A Corridor Problem and How to Solve It - Possibilities of the Oak Chest - Windows and Their Furnishing - How to Find the Best Place for Everything

However well our furniture may be adapted for the use for which it is intended, or however successful we may have been in arranging our-rooms, there is sure to. be a "difficult " corner needing something, we are not quite sure what, or a long stretch of bare wall which entirely spoils the effect of an otherwise successful apartment.

Furniture for such awkward places needs special thought; its successful selection is seldom the result of chance, but of very careful consideration.

Sometimes it is needed for a hall or passage, sometimes for a sitting-room which just lacks the note of comfort so necessary to make it complete.

As a rule, the first essential of the piece of furniture which is destined to fill an odd corner or a space which does not adapt itself well to stereotyped patterns, is that it must be an odd and unusual shape. Take, for instance, the deep recess on one side of the fireplace which has so long been an eyesore with its dwarfed and unglazed shelves which, despite all efforts, become a refuge for untidy books, old magazines, and that horror of all decent housewives, the newspaper of yester-year. What can be done with this disfigurement of an otherwise pretty room ?

We advise the total banishment of the dusty, unglazed shelves. Send them to the boys' bedroom to house boots and slippers; and sally forth, with careful measurements of the height, width, and depth of that recess, to purchase a glazed and dustproof bookcase, which will be a thing of beauty and a joy for ever.

Find a bookcase that will fit exactly into the recess, not a misfitting, dwarfed affair, though dwarf furniture is charming in the right place. In a narrow, deep recess should dwell a tall, narrow piece of furniture, and, when placed therein, it will have the dignity of the right thing in the right place, and look as if it had been made for its corner as was the convenient furniture of our forefathers.

A Corridor Problem

A passage-room or wide corridor often presents difficulties. As it is important that the gangway should be kept clear, it is not possible to have a wide cupboard for linen or other articles essential for upstairs use. Here is the very place for a narrow cupboard, and if one of the necessary measurement cannot be found, the village carpenter should be called in to plan how the utmost space can be utilised without blocking up the corridor.

When once this cupboard, with its clean, firm deal shelves, and painted or stained outside, is in place, we shall not have much difficulty in stowing our goods. A narrow linen cupboard is extremely useful, for on deep shelves such small articles as glass-cloths, dusters, or d'oyleys are apt to be overlooked, and, unless the piles be very high or widely separated, they may be hidden by the sheets, tablecloths, bath towels, or other larger things. Therefore, narrow shelves will be found' no inconvenience, for with them we see at one glance our store spread out before us, and the overlooking of the linen cupboard becomes a simple matter.

A long and narrow bookcase, suitable for & deep recess by a fireplace

Another suggestion for furnishing a passage or corridor is an oak chest. This is a most useful receptacle, being both roomy and dustproof. If winter blankets, spare eiderdowns and quilts, and such things as are seldom required are stored in it, its top can be used for a flower vase or ornamental plant, which adds much* charm to a hall or garden passage.

If the oak chest is used for overcoats, rugs, or motor scarves, things frequently used, then nothing should be placed on the lid. It is easy to pick up a small oak dower chest quite cheaply, and it is an excellent thing with which to furnish an awkward space. If its age renders doubtful its dustproof qualities, tack inside it some brown holland as a lining, and cleanliness is assured.

Do Not Block Up Windows

Many people place writing-tables in windows, thereby obtaining the maximum of light, it is true, but also a minimum of comfort. Those who spend many hours at such a writing-table know how tiring is the effect on the eyes and brain of light that is directly opposite. It is far better to place the table against a wall close to the window where the light falls directly on to the left of the writer. In this position no shadow is cast by pen or hand, and light is obtainable without a glare in one's eyes.

A window which is difficult to furnish is often a thorn in the side of a young bride who is determined to make her new home the pink of perfection ; or even of the more experienced housekeeper who prides herself on solving furnishing problems with success.

The best way to furnish a window is to hang thereby a little - a very little - soft-falling drapery, to soften the light, and in winter to have thick, warm curtains which hang straight down and can be drawn to prevent draughts. They should clear the floor by three inches.

In addition, place a few chairs for those who enjoy looking out of the window, and let them be of the skeleton type, which do not block out view or air. A low table also may be handy, but never over - crowd a window, even if it be of the old-fashioned bay variety.

A Window which Presents Difficulties

Many well-built, but old-fashioned houses have high and narrow windows, which are more difficult to dispose gracefully than the wide, low windows of the latter-day architect, who seeks inspiration from a pre-victorian period.

A good way of treating such a window is to furnish the lower part with some special piece of furniture which will hide the ugly piece of dead wall below the sill, and at the same time be a useful and ornamental addition to the room.

A well-decorated armoire is suitable for such a place - if antique the more desirable. A chest of drawers if finely inlaid and ornamented with bronze, brass, or ormolu handles, looks extremely well. On the top of such a piece of furniture one can place a tall vase of flowers, books, a picture of a friend, or other bibelots.

Sometimes a look round one's own possessions is a source of inspiration. Thus, for instance, the Canton vase, which looks hopelessly top-heavy on cabinet or mantelshelf, is a thing of beauty when placed on the floor or on a '7-inch black carved stand, and filled with tall palm leaves or grasses. In the same way an ugly sideboard was made quite endurable when divorced from its looking-glass top, and the top itself was a really useful addition to a bedroom, where more glass was required.

The wall beneath a high, narrow window can be concealed in an artistic manner by a well-decorated antique armoire

It is fatal to allow difficult" corners, rooms, and furniture to baffle one. Do not rest until beauty has been obtained ; do not comfort yourself by thinking such an arrangement looks nice and homelike, and therefore we shall love it and not notice its ugliness. Each member of the family has a right to as much beauty in the home furniture as means and taste permit, and when convenience is combined with beauty, then we can rest assured that the result is good indeed.

It is a good plan when contemplating the furnishing of a small room to keep in mind the arrangement of a ship's cabin. Those who have been on an ocean liner will remember the small hanging wardrobe in a deck cabin, the various devices for hanging bags, the neat pegs, the lockers for hats and small articles of wearing apparel, not to mention the contrivances whereby the cabin box can be placed where it is accessible when some of the contents must still remain in it.

If the same amount of space were offered us at home we should be in despair of ever settling down or keeping our belongings in anything like order, yet that the thing is possible is proved every time we use such rooms when crossing the ocean.

When great care has to be exercised in using space in a small room, the furniture may be difficult to arrange, but it is not hopeless. Treat it, not as room decoration, as people are so apt to do, but for this occasion as receptacles where things may most conveniently be stowed away. Above all, utilise every corner. Then, probably, the beauty will come without distinct effort.

Sometimes, though a small room has to be used as a bedroom, there is a possibility of finding some landing or passage space where the larger part of the clothing can be kept. This is a very great advantage, as every foot of air is of good account in a sleeping apartment. A nice-sized wardrobe is a great comfort on a landing, and can be used as a store place for the occupant of a small bedroom. Even a wide shelf near the ceiling in a passage is useful for holding hat-boxes, or if these are considered unsightly, the shelf can be boarded in and adapted as lockers, and one of the large, unwieldy hats, which present a real problem in a bedroom, can be comfortably housed in dust-proof security.

Inlaid marqueterie chest, suitable for placing beneath a tall early Victorian window which is difficult to furnish