THE CHAIR SLAT

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 403, 11 July 1928, Page 7

THE CHAIR SLAT

MOVABLE LEATHER CUSHIONS j Movable leather cushions make a I very welcome addition to the ordi- | nary dining-room chair, and they are often made round, so that there may be no confusing of them with the square seat of the chair. With old, dark chairs very bright colours are used, and the cushions may be sitched together in quarters all of which are different. This is not to say that the cushions may have simply the brightness of a child’s ball. Very good thick leather is used, and generally in raw sienna, madder, yellow, black. Some of the deep red and rust shades are sown together with white in between, and this easily takes on a general tone which is Egyptian or even Etruscan in suggestion. Leather cushions for dining-room chairs need to be fairly full and yet maintain their flatness. The custom of adorning them with any kind of fringe is to be deprecated, as the fringes get untidy and are sometimes in the way. Generally the well-sewn cushion of circular shape, with a button in the middle, is the most satisfactory. A piping all round adds to the look of the whole. Where square cushions are used they are often in one colour on’y, and this may be in very gorgeous reddish tans. In thick, soft leather this adds greatly to the colour scheme of the room. . _ , . Perhaps because it is often usea only for meals the dining-room easily takes on a stiff, uninviting appearance. It may even be too well polished and too well kept to suggest comfort. The additions that can be made are not many, as in the case of a drawingroom, and they must be strictly businesslike. It is here that the good leather cushion comes in. It should be emphasised, however, that odd pieces of cheap leather are of no use at all in this connection. Only really good, welldyed leather makes the dining-room cushions really worth while.

Garden and country cottage napery Is made in very bright colours in check designs. Crimson and blue are often allied, blue and orange are used together, and many other combinations of the primary colours. The tablecloths are quite cheap, and napkins are sold to match. A tea-strainer which prevents drips from soiling the traycloth is made with a stand underneath. The strainer, which can be had in mesh or perforated metal, swings free of the stand while tea is being poured, and falls hack in position after it is used