HALLS THAT WELCOME YOU HOME .sx Esther Murray .sx with her staff of skilled experts , is always ready to suggest furnishing ideas and colour schemes if you write to her , c/o Woman's Journal , The Fleetway House , London , E.C.4. .sx It matters very little whether your hall is large or small , for you can make it so attractive that any little drawbacks it may possess will simply not be noticed .sx This was my thought when I went into the tiniest hall imaginable only a few days ago , and found that within this small space was concentrated all the brightness and warmth that anyone could possibly wish .sx Its great attraction was the welcome which radiated from it directly the front door was opened .sx This was due to the charming colours that had been chosen and to the fact that the bad points had been treated so cleverly that they were now quite forgotten .sx There was also a portable electric heater in one of the corners facing the door , quite small but very efficient , and having a polished copper reflector .sx It is so important that a hall should give you a warm glow of welcome , but this particular hall was so small that it was impossible to use the rich colours usually employed for this effect .sx So the walls were papered half-way up with an orange " Sanderson " paper having a dull matt surface , and the upper part painted with a cream varnish paint which caught and reflected all the available light .sx The dividing line between the upper and lower part was marked by a wooden beading painted cream , which was quite inexpensive to have fixed .sx A soft , dark background was achieved by brown stained boards , making an effective foil to two bright orange rugs ; and there was also a modern rug , patterned in brown and orange , to add more colour .sx The front door possessed a rather unsightly plain glass panel , so behind this was hung orange curtain net - so cheap to buy , but which gave out such a friendly glow .sx There was a tiny window high up in the hall , but it was made important by being given a cream-painted frame and orange cross pieces .sx Orange net was gathered across a brass bar fixed across half-way up , and there were bewitching little curtains of cretonne figured with orange and cream .sx The ceiling was cream , of course , and from it hung a plain alabaster pendant , cream in colour , flecked faintly with orange , and having shining brass chains .sx Anything complicated would have been out of place here .sx There was no room for a hall chair or settle , so along one wall was a plain oblong box for holding shoes and hats , and this had been pained a dazzling cream , with the lines of its panels picked out in orange .sx Above it were six hooks of antique brass , and beside it a perfectly plain and very small brass stand for sticks and umbrellas .sx On the opposite wall was a coloured woodcut of orange and yellow nasturtiums in a dark oval bowl .sx BRINGING YOUR BEDROOM UP TO DATE .sx By .sx Derek PATMORE .sx Woman's Journal Modern Furnishing and Decorating Expert .sx At the beginning of each New Year we all make a number of resolutions .sx A desire for improvement is manifest everywhere .sx And I am sure that a great many of us look around our homes and wonder what we can do to improve them .sx We decide to make that sitting-room look a little gayer , or the bedroom a trifle more comfortable and attractive .sx There is no denying that most rooms need changing a little from time to time .sx So here are some simple and inexpensive ways in which you can alter the dullest of rooms and make it look attractive .sx Let us begin with the bedroom .sx Already people are getting , rather tired of the bare severity of much of the new modern furniture , and painted furniture is returning to fashion .sx Painted furniture introduces colour to a room , and has an individual charm about it without sacrificing the well-devised conveniences of modern carpentering .sx A little while ago I saw a dark and un-interesting bedroom that had been entirely transformed by painting all the furniture in the room with a new paint and a gay , colourful design .sx There is no reason why you too should not repaint your furniture .sx In this way a dull Victorian mahogany chest of drawers takes on a very gay and modern look , while familiar and uninteresting iron bedsteads will become unrecognisable if covered with several coats of blue or primrose yellow enamel paint , the ends being decorated with a design of flowers .sx Painting your old furniture is quite a simple matter .sx First scrape off the existing varnish and then apply several coasts of paint of the colour you desire .sx Now comes the question of design .sx A bunch of flowers always looks attractive pained on the head board and end of the bed .sx This can be done by any novice if a transfer of a simple flower drawing or picture is taken , and then traced out in pencil in the right position .sx A very simple and effective alternative is to cut out flowers or any decorative design from the coloured cover of a magazine and to stick them on to the head and foot of the bed .sx I have seen this done on pieces of furniture and on the doors of cupboards , and I recommend it ; moreover , if you cover the stuck-on design with a coat of varnish it will last for ever .sx In one of the illustrations on these pages you will see a charmingly simple dressing-table .sx Everybody could have such a dressing-table , for this particular one was made out of two old wooden packing-cases !sx Making it was extraordinarily easy .sx A large oblong mirror in the plain wooden frame was hung on the wall , then two packing-cases were placed on each side of it and pained a deep emerald green .sx Finally gay printed chintz covers with a small design of pink and green on a cream ground were tacked round the sides of the cases , so that only the painted tops were left visible .sx And the dressing-table was finished , the whole thing being made at the expense of only a few shillings .sx This dressing-table could be made in any colour , and the mirror could be lighted for dressing very effectively by a large electric bulb fixed to the top of the frame .sx I often wonder why more people do not try to improve the ugly appearance of their painted iron or brass bedsteads .sx This can be done so easily .sx What make this kind of bed so unattractive are the wrought iron or brass ends ; but if these are covered with loose covers , made in the same material as the curtains in the room , it is quite astonishing what difference appearance is achieved .sx Metal work on a bed always tends to make it appear hard and uncomfortable , whereas fabrics will make it appear soft and inviting ; that is why you find so many lovely old beds draped with hangings of patterned chintz or artificial silk .sx Even above a modern divan bed , draped hangings of material will frequently enhance its effect .sx A panel of a modern fabric placed on the wall above a low modern bed will look very well and give the bed the finish it needs .sx Fabrics play an all-important part in a bedroom , and this applies especially to curtains .sx Of course , we all know that it is an expensive business having new ones made , but there is a fresh way of arranging your net curtains which will change the whole aspect of the windows and give the bedroom a charming , modern , and up-to-date atmosphere .sx With this arrangement , which is seen in the sketch , a pelmet is not essential .sx The curtains , which are made of a cream organdie or a very fine net , are draped across each other in a very attractive manner .sx If you use organdie for your window curtains a frill on the edge of each curtain will add to the charm of the draped effect .sx This arrangement is so decorative , inexpensive , and eminently suitable for the feminine atmosphere of a woman's bedroom , that it is surprising it is not used more frequently in this country .sx I have seen a deep fringe , fitted in a place of a pelmet , looking most effective .sx The curtains were of jade green and peach damask , and there was a silk fringe eight inches deep to match .sx THE LOVELINESS OF A SCENTED GARDEN .sx By Eleanour Sinclair ROHDE .sx A valuable , although only slightly scented , flower in full bloom now is , Iris stylosa .sx Considering the number of flowers one can pick from only a square foot of it , this iris should find a place even in the smallest garden .sx The lovely lavender-blue flowers , almost hidden among the rough leaves , seem to bring summer right into winter , for the blue of their petals is almost the blue of a summer sky .sx What these irises like is being thoroughly starved in a sunny spot by a wall with plenty of mortar rubble !sx The best way of growing them is to plant them at the edge of a path by a sunny wall , instead of in a bed .sx Put into ordinary garden soil they produce leaves but no flowers , while given the conditions they like they produce blooms in abundance .sx The long leaves give the flowers a considerable amount of protection , but it is best to pick them in bud , for in bad weather the delicate petals are apt to be ruined .sx I notice that if picked in bud the flowers expand fully in a warm room within a few hours .sx The scented Iris reticulata is one of the easiest of the early flowering irises to grow .sx The deep voilet-coloured form is not a very attractive colour out of doors , but mixed with bright leaves such as variegated holly it looks beautiful .sx The yellow and green leaves show up the violet flowers , and the scent in a warm room is delicious .sx The pale blue forms of the iris ( I. cyana and cantab ) are more attractive than the deep violet .sx The new seedlings show a wonderful range of colour - maroon , gentian blue , and wine .sx Indeed , of all the early irises these new varieties will , I think , be first favourites with gardeners .sx The two early flowering honeysuckles ( Lonicena fragrantissima and L. Standishii ) are both sweetly scented , but in a small garden the former is certainly the one to choose .sx It takes as little space as Chimonanthus fragrans , growing to about six to eight feet , and spread out against a wall is very attractive .sx Fresh green leaves abundantly produced at this time are always a joy , and the cream-coloured flowers give us rich honeysuckle scent during the earliest days of the year .sx Even during the coldest and shortest days of the year deliciously scented flowers are already in bloom .sx The twigs of winter sweet are adorned with their quaint flowers now , their rich fragrance suggestive of summer rather than winter .sx How lovely these star-like flowers are !sx Leafless branches arrayed with flowers are always fascinating , and these blooms with their parchment-coloured outer petals and deep maroon inner petals , bright yellow stamens and rich honey scent , are peculiarly beautiful .sx One sees this Chinese treasure in nearly every large garden .sx It is strange that it is not more commonly grown in small ones , for it takes very little space and flourishes on either sandy or heavy soil .sx It grows best against a wall , for then it naturally flowers earlier .sx All the attention it needs is to prune back the flowering branches to within one inch of the base when the flowers are over , leaving , of course , those parts which will make more branches .sx Winter sweet ( Chimonanthus fragrans ) is as easily grown as Jasmine nudiflorum , also in flower now .sx The yellow flowers of this jasmine are a delight in winter and early spring , though they are almost scentless .sx A scented flower one rarely sees now is called Tussilago fragrans .sx This is the scented coltsfoot , and the perfume of its lilac-pink flowers is indistinguishable from cherry pie , which is so lovely later in the year .sx It grows like a weed , and those in my garden have been in flower since mid-December .sx