ABSTRACT
Womanly influence should be felt in every detail, from the artistic draping of a curtain to the coloring of a pincushion, the grouping of cut flowers, or the folding of the dinner napkins. The craze for heavy and profuse plush draperies, and endless knickknacks of more than questionable taste, has died a natural death, and fashionable women now adopt a far more classical and simple style of decoration throughout their homes. Like the bedroom, the drawing-room must at a glance reveal the taste and refinement possessed by the mistress of the house. There are very few really well-understood and daintily furnished drawing-rooms, for even when a great deal of the money has been expended on furniture, – nay, even on art treasures, – most of them are wont to betray the vulgarity which is the besetting sin of our age.
