Evening star., 1925-04-11
ny JAMES FORD.
Executive Director, BETTER Homes
m


in America.
Assuming that the arrangement, OF
the rooms of the home is as it should
be, the next important factor in max
ing the house into a real home is its
furnishing. There are essential rules
governing proper furnishing and
decoration of the home which have
been outlined by Mrs. Charles Brad
ley Sanders in a pamphlet How 10
Furnish the Small Home" distributed
by Better Homes in America to it's
local campaign committees through
Aout the country.
Preliminary to furnishing a house
there are four distinct problems for
the, homemaker to face, writes Mrs.
Sanders. First, the articles must
suit the house in coloring, size and
style; second, the pieces must harmo-
nize one with another and they must
be well made and comfortable; third,
they must suit the requirements of
the family, and fourth, they must fit
the family purse.
On the general subject OF back
grounds, plain tiat-tone paints, tints,
wallpapers and comm ercial wall oil
cloths in cloudy, "all-over" pattern
are generally preferable. For rooms
facing north the best colors are the
yellows, ranging from cream to a
ucep puIphln NeiIOW. r Ut TOOHlS
facing south, which will get plenty
of sunlight, use light grays, ranging
to deep putty shade. In sunny
rooms, however, any colors many be
used save those which easily fade. A
general rule to observe is that warm
colors should be used in rooms fac
ing north and east, cooler tones in
rooms facing south and west.
Care Is Necessary.
The type and finishing of the floors
of the home is of great interest and
concern to home makers. Therefore,
the Various treatments of hardwoods
Hoftwoods, linoleum and composition
noors should be considered with care
before furnishing. AS for color,
floors should have as mellow and in
conspicuous a finish as possible.
Hardwoods make better and more
durable floor than softwoods. The
hardwoods may be classed as oak
maple, birch and beech, while among
the softwoods used for flooring are
pine, fir and red spruce. Hardwood
noors are usually finished" and only
partially covered with rugs.
A heavy-grade linoleum in any of
the plain, neutral shades makes an
excellent permanent floor for every
room in the house. II this is to be
the plan, the linoleum should be laid
dI the lllne Ine mouse Is bullt. Ille0
and composition floorings for kitchen.
bathrooms and service quarters are
preferred by some. They are fire.
proof and waterproof. and have the
advantage of requiring no more care
than washing with water, soap and
mild disinfectants.
Liquid Treatment Rest.
All hardwoods may be finished with
either a paste wax, or may be Yarnish-
ed and then waxed. and kept in con-
dition by using a dry mop. Linoleum
floors are best treated with liquid
wax.
Floor coverings generally should be
several shades darker than the walls,
and should be in plain colors or have
a small and indefinite "allover' de-
sign. If the walls are plain. the all
over design is pEefera bic. If the walls
are figured, PLAIN carpets or rugs
should be used. It is well for house
keepers to bear in mind that plain
rugs or carpets show dust more
readily than do those which are
figured.
A wide choice of floor coverings is
offered to the home maker, including
oriental rugs. Wilton rugs or carpets,
Administer rugs or carpets, chenille
rugs or carpets, velvet rugs or car
pets, wool fiber rugs, linen fiber rugs,
hooked rugs, rag rugs. wool braided
rugs, linoleums, oilcloth, grass rugs,
fiber rugs, rush rugs, coco mats and
mating, cork mats and rubber mats.
Must Consider Woodwork.
The next question to consider in
connection with furnishing the home
is that of woodwork. There are
numerous types of finish for wood
work. including paint. enamel stain,
waxed or rubbed finish. Each is in
good taste if it is in harmony with
the furnishings or the wall decora-
ttons
Where walls are lightly colored,
either painted or papered, it creates
greater harmony to paint the trim
white, ivory or cream. These colors