purchase 
a handsome pair. 
A Telephone Table 
N this age of telephones when several 
hours each week are spent receiver in 
hand, it is important that the telephone 
should be placed so that conversations 
may be held with comfort and con¬ 
venience. 
The accompanying illustration shows a 
three-cornered table. The projecting arm, 
which is on a pivot, supports the telephone, 
and can be swung to the desired position. 
The table itself is convenient for taking 
notes. The shelf below is made to hold 
the telephone book, etc. It fits snugly 
into a corner and takes up but little room; 
and together with the stool to match sells 
for $7.00. 
The telephone corner can be made an 
attractive feature of a busy home. A 
useful item is a small blackboard hung 
above the table, on which can be re¬ 
corded the messages left for the various 
members of the household. This can be 
made more prepossessing if the woodwork 
is stained, or a design burnt on it. A card 
giving the telephone numbers most fre¬ 
quently called, and those that might be 
needed in an emergency, should also be 
( 106 ) 
