Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-23
THE RETURN OF THE
FANCY FOOTSTOOL

What is it. desire for comfort OF
| woman's vanity. that accounts for the
increasing popularity of the footstool:
Certainly We are comfort loving people
| Formally and stiffness repel us. Certainly
| too the dainty footgear of womankind
| seeks a means to show itself, and where
| can this be SO well accomplished as on
one of these footstools. which are in
| themselves works of art? At all events
! these luxurious necessities of our grand
mothers have apparently come back to
| stay.
Footstools always have been made in
the various French periods of furniture,
for France is the home of the modern
footstool, and no room furnished in any
of the historic French styles would be
complete without accompanying foot
stools. But within the last year or SO
footstools have been demanded for use
with every sort of furniture. and today
the best dealers meet this demand with
a bewildering assortment.
These present day footStools are not
the small dOll-like articles which gave
pleasure to our grandmOthers. They are
stable pieces of furniture, most of them
! twelve by eighteen inches square, per-
haps and they stand from eight to twelve
-
are smaller, perhaps eight inches wide, a
foot long and four or five inches above
the floor. These generally have little
arms or handles at the ends and can be
easily carried from place to place.
Colonial designs of various sorts seem
| to take the lead in popularity. Excepting
/ in formal drawing rooms 1t is unusual
to have the footstools designed with
special reference to the rest of the furni-
ture. but a mahogany footstool in colonial
&c n har in,
where mahogany furniture is used.
One of the most serviceable footstools
is shown with a mahogany frame in
straight. simple lines. with red, brown or
green leather cushion. Tapestry in va
! rious dull hues and upholstery of other
sorts Of color that would blend with the
color scheme of almost any living room
are also used to cover the cushions of
these useful footstools.
very comfortable design is the in
clined footstool The dull mahogany
frame, covered with a cushion two or
three inches thick, is only an inch or SO
from the floor in front The back is
perhaps eight inches from the floor. So
that the top of the footstool is fixed at
slant that would assuredly bring rest
to the weary foot.
Small Virginia colonial mahogany foot
stools with bulsing ends, which suggest
the horsehair sofas OF our Virginia an
cestors if we are fortunate enough to
have any, are especially suitable to rooms
furnished with old American colonial
furniture.
An attractive footstool for use in a
room not necessarily colonial in design
is reproduction from an old English
piece of furniture. The legs are thin and
spindling and are connected with rounds.
The top is a sort of braided rush. The
stool stands about a foot high.
Little stools which suggest old-fash-
Toned hassocks are also made of uphol-
stery stuffs mounted on wooden frames
or bases Some of these are tufted with
a button in the middle. some are almost
cushionlike in their softness and some
have the octagonal form. These octago-
nal footstools are especially attractive.
Cushions-fiat, square. hard cushions
covered with bits Of oriental carpet, are
also used for foot rests.
Mission footstools are made for the
living room furnished in this style, with
straight oak frames in the various dull
finishes applied to mission furniture. up
hostered in leather or burlap. They are
sometimes made with caned tops; and
caned tops, too. are shown with mahog-
any frames.