CAREFUL SELECTION

The trend of popular sentiment is toward the metal bed, with accompanying furniture in plain or bird’s-eye maple, mahogany, dark oak, curly birch, or mahogany-birch.  Dressers range in price from $9 to $50; princess dressers from $10.50 to $50; chiffoniers from $10 to $35; and dressing tables from $10 to $50.  Furniture, like friends, cannot be acquired promiscuously without unpleasant consequences.  There is no economy in buying cheap, veneered pieces which will be—­or ought to be—­always an eyesore.  The truly thrifty homemaker will wait until she can afford to buy something genuinely good, and then buy it with the conviction that she is laying up treasures of future happiness and contentment.  The “good” piece is exactly what it claims to be, without pretense or artificiality, of hardwood of course, of simple construction, and graceful, artistic lines, its few decorations carved, not glued on.

TOILET AND DRESSING TABLES

Simplicity must be the keynote of all bedroom furnishings.  The middle course in price is the safe one to follow, leaning toward the greater rather than toward the lesser cost.  If there is a bathroom conveniently near, it is better to dispense with a washstand; but if its use is imperative, make it as little obtrusive as possible.  The home carpenter can easily fashion one from a plain pine table, hung with a valance to match the other draperies.  If a marble-topped table is available, so much the better.  Toilet sets can be purchased for $4 and up, and should be of simple design and decoration, plain white or gold-and-white being advisable for general use, as neither will clash with anything else in the room.  A very satisfactory set in the gold-and-white is to be had for $8.  A dainty dressing table follows the idea of a makeshift washstand.  It should be made of a sizeable drygoods box, with shelves, and the top padded and covered to match the drapery.  The mirror which hangs over it may be draped, or simply framed in white enamel, gold, or whatever blends with the room.  Overdraping not only looks fussy, but means additional bother and care.  The drapery is thrown over a frame fastened above the mirror.

FURTHER COMFORTS

In addition to what is considered the regulation bedroom furniture, there should be a small table at the head of the bed for the glass of water, the candle or night lamp, and books of devotion; a couch for the mistress’s rest hours, and to save the immaculateness of the bed; a comfortable rocker, with a low sewing chair and one or two with straight backs; and, when two people occupy the room, a screen which insures some degree of privacy and affords a protection from draughts.  If one is restricted in closet room, a box couch is a great convenience; if in sleeping room, an iron