The Washington herald., 1914-11-13
The Return Of the Fancy FoOtstoOl.

Az5What 10 IL desire for comfort or
woman's vanity. that accounts for the
increasing popularity OF the footstooI?
Certainly we are a comfort loving people;
formality and stiffness repel Us. Certain
ly, too, the dainty footgear of womanlxind
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 4
bewildertng assortment
These present-day footstools are not
the small doll-like articles which gave
pleasure to our grandmothers- They are
siZeable pieces Of furniture, most OF
them twelve by eighteen inches square,
perhaps, and they stand from eight to
twelve inches from the floor. Some, to
be sure, are smaller. perhaps eight inches
wide. foot long and four or five inches
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. Except
ing in formal drawing rooms 1t Is usual
to have the footstools designed with
special reference to the rest of the fur
niture, but a mahogany footstool in
colonial design fits in harmonious.y In
any room where mahogany furniture Is
used.
One OF the most seryiceable footstools
Is shown with a mahogany frame in
straight. simple lines. with red, brown,
or green leather cushion Tapestry in
various dull hues and upholstery Of other
sorts in colors that would blend with the
color scheme OF almost any living room
are also used to cover the cushions OF
these useful footstools.
A very comfortable design Is the IN
clined tootstooI. The dun mahogany
frame, covered with a cushion two or
three inches thick. il only an inch or 50
from the floor In front The hack is
perhaps eight inches from the floor. 50
the top Of the footstooI Is fixed at a
slant that would assuredly bring rest to
the weary foot
Small Virginia colonial mahogany foot
stools with bulging ends. which suggest
the horsehair sofas of our Virginia an
have any. are especially suitable to rooms
furnished with old American colonial
furniture.
An attractive footstooI for use in a
room not necessarily colonial in design
Is q 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.
TlNfla urNfrh ola faah-
ioned 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 fotstools 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
holstered in leather or burlap. They are
sometimes made with caned tops: and
caned tops, too, are shown with mahog-
any frames.
Perhaps the latest device for physical
comfort is the leg rest, which Is nothing
more than a footstool grown up. These
leg rests are about the height of the seat
of an ordinary chair. sixteen or eighteen
or tapestry. They are perhaps two feet
wide and three feet long. sufficiently big
at all events to suggest untold relief
from fatigue. The leg rests OF course
belong in the dens or bedrooms Of the
r,en of the family