mantel and
table draperies in color and fabric. If the furniture is of wicker,
bamboo or rattan, the curtains should be of Japanese or any kind of
Oriental goods. Curtains of muslin (either white or tinted),
gay-colored chintzes, lace or dotted Swiss muslin, looped back with
bright-toned ribbons, look very pretty and are appropriate for the
sitting-room at almost any season. That clumsy structure called the
cornice, for putting up curtains on, has happily given place to the
more light and graceful curtain pole.

One large table, covered with a pretty embroidered cloth, should be
placed in some central location for a catch-all. A low divan, with a
pair of square, soft pillows, may stand in some quiet nook; a rocker,
handsomely upholstered, with a pretty tidy pinned to its back; a
large, soft easy-chair; a small sewing-chair placed near a table; and
a bamboo chair, trimmed with ribbons, will be tastefully arranged in
the room. Window stands and gypsy tables may be draped with some rich
fabric, the surrounding valance being caught up in small festoons and
fastened with bows or tassels, finished around the edge of the table
with cord or quilted ribbon.

If the furniture is old or in sets it can be covered with different
patterns in cretonne or chintz, which not only protects the furniture
but breaks up the monotony and lends a pleasing variety to the room. A
Turkish chair is a grand accessory to the family room. This may be
made by buying the frame and having it upholstered in white cotton
cloth and covering it with a rich shade of cretonne, finishing it with
cord and fringe.

A foot-rest frame can be made in the same way and covered with a piece
of homemade embroidery, finishing it off with a cord or narrow gimp
around the edge. Homemade easels, screens, and pedestals may be made
out of black walnut, and when stained and draped look exceedingly
pretty. An old second-hand cabinet may be bought at a trifle, and when
polished up may be set in a corner on which to display some pieces of
bric-a-brac.

If the house has no library, the sitting-room is just the place for
the bookcase.

With house plants in the windows, a room of this character, with
floods of sunshine, makes a most attractive and comfortable
living-room.

THE LIBRARY.

The walls of the library should be hung with rich, dark colors, the
latest style in wall paper being a black ground with old gold and
olive-green designs.