Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-01-20
Furnishing a Home.

With little money and artistic IDEAS
the young housewife finds ii a difficult
task 10 keep within given sum. The
nome of young couple with only $500
to eNpend for furnishings may serve as
an object lesson to others similarly stu
ated, Besides this small sum. their stock
consisted OF some wedding presents and
Il few household belongings beaueathed
to the bride by her mother.
ne ilrSt problem was To secure an at
tractlVe home with a reasonable rent
They selected a new house in ii little
country town sixteen miles from phila-
detnlia. II was built of stone aud stood
on rising ground in "A small garden, oyeIs
looking beautiful woods The front door
opened on to roomy porch. which com
mHndcd view Of the road, while from
the back the woods and fields extending
for many miles gave the feeling of real
country life. The rent was SIS a month
Fortunately the rooms had not been
papercd, nor the woodwork finished, so
that they were able to select the colors
they preferred. They decided not TO
paper the house for Il year, in order to
let the walls settle.
o go TO large department store To
buy furnishings in the ordinary way was
out of the question, SO they spent delight
iul half holidays in visiting junk shops
III country places and auction sales in
variable bits of furniture at ridiculously
small prices
For some time previous old dresses and
bits of muslin had been torn into strips
and wound into balls and laid aside for
making rag rugs. When the home was
hnlshcd these rags were woven into rugs.
the tones being carefully distributed so
that each rug had the appearance of
being shaded in one color Gifts of In
dian rugs were also made use of and
at auction sales Il few good Oriental rugs
had been picked up for little or nothing
y bolt of Swiss was made into frilled
curtains for each window.
The following estimate shows how the
$500 was expended, and mentions some
of the wedding gifts: The parlor was fur
nlshed with an antique mahogany table
tthey rehnished III at S1GJ0: ANTIQUE
English oak desk, block front design.
SO; antique Sheraton card table, niahog
any, 80; mahogany chair, rush seat, new.
SO; mahogany slipper chair new. 81
mahogany slipper rocker, rush seat. new,
81; Oriental rug, $6, and Oriental rug,
$50. The wedding presents used for this
room were a brass jardiniere and a waste
basket.
In the hall was = mahogany chair, ut
50. The wedding presents that added TO
its attraCtiveness were Il mahogany mir
ror, Il rag rug and a jardiniere
The living room had a Windsor chair,
at So; Canton rattan chair, So; fire set,
brass, $50, and antique mahogany
table, 81. The wedding presents here
were IL Navajo blanket or rug, Morris
chair, antique Stat back chair, rush seat,
and brass coalhod.
For the dining room they bought an
antique mahogany sidebOard, at SIG; an
tique mahogany dining table, drop leaf,
SIG: antique mahogany card table, S3.2J.
and four mahogany chairs, rush seats, at
SO. The wedding presents used were an
Indian straw mat and Oriental rug.
In the second floor. corner room. front,
they placed bed Of white enamel, with
brass trimmings. at SD and a bureau of
wcathered oak, So. The wedding pres
ents contributed a red rag rug and chest
for linen.
For the dressing room there were a
chiffonier, at $3.50; yellow and red rag
rug, S1.45, and an old chest for table
linen.
The blue bedroom, with a bay win
dow. had a black walnut bureau. at $40;
blue rag rug, S1.43. and blue rag rug. 81.
The total of $500 was upportioned as
follows: White goods for muslin cur
tains. $500: parlor. 5000; hall, SO; liz
ing room. $3.50; dining room. $71.25;
kitchen. S43.1j; first bedroom. S34; dress
ing room. $9.95: blue bedroom, 81, 10.
New York Tribune.