St. Paul daily globe., 1888-06-24

u
7 ma NIA@> a NewYo Journal.
4 CRyI YW1 Like the country
GNRN -Ngirl who remarked
l} #a3W Ml N\\that the violet was
~ NESSAN@S' beautiful enough
+, OHS3WkNSSSSS$S to be artificial" ar
ET@ CTSINfNMVM tiStlc to many peO-
.@NNW pie means strain
ing after weird and
unnatural effects.
simplicity is art" This is maxim
often forgotten, especially by the mod
ern h0uSe-furniSher. Fortunately for
us, simplicity is now the height of
fashion, so far as house-furnishing is
concerned, and even the most stately
homes of Newport and the loveliest cot
tageS at Long Branch must be dressed
this year in chintz and painted furni-
ture, if they would be in fashion. In
town houses, too, the lighter and cheap
er materials of furniture and drapery
are to be used for warm weather.
Any one who has entered country
house in midsummer and found the
drawing room all in soft, light tints,
with comfortable chairs, dainty muslin
curtains and mating or rugs on the floor
instead of stuffy carpet. knows the
cool and comforting feeling such an
apartment produces.
City people who are obliged to re-
main in town during the greater part of
the summer are learning to make their
homes comfortable. Heavy .pOrtieres
and hangings that in July and August
are merely breeding places for moths
and resorts for dust are taken down,
carefully shaken and done up into
neat newspaper parcels, ready to be put
up in the fall fresh and unfaded. Very
heavy carpets are treated likewise, and
for an expenditure OF IS or $40 forty
yards of sweet, clean mating is pur-
chased and put down, at once making
the rooms cooler and cleaner.
Southern families never think of
keeping their carpets down all sum-
mer," said an old housekeeper in speak
ing of the matter. .'At the spring
house-cleaning the mating is put on
the floors and the carpets beaten and
the latter look bright and warm for the
winter"
Bright chintZ come in all manner of
gay designs-clusters of tea and crimson
roSebudS on creamy ground great
scarlet poppieS scattered over pale
yellow field, daisies clustered on pale
blue and rings and hooks of color min
gled in every Imaginable device.
1t is one of the most favored materials
Tor furniture covering. and all of the
''art furniture" establishments are
using it extensively for sofas, chairs,
curtains and drapering of every kind.
1t comes at all prices and qualities, and
with little expenditure one may dress
up an old suit of furniture in it OF cover
new one with slips of it instead of the
tiresome ''brown. linen,'' which is
always suggestive of city boarding
house parlOr.
The chlntZ covers must be made to fit
snugly over chairs and sofas, and for
this elastic bands and few taeks will
be found useful. Bows of ribbon add
to the effect. For rattan or wicker
furniture the chintZ is used in making
cushioned seats, which tie on with rib
bOnS, and which are found delightfully."-
cool and comfortable. The cushions
may be shaken up each morning, and if
pine or balsam is used for the filling
they will be all the sweeter.
For curtains and bedroom drapery of
all kinds. wash materials are preferred
for hot weather. A bedroom is prettiest
dressed in light tints, and the Madras
and other Eastern gauZeS and muSlinS.
which are SO plentiful and cheap, are
best for the moderate purse.
A charming bedroom, just completed,
is matted in green and white. touched
with pale pink here and there. The
shades are ecru. with little curtains of
pale yellow gauze, flecked with big
blush roses and grasses. and tied back
at the window sash with bit of the
same material.
The furniture is a painted cottage
Set'' of paleSt green. with clusters of
rSes, and on the bureau, washstand
and mantef are narrow ScarfS of ecru
Scrim. run with pink and blue ribbons.
The workable has little cover of
white embroidered in pink. and the
rocker cushion made of the curtain
muslin. The furnishings of the entire
room cost but $25, the cottage set being
purchased new for SIS.
These painted bedroom sets are grow
ing in favor. They are far prettier than
the mock oaks and cherries which cost
twice as much and do not wear any
better. The newest cottage suits are
painted in white and highly vanished,
giving the effect of enamel. Clusters of
flowers adorn them.
Some clever hOusekeepers are able to
repaint and varnish their old suits and
to trim them up with gay chintZ. The
paint comes already mixed and the flow
erS may be left intact If the following
directions are needed:
First dissolve some glue, say table
spoonful, in hot water, until the consist
ency of cream, and teaspoOnful of
whiting to make it the consistency of
paint; keep it hot and with a small
brush lay a coat of it over all the flow
ers, leaves, etc.; let it dry. Then paint
over the furniture as If there was no
ornamental work on it. When the paint
ing is dry and complete, take some warm
water and soft rag and wash off the
glue. The flowers will then be found
intact and fresh, even if the baint brush
has passed over the glue" This is the
advice of a practical painter and may be
found of value i'll many cases.
Iron bedsteads may be made ex-
tremely ornamental with flowered mus
lin or Scrim, and any bureau or stand,
draped in the same material. A deep
fiounce about the bed and full curtains
to hang both sides of head and foot is
one of the best and easy ways of trim
ming the bedStead.
With pretty material so cheap, and the
use of scissors and needle, few homes
need lack tasteful and comfortable
sleeping apartments this summer. For
stuffy little flats, light furniture, light
drapery and not too much of either is
recommended.
NIETHnnIST MINIS