SANCTUARY

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 646, 24 April 1929, Page 15

SANCTUARY

REST ROOM FOR HOUSEWIFE So much has been written about husbands’ der.s, and bachelors' rooms, including all sorts of decorative schemes for those dens, but little—if anything—has been arranged for tired mothers and wives, who are often too weary to enjoy a holiday when the opportunity to take one docs cono along. A real rest room is wanted by the overworked mother —a hiding place, as it were, where nobody thinks to look for her. The existence of such a place should be kept secret. It is quite possible to arrange such an apartment even in small houses, for most of them possess a box-room or attic, and these are the kind of rooms that can be spared. The question of hojv to dispose of the rubbish and unused trunks is solved by the provision of cupboard space ; or by fitting: a strong shelf on an upper landing, with a curtain arranged to cover them. This leaves the attic to fulfil a more userui purpose. A large room is unnecessary, and it does not matter if there is a sloping roof. It should be arranged to give as little work as possible, and should merely provide the equipment necessary for the purpose for which it im to bo used—though without appearing bare. Walls can be made quite attractive If distempered a dull ivory shade. i J icare not really fashionable at the moment, but a few prints or etchings are delightful on this background. Casement curtains serve two purposes In the rest room, for they may be used as blinds if made to draw easily. Plain cloth of a good shade of purple would be very suitable, as this colour would keep out the light when necessary, and these might have a stencilled border or not—it is a question of personal taste. Lighter shades of purple, lavenders and mauves are rather restful tones to look at and the design should be simple, and not of the “harassed” style, where all the lines are wrong and fighting one another. Above all, it must be a place where the mother may read, sleep or rest undisturbed, away from all noise, for just as long as she pleases, or time permits, or the mood dictates, and she will emerge all the fresher and happier f or the little break, ready to face further home problems. The wise woman will look after herself a little more, and systematically shut herself in her own room each day, if only for an hour at a time, and when the next hot.’dav conies enjoy it-

EXIT—THE SIDEBOARD Modern furniture designers, having decided that the sideboard is a clumsy piece of furniture appropriating overmuch space, are providing a variety of substitutes for it. There is, for instance, a serving table, built at a height convenient for carving; it is usually equipped at the hack with a vertical piece of wood which, besides proving ornamental in its display of fine graining, acts also as a practical protection against gravy splashes on the wall. Fitting into the table is a drawer, subdivided for the reception of cutlery and silver and lined with green baize. Not much wider than a good-sized meat dish, the table occupies the minimum of space, and is useful for other purposes between meals. Those who care to display an array of silver entree dishes and fruit howl now use a display cabinet, built upon cabriole legs and equipped with shelves that are backed by mirrors or pieces of old brocade. Less silvercleaning is needed when the plate is thus kept enclosed from the air. and this arrangement appeals to the house wife who is on the lookout for means of lightening work. Relow the shelves comes a small space for the accommodation of bottles. Some there are who prefer the tall, slender cupboard, with painted doors that conceal all the contents. This is fashioned with sliding: shelves, subdivided so that the compartments will accommodate practically all tile table trappings for a simple meal. A stand with arms to hold tumblers upright swings forward at a touch, and everything from knife-rests to table-napkins has its own appointed place, so that the table may be set in the proverbial jiffy. It is true that a retaining wall has a well-defined utility in the hilly garden. r.ut its utility becomes almost insignificant compared with its charm when liowers grow literally out of it, tenting the air, delighting the eve and blending the house with the grounds in the softened, mellow way that flowers do. In building a garage watch out for the hardware you use for supporting and operating the large moving doors. Re sure the doors do not stick or bend. A few- shillings extra spent on really good hardware will pay for itself in comfort and convenience times over.

SPACE SAVING FURNITURE STILL MORE NEW IDEAS There has, perhaps, never been a time when ideas in regard to furniture and its design have moved so rapidly as at the present moment. The newest pieces take into account the fact that we must get the greatest possible amount of use from everything we put iDto our rooms. Thus, a modern cupboard, fitted inside with shelves which make it ideal for use as a sideboard in a dining room, has also a neat covered-in recess for books on the top. This recess only occupies the width of the average + *" of the cupboard top being left free for flowers and other oddments. Books are similarly considered in relation to the newest tables, an ingenious example of which combines uprights for books with a convenient table top. Seating space is provided by triangular openings between the narrow’ bookshelf fitments—a very good arrangement for the woman who cares to have reference books at hand when writing her letters or making up accounts. The shelves may be used for tradesmen’s books, time-tables, dictionaries, year books and the like. What do you think of having your : dressing table lit up from below instead of from the sides? There is much to be said for the table so ar- : ranged, since the illumination brings ’ the whole figure into the light, and ■ you can thus obtain a satisfactory ; view of the ensemble. Many of the new dining tables are made without legs, resting instead upon what look like huge blocks of wood hewn straight from a tree trunk. One such block at either end supports a table of considerable size. H.M. A French designer makes use of horsehair as a “wallpaper.” It is in Havana, brown and woven with a small ( pattern, brocade fashion. The walls ' are panelled with brown wood, the | vein ins of which has been accentuated 1 by being grooved with chisels. Tb* metal work in the windows is of gr<- en ( bronze