TASTEFUL FURNISHING.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20362, 20 March 1928, Page 14

TASTEFUL FURNISHING.

It is a mistake to think that riiohey alono will purchase beautiful surroundings. A woman with taste and understanding can create a homo to which the highest in the land might come, a true homo; simple, relined, and artistic. There are one or two things over which it does not pay to economise. One is carpots; they come in for so much hard wear that a cheap one is soon shoddy, and a shabby cheap carpet is extremely ugly. Another false econoniv is in table linen. Inferior damask may look well while it is new, but its beauty is spoiled in the first wash, and it soils and crumples easily. Soiled linen goods can be bought cheaply and, as they are usually travellers' samples, are of very good quality. After a. visit to the laundry they are as good as ever they were. Another economy warning:—Don't try to savo on your bed. As about one-third if your life, irrespective of possiblo illness, is spent in bed, it is wisest to buy the best you can afford; To a great extent your sleep depends on your mattress, and is your health depends on the nature of your sleep, don't (midge the money for a first quality mattress. If you have to ;hoose between an elaborately carved bedstead, and a good mattress, choose the latter. You do not have to. sleep on the >eautiful carving; • you do on. the mattress. But you can economise on furniture, ami with charming results too. Naturally you want to strike an individual note in your home, so ban the suite, which in any case would run away with a lot of money, and decide on ingle seats each side of the fireplace. Theso are very charming. You may get a. local carpenter to make you two low ;eats about 3ft by Ift, and standing about lft high. Then you make a mattress of dock or down, the cover being unbleached calico. Coax and press the flocks into posi" •ion, and fix buttons going right through ;he articlo to make It firm. Now make a ;over in copper-coloured velveteen to cover jver it. With plenty of gay fat cushions pou have a charming fireside seat. A ;ouch is useful, and muy be picked up ;heaply at a sale Now hunt around the second-hand shops, | md, if possible, attend the country sales. Dften one can come across a dilapidated >ak table which makes an idea! dining able. It may need some repairing, but if his is done carefully and then several applications of linseed oil, paraffin, and urpentino (mixed equal parts) applied, the vorthless looking old table becomes a thing >f beauty. You can often get a beautiful little >ak gate-legged table,' which will look deightful with a few bits of pewter or old ;hina arranged on it. _ For charm, what can equal a quaint old Iressor. Scour round the second-hand hops, and when you have found it. see low well it harmonises with your ingle >eats. . , . • Also when considering ornaments you nay find beautiful Japanese or old punch >owls in these little out-of-the-way shops. It is always wise before buying furniuro first-hand to visit auction sales and >aek street euriositv shops. Besides being joonomical, the result is often so unexjccl cd. .