Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-01-10
ATTRACTIVE HOMES.
How to Arrange Ones New Possess
sions to Best Advantage.
CHINA AND ITS DISPLAY.

slons to Best Advantage.
CHINA AND ITS DISPLAY.
Cabinets May BE Decorated So aa To Make
Their Contents More Attractive - Some
Handsome Small Tablcs-rretty Styles in
Odd Chairs-Floor Cushions Revived.
THOUGH THE HURRY and whirl Of gaiety
Il of short Washington season is upon us
and every one is drawn more or less into the
vortex still there is time for other pursuits
seeing the houses Of all ones friends at their
prettiest and experiencing all the novelties in
the way Of entertaining q rich store Of ideas
may be harvested for future if not present use.
No matter what subject one may be specially
interested in, how enlightenment and sugges-
tons on that particular theme seem to come
forward prominently, almost of their own Volt
ton, it seems sometimes. The eve is uncon-
sciously observant at times, doing its quiet
| work when the attention is elsewhere. So
often pretty thing in the way Of embroidery
or painting or ingenious furnishing will not
only please Of itself, but prove to be sufficiently
inspiring to suggest to others similar effects.
1t is always my habit and advice to aim at
originality and when say thing is sugges-
tive /! imply not copying the article in ques-
ton, but applying an idea of similar kind to
our own individual tastes and wants. / never
want to exactly copy anything and, as to hav-
ing ones own ideas, either naturalized or
| otherwise, exactly reproduced by others, two
opinions seem to prevail. Some people are
annoyed at having their notions appropriated
by any one else, with or without leave, while
others are pleased by imitation in any line and
| model for others. After an influx of Christmas
presents into family there are generally or
namental additions to almost every room in Q
house OF one kind or another.
ARRANGING ONES NEW POSSESSIONS.
Very pleasant work it is, too, making the
changes among the old belongings, in order to
find suitable plans for the newer and fresher
if not always handsomer things, which swell
the number Of ones possessions.
Perhaps it is a mercy-though unrealized at
the time-that accidents happen and things
breakable come to grief, or otherwise how
could we live in houses that fill up all too
quickly? Particularly is the crowding in Of
new objects noticeable after family moves
into a new and generally larger house At first
noticeable baroness prevails, but no matter
now cautiously one proceeds in the matter Of
additional acquisitions almost before it can be
realized. too, the new house begins to seem OPP
| pressively full and wedding out has to COM
mence. Accidents step in to hasten the pro-
cess, and If only the survival Of the fittest'
was the law in the matter. we might be resigned.
1t Is, however. generally the one thing we were
most attached tor we feel so for the mo-
ment-that falls q victim to careless fingers or
| misplaced zeal.
In these days of china lovers there is nothing
more popular for gifts than than fragile porce-
lain and almost every one has something new in
that line TO enjoy since Christmas From the
tiniest piece for toilet table to the magnifi-
cent table services of Sevres or Dresden accom-
modations can be found by the fortunate recip-
lent. Much is written and said about china be-
ing displayed as part of the furnishing and dec
| grafton of dining room. 1 read a plea the
other day for the ''best china" to be used to
brighten up the dining room when not in use.
CHINA CABINETS.
Cabinets open or with glass doors, are much
more common than few years ago, and quite
inexpensive ones may be made really ornamen-
tai by judicious arrangement. Yellow silk in
| its various tones is said to make an excellent
| back ground for displaying china. and cabinets
are lined with 1t, drawn in tight plaits. Terra
Gotta Is a favorlte color with me for using as
foil to the beauty of decorating china. If one
| has particularly handsome piece Of china in
platter or plate form it ia a good way to put it
directly on the wall in PLAGUE style, on some
open shelf or space where il can be plainly
| seen and admired. To some peoyic a dining
| room with china on the walls instead of pic
| lures seems the more suitably decorated. For
young housekeepers whose wedding gifts have
| taken the form of china in many instances it il
| pretty idea to use it for dining-room decor
| alton, leaving pictures, viii a are generally less
| numerous, to be scattered over the rest of the
house. There is, Of course. the objection to
| filling cabinets and open shelves with the extra
| china that when visitors are at table il is the
very time one wishes the cabinets at their best,
vet it is also the time when they have to be
| despciled of their prettiest contents. l have
| found, however, by experience that by Judi
cious management the china can be SO spread
out that really sparse supply can be made TO
show off quite creditably. and conceal MANY
gaps that at first seemed fairly appalling
| Brackets seem steadily winning their way back
| to favor in one shape or another and filled
with china in a dining room may make a cor
| ner quite effective arranged with taste.
Wooden panels in form of shields or other de-
vices are sometimes covered with plush, and
| china Is mounted on them. OF course. only
very handsome and valuable pieces are worthy
Of being brought into such prominence
HANDSOME SMALL TABLES.
have lately had occasion to look about for
small tables, and while the holiday sales have
considerably depleted the stock, saw num-
Der of really pretty shapes and styles. The
standard forms of square with shelf below, and
of the table with spreading legs called Shak-
| speare generally, are always to be found. The
] latter shape comes both with and without
shelves. One substantial looking one had a
shelf low down, and another toward the top,
which was "a by "a inches thus in all giving
considerable room.
Very pretty oak tables come in several fanci-
| full forms, one nearly heart shaped with upper
| and lower shelves alike and three legs Another
in oak is round with little medallion of carving
| set on the top in three places where the three
| legs come. 1t is small and low and most suita-
BILE for o palm or pieces of bric-a-brac The
| little wicker tables are in white and gold, the
| natural tint or pale shades of paint. new
| shape is with irregular shelves like
Japanese cabinet, which enables one to group
pretty objects in seemingly careless fashion,
| thus adding to the at5ractiveness
| Turkish coffee tables are above all the rage
| Just now and are extremely picturesque where
ever they put. The handsomest ones are
profuseiy inlaid with mother-of pearl, and this
elaborate decoration is interesting to examine.
One of the papers which treats Of household
art has mentioned various pieces of furniture
made with bamboo fishing rods. One of the
latest illustrations is coffee table in this STYLE
but the description is rather vague, and /
doubt if it could be carried with success.
PRETTY ODD CHAIRS.
Pretty shapes in odd chairs are all the time
being made and offered for sale. One of the
newest and most attractive is called q slipper
al - H.