HOUSE AND GARDEN CORRESPONDENCE 
INEXPENSIVE FURNISHING OF A SUMMER COTTAGE 
Mrs. Cj. F., writes; 
Kindly give me a scheme for inexpensive papering and furnish¬ 
ing of a summer cottage in the country. 1 he house has but 
one story, has a living room i8 x 20 feet, two 12 x 14 bedrooms, 
a kitchen and service department, and one bath room. 1 can 
spend about ^350. 1 have on hand brass beds for both rooms, 
including bedding, etc., a dining-room set of quaint design in 
mahogany, and a large davenport of Craftsman design in brown 
oak; this is not upholstered; these are absolutely all, everything 
else must be purchased. 
The interior trim of the house is hard pine; this has all been 
stained and given a dull finish. 
All rooms except the dining-room are treated alike, with a 
rich, nut-brown stain called English oak. The dining-room has 
been stained a dark, soft green. The house faces south. The 
dining-room is on the northwest corner. 
You have stated to me so clearly your needs, that this, together 
with the floor plan, furnishes me with all the information neces¬ 
sary in making your color scheme. 
For your living-room I would suggest that you use a soft yellow 
tan paper, in what is known as the water grass pattern: on a 
lighter ground small wavy lines are shown irregularly. This 
paper has a frieze very shadowy in effect, showing delicate green 
tree tops against a light sky line. It is difficult to describe this 
paper in a way to show you how very attractive it is; it makes 
an excellent setting for any furniture and harmonizes well with 
the English oak. Fhe paper itself sells for fifteen cents a roll 
of eight yards; the frieze being twenty-five cents a roll of eight 
yards; this is one of this season’s offerings, and among the best 
in color and design. 
For your dining-room I suggest that you use the golde::*. brown 
bookcloth for the lower wall to the height of your plate rail. 
Have strips of pine stained and finished like the woodwork, set 
at intervals of eighteen inches about the room; these to run from 
plate shelf to floor line. This will give you an excellent effect 
of wainscot and add much to the dignity of the room. From 
the plate rail to the ceiling line an English paper showing a con¬ 
ventional design in shades of yellow deepening to a rich orange 
outlined in brown against a sage green ground. The ceiling 
color should be taken from the lightest tone in this paper. The 
windows should be hung with curtains of the thin crinkled silk 
in the shade of orange of the paper. This silk is thirty-two 
inches wide and sells for seventy cents a yard. The curtains should 
be hung on small brass rods set close against the glass and extend 
to the sill, and should be finished with a three inch hem. The 
door curtain could repeat either the brown or green tone in the 
room; it should exactly match your decorative cloth on the lower 
wall if you use the brown. If you decide upon the green these 
should be of a shade to harmonize with both the green in your 
paper and the green of your woodwork. 
For the bedrooms—one of which I note is of southern exposure, 
the other of northeastern, I advise the following selections. In 
the south chamber the wall to be covered with a soft blue two- 
toned striped paper; this can be purchased for twenty-five cents 
a roll. The ceiling to be covered to the picture rail with a paper 
showing single clusters of blue flowers which harmonize perfectly 
with the blue of the side walls though slightly deeper in tone. 
I he windows in this room should be hung with a sheer white 
muslin, showing small disks of blue. Since you will use your 
brass beds in these rooms it will only be necessary to consider 
a dressing table, chairs, desk, etc. Cottage furniture finished 
with white enamel would look well; an attractive dresser with 
a good mirror can be bought for $iJf ,—this is a well-made piece 
of furniture with deep drawers which are really useful. A small 
bedside table of same finish should find a place here, and other 
furniture of willow can be used. This should be left in the 
natural color but given a coat of dull varnish which preserves the 
willow and softens the tone of it. Chintz, showing the same blue 
and white design as that of the wall paper, could be used to cover 
square tufted cushions for the backs and seats of these chairs; 
this upholstering you could do yourself which will materially 
reduce the cost of furnishing this room. A blue and white rag- 
style rug should be used on the floor,—you do not mention the 
wood which has been used for your floors, I presume, however, 
that this is also of the hard pine. 
For the northeast bedroom the La France rose paper is sugges¬ 
ted; this paper shows single roses with stem and leaves at inter¬ 
vals against an ecru ground. Sheer white muslin curtains should 
be used in this room with over draperies of old rose linen taffeta. 
The dresser here can be of brown oak or walnut, if you desire a 
change from the white cottage furniture. Again the willow chairs 
are suggested as being eminently comfortable, inexpensive and 
artistic. The rug in this room can be an art square in two tones of 
old rose, size 9x12 could be purchased for about ;^i8. 
For your living-room I would suggest that you choose shades 
of green and tan for your rug; this should be of body brussels. 
Lou can have it made to order, purchasing the brussels carpet 
by the yard for ^1.25 to $1.50; this will give you an excellent 
quality; it can be set in a border. Your davenport should 
be covered with upholsterer’s velveteen in a shade of green, 
which is slightly lighter than the body of the carpet. Place your 
davenport lengthwise by the side of the open fireplace I note on 
your plan; I see you have marked that the tiles are of ecru; I 
had this in mind in advising the paper that I have chosen. A 
central table which you could have your carpenter make should 
be heavy and almost square; this can be built of pine, ash, or 
oak and stained like the woodwork. A lamp made to fit a large 
copper loving cup could hold the centre of this table; the shade 
should be spreading and show yellow and bronze in its coloring; 
this could either be of art glass, or you could make it yourself 
on a wire frame of soft silk fluted on and finished with crystal 
fringe. Under this lamp and almost covering the table a square 
of brocade in Japanese design should be placed. The golds 
and blues and dull red of this brocade will make a pleasing break 
in the coloring of the room. Several pillows should be placed 
on your davenport; these to be covered with raw silks in shades 
of dull blue, Indian red and a tawny yellow. Book shelves 
which show in your plan on the west side of the chimney will also 
aid in the color effect when well filled with books, as these must 
be carefully arranged to have complete harmony of coloring in • 
their bindings. For the other furniture of this room I would 
suggest that it be after the lines of Arts and Crafts. This furni¬ 
ture can be bought in an unfinished state and stained to match the 
woodwork; it is comparatively inexpensive and strong and sub¬ 
stantially made. Two Hong Kong chairs of willow with cushions 
covered in soft silks will add to the comfort and artistic qualities 
of the room. I'he window draperies should be of raw silk, soft 
green in tone, matching the lightest shade in the carpet. With 
growing plants in brass and copper jardinieres placed attractively 
about you will have an effect which I am sure will please you, 
and which will cost you very little money. 
For the kitchen I suggest that you paint your walls in oil in 
a light shade of Delft blue. Use blue and white crash towelling 
for curtains, carry out the blue and white idea in cooking utensils. 
The plaster wall of your bath room above the tiling should 
be painted also in oil a pale sea green shade. 
I will be glad to supply you with the addresses of the firms 
from whom you can obtain these materials should you desire it, 
and will write me to that effect.— Margaret Greenleaf. 
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