Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/340

 /VOMAN'8 HOME 3>8 THE IDEAL SPARE ROOM By LILIAN JOY Accommodation for Hats— Motoring Visitors— ** Good-morning '' Tea Trays Floral Rooms THE pleasantness of the mental impression left by any particular visit is to a large extent dependent on the bedroom in which we have slept. To the woman who is a good hostess, therefore, the spare room is of very 'Treat importance. At present buff or grey ?ooms. brightened by coloured draperies, are very popular. In the latter case the furni- ture can be carried out in the same tone, grey sycamore with pewter handles being used. Floral rooms also are delightful, and, instead of the old blue room or pink room, one may have a heart's-ease room, a wistaria room, or a rose room. In these rooms the wall-paper may be buff, grey, white, or cream, and the hostess may herself add the floral decoration. This is done by cutting out a flower design from a wall-paper, and using it in the form of a frieze, which need not go all round the room, but should be planned artistically. An appearance of monotony must be avoided, and the flowers can be arranged to fall lower on the wall in some places than others. An Ideal Scheme Here is an ideal scheme for a room of this description. The walls are covered with a cream paper decorated with a white stripe. This costs only about 2S. a piece, and is very popular. The frieze is cut from a paper with a design of lilac upon it. The curtains are made of lilac patterned cretonne or chintz, and the inner casement curtains mauve. If made of linen, these curtains can easily be re-dyed when faded. The carpet is green, and the bedspread is made either of white linen or of very coarse natural-coloured linen, with bands of mauve linen around the edges and a spray of lilac cretonne applique in each corner. Then the valance is perfectly straight, and made of natural-coloured or white linen, with a band of mauve linen an inch or so from the edge. A very original toilet-cover is made of coarse white linen, with a six-inch band of mauve linen at either end, a strip of the white, and then a row of hand-made crochet dyed mauve. The strip of white is embroidered with a conventional design in mauve thread. The pincushion is of embroidered white linen threaded with mauve ribbon. Even the set of toilet-ware has a design of lilac upon it. Pretty decorations alone, however, are not enough. There are innumerable little accessories which the thoughtful hostess will rejoice to provide ; and the American hostess who, after she had furnished her spare room, took a hand-bag and spent a night in it herself, found a successful way of discovering the possible needs of future occupants. No guest chamber is complete without a writing-table. The blotter looks very pretty when covered with chintz or cretonne to match the room, and a little bag of the same material filled with shot forms a de- lightful paper weight. Almost any table can be used, provided that it is the right height. The fitted folding tables are very convenient, but also expensive. A dressing-chest is to be advocated in preference to a separate dressing-table, since the space occupied by a chest of drawers can thus be economised. Each drawer should have laid at the bottom of it a muslin bag filled with lavender and decorated with ribbon of the principal colour used in the room. On the chest should be a Devonshire tile on which to place the curling-lamp, for the reason given in the motto which is inscribed upon it : " Oh, list to me, ye ladies fair, A nd when ye wish to curl your hair, For the safety of this domicile, Pray put your lamps upon this tile." This and the pincushion should be supple- mented by a hatpin-holder hung upon the glass. Accommodation for Hats The guests should always have plenty of room for their clothes, and the wardrobe should be well provided with coat hangers. A large bag made of the chintz or cretonne used for the furnishings of the room should also be hung in the wardrobe as a receptacle for soiled linen. This occupies less space, is much prettier, and, in addition, is less expensive than the wicker basket which is usually provided. Large hats will not go into an average sized wardrobe. It is an excellent plan, therefore, to provide a large cardboard hat- box covered with chintz. The chintz is folded over the edge of the box on the inside, and secured with long staple pins. The lid is treated in the same way, after it has been lined with plain-coloured glazed lining. The lining of the lower part of the box should be made separately, and secured to the chintz around the edges with a few gold safety-pins or press buttons. Such a box will prove both useful and ornamental. A comfortable chair should on no account be omitted from the guest-chamber, and if covered with plain linen adds considerably to A large cardboard hat-box covered with chintz