Omaha daily bee., 1897-04-18
WOODLAND ETFECTs INDOORS.
Simple Picturesque Comfort the Key
note Of Cottage furnishings.

Simple Picturesque Comfort the Key
note of Cottage furnishings.
The decorators and cabinet makers have
evidently received private advices that the
summer before us is guaranteed to be eX-
c~essively warm, or they are making an I'M
usually strong plea for woodland effects in
doors. This suspicion Is inspired by the
fact that all the novelties put forth for the
redecoration of country homes are rustic OF
build, as they have never been before, and
in their coloring green absolutely predomi,
mates. An especial effort has been demoni
9trated in behalf of suitable furnishings for
lattice enclosed piazza patlors, the shops are
crowded with quaint examples for garden
chairs, and the suggestions for sitting rooms
and bedrooms SAVIOR OF almost provincial sim
plicity.
Evidently luxury in the country home is
to be no longer sought after. Simple pic
turesque comfort is the thing, and for that
reason there has been brought forward a
revival in rush and hide-bottomed chairs.
Knitting stools they are technically called
the hide or rush seats rather small, the mar
row backs formed of four Stats between two
high outstanding bars and the whole painted
in dark green enamel. They are to take
the place Of the elegant little gilt and satin
chairs once the vogue in cottage parlOrs, and
their low seats and tall backs make them
very CoHllOIldDle LOT pretty girls IN ulnlltly
gowns who are going TO sit as upright as
their grandmamas and work doilies instead
of samplers, or crochet in place of knit, when
there are masculine callers of an afternoon.
MONKS CHAIRS.
Interspersed with this hide-bottomed sim
plicity carved black oak fuSniture is bought
up by the well-tordO women gho have some
rooms to redecorate, and, strange to relate,
in parlors in process of doing over, rose
wood. carved and upholstered in green silk
rep Is the furnishing desired. For the first
time in the past twenty years old mahOg-
any Is not sought for, though ii Is considered
in excellent taste for dining rooms still.
Black oak is what every new country
house owner signs to put in her hall, and
she who ]rejoices in a set Of monks chairs
for her hallway is considered blessed indeed.
These are enormously heavy, though small,
and most uncomfortable seats, of oak, grown
black with age, and deeply carved. In the
back of every chair is cut the figure Of some
saint, but the special recommendation of
these seats Of little ease is that they are
part Of the tradition, handed down from
certain old mOnasteries. that the chairs were
made so small in order to enable only the
slenderest of monks to occupy them. Di-
rectly a brother found It difficult or impossi-
BILE to squeeze his way between the mar
rowly set arms a proof positive was afforded
that he had been indulging too freely In the
pleasures Of the table, and needed at once
to be put on a severe penitential diet.
Genuine monks chairs must Of course be
but excellent copies are now I
made TO satisfy the country-house demand.
Aside from the oak and rosewood. rustic
green furniture dominates every room. ami
the ~prettiest and newest bedroom sets are !