The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-02-07
COMM ICATED.)
How TO Make Our Homes At
tractiVe.

house prettily without spending a
large amount of money. \ very
mistaken idea, and one which |
Will try to dispel. if my readers
will follow me while | throw out a
few hints, and then endeayor 10
apply what We may discover 10
their own houses and circum~tan-
ceS.
Let Us recall two houses where
We have visited in the past. We
all remember them, they are to be
found IN every village and every
city IN our country. At the first,
We are ushered into a cold, dark.
damp parlor, the cheerlessness Of
which Is more perceptible to us,
after our brisk walk IN the clear
air and bright sunshine. than to
the inmates of the dwelling, who
are used to it. The servant opens
a window, pulls up a shade, and
we have sufficient light to look
around while awaiting the lady.
who is worth her thousands. The
room is large. and filled with
heavy, costly furniture, the floor
covered with the most expensive
carpet, the walls almost bare, save
for two II three very valuable
paintings, hung high and their de-
tails hardly distinguishable in the
dim light. Though everything is
rich and rigidly I'm place." the
room evidently is opened only for
company. We make our call and
feel thankful when it is over. hur-
rying out INTO the glad sunshine
with a sense of relief.
The next house we enter belongs
to a comparatively poor man !; the
rooms are small, the ceilings are
low, and everything in the little
parlor and sitting room combined,
put together, did not cost as much
as our wealthy friends carpet alone,
and yet how cosey how homelike
The carpet we now see is one of the
cheapest, perhaps homemade, ia
ded in many places by the glad
sunlight which streams through
the window, the furniture plain
and inexpensive but there is a
bright fire on the hearth, the win
dows are hung with muslin curtains,
and filled with fragrant plants ; no
~exotics, but simple, inexpensive
home-flowers, which every one may
have inexpensive pictures adorn
the walls, and the vacant places
are filled up with some little home
made ornaments. The center ia
bic is covered with a bright cloth,
and on it are mothers work basket,
books, a magazine or two, a bible.
and all combine to make us feel
Is If the room was furnished to en-
JOY made to live in. Now, where
IN lies this difference in our feel
ings? We are but doing homage
to the Goddess of Taste" whom
all of us recognize, though we can
not always put Il finger on the
cause Of u sensation of pleasure.
In furnishing a room one must
have taste first, secondly, ingenuity.
Buy Ingram carpets, or still cheap
er ones they + very pretty often
times, and then what if the sun
does shine on them, or the children
play in the room? In three or four
years we can afford to replace them
If necessary. Select subdued col
ors IN carpets with perhaps bright
border, and buy and make each al
tlcle with reference to the others.
Avoid striking contrasts, and vet
do not have carpet and furniture
all Of n color, but use two or
even three colors that harm0ntze
well. Have a variety in the furni-
lure /; an easy chair covered with
pretty chintz, another Of your own
device IN Worsted work. This cor
ner fitted with a common box nice
ly covered and stuffed-a home
made ottoman :" that corner
containing some simple book
shelves of common pine, stained,
If walnut costs too much. If the
Hanlel-plece Is nlSn ana unslgntiy,
cover it with a pretty chintz lam
brequln, and put lambrequin's to
match over each window; they
will be pretty oye the muslin cur
tains. By the way, ordinarily, un-
bleached muslin, at eight or ten
cents a yard, trimmed with strips
of blue or scarlet flannel, makes
very pretty and inexpensive cur-
talnS.
There are plenty of pictures II
may buy "for Il song" which per
haps may not bear a close examina-
ton by an artist, but which will
serve to v a bare wall, and in
some pretty homemade frame will