The Young Boy's Room

The young boy's room we show is equally suitable for some other members of the family. We have seen a boy immensely happy in it and likewise girls in their early teens. In one home it was used for a "paying-guest" and it looked very well indeed in a small suburban house where nothing was more elaborate.

It is in appearance "young" and has no special gender. This is why a boy likes it. Another point in its favor with the boy is that it is not "fussy." like, or in keeping with, the chief pieces of furniture. One small table will be for the telephone; another at the bedside; a third for his smokes, tobacco, cigars and pipes, matches and ashtray. If your man likes his tobacco "just so" get him a humidor. This will keep the tobacco moist.

As to styles of furniture most comfortable for men, we would advise one of those with straight lines and strongly built. It is an easy matter to choose furniture for a man's room if you will ask yourself the question "does this look like a man?"

As for color scheme it depends upon what each man likes. If he has no preferences yet seems to Totowa what he does not like, grasp at any clew he may drop when commenting on other homes. As a rule men like a simple room which not only has the comforts but looks comfortable. To the eye of the man not trained in the art of furnishing so as to get subtle beauty, you will find clear, rather strong colors are most satisfactory.

Try shades of red, attractive deep blues, browns and greens. Avoid what we call half-tones mauves, lavender, old rose, petunia, etc. There are men who like these shades, but we are talking about the average man.

Your figured materials for curtains and furniture coverings will depend, as to pattern and coloring, upon the style of the furniture; not absolutely, but there are distinctly suitable and un-suitable colors and designs when considered in relation to certain shapes. (See chapter on Periods in Color Schemes.)

Make the sash curtains of some thin white or cream washable material and arrange them on the rods so that if the man wants to push them back and let in all the light of heaven he can do so and not upset the housekeeper!

The floor covering should be one of the darkest tones of your color scheme; the curtains if of a figured material should be more serious in character than curtains you would choose for a woman's room. If you make sofa pillows let them be large and "masculine" looking, not of many colors and frilly. Follow the rules for making lampshades in the chapter devoted to that subject. They are to be attractive notes of color in your room to cheer it up as flowers can. But remember that the average man cares more for comfort and convenience than he does for effect, so give him these things in lamp shades as well as in bed and bureau.