ot out of place in a really "homey" living room or elsewhere
in the house. They are made of wool, woven like an ingrain, with no
nap, and are especially pleasing for their artistic soft colorings,
mostly in green or blue two-tone effects. They are, strictly speaking,
not reversible, but some designs will permit use on both sides. While
they do not wear quite so well as a Wilton, they come at least a fifth
cheaper. Prices range from $9 for a 4.6 by 7.6 to $45 for a 12 by 15.

The sizes we have mentioned are standard. If our rooms have been
planned in such wise as to require rugs to order we shall have to add
ten per cent to our expenditures.

ORIENTAL RUGS

The subject of oriental rugs, to be intelligently discussed, would
require an entire book, and there are books that may be and should be
studied by those who can afford orientals. Most of us cannot. There
are, indeed, good reasons for the high cost of the genuine oriental, in
its superior coloring, wide range of design, and wonderful durability.
The right sort grows richer with age. But our plans are not so much
for posterity as for present uses, and we can get along very well
without testing our wits in the oriental rug market. It is a test of
wits, for there are no standards of size or price, and spurious goods
sometimes get into the best of hands. Small Daghestans and
Baloochistans may be had even lower than $20, but anything we would
care to have in living room or dining room would take $150 to $200 from
our bank account.

[Illustration: An oriental rug of good design: Shirvan.]

KITCHEN AND UPPER FLOORS

In the kitchen, and perhaps in a rear vestibule, unless the floor is of
a sort to be easily wiped up, linoleum may be demanded. The upper hall
will require a continuation of the stair runner, with perhaps a rug if
it broadens out at the landing. For the bed chambers the question of
individual use must be thought of. Brussels rugs will do in most
cases. A large rug means considerable shifting to get at the floor,
but is the more comfortable. Smaller rugs will permit sweeping under
the bed without moving it far, and should be placed under the casters,
which will injure the hard-wood floors if allowed to rest directly
thereupon.

MATTING AND CORDOMAN CLOTH

Next in choice would be to spend 25 or 30 cents a yard for matting and
cover the entire floor, adding one or two rugs to head off the shivery
feeling that arises from a contac