The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-06-03

One should be governed by certain
principles in the choice and selection
Of furniture, says Nora T. Skinner in
June Good Housekeeping. Where
these are understood and adhered to,
one will not find so many museum-hke
rooms and homes; and heterogeneity
will give way to simplicity and beauty.
Here are few laws which the house
keeper will do well ITO keep in mind in
tion Of furniture one must consider the
kind Of house, and the use and size Of
the room in which it Is to be placed.
A lighter order of furniture is required
for the summer cottage than for the
city house, but this does not mean that
the articles should be fimsily construct
ed or covered with poor material. The
shape and bulkiness Of the furniture
must be governed by the size, proper
lions and use of the room. Besides
this, every piece of furniture must
| have purpose-for what, by whom,
where is it to be used? These ques-
tions asked concerning every article Of
furnishing would many times help us
wanted it. In this way we should avoid
filing our homes with many useless
things. This is our first great law.
The second, Of equal Importance, is in
regard to construction and decoration.
Take, for example, chair; durability
land support are its first requisites. It
should be we'll made; the wood well
seasoned, so that it will not warp or
twist out Of shape; the mortises and
lemons should be exactly cut and fitted,
and the whole should be properly
pressed and glued together so that
when it is in warm room it will not
Col 49, e. h. In
It should be the right height from the
floor for the purpose for which it is
intended. The seat should not be so
wide that pillow is needed to support
the back. The arms should not be too
high nor too low, and the support
should come at the right place in the
back. The lines should conform to
those of the body. If rocking chair,
it should not tip too far backward or
forward. If upholstered, it should not
be covered with material too pro.
nounced in design nor out Of scale with
the proportions of the chair. It is not
desirable to use designs of objects one
would not care to sit on, as landscapes
musical instruments, shells or SHARP
forms. These materials woven with
allover ornaments of size adapted tt
the intended use and treated in a fiat
way, are the most suitable. The color
must harmonic with the decorations
and surroundings Of the room, either
contrasting or blending with the gen
, eral scheme.
The third is that of beauty, and is ont
which must not be defed. A piece o:
furniture must not only be strong, bu
it must also convey no thought of weak
, ness. A thing Of frail materials, as TO-
| instance, bamboo table, must be sim
, pie in construction SO as not to sugges
waste labor; and likewise piece o
furniture in carving or inlaid WOO
must be solid looking and substantial,
, put together. If we Americans had
/ little more sense Of the eternal fitness o
{ furniture carved with lion or tige
heads9 Would we have an umbrell
stand made Of coiled snake, ready t.
) spring. The test in decoration i
7 adaptability to position and material
we ought to follow fashion only so lon,
/ as it obeys the dictates Of genuin
, wants and reasonable feelings.
| There Is still another aspect of tn
subject which the modern housekeepe
7 must not forget, and that is the econ
omy. Money, time and energy must al
: be taken into consideration. The amour
|. one has to spend governs the style an,
5 material. Furniture which requires al
. unusual amount Of care is not profitable
t smooth surfaces are much more easil,
l kept. clean. Upholstered and stuffe
3 furniture requires constant beating il
1 the open air to be kept from accumulat
. ing dust, and consumes much more tim
: in caring for 1t than wicker furniture
Because Of the fact that the housekeer
Ter leads strenuous life, she must no