The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-20

Philadelphia Press
Nervous prostration. of body, mind and
purse, is no longer the necessary reward of
the woman who sets ont to furnish her new
home or do over her old one.
This herculean task has been smoothed
into a delightful pastime by the far-sighted
house decorators, who are achieving mar
Ves in rapid, convenient and Inexpensive
furnishing.
Now. if, for example, you will, this COM
ing spring, have one or "a dozen rooms to be
entirely done over and you wish to know
just what it will all cost ana how it Will
look, you let your chosen decorator have
your wishes. If you are u dweller in the
city lie viii come and carefully examine
your rooms, and at the end of a week one
of his employees will call, bearing in his
arms what looks like an enormous band
box.
out of this he takes a series of small
boxes, and behold every One, fitted in min
iature to resemble d room. These tiny
paStebOdrd chambers are papered ana car
peted and furnished and garnished, even to
the bric-a-brlc and gas logs IN the ire
place. Every. bit of papier mache furni-
ture is movable, and, peeping through the
doorway the decorators patron can trst
see what the firm she patronizes proposes
to do for her IT. when she gives her order.
she has signified a.desire to have her dining
room in quartered English oak and leather
hangings, her drawing room in the Louis
N2ulllIe peTlOU ana her pSuEOoIuS Il 1T i1oIl-
TadOur there She can take a microscopic
view Of what the effect will be; she can
criticize, denounce the colorings, discuss the
caFDetingS anu lift out whatever pieces of
wee furniture she does not like Then,
when she has commenteU and corrected,
back so the little boxes to the decorator.
VINO reforms everything according to his
patrons IDEAS and again submits the mi
mute rooms for inspection.
When finally tastes are suited, n set of
tie perfected models is given the lady. the
decorator keeps a duplicate SET and Oft
his patron can go to California or Europe,
with easy conscience. She knows ex-
actly. 10 the draping of a portiere or the
placing of a footstool, what her house is
going To look like inside.
For women who live in the country and
cannot come TO the city or invalids. this
method of house furnishing is a perfect
boon. IT the decorator cannot send q
built up plan of the rooms as above de-
scribed. because he is too far away, another
method is followed. The owner of the
house mails him a. small ground plan Of
every room. drawn Of OH paper along wits
the exact dimensions of the chambers He
makes from them series of little five or
tlght-lnch square boards, just the shape
OF every room, with grooyed floors. Into
these grooves he slips little blocks and ev-
cry block represents Il piece of furniture
and the position it is to occupy
w hen his Would-be patron receives these
dummies she also receives Il box of sam
pies OF papers and hangings and carpets
'nd pits of plaster holdings. to show the
SViof anu decorations on the furniture
VOW At her own sweet will she can select
me c0lors and materials for every room
ana, by pushing the blocks about on the
Iuture to suit herself just as easily as
th1SSInen are disposed on a board