CREATING SPACE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 891, 7 February 1930, Page 5

CREATING SPACE

STORAGE IS A PROBLEM IN THE MODERN FLAT

Tbe modern custom of living in small houses and flats creates many storage problems which were non-existent in the days of spacious houses. Here are some suggestions for storing silver and cutlery in the diningroom or kitchenette; creams and lotions in the bedroom or dressingroom, and toys in the nursery'. The silver problem is easily solved wherever th einside of a cupboard is available by lining a strip of strongmaterial like cretonne, heavy linen or chintz, with velvet or flannel, and providing it with separate flannel or velvet-lined pockets for each piece of tableware. The edges are bound with braid or ribbon, and five or six small rings are sewn to the top edge so that the holder may hang on nails or hooks inside the door. Twelve pockets in the top row will hold large forks and dessert forks; I 12 pockets in the second row hold dessert spoons and soup spoons; 12 in the third row hold teaspoons; in the fourth row large and small knives and forks; and the fifth row, which is deeper than the others, will accommodate tablespoons, a fish slice and fork, etc. The length of this hanging silver holder should he about 30in and the width about 18in. This will give plenty of space for all the pockets, which for the smaller things will need to be about one and three-quarter inches wide, and for the tablespoons, etc., about two and aquarter inches wide. The pockets for the forks and larger spoons should be about five inches deep; for the teaspoons four inches deep, and for the knives and tablespoons about five and a-half inches deep. Apart from the fact that this holder helps to preserve the silver from being scratched besides saving space, it also enables one to see at a glance whether all the table silver in daily' use is in its proper place or not. Dressing-tables should be decorative as well as useful, but it Is sometimes difficult to retain the first quality when the table is small or meagrely equipped with drawers, and one’s supply of pots and bottles is large and varied. One solution is to allow only two or three of these to appear in public, putting them into attractive containers first; and to conceal the others in an interesting box which may repose upon the dressing-table and is in keeping with the general feeling of the room. For modern rooms there are boxes of painted wood or tin; and some of the old boxes of polished wood can be charming in a more conservative setting. Another possibility which is worth remembering when a long mirror above a small console table takes the place of an ordinary dressing-table is the use of a small vanity table which stands within easy reach of the lady

who sits or stands in front of the mirror. Some of these are made with a shallow tray inside the top for manicure implements; and it is quite possible to contrive one out of an old work-table, unless it is the kind which ends in a silk bag. For the nursery in which every inch of space is needed twice over a. variation of the hanging holder for silver is useful for many of the toys which accumulate so rapidly. In this case the pockets will naturally be made fairly large (and need not be lined) so that dolls, bears and rabbits can have comfortable quarters when they are not in actual use, instead of being huddled into a cupboard which is already too full.