Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-01-06
MAKING HOME AN EDEN.

MAKING HOME AN EDEN.
SIMPLE MEANS ~ WHICH IT CAN
BE DONE WITHOUT RICHES
ne Beauty Il Csansa rhinss Proassss
Moro csnssrs TAsa ca. h Hsd BY LAvisA
Rxpsaaissrs Il Msssy-Pls. u .. 1dsea
Hsoe-CsAAioss In Living RoOGa-
No one pretends to deny that the lass do
cnde Of passing years has produced wonder
full changes in house furnishing, and today no
Oscar Wilde lecturing through ths country
would have right on his side in declaring that
ths American home was devoid Of ornament,
because asa race Americans were satisfied 70
call Jour bare walls home. Whether the
words Of the Aforesaid Oscar awakened
spirit Of desire in our hearts to be surrounded
with beautiful colors and beautiful things, or
whether the young disciple CHANGED TO speak
as exactly the right time, % that the sgd fell
upon good ground and sprang up and
brought forth good fruit, it matters not; the
fact remains that the change has established
itself, and in every home is felt,
Obi We have needed much more teaching
to bring the world to see, Is do poetic and
artistic souls, the actual things Of beauty on
which our eyes rest each moment-the grace
full flowing line in some inexpensive drapery,
the pleasing outline capable Of being pro
duced by the use Of commonplace material
we'll designed.
1t is Is good to be awakened to the beauty
and culture to be found in tasteful surround
ings Is to that perhaps more subtle loveliness
in the every day phases Of nature
The old idea that money laviahed broadcast
was the necessary fertiliser TO produce beau
tiful interiors has been exploded, and the
proof is the answer to question which may
b safely put to all the world: DO you sec
the most charming and attractive rooms
among the richest people Of your acquaint-
ANGER That the answer will he IN the mega
tive il Is certain Is it IL natural-for riches
bring great, many roonsed houses, which Tn
themselves are impediments to that stmos-
phere of homeness which must At once appeal
70 the senses or the realization Of beauty is
chilled and must ever remain Impoverished.
When . house contains . stately drawing
room, formal in its elegance; an uncomfortr
able reception room in the highest style Of
the upholsterer's art; . cold and barren
music room, carpstsd for the musics sake; .
library, formidable and unapproachAble,
with it's tier On tier Of crowded and dusty
book shelves; long corridor like picture
gallery hung with too many works OF art 70
know and love-where is the homel Ali
surely II will be found in somebody's bed
room, with great sunny windows and flower
ing plants; there will easy chairs flourish and
the reign Of comfort be found. why is it
that somehow or other We all get into this
roomr will come to be joke in that family,
unless the overwhelming Importance Of great
wealth has crowded out all sense Of humor
from their lives.
And in smaller but pretentious homes in
great cities there 10 something Of the same
dcsolation, for rarely does any one really
live on the first door. The great front room,
long and narrow, with the pleasantest win
dows in the house, the very place which
should by all means he the living room, il
furnished far too grandly for daily family
use, and, like the keeping room Of our grand
mothers, is kept sacred to the visitor.
For beauty and comfort and enjoyment
aud home, give me the houss that somebody
lives in who knows how to hve-with one
great apartment which is sitting room and
library combined where there is space
enough for the piano, even if it be grand,
and q cozy tste-a-tete corner screened of,
books and pictures are everywhere, like the
memory of well loved friends, always with us;
room in which the couch is q real one, wide
and soft, with quantities of cushions, and
the chairs suggest comfort in their
every outline-where the big library
table, well furnished, gives evidence of inter
communion with the outer world and work.
baskets and magazine repeat the homely tale
Of life enjoyed; a room from which IA snug
gerry opens as a wide alcove, suggesting
smoke and thought, and beyond which is .
pleasant hallway mot u ROOM wherein. besides
the usual furnishings, stands little desk and
. comfortable chair or two-that trades
people and persons who call on business need
not intrude upon the family privacy, but may
leave or write their message or attend to
their errand in pleasant place. The end of
the long hall should be divided from the en-
trance by a more or less elaborate screen Of
carvings or spindle work, having an arched
entrance to be hung with bamboo or rice cur
tains. As an entrance hall should never be
les than ten or twelve feet wide, this carved
screen should curtain of quite a little room,
say l21l4, which should be elegantly fur
nished as q reception room and here all visi-
tors WHOSE calls are formal should be enter
tanned.
With such plan OF living rooms, as well
- the dining room on the first floor, such .
house ought to be = home indeed, where lux
ury and comfort combine to form the most
cheerful, cheering, CHEEKY spot imaginable
In All ideal home every member of the fam
uy ought to have his own bedroom and dress-
ing room. Nothing so much as this adds to
individual comfort and self respect. And
the nearer the dressing room is to the bath
room the happier the occupant Great
wealth ought to give additional enjoyments,
and there will be some very comfortable mo-
ments in the lives of such persons who pos
sea bedroom, bathroom and dressing room
all their own
VI the little things we have around in our
living rooms none add to the comfort more
than the big cushions 20 popular nowadays.
Yea, and the little ones, too, tucked in behind
backs or under arms in q way that whispers
to the senses comfort" every minute We
have them piled about promiscuously any
where that a possible excuse suggests itself;
on couches and divans, in chairs and window
seats, IS hassock or pillow, it matters not
whore there is pillow, and it comes in con-
veniently.
Besides their successful aid to the furnish
ing Of . room, what a godsend they are to
the woman who does fancy work, now that
table scarfs and fixture draperies no longer
suggest themselves as dreams OF delight
The largest are a yard square and the de-
signs are conventionalizations Of still life
done In bold lines Venetian cotton, Italian
satin and grass linen make inexpensive and
very excellent coverings, and the needle work
is done in crewels or max. The newest are
round and have two fitted pieces at top and
bottom which are laced together over a puff
Of satin or soft silk. Monograms and crests,
notices and conventionalized floral patterns
form the embroideries japanese stufYs are
much in demand for their fabrication.
Queen Anne darning makes an admirable
background for design, but used without .
diaper pattern 10 not effective as filing.
There is fancy for appliquing squares Of
linen TO plain satin pillowslips, previously or
namented with dragon, convolvulus Of lotus
| in kensngton work. Then too, great ele-
gance OF taste il shown in the use OF artists
silk, In which the printed figure or pattern h
raised by an outline Of bullion. Cushions
like the melon rolls for chair backs are most
useful, made alike ON both sides Of some pretty
figured silks. 8. Z. N. in Chicago Herald.
Mrs Whitney, Fire Screen.
The leather scream which Mre wh;.