The Washington times., 1906-05-21
PRETTY AND INEXPENSIVE
SUMMER FLOOR COVERINGS
Strong, Easily Washed, and Durable in Colorng.
Rustic Finish for Walls

No one wants TO spend a large sum of
money for the furnishings of a cottage
In the woods or on the seashore, where
the summer is TO be spent in picnic liv-
ing. OF course the house first Of all must
be weather proof, the beds supplied with
springs and the food must be sufficient
and palatable, for the ideal house in
which TO pass a long vacation needs to
be thoroughly comfortable.
This is not so difficult of accomplish
ment with small means as might be sup
posed Take the floors for instance.
There are several inexpensive materials
that could be employed. Usually the
floors of a summer cottage in the woods
OF mountains are made of the ugliest
wide boards. They are far from being
pretty or even comfortable and often.
owing 10 the splintering of the woods,
are actually dangerous to the unwary
bare foot.
To cover such a floor, mating is of
course the first thing thought Of, but
that, at its cheapest, sometimes costs
more than can be afforded. Moreover. if
economy of space in packing is TO be
considered. mating Will be discarded,
Tor ike books, IL cannot compress itself.
Denim is the next choice for the floor
coverings. The cost of the less eXpen-
sive mattings is u to IS cents yard, and
II is strong. easily washed and dUra-
Die IN COlOrlng-
Cool and Dainty Hangings.
\ room covered with dark blue. wood
brown or sage green denim, with couch
cover of combined shades of those coIors
in some Of the pretty cotton draperies
are TO be found cheap at the japanese
shops. and sofa cushions of similar
stuffs will look cool and dainty all sum
mer- In addition. If the walls are to be
covered and papering them Is not de-
sirable. draperies OF cheese cloth in color
or Of silkoline. can be fastened at the
ceiling and left TO hang loosely in nat
ural folds.
Some think that the cloth hangings in
the rough cottage are not so harmonious
and consistent as simpler decorations
would be. IL time is no object and an
nual returns TO the house make it worth
while to eXpend labor on the adorning.
nothing could be prettier than rustic
boughs. twigs, etc, twined and inter-
laced over the walls, framing the doors
and windows and forming grille work
nests. butterflies, and all manner of
curious things have been used until they
are no longer curious; on the contrary,
they weary the eye with their intricacy
Rag Carpet Rugs Artistic.
If the bare boards are used, rag car
pet rugs, which are far prettier thar
the pretentious domestic Smyrna or the
jute Japanese squares, can be used
Skins make very appropriate and pretty
rugs. while mating strips that nov
come woven as rugs are as dainty a:
can be desired. Some of the Eastern
rnattings are cotton and will wash lik,
linen, but these cost more.
One other material has been used fol
floor coverings with both effect and sat
isfactiOn, and that is cretonne- IT.
use as a carpet was found out acci
dentally by a woman who had no money
at all 70 spend on furnishings and wa:
distressed by the wide. ugly boards OF
the bare floor. She had on hand a piece
of very ugly cretonne, befiowered and
highly cOlored, so as to be impossible
for furniture covering. This stuff she
cut into strips and Sewed them together
for a carpet. Padding the floor wei
with newspapers. she tackled down the
cretonne. when to her surprise, the
Powered figure in the piece that hat