These
frames are finished in different styles--plain, carved, inlaid, and
gilt--and are upholstered in all shades of satin, plush, rep, silk,
and damask. These come at prices within the means of a slender purse.
That slippery abomination in the shape of haircloth furniture should
be avoided. The latest design in parlor furniture is in the Turkish
style, the upholstery being made to cover the frame. Rich Oriental
colors in woolen and silk brocades are mostly used, and the trimmings
are cord and tassels or heavy fringe.

Formerly the parlor appointments were all in sets or pairs, but this
fashion is no longer observed, as the most tastefully arranged parlor
has now no two pieces of furniture alike; but two easy-chairs placed
opposite each other are never out of place. Here may stand an
embroidered ottoman, there a quaint little chair, a divan can take
some central position; a cottage piano, covered with some embroidered
drapery, may stand at one end of the room, while an ebony or mahogany
cabinet, with its panel mirrors and quaint brasses, may be placed at
the other end, its racks and shelves affording an elegant display for
pretty pieces of bric-a-brac.

Marble-topped center-tables are no longer in use. Tables in inlaid
woods, or hand-painted, are used for placing books or albums on. A
small, airy-looking table, elaborately mounted in gilt, may stand near
a window or wall. The mantel mirror, with its beveled edges and small
racks arranged on each side, looks very effective when decorated with
pretty oddities--ferns, grasses, and pieces of old china. A jardiniere
filled with living plants and placed near a bay window makes an
elegant ornament. Care should be taken in arranging that the room be
not over-crowded. There should be a few good pictures or painted
plaques mounted in plush hung on the walls; a portrait may be placed
on a common easel and draped with a scarf in old gold or peacock-blue,
and tiny lambrequins, painted or embroidered, may hang beneath a
bracket supporting a bust or flower-vase.

An embroidered scarf with fringed ends may be placed on the back of a
chair or sofa in place of the old lace tidy. A sack made of small
pieces of bright-colored plush or silk in crazy work may be flung
across the table, the ends drooping very low. The mantelpiece may be
covered with a corresponding sash, over which place a small clock as
centerpiece and arrange ornaments on each side--statuettes, bannerets,
flower-holder