The English Nursery

Manawatu Times, Volume LVI, Issue 7103, 11 March 1933, Page 2

The English Nursery

Generally speaking, the modern nursery in British homes is not tho large room it used to bo—a spacious apartment somewhere up on the third floor, presided over by a head nurse and an under-nurse, and containing an assortment. of heavy, old-fashioned pieces of furniture. It i 3 far more likely to be a small room in a flat, where the mother is herself t-he head nurse and the undernurse, and where, for the sake of space, furniture must bo as compact as possible, and for tho sake of time, all the necessaries must bo conveniently at hand. For the home where every inch is a consideration, a piece of furniture has been invented which combines a really comfortable fireside chair with a fitted needlework cabinet. It is made of oak, with a slightly concave back, and is well upholstered. Tho space immediately below the sent contains oil one side a tray, on tho other a shallow cupboard and a drawer. The tray, which is useful for holding pieces of needlework, is pulled out on the left, while the cupboard, lined and padded to take spools of cotton and of darning wool, buttons, scissors, etc., swings out on t-hc right, above a drawer which is also lined, and fitted to hold the garments which need mending. When sewing time is over and tea-time has come, tho shelf, cupboard and drawer are slipped back into place, leaving nothing to be tidied away, and the chair can then be pulled up to tho table. This same chair can, if necessary, be fitted with all tho accessories for the baby’s toilet, so that there is no need to stop in tho middle of the drying process to search in a cupboard of basket for powder, safety pins, towels, etc. Another useful invention for the small nursery is a cabinet batli. The enamelled bath, which is very light to handle, is let into the top of the oak cabinet at the correct height from the ground for bathing purposes. Below the bath is a Toomy drawer which swings out to tho side P.nd holds a white enamelled metal container foT soap, spongo, etc. After the batning process is over, the drawer is swung back, an oak cover is placed on the top of tho cabinet, and it is immediately ready to take the placo of an occasional table.