Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-26
hints FOR THE HOME.
The Latest Wrinklcs IN House Decoration
TART Amateur for January

before the hearth, long and slender vase
of Japanese pottery or porcelain, IN low
tones of color, looks we'll when filled with
certain dried grasses, cat-tails, and plumes
of Pampas grass.
Anew gypsy" or tripod table, has been
introduced, the legs covered with plush like
the top. Around the edge of the circular
top hangs heavy silk fringe which also
finishes the legs. A scarf of plush en-
broidered with gold, and fringed with silk
is knotted at the intersection of the legs.
The ordinary music stool is usually an
ugly, and uselessly heavy article of furni-
ture, and pleasing substitute might be
found in the old fashioned four legged
single seats, which are otherwise pictur-
ssque and convenient, and may, when not
in use, be pushed under tho piano table,
or long legged cabinet.
An East-side cabinet maker has made
lucky hit by the production of small ma
hogany ea-tables made after an English
model, with two drop-leaves and steady
set Of supports below, which endear them
to the hearts of all tea drinking house
keepers. These dainty tables are Just of q
height to reach tho elbow of the lady
while sitting, and at ordinary times they
occupy some quiet corner unobserved.
For dining table there is no light to
be compared to the soft radiance of plenty
of candles. They should be in branches
tall enough to be above the level of the eyes,
and should be Of kind which does not
flicker or run. The light from the side
board and sides of the room should be
sufficient to prevent shadows from being
~ Sf ri no fah
very expensive az compared with gas, when
it is considered what damage gas does to
the furniture and silver. Then dinner
does not last so very long; and everybody
and everything looks SO much better in
the mild light of wax or composite, it is
worth trying to have it.
N common with tambourines, guitars
and spinets, ancient harps are being care
fully unearthed in the auction rooms, and
brought home to decorate the much crowd
cd modern interior. There is not much
hope that proficiency in execution on this
graceful old instrument will be generally
ATTAINED in the PRESENT generation, but then
as gretty girl who had just acquired
harp for her music room observed:
What difference does that make? It's
such capital thing to pose againstr'
brown paper IS very useful IN household
decoration. Pretty screens of coarse gro
GERS paper, painted in oils, are often used.
An old wooden mantelpiece may be COW
cred with this coarse paper and painted
roughly, but most effectively, with pink
and white foxgloves and leaves, or with
peoples. Paper can be only temporary
decoration, but in country villages occa-
sions often arrive-such as impromtu
festivities, church sociables, and we'd
dings-when speedy decoration is most
valuable.
Long, full under-curtains of lace or Mad
ras muslin are gradually drifting out of
fashion. In their stead one sees, in most
of the new artistic interiors, an unbroken
sweep of plush or raw silk on either side of
tho window frame, through which the ex-
panse of shining plate glass appears un
covered, save by shade of embroidered
silk or holland. A brass jardiniere, filled
with palms and ferns, helps to do the work
of excluding curious eyes, and the advan
tage gained by break in the floor line
and wall space, through admission of tho
window recess, 10 nOticeaDiy gOod. where
thin curtains are necessary, those hung
close to the sash are advisable. Gold
wrought Madras muslin, painted and en-
broicsred, and boiling cloth similarly
treated, are most employed by artists in
decoration.
When young couple commence furnish
ing they should content themselves with
the nlers necessaries of life until they have
acquired the knowledge of what they want
and discovered the best means of procur-
ing it. few cottage chairs and kitchen
tables can, by means of cushions and COW
ers, be made to do for year or so, and
will save a great deal more than they cost
in preventing money being thrown away
in a hurry on unsuitable purchases. In
cities furniture can be hired and returned
as it is replaced at leisure.
The sim plest method of staining floor is
to get FROM dealer IN paints half gall
lon Of oak stala ready mixed, pour it into
basin, and cover the floor with it, using
an ordinary hogs hair paint brush. Do
not tread more than you can help on the
part you have stained; of course you
would do tie floor near the door last. If
one wash of the stain does not make as
dark tint as you wish, wait till it is quite
dry and give it a second. When it is quite
dry the housemaid can rub it up with
beeswax and turpentine, or she may make
a mixture of these two Ingredients with a
little resin, warmed until it is all liquid,
and then when it is cool rubbed on with
q cloth and polish up with brush.
In papering the upper part OF wall
abovea stenciled dado, the following shades
Will be found to go well together: Paper, a
light shade of gray; dado, darker shade of
gray, relieved by few narrow lines and
touches of pure vermillion. Paper, cream
color; dado, flowers with tints of salmon
and orange shaded with lake, leaves and
stems of shades of grays and browns.
Paper, pale terra Gotta; dado, deep shade
of terra Gotta, with Egyptian designs out
lined with black.
Decorative art allows every scope for
beauty of form and color. but dispenses
with aerial effects and to a great degree
with shadows. The wall behind the paint
ing is understood to be there; there should
be no attempt at deception in any way.
The outlines should be most carefully
drawn, and accentuated by decided line
Of color of some warm dark shade
all around each object. Chiaroscuro is as
much out of place as perspective, carried
to ans marked point; though in all draw
ing, however fat, a knowledge Of the laws
of perspective must be useful.
Flowers (of course single ones are infinite
ly preferably should be drawn with great
attention to structural form, but should be
treated in a conventional manner. Q.
4.