Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-30
HOMES.
How the Old May be Combined With
the New.
BEAUTY AT LITTLE COST.
Pretty Designs I'm Inexpensive Mate
rta1s-Old Ideas Rcvivcd-The China
Cabinet i'm the Dining Room-A Green
Effect in Grove.


iii all the good things of the present da,
compared with the privileges even Of tel
or fifteen years ago. This includes man!
different lines Of thought and action. but W,
have only to consider it as it applies to attract
i've homes. Here certainly We have plenty t.
be thankful for. for no one impulse has quick
ened more than the desire, and with the facility
Of making every home, no matter how simple
a truly attractive spot. One can remember tn,
difficulties that used to exist in carrying on
any originality in such things even if one pos
sessed it. Such innovations were against al
custom, and to break away from ''set'-or, al
| it also used to be called with an effort at ele
gance, "suite" Of furniture-was o daring
| deed, forsooth! OF course money could
always buy handsome things Of the prevailing
fashion, but with small means hopeless med
iocrity reigned in the ordinary home. With ar
awakened interest in such matters, among the
majority of folk that interest is catered to now
adays to an almost unlimited extent. While
| the most costly and beautiful articles abound
the day of small things is not despised and an
equally large selection is offered to the pur-
| chaser of few dollars worth of goods as te
the one whose only limit is her fancy.
PRETTY DESIGNS IN CHEAP GOODS.
| Neither is it trash that is offered at low
prices The designs are as good and often the
same in printed muslin as in silk, and artistic
effects are quite as consistent with one as the
| other The seeing of possibilities is may be q
| gift and it does wonders some times il manag.
| ing and arranging house, rs well as in other
| things. In the same way with furniture as
| with materials the forms of the inexpensive
| are often identical with those of much higher
priced goods, and while poor furniture is to be
avoided there is much that is cheap and at the
/ anna time iy,s hora md wal nodn Thp,
! too, there are the much affected makeshifts in
| furnishings, whereby cot beds and dry goods
| boxes do yeoman service as artistic divans, and
| when ones ingenuity once gets into the way OF
! devising these contrivances there is no know
| ing what may not be evolved. l know Of sew
| eral schemes for decoration which are making
| the authors thereof finish their summer out
| ings with degree of impatient haste to have
| it over and begin this absorbing renovation.
While everything Of the kind has been lying
| dormant here through the warm weather ideas
| have accumulated, and the readers Of ATTRACT
| i've Homes" are sure to hear later Of fulfilled
ideals in many branches of decorative art
DoUBLE-FAcED WINDOW SHADES.
One Of the good things to know at this sea-
son is the fact that there are such things as
| double-faced window shades. II then one
wishes to have the shades match the furnish
| ing Of any room, or all rooms, it is possible,
and yet avoid the harlequin effect if more than
| thing that may save trouble and annoyance,
and to which have already referred, is the rod
| for sash curtains, which is put up without
bracket or socket by means of a spring aud
| rubber tips, and which can easily be adjusted
| to any window.
BRASS AND IRON BEDsTKADs.
1t almost goes without saying that il new
bedsteads are to be bought in any household
the choice will be either brass or iron enam-
eled and with brass fnishings. The use of
| them and preference for them increase con-
stantly. Now they are being put into hotels
and club houses we'll most private houses.
White has been the finish on the majority OF
the IRON beds, but the Spanish fancy OF last
| season has not died out, and in accordance
with that the beds are being painted black to
considerable extent. Black with the brass
tips makes striking looking couch Of repose,
and yellow bed spread would be the one most
suited to this outfit Anything else besides
black would clash in color, and don't suppose
even the women who affect black underwear
would like to drape a bed in the funereai
shade
Lace sets come now for bed rooms that in
clude curtain and bed hangings, spreads, sash
curtains and toilet covers. Lace over yellow
or even over black would be admirable on a
black and gold bed.
CHEAP INVITATIONS.
While 1t is q great advantage to have pretty
ordinary prices, it is another thing when a
cheap imitation of something handsome is
made so as to be really deceptive. For in
stance, have heard Of Venetian chairs ostensi-
bly, upholstered with what appeared to be
leather, in beautiful fioriated design, and which
it did not take the most careful scrutiny to con-
vict Of being paper. Others OF these things
that are not what they seem are armor and
bronze plaques OF papier mache aud coffered
ceilings with heavy cross beams of paper
again. One can hardly imagine being satisfied
with these paper limitations Of the most solid
Of substances.
CHINA CUPBOARD.
An old, old fashion revived is the china cab
met in the drawing room. 1t is q pretty OBJ
ject, and containing others equally pretty, is
an addition to the furnishing. One of the most
attractive have seen is q corner closet of old
mahogany, small and high, with irregular
| shaped panes of glass in the upper part the
only one inclosed. Hooks show off the hang
ing cups, while plates and odd pieces crowd
the shelves. The lower part is open. with high
| slender legs and place for a large lar or vase.
things new and old most effectively combined
SO as to harmonic and assimilate.
PRETTY PoRTIEREs.
| At the two single doorways on either side of
the mantel are portieres which are particularly
pleasing in style and color, and the same de-
sign could be applied to other materials and
| shades. These are of turcoman, of dark Indian
| red, and the lower two-thirds are of this plain
surface. The upper third is of turcoman in
| very narrow up-and-down stripes of the dark
red and a soft tone much lighter. Where the
two sections join large silk cord Of the two
| shades is put on finish and at the top are
the usual pins and hooks attaching it to the
| brass rod set in the opening, not across the
frame work Of the door.
| COVERING OLD FURNITURE.
Some Of the old-fashioned furniture has beer
| covered with velours in this shade Of red, and
a large, high-backed easy chair, which used &c
be full Of tufts and putting, is very stylish look
ing with plain finish everywhere, bands in
stead of pufs and tightly drawn goods instead
of tufting. Heavy cord and square headed
brass nails are the ornaments while a slight,
plated frill falls to the floor. The hiRh-backet
| Turkish sofa Is covered in the same style. ane
for some time have seen no two pieces of fur
niture so striking and stylish in appearance.
COMBINING OLD AND NEW.
All through this modernized old house Root
taste has made the most of the heirlooms, anl
brought in new things with a care that pre-
| vents any clashing in the combination. In the
upper hall is one of the small divans with
| mahogany frame and no back, which used t.
DO in haircloth-of all substances the most in
| artistic. This has been covered in q dark
bronze brown set in a little recess where i
just Tits, and with single big pillow with the
| same covering on 1t looks exactly suited to tn,
place.