SALVAGING CASTOFFS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 134, 8 June 1936, Page 11

SALVAGING CASTOFFS.

USES FOR OLD FURNITURE. Again the winter season brings with it the wave of ambition that comes with bracing, zestful days. Women with homes to coax into extra comfort and grace for the days when outdoors no longer rivals indoors as a place to sit and enjoy oneself, naturally started to changing things here and there in the house, improving whatever they have to its greatest usefulness. It is certainly fun. to have a new piece of furniture, and often one piece will add unbelievably to a room. But close to the pleasure of buying a new thing is the satisfaction of using again an old piece, one perhaps that had been consigned to the attic. Hardly a housewife will fail to be justly proud of making something really valuable out of nothing much. In such an effort, it is well to start out with the idea that you are going to make a 'really smart contribution to your home; that, this castoff is going to give an exciting bit of colour instead of dullness, an air of cheerfulness ! where before it was drab, says a writer In the "Christian Science Monitor."

Most houses have discarded washstands, brass or metal beds, outmoded or broken down chairs, and a general collection of furniture that is no longer attractive or in keeping with the style of to-day. Washstands lend themselves to serving other than their original purpose, which is pretty completely outmoded by modern plumbing. A little simple carpentry followed by taste and skill in selecting and applying paint, will often work wonders. The type with two doors below can have the back and towel racks removed to give a flat top, and the lower shelf arrangement changed 'to hold toys for the children. Or, the back and small shelves may be left to give a finish for a dressing table. Adapted for Modern Needs. Feminine accessories may be prettily placed in the drawer and on the shelves beneath, if the linings are made of coloured papers that harmonise with the colour of the dressing table. For the outside of the table choose a modern paint that comes in small cans in a wide range of excellent colours, goes on with a smooth finish in one coat, and dries in a few hours. Remember that the old painting trials have been quite overcome by the ingenuity of the paint .chemists of our day. The smaller type of washstand that often had a hole in the top to hold the bowl more securely, may also be used to make an attractive dressing table. Have a piece of half-inch three-ply board cut to fit the top, and fasten it down with small nails. Then paint the stand to fit the colour scheme and hang' the draperies selected full and crisp. In one unusually attractive house this type of stand was used - as a table for a large dictionary. It was painted a rich terracotta red to become the living room where it stood, and had a row of tall books on its lower shelf. Maga-zines would fit on this lower shelf, too, or an extra shelf could be built in between the usual ones if more space is desired. Problem of the Metal Bed. Brass and metal beds, comfortable and adequate as tliey may be as far a? mattress and box spring are concerned, do not please those who are interested to follow fashion closely. New type? of quick-drying paint will make the beds conform to the colours in your, bed room and will cling to the surface as automobile paint does to the metal of cars. Sometimes better yet, a wellmade but very simple slip cover tied smartly over the head and foot pieces will completely change the whole bed. Finished with a tailored spread and pillows fitted to suitable covers, this bed will be very up-to-date.

Outmoded chairs look hopeless as they stand in the attic gathering dust anil waiting for someone to restore them, usually because of broken seats. By nailing on such seats as can be bought at any hardware store, these chairs may be restored to use. Then comes painting the whole chair an attractive colour and making a cover from a material that will fit the room where the chair is to stand.