Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-21
IN THE SUMMER HOME
REIGNS IN THE BED
ROOMS.
Extra Energy Devoted to Making Liv-
ing Room and Porch
Comfortable.

Written for The Evening Star.
The feature of this years trade in fur
nishing summer cottages. say the furniture
dealers, is the passion for simplicity. In
the selection of summer furnishings of all
sorts, the homemaker seems to aim at
primeval simplicity and sensibleness of liv-
Ing. This may be due to the fact that city
folk live a strenuous winter life and real
ly hunger for quiet in summer; or 1t
may be due to one of those unwritten man
dates of Dame Fashion, who invades even
the furniture world
Be that as it may, the fact remains that
the family which takes possession of
summer home, whether for three months
or one, no longer drags out furnishings
from its town house. but buys inexpensive
furniture and household essentials, which
are delivered at the expense of the firm
which sells them. thus saving considerable
In freight, express and carriage.
If the country house is taken on lease
for several seaSOnS-and many are now
rented in this way-the household goods are
not moved back to town, but left in charge
of some nefghborhood caretaker, who goes
through the house at intervals to see that
neither thieves nor rats break in to de-
stroy
To meet this demand the trade has sup
piled all sorts of light furniture. inexpen-
sive hangings and space-saving devices.
For the bed rooms the furnishings are al
most Spartan in their simplicity. The ia
vorite arrangement shows a rug of finely
woven mating, to place before the bed.
another for the washstand, a low, iron cot,
a chest of drawers, an easy chair, good
sized hanging mirror and a washStand.
When the house is supplied with running
water the washstand is unnecessary, but
as few country houses built for summer
rental only, are blessed with this conven-
fence, there is brisk trade in light iron
washstands. painted in WHITE enamel. with
an enamel pitcher to set in the stationary
BASIN
Porch and Living Room.
The up-to-date summer housewife devotes
her energies to making the porch and the
living room attractive, as very little time il
spent in bed rooms. In the real country
home there is no drawing room. but big,
roomy, delightful living room, and for this
apartment rush furniture is the correct
thing. 1t comes in various colors, but
green enjoys the greatest popularity-a
green that is a cross between hunters
green and olive.
Every piece of furniture imaginable comes
in this make. There are bookcases. low
and roomy, with shelf on top for orna-
ments, and a finish that suggests mantel
If one be lacking in the house There Is
lamp pedestal built from five graduated
shelves, each of which will hold couple of
books, and the whole brings the lamp just
where 1t throws excellent light on the
reader
An ideal center table for the summer
room in this ware is four feet long by two
wide, with roony shelf below Instead Of
a woven rush top, piece OF tapestry IN
woodland color tones Is inset Couches,
settees lounging chairs, writing desks, tea
carts, tabourettes and small straight.
backed chairs all are shown.
The prices charged are no higher than for
the mission furniture, and lower than for
ordinary wicker ware. The general effect
is cool and restful, and the rushware har-
monies with any decorative scheme.
Mattings in woodland tints, green pre-
dominating, come for use with the rush
furniture and window draperies are OF
madras.
Pretty Curtains.
For summer bed rooms there are pretty
curtains of white lawn with borders and
fiuted ruff1es in Dresden patterns, as low as
150 per pair. Cotton madras, at 10 cents
a yard and up, shows delicate color stripes
with a dash of gold thread. 1t makes
dainty summer portiere. All summer dra-
peries should be transparent and simple OF
design, suggesting a free passage for every
cooling draught.
In the matter of dishes. plain white ana
old English blue designs lead in popuiarity,
with plain white perhaps neck IN the
front Firms making speciality of crock
cry for summer homes offer good blue
and white set for $3.50. and plain white in
ware that is not too suggestive or BOARD
ing house life comes triae higher.
Fern dishes are o$ lightest silver enects,
and in many country homes low cut glass
dish. filed with field flowers or pond lilies,
takes precedence over the fern dish familiar
to winter diners.
For candlesticks the summer taste runs
to colonial patterns in plain glass, with
pure white or pale green candles.
For the summer table the anxiety OF the
housewife who watches her linen with 5eal-
oua ewes and the strength of the maids are
materially saved by using doylies of paper
in clever imitation of Irish lace or Mexican
drawnwork. These can be used on polish
ed table, but they must not be combined
with a tablecloth.