Evening star., 1903-09-26
BED FURNISHINGS
Where Hygiene and Beauty
Go Hand in Hand.
GOTH CENTURY MODES
NO HEAVY FURNITURE OR HANG
INGS PERMISSIBLE.
Bed Rooms Should Be Light and Airy
and Decoration Made
So


Written for The Evening Star.
A dainty, luxurious bed-how it appeals
to all, masculine and feminine alike! Even
the doughty warrior in his wakeful mo-
ments no doubt has visions of neat white
bed and downy pillows, the luxurious soft
ness of which seems trebled by the length
of the vista through which they are seen.
In his exquisite poem. LUCILLE Owen
Meredith has set forth most convincingly
the indispensability of viands and cooks.
but a greater number of verses would be
required to adequately describe the luxury
and necessity of couches of rest l know
an old lady in the country who in cons;gn-
ing her ofttimes weary limbs to the COM
forts of her old-fashioned feather bed was
wont to say with JUNCTION, Thank God for
a good bed!''
The dainty draperies and coverlets which
adorn the beds of our day are tame in COM
parson with the costly hangings and deco
rations which were wont to smother All
cestors 1t is a far cry from the high tes-
ter and stuffy hangings of then to the airy
draperies and breathing space of now. In
fact, it is hardly within "hollerin' dis
tance." and this generation may be jolly
glad of it.
A pretty couch has an exquisite coverlet
of Swiss applique and Grecian net. This Is
quite an elaDOfdle piece OF WORK, the
house mistress who has skill and patience
can develop almost the exact counterpart
in some other lace. Let the foundation be
of a nice quality of plain scrm. Nothing
can be more appropriate for this purpose
than scrim, with which Battenberg makes
an ideal combination. The dainty valance.
with its lace points and the a jour work
encircling the pillow, helps to make UP an
entrancing coverlet for the guest chamber.
To go with spread of Swiss applique win
dow curtains of the same lace be pur-
chased in trelliswork and medallion de-
signs.
Pretty Examples.
If carried out in sorim and Battenberg or
Cluny the curtains may be of the same ma
terials The color with which these spreads
are lined should match the other furnish
ings of the room. A room in pale green
with a touch of mauve, or blue with dash
OF pink, is very restful and charming and
yellow room is delightful Bedspreads
and pillow shams of organdie and lace over
the colOred Innings are quite ravishing
Spreads Of old handwoven linen with bor-
ders of antique lace are beautiful, and
those who possess them are fortunate in
deed. Silk counterpanes decorated with
renaissance lace are seen, and on the other
side of the water whole coverets are made
of Irish crochet and some of linen with
borders and insertions of the lace. There
are also covers of filet lace and many Of
fine linen covered with embroidery and
drawn work There are, too whole spreads
of renaissance and Marie Antoinette lace
which go so well with fiowered chntzes
But these are costly. and few can afford
them or the furnishings which go with
them. which must necessarily be elegant
and costly.
No one, however need despair on that
account, for there are countless other pret-
ty ideas in bed covers. Not the least of
these is the printed cotton spread This
almost any one is able to achieve. True
every printed cotton will not lend itself to
this purpose. The center requires a small
set design of conventional pattern on a
very light ground, and the border calls for
a larger, more complicated and running de-
sign. If the corners of the border are
mitered in such a way that the pattern