As time moves on the home and its furnishings must necessarily change. The building of new homes, at present, does away with the old fashioned parlor and now we have in it- stead the living room, which is as large, usually, as the former old-fashioned double parlor. The best furniture of the home, the most comfortable and the handsomest, is for the living room, where the family gather, after a busy day or week, for pleasure and relaxation.

Many complete suites can be had for the living room, comprising tables, rockers, easy chairs, book-cases, desks, couches waste-baskets, and foot-stools. These suites run from six pieces up to twenty-five and thirty.

Sanitary Couches

These are also in great demand. With a mattress and a couch cover they have the appearance of a regular conch and are very practical. They serve as a couch and, in an emergency, can be converted into a full size bed by simply rais-ing each side to a level with the couch proper. Some are made with a hack. Any of them, if well constructed, make a comfortable bed, and are inexpensive. There are various other makes of sanitary couches which open automatically into full sized beds and make more perfect beds although more expensive than the kind mentioned above.

Examine the casters of such couches. If they are riveted to the feet they can not be replaced as easily as a socket caster.

The life of such a couch depends on the way the fabric in the top is attached to the framework. Many small tempered coil springs should he the connecting links. In some instances there are hut a few, while the better couches have many of these helicals. Under the fabric top and in the center will be found supports, sometimes two rows, sometimes more, the more the better.

Couches

Couches are frequently used in living rooms and are constructed much the same as davenports. The greater the width of a couch the more comfortable it will be. See that the feet of a couch or davenport are large enough to securely retain the casters, and see that the blocks in which the casters fit are of such size that they will not be liable to break out. Notice how the couch legs are fastened on, with nail, thumbscrew or nut, or more securely blocked and glued.

Living Room Tables

Living room tables with round or oval tops are the most practical, although many people use a rectangular table, such as a library table.

The circular, pedestal base tables, without a drawer, seem to be growing in demand, except where rooms are large enough for complete suites, in which case a davenport and rectangular table are sometimes placed back to back in the center of the room.

Straight Chairs

Many wood-seat chairs are used in a living room and these should be well braced and constructed.