The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-14
ORNAMENTS ESSENTIAL
TO ATTRACTIVE HOMES
Decorative Objects Have Important Part to
Perform in Making Beautiful lnteriors-In
the Selection of Ornaments One Reveals His
Personal Taste--Arrangement Is Almost as
Important Discriminating Selection.

an occasional figure of droll grotesque-
ness or fairy grace. And his color sense
is superb. The children get as much
of his skill in harmony and blending
as the grown-ups.' .s.
AS an encouragement to thought and
effort. in the direction Of fitting up
American nurseries with the materials
available DR.. Dyer says:
H1n general, the furniture should be
strong but not ugly, for we must never
forget that no one is more open to the
subtle influences of the beautiful than
child. The room should be bright
and the colors pleasing. The walls
should be given careful attention, and
also the draperies and coverings. Gre
tonnes and cotton prints can be OBJ
figures specially designed for the muir
sery. A figured chintz OF Powered mus
lin is better for window curtains and
draperies than white lace or tapestries.
Variety and brightness and pictorial in
terest are what the child loves.
"The wall papers may be floral, 6r
Mother Goose, animal and kindred sub
jects, or both. The pictures should be
selected with the same care and may
some educational idea. Historical and
geographical subjects need not be unin-
teresting simply because they teach
something. But we should never per-
nit poor art or poor taste to creep in,
merely because the child won't know
the difference. He doesn't know, but
he feels:
some reader if we describe a sort Of
model nursery that will not cost for
tune. We will assume that it is room
Of fair size, with two or more windows;
the nursery must be we'll lighted. If it
is used as a bedroom as we'll as a play
room, Of course there are beds or cribs.
If the windows can be darkened with
an extra set of green shades it will
| often help to keep the baby asleep in
the morning until his elders want to
get .W VR; ,.n ,,uo o.o. 49, 49,. a.o-
tho bright rugs are better; they are so
much more easily cleaned, and the nur-
sery must be kept clean to be healthful.
Window draperies are not necessity,
but something bright and pretty, draped
back, adds to the general effect.
At each Of the windows, or part
way round the room, we will build a
window seat, not too high, but high
enough so that little faces can look
can be stretched out comfortably. We
will make it simple and won't try to
give it such high polish that we shall
have to make annoying rules to pre-
vent scratching.
"Now for the walls. Well find out
how far up little fingers can reach, and
just above that point we III run mar
row shelf around the room. On this we
lean put ornaments, and ,bric-a-brac, Of
harm s way. BY all means get one of
those old-fashioned barometers, with the
quaint man and woman in the cottage
door.
"Below the shelf or plateran we will
use something very durable and not
easily soiled. Suppose we use dark
green burlap. We can add to the dura.
bility and decorative effect by paneline
it off with fat, vertical cleats couple
be stained dark color, so that we
; won't have to be continually on the
lookout for finger marks. If we use the
black or brown mission furniture, the
woodwork stained to match will produce
J a most satisfactory result.
"Now above the shelf we must bring
: in our color, and we have placed the
, shelf as low as possible in order to gel
in a s much color as possible. Neye1
$ cord is the. only thing to be avoided
= Just above the shelf we will use
{, Mother Goose or an animal frieze
Friezes are usually hung at the top O.
the wall, to be sure, and your paper
: hanger will doubtless persist on tn
prescribed method, but there is no Law
v to prevent our hanging this one neare
n the level Of bright eyes, and If we tr
l it think we I'll be rather pleased wit
r the result than otherwise.
e "Above the frieze Wen use a flora
S wall paper in natural colorings. WEI
r taboo blue roses and pink violets. !
t we haven't many pictures, we can us
quite a gaudy floral; Or we can us
n something quiet and dainty, and de
L pend more upon the hanging picture
j. or poster panels. There good serie
J. of such panels for the nursery on tn
O market called Morning. Noon an
f Night. Wherever there are many pie
f lures in a room, it 5 always we'll to us
: a quiet paper. Too pronounced a pal
d tern is always fighting with the picture
Q for supremacy"