Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-28

beauty when the sets are followed in their
entirety
Mission furniture and "arts and crafts"
are as popular as anything on the mar
ket and then whole sets are adhered to
in furnishing rooms a refined beauty is
obtained which cannot be improved upon
by adherence to the modes Of the most
fastidlous monarch.
To describe any piece of furniture in
mere words without the aid Of photographs
| is a hard matter, but Omaha stores are
well provided with displays Grand Rap
| ids, Mich, still retains its position as the
place from which good furniture comes and
the offerings of its many factories are suf-
| ficient for the home of the wealthiest. One
of the fine products of that city is a Louis
| XVI chamber suite, containing beds, chairs,
! dressers, commCdes and stands of Circas-
sian walnut, and which is thing Of sur
| passing beauty. 1t is a faithful counter
part of the French monarch's day, when
material was as plentiful as human beings.
To attempt to give an idea of the appear
ance of this suite would be useless, and it
is merely mentioned because it is one of
the offerings in latter-day furniture and
shows the trend of the times in furni-
ture fashions. The days Of the most ger
| geously appointed castle are come again
and the sets are named from the ruler on
the throne at the period when the style
was in vogue.
| Our own colonial days provide the manu-
facturer OF today with more ideas how
ever, than the styles of the old world. An
| tique furniture gathering is a craze with
some people, who are continually on the
: watch for auction sales, when the goods
which have gone down from generation to
generation in some old but now extinct
family are to be placed on sale, and in
many instances they are able to secure
old, apparently worthless, pieces at next
to nothing. to have them sprlHg immedi-
ately into high value. Such sales are fire.
quent In some OF the older towns where
once dwelt people Of grand homes and re-
fined tastes.
solid Woods are Scarce.
But real antiques are expensive on the
market. even If they can be secured at all.
In lieu Of the real thing, however, the fac
/ tories produce counterparts which require
an expert to detect from the really old OF
| course, one Is just as good the other, so
far as usefulness is concerned, or rather
! II should be said, the new VIII outlast the
| old for wear. but the connections are gone
and in all too many cases the material Is
| not honest-that is. a veneer IS used where
| the old piece was solid. Reliable dealers
make no Misrepresentation regarding the
wood used and frankly admit veneer where
II is used. but the ordinary man cannot tell
| the difference.
| Mahogany is one OF the woods which
| have become so scarce as to be almost
| prohibitive in price. In fact, some manu-
| facturers make no pretense Of putting out
| solid mahogany goods, finding ready mar
| ket for the veneered article. But to make
| up for the disappearance OF the hard woods
/ which make the most desirable furniture,
endeavors are directed along lines OF pro-
| ducing something with the material at hand
/ which does equally as well as what the old
time makers used, and Of inventing new
| articles OF furniture with devices and
features to add greatly to convenience.
| comfort and ease, never forgetting style or
| beauty in the finish.
Combination for Men.
| Among the things which have been placed
| on the market 10 sell more for usefulness
| than for claims to ancient connections. and
| which may be found in al least some OF
the Omaha furniture stores. Is a COM
| bination gentleman's chiffonier and ward
| robe. In which the need OF every man Is
| anticipated, having certain places within
| easy reach for every article a man wears
all within the box like structure. II has