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THE

HONEST HOUSE

RUBY' ROSS ' GOODNOW RAY NE' ADAMS

UNIV. OF CALIF. LIBRARY. L3S ANQBLES

LIBRARY OF ARCHREOTUaE AND ALLIED ARTS

Charles Henry Cheney

ARCHITECT CR9QKER BLOC. SAN FRANCISCO

k

THE HONEST HOUSE

tLi.KN IKKKVS CMilAt.l-:. KK.\1, h.NllI.ANK

THE HONEST HOUSE

PRESENTING EXAMPLES OF THE USUAL PROBLEMS WHICH FACE THE HOME-BUILDER TOGETHER WITH AN EXPOSITION OF THE SIMPLE ARCHITECTURAL PRINCIPLES WHICH UNDERLIE THEM: ARRANGED ES- PECIALLY IN REFERENCE TO SMALL HOUSE DESIGN

BY

RUBY ROSS GOODNOW

IN COLLABORATION WITH

RAYNE ADAMS

INTRODUCTION 15Y FREDERICK: L. ACKERMAN, A. I. A.

t« >,Jtffy»\

PUBLISHED BY THE CENTURY CO.

NEW ^()RK: __._----- MCMXIV

Copyright I914, by The Centuky Co.

Published, October, IQ/4

Mrttw lit— B

ACKNOWLEDG M EXT

To our friends, who have given us so freely ot their encouragement and enthusi- asm in the making of this book, we wish to give our thanks.

We are especially indebted to Frederick L. Ackerman, Richard Derby, Thomas Rob- inson, Robert R. McGcxxhvin. and \\'illiam Roger Greeley tor their co-operation in the planning of the book; to Alice Bough ton, Edmund B. Gilchrist, Lillian Baynes Grif- fin, and Frank Cousins tor photographs; and to Frances Delehanty, Howard Greenley, John D. Moore, Franklin P. Hammond, Henry B. Guillan, Bernhardt E. Mullet, Jules Gingras, Henry Hentlcrson and Gerald \\'right tor many drawings and cha[)ter headings.

Ruby Ross Goodnow Rayne Adams.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTIR PAGE

I THE Ol EST OV THE IDEAL IIOISE 3

II THE \.\ME or THE ARCHITECT . 7

111 AMEURAN HOISES AM) IHEIH ElKOrEAN PROTOTYPES ... 15

n THE PRAC riCAL PROBLEM OP HOISE Bl ILDINC. 23

\ IHE \EXAT10LS MA 1 I ERS OP PROPORTION AND BALANCE ... 33

\ I LHE rSEFlL AND THE BEAUTIFUL 41

\ii riiL ExroruACE op phe country house 47

AHI CONCERNINC. COLOR ^-^

IX THE NLVTERIALS 67

X WALLS AND THEIR OPENINGS 83

XI HIE CONSIDERA I ION oL IHE ROOP 97

XII DEI All s op SMALL IIOlsE 1)P.SI(;N 107

Xlll IIIL I nl I \I\ \\|) II s ( ORMCI". , .115

XI\ Tin; li.LAM \\\. op POIUIILS 121

x\ Till PI \N \KR \n(,i:mi:\ L . . .29

X\ I (.ODD I AslE AND COMMON SENSE 141

X\ II rilL MIPLL op Mil IIOISE 147

X\in A PLE.\ lOK I 111, 111, AK I II . , . 1,-9

TAHI.i: Ol eOMKMS

CIIAI'TKR '''^GE

\1\ I)F.TAII.S OF INTERIOK DESIGN 165

w rm: ikadition oi wood rAXKi.ixc; 173

\\i I iir. DrcoHATioN or wam.s 179

XXII nil. iu(;iiT I sp: of cirtains 189

xxiii BKFOHi: vor Biv vori\ n kmukf, 197

XXI\ A LIST OF USEFUL BOOKS 203

INTRODUCTION

There are few things which concern us more intimately than the houses in which we live; fewer still are the things in which we take a greater in- terest than the homes which we individually own. The actual size of the house does not so much matter, and we ma)' even venture the statement that the degree of interest which an owner takes in his home is in something like an in- verse ratio to its size.

It is difficult indeed tor us to create a house which is expressive of the owner, and at the same time consistent in all of its parts, true to a chosen stvle or character, and containing throughout the elements of good design, for the sim- ple reason that we are still young as a people, our social traditions are not so well established as to indicate clearly what is to be our tuture, and in consequence, what will be the character of the homes which will result.

In our larger houses we are very likely to draw our inspiration from widely- separate and distant fields, and we bring into them the accumulated art of the centuries past, and ot the whole world. So it is no woncier that in these hustling times, when our cia\s arc filled with a iiiultirmlc ot interests, that we sometimes feel that we are strangers in our own homes. Then tew, a spirit ot pride and emulation is often wrought into the building of our larger houses, and often this motive, working unconsciously in the minds of both the owner antl rhe architect, acts as a Chinese Wall, separating us troni our ideals and the things which we actually accomplish.

It is likewise true that similar motives influenc<' those of us who buikl small houses, but fortunately it is not true to the same extent. \N'e lack the wealth

IM KODl C HON

of rcsourcr from which ic ilraw : we ilo not possess the pecuniary means. The materials from which our houses arc to be executed must be found close at hand, and they must be inexpensive. These influences, together with a niultirude of others of a similar nature, teml toward the development of the smalli r house aionj; more intimate and more interesting: lines. They tend towanl rlu- creation of a type, something: more accurately expressive of our life ami time, sonictliinj; more inilifienous to our society.

In our .American homes, j>articularl\ the smaller oneSj we find that which we have characterized as a typical architectural expression ot our day and peojile. In ftuM- homes we find an extremely wide range of expression. They are infinite in variety, as regards form or mass, st)le or character, and in the materials used. Among them we find a few really interesting and fine examples, but in the main, the small houses ot our suburban and rural coniniu- nities, scattered the length anil the lircadrh ot our country, are ugly; nianx of them are inexpressively ugly, and yet notwithstanding this fact, we do not hesitate to recogni'/e them as our own. antl strange as it ma}- seem, we take a justifiable pride in them.

How can we explain this seeming paradox^that we have a vast number of ugly houses of whiih we are jiroutl. which we take so seriousl\. ami tliar we con- sider them one of the few characteristics and architectural exj)ressions of our jko- ple'^ It is pertinent to ask: What is the underlying reason for our so generally accepting or assuming such an attitude?

There is no more accurate chronicle of a people than the buildings which they erect. Seen in jierspective, they help to explain the nature of a people's religion and philoso|)hy, and their social, moral, and political ideals as well. We can deduce from them their intimate thoughts and desires.

W<' have been a busy ])eople. — conquering all sorts of physical conditions, en- deavoring to solve an entlless number ot political, social, and moral i>r()hlcms, — antl we have not given serious thought to the building of our houses. In the architecture of our day we have only sketched in, as it were, the many ideas which form the basis of our lives. As yet the forms are crude; we have not ar- rived at that point in the development of an architectural style or expression where it is possible for us to say clearly that this is true and that is false. In other words, we cannot distinguish the masks from the faces.

Let us, however, return to the reasons for our assumed pritle in our houses. We can surely say that it is not their general appearance, taken as a whole, which justifies that pride. The last generation or so has certainly not built fine houses, when we compare them with earlier American examples. The fine work

INTRODUCTION

ot the colonial builders has been replaced by a crude effort of the recent con- tractor. The fine old farm houses of two generations a^o have been replaced b_\ the niotlc} colored tornis ot ro-da_\-. \\'e ha\e not much imiirovcd their plan arrangement nor have we made tliem better adapted to their use. With the excep- tion of a recent tendency towards simplification, our small houses for a long time have been growing more complex; simple roof lines have been replaced by forms resembling the clocks of the Black Forest. Little attention has been paid to the general mass ot the buildings, antl we have substituted, in our en- deavor to improve upon the old forms, an endless number ot superficial and unnecessary elements, in the main of exceedingly bad taste, such as is illus- trated in the product of the jig saw and the turning lathes.

The reason tor our satisfaction must be sought below the surface, for it is surel\- not in the external appearance that we find sufficient evidence or a suf- ficienth' gootl reason. There is something expressed in the pLms of the houses themselves, in the very arrangement of the plots of land upon which they stand, which differentiates them from similar houses of Europe. They do not express landlordism, but rather a group of democratic ideals. This is partic- ularly and most clearly expressed in the plan, where is indicated, not as some would have it, the aping of a more pretentious scale ot lite, but rather a direct and vigorous expression ot the effort to lead a life that is sociable, though laborious.

It is this which we have expressed in our Miiall houses. This is wli\, with all their ugliness, they are characteristic of America. Is this not enough for a new people to have accomplished"? Is this not a sufficiently firm foundation upon which to build'?

Quite natural 1\ we consitler small houses as being in the nature ot an indi- vidual or a ]>(rsonal exjiression onl_\-, something growing out of the mind of the owner, the builder or the architect. A stud\- ot the history of the house trom the earliest times torces home to one the fact that it is a proiluct or expression of great social and economic forces.

It is not alone the taste ot the owner or the art'hitei.t wliiih establishes the general character of the house. It is rather that the general character of the house is established by these forces, and those who actually build it in mate- rials but modify the details already establish(d by trailition. From the tree house of tii<- iropii'. the cave house ot the North, antl the later primitive house, consisting of but a single room, down to the modern house ot oui own day. we see these forces working; we see them changing. — the changes bringing greater comfort to the individual. Precedent h l^ betn the determining factor in build-

iMHODic riox

ing, and :ii wc look back, \vi- wondrr that a people could have tohratrd in times past the stupid housing: ronditions und<T which they lived.

When wr compart- these old crude expressions with the homes of the present ilay, it is evident that we have {jone a long way, and yet, who can state that a tew centuries hence we shall not have evolveil a type which will make our pres- ent achievement look as crude then as the log house of" but a few generations past Nxiks to us to-day"?

Yet one may xsk what has all this to il<> with this particular problem, and how can this helji us in the building of better housesV Let us seel

It was but a few generations ago that local tradition alone influenced mate- rially the ilesign and the arrangement of the houses. There was not possible at that time the universal interchange of ideas which we possess to-day. There was not [iresent the demand for community life such as we find characteristic <if our civilization; the great industrial centers did not exist, and there were not present such contlitions as we find in our great suburban communities, — in other words, the housing problem did not exist.

Many are the intlividuals and .societies spending in total large sums of money uiKin stimulating the erection of better houses and providing for the working man houses of simple design, economical in construction, safe and sanitary, and many municipalities and states throughout the world — more particularly in Kuro[)e — are giving to-day vcrj' serious study and consideration to this subject. The task is difficult. There is a multitude of complex conditions entering into the problem. In bringing about better housing conditions and better houses from the aesthetic standpoint, the garden cities of Europe have been an impor- tant factor. These do not represent a complete solution of the problem, but they [loint in the right direction. Through these experiments we have been able to g:iin a great deal of knowledge.

The early efforts in garden city development were, in the main, along phil- anthropic or semi-philanthropic lines. In the more recent developments, how- ever, there are a number of examples where the funds have been provided by the people themselves. It is in these latter developments that we find an architec- ture more accurately expressive of the conditions and more consistent in char- acter, and wi- already see in these developments the possibilities of a better archi- tecture.

The many efforts made toward better housing are aimed primarily toward providing better living conditions. This, in a word, means that houses must be built cheaply but at the same time of durable materials. They must be sani- tary and wholesome, and what is of vital importance, they must be so designed

INTRODUCTION

as to meet the actual needs and requirements and to satisfy the reasonable de- mands resulting trom a better education and an independence of spirit.

In these community developments, beyond providing for these things, a seri- ous effort has been made along the esthetic side. We realize that it is pos- sible to do nuich toward raising the standard. The influence of good work surely tells, and it has a marked influence upon adjacent and even distant communities where the erection of small homes goes on through the effort of individuals only.

This effort, however, does not solve the problem. The problem of obtaining worthy designs ot small houses is an exceedingly difficult one and at present, there seem to be few avenues open to the owner desiring to build a small home other than to secure the services of the speculative builder or contractor, or as he is sometimes termed, "architect," or to bu}- a book depicting one hundred hid- eous houses for one dollar.

The architect of ability, — and it takes an architect of .mch qualification to de- sign a small home, — has not been able to do a great deal toward bettering the design of the vast number of our small houses which make the majority of American homes. His oflfice, by necessity, is situated in one of the larger cities; his problems, in the main, are the larger problems of cit}- and country, and about the only opportunity ever presented to him comes when he is called upon to lay out and design something in the nature ot a garden city or a comnumit)' development. The economic side of the problem has forced him away from being a material factor in its solution.

He sees these little ugly houses along our roads; he wishes that they might be otherwise, and yet it seems almost impossible to suggest a method of mak- ing them better.

A number of efforts have been matle b)" rhe \arious chapters of the American Institute ot Architects toward this end. There are at present a number of schemes under consideration looking toward providing something in the nature ot scale drawings which could be {Purchased by an owner for a verj- nom- inal sum, these to be modified under the supervision of a competent architect, so as to adapt them to rlie \ar\ ing conditions of site.

While all ot these efforts are in a verj' preliminary state of development, vet they indicate the possibility of a solution. The Deixirtment of Agriculture at Washington has already started a dejiartment, the object of which is to stud)' carefully the farm house problem to this same end, and alreail\' the work is well under wa\. There is no logical reason w liy rhe Federal Crovernment, if jirop- erly supported in this excellent work, slu)uld not be a strong factor in bringing

i\ I iu)i)i c HON

about a hiphcr standard in tlic tnctu)n of buildinps upon the farm, not only from thf rcononuc and siK-ial side, but from the asthctic side as well. Many newspapers and i>eriodicals have instituted competitions; many have been con- ducteil under most excellent conditions. Much material of value has been pub- lished. The j^ood, however, is so insignificant in its total amount as compared with the bad that as yet the influence is lianlly felt.

This b<M)k is not an attempt to consider the housing question in gene ral, nor to su|)plv the |)rosj»ectivc owner with designs or plans for small houses, hut it is rather an attempt to present to the prospective owner of a home a few simple suggestions as to the best methotls of attacking his problem and also a few hints concerning the great undcrl) ing princijiles of good design. It purposes to state these principles in such a way that they may be easily understood and acted u|ion.

All our experience in life shows that it is easier to criticize a bad thing than to construct a good one. Houses are no exception to the nile. We can easily .see the errors in the work of others; we criticize with a spirit of bravado, but wh«'n we start something of our own, how grateful we are if some guiding gen- ius tells us what to avoid! We all feel that we do not need to ask that we be not led into temptation so much as we need to be told how to avoid failure.

Nearly all books which deal with domestic architecture are put together with the idea of showing examples of good houses and jilans which have merit, and from which the student or the reader may draw inspiration. This is only half of the stor}-. It is not enough to point out what is good in art or architecture, we should jxiint out what is bad also, and show by specific illustrations how the errors may be avoided. One of the purposes of this book is to present good and bad examples of domestic architecture, and ro point out specifically many of the common faults in planning and in detail to \\liich the inexperienced home-builder is liable, and which remain to commemorate his ignorance and bad taste.

FrF.DI RICK L. ACKERMAN, Member of the American Institute of .'\rchitects.

THE HONEST HOUSE

A queer fancy seems to be current that a fire exists to warm people. It exists to warm people, to light their dark- ness, to raise their spirits, to toast their muffins, to air their rooms, to cook their chestnuts, to tell stories to their children, to make checkered shadows on their walls, to boil their hur- ried kettles, and to be the red heart of a man's house and hearth, for which, as the great heathens said, a man should die.

— G. K. Chesterton, in "What's Wrong with the World."

^

x.<>Ss>-"~:^j^-5^

THE HONEST HOUSE

CHAPTER I

THE gUEST OF THE IDEAL HOUSE

YOI" arc f^oinj^ to huiUl a little house, your tirst and only house, }our home. For )ears )ou have (licamcil and saved and scrimped with the rosy vision ot your Ideal House luring }ou on. At last }()u ha\'e accunuiiated the hoard of dollars }()u hxcd tor your ^oal. Now )()u are reaii)- to bu)' a bit of earth for jour house, ready to approach the practical prob- lem ot the huildinf^ of it. How are you to accompli>h itV You cannot go ahead blindly.

\o\\ look about )'ou at the huiulreils of small hoii-c-; built b)- i)eo])lc who have enter- tained ideals, just as you have, and \ou reali/e that a large projiortion ot these houses are poor in design, inconvenient in plan, and uneconomical in construction, ^^'har is wrong about it all. an\wa\ ''. It a man has worked hard tor honor dollars to build a lioux', why is it .^o diliicult tor him to ac- comjilish an honest hou^e'^ "^'ou \vi>h to use yoiu' bi-^r knowledge and judgment to injure the expending of jour hard earned money

to the be>t possible advantage. Presumably }<)ur neighbors had the same ambition. W'h}-, then, are there so few small houses that are honest in construction, logical in plan, and attractive to the eye"? Are there any means which ma}' be taken to prevent de- plorable results'?

It is tair to assume that you do not rely on )our own technical skill, in either design or construction. "S'ou know that you _\()ur- self are an expert in jour own line of work; that j'our value to the communitj" depends dircctl} on jour abilitj' to ser\e them in this expert capacity, ^'ou are likely to apply this reasoning irt the lase of jour own home. "\'ou probablj' beli(\c that those people who are designing and buihling houses right along are the very peojile who can furnish jou the expert service jou nceti. So tar. so good. It becomes, then, not a matter ot whether \{i\\ shall have hel|) or not, but ot what kind ot help JOU shall have.

There is jour neighbor who lias recently built a hou'-e. "^'ou might learn trom him

THK iioNKsr iiorsK

the mrthcxis hr has pursued, and pursue- the- <n.t juci.n.ent tables of costs should he left

sanic yourself. But arc vou ahlr to detect entir.l) alone.

the f.mlt.s in his adviceY 'sonu-tinu-s owners .Son,e of the mapa/mes are even running are not wholU e.MW.ous of the defects in departnients for the purpose o g.v.ng the their houses. 'Sometimes thev are conscious readers expert professional advice. 1 hey ..f these defects when it is t<x, late to rectify print plans and elevations of different types thou Grantin;: that vour neighbor will of houses and of different costs, frequent y pve vou the benefit of his exin-rience, mis- these plans are dimensioned. ;nul eould be takes'and all, d.K-s his house till your par- executed effectiv.lu 1 h. trouble is that ticular re<,uirementsY each owner wishes to var> the plan in some Supix^se vou wi>h t.) exercise vour judg- way that shall more exactly till his require- ment, indqn-ndentlv of vour neighbor^, ments. and in making the alterations he is You will hnd various kinds of assistance at v.-ry lik.Iy to lose whatever merit existed in hand. The most im|H)rtant of them are the the original design. If by any chance one of maga7.in«-s, the carp-nters, and the architects, these houses should be built exacth" as shown, The magazines have done much to create a it is very likely that it would be inappropriate general interest in Ix-ttering small house ar- to the locality.

chitecture. A few of the magazines that have a desire Much of your inspiration has come from to give actual help to the man who would the magazine articles on house building, build his own house employ consulting archi- probably. I know a man who confesses that tects. When these men can give time and for vears he b<«ight every number of a well thought to the problems of individual linine known journal for women because he loved builders, the magazines will be doing a great hous<-s so. anil this magazine often presented work indeed. But such a service, it success- pictures of charming houses at ridiculously ful, would mean that thousands of problems low prices. The trouble wxis that the houses would be })resented to the staff architect, and could n't b«- built at the prices named; he dis- he could n't consider them all. We are not covered this when he actually tried to build living in the millennium, and magazine one of them. Still, he argiics, the magazine owners are not likel)- to emplo)' more archi- did much to stimulate his interest in house tects than editors, and it would undoubtedly buiUiing, and so he does not altogether con- come to this! So — make the best of the ad- demn its impractical advice. vice offered you, and then turn to the other

Most of fhi- architects I know are not so possible sources of help.

amiable alxHit the case of the women's maga- l^ndoubtedly you have a neighbor who is

zines. Their quarrel is with the misinforma- a carpenter, or who knows a carpenter. We

tion supjilieil by glib writers who quote prices all have neighbors who are carpenters. Some

that may b<' reliable in an individual instance, of us, however, know things about carpenters

but nine times out of ten the client who relies which }ou, as a home builder, may not know.

ujion them finds that his is not the instance. The architect knows that the average car- He is unable to use judgment in com()aring [wnter is not a designer; he cannot plan. the quotations to his own IfK-ality. and with- That is, he cannot plan as conveniently as

4

THE QIEST OF THE IDEAL HOUSE

What could be more attractive than this charming old house, in WeMclie.Mci tiniiuv, NHv York, wiili its plain shingled walls? The shingles are laid in wide courses, about nine inches to the weather. Their irregularity gives an added interest to the house. Note also the unbroken roof surfaces, and the total absence of meaningless orna- ment.

should be tor the amount you are goin^ to expend on your house. He cannot make his hard and fast ideas conform to the |K-culiar rec]uirements of every individual client. He lacks the flexibility to change his idea.s be- cause he lacks the knowledge and the training which give flexibility. It must be remem- bered that I am speaking of carpenters who arc architects, not of carpenters who pursue their own callings. There is no more honor- able profession but it should not be confused with architecture.

The car[)enter must always copy. Some- times it is good work and sometimes it is bail work which he choo.ses to copy, or to adapt. In either case, it is a matter of chance, tor the simple reason that he lacks the esthetic and the jiractical judgment to know good from bad design. Yet despite the fact that

he takes all his ideas from other people, he cannot be brought to admit that the other people, meaning the architects, are ot any use to him or to the home maker. He seems to feel bound to detend his ignorance b)' re- pudiating the source of what knowledge he has. He usually has a lot of arguments up his sleeve against the architect. Here are some of them : —

( 1 ) The architect is an additional expense. That is, the fee paid to the architect is simply so much moni \ thrown into the ditch.

(2) The architect is a very arbitrary fel- low, and will not allow tl>e owner to have an\ thing he wants if he can possibly prevent it. (This is of course a throw at the high- brow architect who no doubt exist.s. but who is far from typical ol the protession.)

( T,) The architect will take a month or

nil. MONKS r HorsE

more to draw fhr plan^. anil this nuan> a month or morr wa.st«"ii.

Thcrr art" «>tlirr sf(xk objections whiili he ailvan-.Ts also, whiih it is not mvrssary to rniinuTatr. All ot thnn. imiiulin;^ thr ones nirntionrii, can Ix- answrnil atl«<|uat«ly with tacts j;rratly to the contusion ot the car- |M'ntiT. We shall niakr no attempt, how- ever, to answer them here for our purpose is to help t(» brin;; about, not a ilispute, but a thor«»u;;h-p)in^ co-o|»«rative working; policy in which own«T, car|wnter ( anti by carpen- ter we mean all the builiiin;: trades), and architect timl their prop<T |)laces and re- wards. It each can be br<)u;:ht to realize his tle|Mndence on th«' others, you will lie in :i fair way towartl ^jettinj: an iilial home for your investment.

It matters not whether you are poinfj to build a tour-r(x)m cott.ape or a forty-room house. The principles are the same. Vou mi;;ht be able to learn these princi|)les from reailin;: and observation. You mi^'ht find an intellifjent car|>enter who could copy a po<xt house for \n\\. And also you mifiht po to a so-called architect and pet a disappoint- ing house. The chances are .ipainst you. un- less you solve certain problems as .in architect

would solve them. The main questions you must answer to your own satistaction are:

•What is a house. anywa\ V .\iid what is the advantage ro me of consulting an aivlii- fectV How am I to know a riaincii anliitcct when I find him V"

The architect's answer is lucid enouf^h :

A house is primarily a buildinji to live in. The iiiea in |ilannin>^ a house is to make it comfortable.

"Comfortable" means rliar riic arrange- ment ot rooms should be convenient, that the heatinj; system should be so that the house can be made warm when one wishes, that the phimbing system should never fail to give hot water, that the windows shoulil nor leak, anil that the cellar should be dry.

These things when well done give bodily comfort.

There is, however, .another comfort, which has been called a "comfort of the eve."

Though your plumbing system is perfect, and )our cellar dr\-, and your house warm, we still ask: "Is it attractive"^ Does it plea.se the eye?"

T//C houses in ivh/ch we live must not only answer the conditions of efficiency, but of ijood taste also.

CHAPTER II

THE ^■ALl E OV THE ARCHITECT

YOU have only so many dollars for your house and as you count the precious hoard you wonder it you can afford an architect. What niake> an architect desirahle, an} \va}-, when )ou have plans ot houses ot all styles and all periocis to draw upon"? When you have denied yourselves so much for this ideal house, dreamed and studied so for it, you feel you cannot afford to lose the best part of it — your comfort and satisfaction. And so jou make a program of }our recjuirements and begin to question if, after all Aour years of [ilanning, you are n't just as capable to build your own house as an architect. You know what }ou want. Why pay another to tell youV Why shiiulil n't ever)' man be his own architei'f? Just what is an architect anyway"?

The science of building is the practical siiie of house construction. The art ot designing is the other. Thar is w li_\ the architect, trained to consitler both aspects, is more suc- cessful than the practical bulkier luitrained in the iiistor\- of art and design, or the artist untrained in the use of building materials.

Now, just as there are houses and houses, so there are architects and architect>. To be- come a good artist it will readil\ be granted one nuist stud\ long and assiduously; to be- come a good practical builder one must study and work with all the different building ma- terials, must learn to put them together, must ascertain what their man\ (jualities are. This also is a long study.

It is not difficult to .see that an architect, who must cover both the.se fields, is not matle overnight. The study of the practical side ot building is admittedly long. What .shall we saj ot the study ot design, which is simph' the development of good taste"? The de- velopment may continue during a lifetime; rhtrc i> no (muI to the ^tud) ot g(KHl taste.

"But," some one argues, "suppose we are willing to give up our questionable plans and copy a good oh! house"? Suppo>e we like a square brick house in .Salem, or a statel\ white house in Richmond, or a clapboard cottage in our honu- town well enough to cop\ it"? .Suppo.se we have tound just our ideal ram- bling house in Kngland, or France, or Italy.

II IK HONKST HOUSE

i»>«t>«i^ >'

^

The Villa Gamberaia is one of the glories of Italy.

You admit that we builii our houses on the traditions of thrsc countries. Why should n't we reprodiue these hou.ses faith- fully"^ Why consult an architect"?"

I'niess you can select evtr\ door, every window-casinp, every molding;; unless you can assemble exactly the materials that went into these old houses, how can }ou reproduce them"? How can you buiki a closet or a bathroom in a symmetrical Georjiian house? How can you ;:ef real timber-work in }our Norman cottaf^e without paying' well tor it"? How can you pet your windows scattered proix-rly over the surface of your Italian villa and at the same time meet all the hard con- ditions of practical comfort demanded by a nuxiem home-builder"? How can you pet the soft curve of an Enplish roof-line without thatch ■?

The idea that a simple Colonial house can be copied by a carpenter is danperous ; the simplicity of those old houses was enforced.

"But this is dreadful I" some one arpies. "You are condemninp us to drean,' boxes, safe houM's of no character. What chance is there for charm and oripinalitv in a small house?"

There is all tin- chance in the world; as many chances as there are houses to be built. The most interestinp house in America is the small countrj- cottape, and it is also the rep- resentative house.

It is not penerally understood that it is much more difficult to desipn a small house than a larpe one. A five- room cottage may be just as distinguished as a great house, but it takes a trained architect to make it so, and the trained architect usually has his hands full of bipper thinps. It is n't that he scorns the small house — he loves it. When he turns his hands to it, he does somethinp supremely complete and charminp. But he, like all the rest of us, is concerned with makinp a finan- cial success, and he does n't often find a client who wants a small house tor a reasonable amoimt ot monej-. The averape client wants a larpe house for a very small and insuflficient amount. And so there are very few riczv small houses that have both convenience and charm. There are thousands of lovable old ones — claj^board and shinple cottapes, and field stone ones, and old brick ones. But the new ones are apt to be hideous things, mushrooms

8

THE \'ALUE OF THE ARCHITECT

that grow overnight from queer floor phxns; lump}' bungalows; pretentious cottages ot stucco or wood masquerading as manor houses. The smaller they are, the more at- tention they require, and the less they receive. Poor little houses!

All small houses should he good, because people love them so. We do not ahva}s re- sent the great ostentatious pile of masonr\' that the newly rich man builds tor himselt, because the chances are he has much space and many trees around it. But we do feel sad over the poor little houses that might so easily be beautiful.

The very small house shown on page 1 1 was designed by Mr. Charles Piatt, who is known everywhere as a designer of great country houses. This little house has as nuich charm as his larger hou.ses.

The \'anderbilt gate lodge at Great Neck, Long Island, is a triumphant expression of the trained architect. The inspiration is -Xorman. The timber-work is actual, not sham. The tiles came from an old middle- western church. The gargoyles are a fine ex- ample of the proper use of ornament. The root line and the chimney treatment are so delightful that we feast our eyes on their fine

John Riifsfll Pope, .Arcliiicct.

DesiRncd in ilie Nor- m.iii style of half lim- hrr arihiircmre, ihr Vaiutcrbilt loJ);r, 31 Urrpilalr, l.oii); NIand, is iiiicrcstiiit; especially l>ecaii>e of the ihoroiiRh- iicss with which the de- >i^n was carried out. I he half timher if rral h.ilf timher. the tilen are rt'.il old tiles and the whole ho\isc has an as- pect of age. I'here are few more perfect exam- ples of small house de- sign.

nil. ii()m:^i iioi se

linrs. but — whin \vr cffluc down to csst-ntials — this is .siinply a ti\r-nH)ni lottaj^r, |)I;inmtl tor a taniily ol two [Hoplr.

Tlusf two rotta^^cs arc thr tincst |K).s.siblr illustrations of the trainnl architrct's titncss for his profession, a titiu» that lonirs trt)ni thr pride of w«)rknianship and thr joy ot w«)rk.

If, fh«n, you are f^oinj; to tiiiploy an anhi- tfct (and it is thr only sen>ibl«- tiling to ilo) you should submit all your ideas to his knowl- edge ami trainin;;, just as \t)u would rest yinir case with your law\er. or trust your child to your doitor. ^'ou should ^o about the busi- ness ot house-buildinj^ with an open mind. You nuist UM)k upon your house as a litetime business. If you don't live in it always, some one will follow you. You nuist build t«)r those [H-ople who will follow jou, as well as for the immediate content and comfort ot yourself. You should be free to tell your architect all the thin^^s you have thouf^hr our about your house, but then you should let the problem rest with him.

The architect's profession is based on an exact science. He must know th< liistorv of house-buildinfj. For instance, he must know the sif^nificance of the four styles from which we commonly draw our ins[)i ration for our homes of mcxlerate size and cost — the Colo- nial or Georgian, the Norman, the English and

the Italian. Each style has its special value for ailaptation and use. All are subject to the ^amc j^eneral principles of good design. What these principles an . what things should be don( , what rules observed that your house ma) bi- attractive, it is the business of the architect to know, and it is yours also from the minute you begin to plan \()ur house. Go(kI house-design is not obtained li) him who ha> a |)ractical mind onl} ; it is essential that he also have an e) e trained for beauty in things.

If vou haven't taken the trouble to train your eye, if \'ou don't know why one house is goixl and another bad, play safe. Stick to simple things. Be modest. See to it that your architect knows )our desire tor sim- plicity. This may seem drab counsel, if you are full of original and untried ideas, but until you have learned the rudiments ot any art, go warily I Don't try to put on "lugs," and don't let your architect put them on. He won't, an\ way, if he knows his business.

But how are you to know? There's the rub! It is unfortunate that we accept the architect so casually here in America. In European countries it is usual to require an architect to hold a diploma, or what cor- responds to a license, before he is fully en- titled to practise his profe.ssion. Over there a man nia\ liuiKl his own house from his own

;■"""

i:

J V

Fir»t floor plan. Second floor plan.

House on estate of Robert U. Schut/, Hartford, Connecticut.

10

THE \ALl E OF THE AKCHH ECT

Charlfs A. Piatt. Architect. This example of house design shows how great are the possibilities for an attractive small house. Note the beautifully proportioned dormer windows and the fine cliaracier of the details of this house, which is located on the estate of Mr. Robert H. Schutz, at Hartford. Connecticut.

plan.s, but it he employs an architect it is with the understainlin;^ that the term '■architect'" implies a special, serious traininji. We Americans demand this proof of the fitness of our hiwyers, our doctors, and our dentists, but we have no hold on the men who call them- selves our architects. WC have not \it awakened to the consequent stupidities and atrocities that surround us and make us ridic- ulous to the people ot oMer countries.

Down in l-lorida reccntl), in a municipal council, it was proposed that all buildings over a certain cost shoidd be desij^ned by an architect or an engineer, as the case re(]\iired. This jilan wa^ defeated on the ground that any one ot ordinar\ common sense could draw plans tor a liuiklinf:;! Is it a womler we ^o

slowly in establi.shinf^ an American architec- ture V

Any man who can drive a nail may call himself an architect, and perpetrate one dreadful hou.se after another. The country is full ot these untrained men whose taste is ojien to crititism on the {ground ot inuiia- turity, to use no harder expre.ssion. There- fore, you who are about to build shoulii in- vestifjate the stanilin^' ot your architect, and fi;o to him not simpiv because he calls him.self so. For the time beiufj you are entering a business partnership with him. and you shouKl investigate what he has to offer as carefully as you investifjate the title ot the land on which your house is to be built.

It is unfortunately true that certain idio-

1 1

Till. MOM'S I n<u SE

syncnusifs attath to sonic of the anhitrtts on the outskirts ot tin- protVssion. It is rqiialiy unlortunatf that tlirsc anliitrcts are the ones with whiHU the small home builtler, directing his own course of proeeiiure, is likely to come into ctmtacr.

In anhiteifure. as in the other protessions, iniiividuals are marked otf into classes by dit- fcrent attitudes of mind. The attitude ot the s|)ecialist. the conuuercial attitude, the prof«-ssional attitude ami the attitude ot the professional man who even in this practice is not a professional man merely, are the four usually encountereil.

The s|H'cialist is the man who is doing a definite line of work for a particular class of |x-ople. The mill architect is a tyiiical in- stance. He iliK's such things as factories, warehouses, and large commercial buildings o\ a similar class. His knowledge is the knowledge of the engineer, rather than ot the architect. It is unlikely that the mill archi- tect will hv «ith<T interestiil or successful in the designing ot small ho\ises.

The commercial attituile is simply that ot the man who does something for some one, and gets paid for it. It is a typical trades- man's attitude. This sort of an architect feels that he h;is something to sell, and he means to get a.s much as he legitimately can for it. He {>erfonns his service in the brief- est |x>ssible time, taking all the short cuts at his disixisal, and paying out as little money in salaries as is consistent with the satistac- tion, or what he calls the satisfaction, of his client, ^^'hen a sincere, and not a cut rate, worker, he may be relied upon to do a work- manlike piece of ordinary work. Unfortu- nately, he is lacking in the finer jwrceptions of esthetic values. He cannot study a problem with sufficient reference to the location and

the client's peculiar needs. His work is likely to be all of a piece, and one house is ili.stinguishable from another only by the dif- ference in size anil the kinds of materials used. He performs a legitimate service, but a service of a kind not calculated to raise the average quality of small house architecture.

The professional (perhaps it slumlii be called ultra-professional) attitude is tliiu in which the architect tries to force upon the client designs and ideas in wliich he, as a pro- fessional man, has the greatest confidence. He is preeminently a stylist. His work is the result of the particular faith that is in him. He is likely to be found among the highest class (socially speaking) of the men in practice. When he is a man of jiromi- nence and strong iniiividuality he can un- doubtedly force his ideas through.

The result, however, is likely to be unsatis- factory in the end, from the view of the client. Once in the house, the client finds numerous places that are not to his liking. Several of the rooms are to him imlivable, and after a while he comes to realize that he is occupying not his own house, but the house of his architect.

While the attitude of mind of this kind of practitioner is undoubtedly one to command respect, it commands the respect due to an artist who hap[)ens to be an architect, rather than to a home maker.

The attitude of mind of the architects who are not professional men merely, seems cer- tainly to be the right one, from the point of view of the man who would build a home. It is also the dominant idea among those men who are doing the domestic work.

These men, so far as life is concerned, are, like the client himself, still in the making.

They are near enough to the struggle for ex-

12

THE \ ALLE OF THE ARCHITECT

Derby & Robinson, Arcbiiccis. This house at Winchester, Massachusetts, is full of the placid charm of early New England Colonial architecture. Note the rather unusual but happy type of dormer.

istencc to realize that happiness is the main what this standard is, and work with it in point, after all. ami that happiness is not con- mind. He must not spend the limited means fined to the kind of" house in which a man of the client on superfluities, even if they lives. They believe, however, that happi- are practical superfluities, ness is materially qualifieil h\ the home. On the esthetic side also there are stand- Just wliat these respects arc vary in different ards. The true architect of homes is not di.s- cases. heartened by the apparent lack of taste in a Tin; kintl of comfort which comes from client. He knows that in certain matters a convenience is first of all, perhajis, with the client's ipiorance is less than his own. He average man. He has accustomed himself remembers always when he is commissioned to a certain standard of livinj:, ami the con- to do a house for a client that it is the client's veniences which he ilemands are limiteil by house he is iloing. He is en;:ageii upon it for this standaril. An architect must find out a m<inth or a year, but th>- . llmf musr Il\. in

<3

IIU: IlONKSl IIOl SK

it all his lite. H«- iloes not s|H-nd time trying the pursuit of his own proper life work. to tone uiH>n the ilunt a humlreil ami onr In a word, he pves liis client something to

trivialitie-. ot design. hi> own >int:ularifi<s. (jruzc /", and not .something to //vc up to.

jH-rhaps. This (granting technical skill always), and a

He u>rs hi> best knowledge in the interpre- proper .solution ot all the i)ractical require-

tation of a client's fundanienral n<-eds. He nients. is in our opinion the whole art

dc¥> not i)hM-rve all «)t the whimsical wishes of architecture as ap[)lied to home mak-

«lie clients advance, tor these are often no ing.

njore than the cut of a coat for a particular It is certainly not to your discredit if

.Mason. He giKS below the e.xpressetl iileas, you do not know all of architecture. You

and tintis out which of them have .Milid can't be held responsible because you have

toundarion. Taking these and a knowledge not educated yourself in all the arts. You

ot the man ( and by this should be understood have enough to do to educate )ourself in tluit

the man's whole family), he retires to his particular {profession which gives you bread

otJice and applies his harde.>^t thinking and his and butter. But you can acquire a certain

best skill to the d<signing ot a home which knowletlge of the simpler principles of archi-

the client can <XTupy in that comfort of body tecture which will help jou build }our house

and mind which shall leave him free to wiseh and well.

H

CHAPTER III

AMERICAN HOUSES AND THEIR EUROPEAN PROTOTM'ES

WE have no architecture of our own in America; we are just emerging into the light. We are a popuhition intensely satisfied with cer- tain things. We are well schooled — that is to sa\' we know our arithmetic, and we know how to buy and sell. We know that a house must have a bathroom and nuist be well heated. But few people ha\e been taught that sheer utility is not the end of things. Few ot us are taught to look tor beaut)-, that the ultimate value of a civilization lies largely in what it contributo to beauty.

We hear a great deal about the improve- ment of the mind, and yet thousands of well educated [)eo[)le live in houses which are too atrocious for words. Some ot them are not h\ pocritieal in this matter; tiny don't know that their houses are atrocious. We con- demn a man who wears show}- clothes, but many of us don't care enough to notice whctlier the house he lives in is show} and vulgar, nor what there is about it that makes it so. Some day we shall appreciate beauty more. In the meantime we are all in a m<lt-

ing pot. When we have melted a little more, and our economic system has become more stable, we shall have time to think whether the houses we live in are cheap or gaudy or pretentious.

The situation to-day is a normal one, when you consider the histor}' of culture of the tine arts in this country. It is interesting to trace this history — that is, it should be in- teresting. If }ou would know the tenden- cies of our architectural design to-day. }-ou should know something of the histor\ that is responsible tor these tendencies.

This countr}- was settled principally by the English, the French, the Dutch, ami the Spanish. All of these various contributor} elements to the early population of the coun- tr} brought with them their ideas ami cus- toms in the matter of house building, just as they brought their ideas of clothes ami cook- ing.

The early ascendancy of the p'ngli>li in- fluence in the colonics crowded out the c-x- pression of other nationalities in literatun- ami art. Of cour>e we >till have some colo-

•5

11 n: iioNK.vr hoise

A liiilc house at Garden City, Long Island, thai has survived many generations of fashions in house-building. It will always be good, — because it alwa)s was. The long hand-split shingles are characteristic of early Long Island work.

nial work other than that of the En^hsh coloni.sts, such as the Dutch cohmial houses about New York, ant! the S[)anish mission architecture of the Southwest and West. But by the time of the formation of the I'nited States, the domestic architecture throughout tlie thirteen states was fairh Geor^^ian in its character. We call it C'ohi- nial or Georjjian, but really it is Georgian with a difference, the difference comin<j from the variation caused by the use of local ma- terials, and by Icx-al climatic conditions.

The orif^inal colonial houses. — those built, let us say, in the seventeenth century for the most part — had hardly any characteristic style. They were built for shelter, for pro- tection a;:ainst the savapes and the weather. Not only this, but their simple expression was due in part to the fact that building materials

16

were difficult to obtain. Timber tticre was in plent}-. but saw-mills were few, antl witiiout saw-mills the mechanical labor of obtaining lumber from the trees was enor- mous.

Building stone was plentiful enough, but in man\- |)arts of the country, as in New Eng- land, the common stone, granite, was re- stricted in its usefulness, owing to the diffi- culty of working it. One may note that whereas New England is literally criss-crossed with stone walls, yet stone houses of the colo- nial period are scarce. In other districts, notably in Pennsylvania, stone was more gen- erally used. It was of limestone formation and more easily worked.

From these indications you maj' easily see how the architecture of a country depends for its expression upon the character of

AMERICAN HOUSES AM) THEIR EUROPEAN PROTOTYPES

the building' materials which are most reach I\ tound and most easily worked.

In the days of early settlement the newl\- arrived settler copied his neif;hbor's cabin. Most of these early houses were of logs. The newcomer learned from the pioneer how to notch and caulk his logs, and how to cover his root. In New England the log house was commonly built around a huge cen- tral chimnc}', since the climate was rigorous and the first thing to be looked out for was the provision of heat. In the South the wanner climate made the heating of a house less important than air and sjiace. and so even in these early days there were differences in the fundamental requirements. As every one knows, the Southern house differs essen- tially from the Northern house and the Cape Cod cottage differs from the log cabin. Yet all of these types may claim to be native to a particular localirx. and native as well u> the country as a wliole.

.\s the communif)' grew in size, the indi- vidual fell more and more into the way of specialization. At this point he called in the carpenters and masons to do his house, and they copied for him the model which he chose. It varied only slightly from other neighbor- ing e.\am[)les which he might almost ecjuall) well have selected. The particular difference from others in the model of his choice was merely his slight expression of individualit\ as exercised in his own home. As a resul; of this, the hou.ses of the older communitie> bear very striking resemblances to each otli< r.

With the multiplication of comnnmities and of their respective styles, ex[iert service in designing or building came to have a broader foundation. Ir became nece.ssat)' tor the expert to be able to tell his client what was being done in dther parts ot the countr\.

Sometimes the client chase an example ot work that originated in some other part of the country than his own. From thi^ re- sulted a more or less general commingling ot the styles.

It was seldom that the tundamental tyi)e for a particular place was altered, and it w;is still more seldom that the retjuirements of the individual were neglected. In tact, tunda- mental types and requirements of individuals became more and more pronounced as com- munities grew, and as various details of de- sign and construction were adopted for gen- eral use. The most successful service was that which preserved the old styles and sat- isfied the individual requirements, and this

HKI New I'liKlanU.

llli; HONKST IIOl'SE

is thr most suca-sstiil service to-day also. This does not mean tliat you will tind in

I'ndoiihtrdiv this early architeiture tol- America exact replicas of Kn-lish buildings; lowed the national characteristics of the va- it is rather that >..u will t^nd the spirit of the rious ^Toups of colonists. But in all cas<s, work iiientical. The old Salem house shown since thry were built in a country still sava-e on pa-e 19 closel) follows a common type ami economically p<K»r, early colonial houses of English cottage. Its gables and roofs are were characterized by an extreme simplicity, very true to the traditions. But it is inter- When a man feared to receive an arrow in pnteil in shingle and clapboard, whereas its his back while he was shingling his cabin, English i)rototype was more likel\ of slate he did n't waste time on the stuily of propor- stucco, or halt-timber.

tion, or the relinements of design. The con- This tradition was continued throughout

ditions nece.ssary for the growth of the arts the colonial da}s, and tlure is no perceptible

were lackin". change from the Georgian type of architec-

There were many elements of national feel- ture until long after the Revolution had es-

ing anil aptitude among the original poinila- tablished the independence of this country,

tion (»f the colonies, but the leisure to develop Independent politically, the new country still

this aptitude was lacking. By the time the continued to draw largely on England for its

country had been sutliciently organized on literature and art as well as for its trade,

its «Tonomic side for leisure, the English colo- It was not until after the War of 1812,

nists belli an overwhelming predominance in after a new generation of native Americans

the iHilitical state. had grown to niaturiry under an independent

'I'he English regime tended to absorb va- government, that the break with English

rious political and social groups, and to ex- tradition appears. The country had come

tend its [K)litical influence over them. It also doubtless to a full realization of its political

imposed its conception of architecture upon independence, and to see the economic inde-

the coimtry. pendence which could be based on the

At the beginning of the eighteenth centur}' enormous national resources. We see here

George I of England ascended the throne, the beginning ot our artistic independence,

and then liegan the so-called (Georgian periixl but this artistic independence began with fal-

of architecture. Naturally the contact of tering steps. For more than a century its

this country with F!ngland wa.s as constant as logical and normal development was arrested

the imperfections of ocean traveling would and deflected by social and economic condi-

jM-miit, and the colonies drew from England tions peculiar to its history^ It had started

many artisans, workers in wood and metal. on the road to independence, but it was, in

As wealth increased in the colonies, archi- the covirse of the next centur\, to be nearly

tecture became more costly, more complicated, smothered by the very democracy which had

and more decorative in its expression. The brought it about.

models u|)on which this Colonial work were At the time of the break with England,

ba.scd were, generally speaking, the actual which became definite after 1812, we entered

buildings in England with which the artisans into the first period of our modern develop-

wer<- finiiliar. ment. The revolution wrought bv steam

18

AMERICAN HOUSES AND THEIR El'ROPEAN IMiOTOTYPES

Thi-. old paliled Iic.um; ui ^j.l:., M: i -tu^ slmuv hcint iti;il> tin- l.nglish arcliiteciure of ilic >cvciitffnih century, tran>planted in America. Its gables, its projecting second story and its huge cliimne>, can still be seen in the old English villages, only the materials, owing to local conditions, are somewhat different.

locomotion changed the country from a rela- tively compact ^Toup of states with largely homogeneous population, into a great ter- ritory, thinly populated, fiUeil with incred- ible opportunities for wealth. The huge, unpeopled West was waiting to be exploited. In all directions expansion began. The farming lands of the Middle West and, sub- sequently, the discover}' of gold in California drew the emigrant always westward. Im-

migration, which had been fairly noteworthy up to then, became unpreicdeiitctl. I lie enormous countr}' lying to th< wot ot the Alleghenies began to be popuhited.

The colonies which later formed the orig- inal states had been umier Engli.>h domina- tion up to the time of the second war with Englanii. Tlu- school system, the scK-ial ami political regulations were fairly well detrr- mineil, ami the stanilaril of literacy anil in-

'9

THK HONKS 1 HOISK

M:

u

4 \ •

Second floor plan.

trlli}:rncc wns fairly hi^h. Now with tlic arts, it is essential ro remember two important

rxpansion of the eoimtry there eame an in- facts connected with it. The tirst is the ex-

vasion of immigrants from t»thcr countries, tension of the use of machinery in replacing

from CJemian)-, from Scandina\ ia. and later hand labor. The second is the spread of the

fr»>m Italy. This new pojnilation had tor labor unions, to which we may accord a large

the mo->t part come from co\intries where share of responsibility tor the ciecline ot the

|M)Iitical rights, sch(H>ling and personal tor- skilled artisan. That these two develop-

tune had amounted to little. On entering ments have been a necessary part of our eco-

America they became citizens. The vitality nomic development will not be denied.

of the country was undoubtedly increased. That the\- have made for the destruction of

but culture went into a decline, a decline of interest in the arts, and especially architec-

which the outer expression is shown in the ture, is just as strongly affirmed.

depths of the artistic horrors of 187 >. One seeks for an explanation of rlie uni-

In taking account of this eclipse of the torm attractiveness of Colonial work: rlie ab-

Fir»t floor plan. House of William J. Henry, Scarsdale, New York. 20

AMERICAX HOUSES AM) IHKIR Kr HOP KAN I'lU) rfVr^l'KS

1 raiikli[i 1*. IlainiiiuiiJ, vVrcliitcct. The W illiam J. Henry house at Scarsclale, New York, is a fine mcKlcrn expression of lalc Colonial work al its best. It is hwilt of tapestry brick, red in color, with good variations. Note especially the proportions of the curved porch and the graceful dormer windows.

sence of vulgarit} ; the e.\(]iiisite .sense of j)ro[)ortion — tiiialitics .so often lackinj^ in modern work. Often one hears the que.s- tion: \\'li() were the real (lesi{.;ners of the Colonial architecture^ Perhaps the best an- swer to be pven is to be found in "Colonial Architecture for Those About to Build" b\ Herbert C. Wise anti H. Ferdinand Beidle- nian.

'W ho were the real desij^iers of tlie Co- lonial monuments^ It is ditlicult to con- ceive ot a doctor drawing the design for Christ C luirili. or a law\cr and Spcikcr ot the As.senibly that of the State House. A knowletl^e of architecture bein^ then con-^id-

ered part of every pentleman's culture, how- ever, it is easy to picture the.se leading: nun of the coninuinity in the role of connois.seurs, having' drawings made under their j^uidance by others; and after so doinj;. |)roducinji or >ubmittin^ the desij^n at the official meet- in<is where a course of procetiure was tt) be tietermined. 'liie names of those other per- sons \\ ho actual! \ hamlleil the T-siiuare ami trian;,'li' arc lost in obscurity.

"We believe them to be the m»)re intelli- ;:ent ( arpenters of the time, some of the men who baniietl themselves tof;eth«r. as we have seen, 'to obtain instruction in the science of architecture." It was such a motive that

'nil. iioM^i iKU si:

luailr the Colonial canwntrr :i tliinkiii^; l>i - inj:, tliat aiKlnl stMiu- ability at cirawin;: to his nWiII to i-on.strmt. His diviiicrs labor- ioiLsly transirilxil flu- jjroportions ot \i- tnivins, SiTli«) ami Stanioz/i troiii the al- burns <it riassic torins. A tVw olil Enf^lish w(»rks on arihitntiirr wtrc also his compan- ions. ()n«- t»t the most valiuil of these was Batty Lanjjley's "BuiUler's Director or Brncli- Mate," which th«- title-pa^'e announced as a '[KH-ket treasury ot the (ireek, Roman, and (iothic Orders of Architecture made exsy to the meanest capacit} by near ^oo examples, improved from the best Authors ancient and modem.' There were also the four books ot I'allailio, esteemed by Kn^lishmen and por- trajrd b)- Isaac \\'are and others. We can imapne the Colonial carpenter conceiving a pro|»osed building' with Sir William Cham- bers" time-honoreil work open before him, referrin;; also to the desijjns of Sir Christo- pher Wren. James GibKs, Vanbru^h, and .Sir RolxTt Taylor. We can picture him zealously striving; to do what the Brothers .\dam were simultaneously essayinj; in Eng- land: 'To catch the beautiful spirit of an- ti<|uity and infuse it with novelty and va- riety.' This meant translating into wood many ot the torms originally conceived for stone. In the process it was Imr natural, — it was necessan,- indeed, — to attenuate tin- antique proportions. By such an avenue there arrived the invention and freedom of Colonial architecture, that true novelty that sacrificed neither beauty nor dipiity. The public did not demand orif^inalitv. \\'hat

wa.-< proiur was acceptable. Of all mechan- ics occujiied with buildinj^, the fj;reatest j^en- eral knowledt;e of all crafts, in addition to special knowledge of his own, resided with the carpenter. Add a practical knowietlge (if working in the three dimensions to famil- iarity with the graphic forms in books, and the possessor was quite in tlic position to be- lome the architect ot an earlier (.lay."

In a brief summary, the history of culture in this country is largely this: — weak in the beginning, it developed early a quasi- English character. Its dependence on Eng- land was overthrown, along with political dependence, and it was finally overwhelmed b) the expansion of the country, and the in- flux of people of alien thought and speech who came to this countr}' in the search ot wealth and freedom. The introduction of machinery and the subsequent disappearance of skilled hand labor completed the unfor- tunate situation.

To-day we have at our hands scores of ma- terials to use in building, we have hundreds of appliances to make our living conditions better. Our c >ntact is no longer with one country. En .and is no longer the fountain head. We <raw from all the world. Our architecture is English and French and Span- ish and Italian. It will never be American until the home builder accords to the arclii- tect a jiosition of responsibility at least as great as that which he gives to his tailor, and until he insists that the architect shall have been trained before he {practises his profes- sion.

CHAPTER IV

THE PRACTICAL PROBLEM OF HOUSE BlILDLNG

THE people who inherit ready made houses and acres never taste the finest joys of home-making. The dreams that come when }ou have finally de- cided to go ahead and buy a little land and build a house upon it are the most enchanting dreams you will ever enjoj-. Anything is possible, in this golden period. You can de- cide to bu}' a hillside site with a view, ami build your house to fit the site. Ten minutes later a valley site with a brook seems more desirable. You remember an old house in your scrap book that puts an end to both hill- side and valley, and so the dreams and plans change again and merge and change again, and there are so many possible selections — sites, and styles, and materials, anil rolor. How are }'ou (•\cr to tiiid the lionic that will be peculiarly your ownV

It seemed so easy, before jou hat! money enough to go ahead. You had a site securely fixed in your imagination, — its picturesque- ness was fi.xetl. Its boundaries were vague. tmreal, elastic enough to accommodate any of the houses you tlreamed. There was the placid old \'irginia hou.se that had all the

lure of famil}- and ancestry. There was a little Japanese cottage built among the beach grasses ot Long Island. There was a timber and plaster house }ou saw once in Kent, a thatched roofed Tudor cottage covered with ivy and roses that seemed the ab.solute fulfil- ment ot }our ideal. There was a wondrous rambling Spanish house near the City of Mexico with a looped roof line that held you enthralled. There w;is a gray shingle farm- house in the Connecticut hills with a stone wall and an upph- orchard. There wa> a little nnishrtxim ot a hou.se on a Massachu- setts hillside, anil a little octagonal California house built on the sea — there were do/ens of delectable houses. It seemed so easy to choose one and make it your own. .Ml that worried you was the wherewithal to reali/e the chosen house.

The trouble is, when you see a house that ()leases you, you .see it as a part of its entour- age, "^'ou see the hedges and the shrubs and the flowers that have taken so long to grow. \\'hin \i)u go about building y(»ur own house you will have to separate all the things that another man has done tor his house trom the

23

IHi: HONEST HOUSE

"\Vr»lovcr" on the Jaiiic» River, in Virninia. is a placiil old house that has all the lure ot family and romance. Il i» really (ieorcian in character, though we commonly call it Colonial. Note its extreme simplicity. Its air of ele- Kincr comes from its exquisite proportions.

ht)iis«" itsclt. ^ Oil will li;i\f to buy an undc- vfl()|Md sitr, and .ste the litter ot biiiKlinj: tor I(in;^ months before } ou can see any chance of beauty. And this is a bitter pill to swallow. The chances are that all the houses that plea.^ed )oii hail been <irowin<; for years, that the land was lx)ii;;ht when land was available at low prices And btiildin^ materials cost little. When }(>ii are forcetl to compromise on your site, forced to give up the brook and the vista for a small recta^onal lot with a few trees on it, you feel that there is no lij:ht ahead. \o\\ have to give up your daily dream of picturcsqueness and put in your waking hours consiilering the practical |)rob- Icms of accessibility, and drainage, and ex- pense, and neighbors, and water sup[)ly. These things must be settled before you can buy your site and go ahead with your plans.

The consideration of neighbors is im- portant, but may be made too much so. You will be a neighbor yourself, remember.

aiul \(>u can"t dtniaml an\ more of your neighbors than \()u give them. They got there tirst. If }ou would know who is a good neighbor, look to the parable — it was a Samaritan in that case. Your neighbors may be closer than }()u like, but there are other elements beside the neighbor necessary to a good neighborhood. The school, the playground, the railroad station, the prevail- ing breezes, and the various kinds of public service — water, gas, electricit}'. telephone, and sewer — are of great importance.

It is far wiser to buy enough land for com- fort, and to wait a year to build }0ur house, than to economize on your site and regret later that it cannot be ex[)anded. If the site is to be in a .section largely built upon, or divided into lots for building purposes, it is better to buy two lots and afford only a tent, than to buy one. build a house, and always look. feel, and be cramped. A house can be enlarged. A lot cannot. If }ou expect to

24

THE PRACTICAL PROBLEM Ol HOUSE BlILDINC,

have an automobile later, when you prosper, plan it in the be<;innin<;. Leave room tor it on the site, and be sure of an adequate ap- proach, lest later \()u tind it an impossibil- it}-.

Some people I know, who were tired of liv- ing in a New "\'ork; ajiartment, bought a large lot on the toj) of a wooded hill on Staten Island. They were not ready to build their house, but they built a garage big enough to house them comfortabl)-. Some da\- there will be a house on the crest of the hill, and later there will be an automobile. In the meantime they live in perfect comfort in the garage, and plant lowers and vines and fruit trees for the years to come. A little vineyard is already growing on the sunns siilc of the hill. This is an infinitely better plan than buying a small lot and building a small house would have been.

It }()vi are to build in the real counrr\- the consideration ot view is important, but if \ our lot is to be one of hundreds in a suburb or a small town there are more important consid- erations. Many people go into a new house and say. "But there is no view!" In a little while, when they have lived in the house a few weeks, the view is forgotten. .\

pleasant and interesting foregroimd is of much greater moment twelve months in the }ear than the sight of a di.stant landscape.

As far as toi)ogra|)hy is concerned, a level lot is always capable of excellent treatnunr. A lot sloping down from the street gives the advantage of large cellar windows at tlie back, and a door instead of a bulkhead. \ small lot sloping down toward the street is usually disadvantageous. Such a lot can be made \xr\- attractixc to the eye, however, b\- a good architect.

Erom a stand|)oint of picturesqueness, the more irregular the lot, the better. .\ny in- teresting features — rocLs, trees, a precipitate slope — can be turned to advantage b)- the anhitect. But building a house to fit an irregular site is obviously more expensive than building a house on a flat site. The questions of retaining walls and excavations must be considered.

The position of the house in relation to the points of the com|)ass nnist also be reckoned with. \'ery often it occurs that the view you want to get is to the north, and that is un- fortunate, because your living rooms have to be to the north, which means the\- are harder to heat in winter. If possible you should ar-

~'K»C-,

.\ ramblinR Enpilish house th.it o\vr< miirli of its |>icttirr«|iifnMS to its ihalrhcil roof, in large wall spam, and itf surrounding hedge and shrubbery.

25

THF. HONKST HOISE

Rohert R. McGoodwin, Architect. A pleasant forcKround is of much greater moment than a distant landscape. The difficulties of the irregular site of Mr. McGoodwin's house at St. Martins, Philadelphia, have been overcome attractively by the use of stone walls.

range your house so that you can get the liv- ing-rooms on the southern exposure, and where this cannot be done some kind of sun parlor or porch .shoulil be arranged on the side of the hou.se that will be most accessible. A south ex|K>sure gets little or no sun on the longest summer days. A north exposure gets the early and late s»m, the east ami west the forenoon and afternoon sun, but the south receives none, as the sun passes through a point near the zenith rising north of east and setting north of west. The south for the living-room, therefore, gives warmth in winter and comfort in summer. The ideal

orientation for the dining-room is southeast. When you have finally chosen the site of )our house, real work begins. The selection of the site was not such a difficult problem after all. It resolved itself into a matter of getting as much land as po.ssible within reasonable distance of your business. But the house I Now come the real inde- cisions, the tempting comparisons, the ago- nizing necessity of selecting one thing from a number of others. You know by now that )ou can never realize the full meas- ure of your ideal house: you have al- ready compromised in buying the site. Now

26

THE PRACTICAL PROBLEM OF HOUSE BLTLDLNG

moments of despair will distress you, but you are still in the golden j)eriod. You are still the potential builder of a house that will be a real home for your taiiiil}, aiul that is a very tine acconifilishmenr, no matter how much you maj- have to compromise.

What kind of house are you to build "^ You nia_\ have a large famil_\- or a siiiall one. You may need a house with four rooms, or twelve. You may need a nurser}', a librar}, a workroom, an office, a billiard-room or other s[)ecial rooms, or combinations of some ot these rooms to meet the requirements of the likings and needs of your family. Sonu- of the members of }our taniih' ma\' have ver\' decided likes and dislikes which may modify your [)roblem greatly. The si/e of the house, the style of architecture, wturlur it is to be a two story house, a bimgalow, a house with slee[Mng porches, a house without porches — all these arc special conditions to he dealt with.

There is a common fallac\- that if a man

ZENITH

■''-.,

L in*

This diagram >ilin\vs a liuusc facing south, and it> rela- tion lo the Mm'si course.

has a section of land on which to build a house, and money enough to build it, he has only to go to an architect and turn it over to him, and to-morrow a plan will be per- fected. "Plan a good house for me," the patron says. "I can spend ten thousantl dol- lars." And if the architect seems a little dis- ma\ed. the client thinks he does n't know his business.

The only way to go about the xi lou.s busi- ness of planning a house is to present to the architect a list of your requirements. You may formulate your own plan, or he will do it for you. given plenty of time and intelligent co-operation. Whether you are going to build a new house or alter an old one, first of all you must consider carefully your family needs.

Out of all these many possibilities, there is one certaint)- which appears. Before you cm bc(jin building, you must kno'j: what you "d:ant — that is, what your practical means dic- tate as the necessary practical conditions that }()ur house shall fulfil. In other words, you must establish a program. The more clearly }()u can decide upon what you absolutely do need the simpler the solution of your problem will become.

Suppose )ou have decided upon the num- ber of rooms and the general requirements of } our house. Let us suppose that \«)ur family consists of hve peojile, and that )'ou wish to keep one servant. ^ Ou feel \ ou need tor your house these simple requirements:

On the first fI<K)r a living-room, dining-rtxim and kitchen, with jiantry ami ser\ ice ile|)end- encies. On the sect)nii fliHir, three beilriHims, a nursery and two baths. .\nd. either in a wing, or in a third story, a s«'rvant's nnim and attic. This is a brief statement of the common retjtiirements of home builder^.

nil: HONKST HorsE

So tar, so ^(mkI. But how larj;c arc tlusc nxMiis to bcV Obviously, this ilfpt-mis on two thinj^s. 'I'hfir si/r is limited by the si/e ot the house, and this in turn is limited by what \t)u lan afford to spend. Here we lomr to one ot the eruiial problems wiiieh uHitronfs }()u: how much can you atForil to sjK-nil tor jour house?

Let us see it we cannot arrive at an answer indir<rtly. t'on.-ider the houses in your neij;hborh(H>d. Select one which pleases \<)u most in jjenj-ral m;iss and size, materials and finish. l-"inil out what this house cost to build.

Let us su|){M>se it cost $;,000.00. Fijiiire roufjhly the cubic contents of this house. This can be don<- very easily. L<'t us su|>- jxisc that the hou.se in (juestion contains 2 vOOO cubic teet. Then, obviously, the cost \H-T cubic t<Hit is 20 cents. Now, it vou have $4,000.00 to spend, you can have a house the cubic contents ot which is about 20,000 cubic feet. In other words, the dimensions ot }()ur hou.se mij^ht be appro.ximatcly 2^ teet wide by 40 feet lonp by 20 teet hij^h, or it mi^ht b«' ^o feet lonp by 20 feet wide by 20 feet hi;:h. or whatever dimensions would give ap- proximately 20,000 cubic feet.

The picture on page 29 will help explain how to hnd the cubic contents of a house. This house consists of two parts: — the main [xirtion. anil the porch attacheel to it. We assume that the cellar goes under the whole house, excepting the porch. The contents of the house imiler the main roof from the comic<" line to the ridge, as the section shows, is equal to the width of the house times its length, times one-half the altitude of the roof, this being the volume of a prism. It is equal to 21' fV ■ 24' o" X 5' 6" = 2,8'^8 cubic f'< r The contents of the re-

maining j>()rfion of the main block of the lu)u.>e is ec]ual to its height times its length, times its wiilth. It is equal to 17' o" X 24' o" X 21' 6" = 8,772 cubic feet. Ad- »ling these we get a total of 11,610 cubic feet. Calculating the contJ'nts of the porch similar!}- we get about 1.0^0 cubic feet. Now, since the porch is not finished like the interior of the house, and since it has no cel- lar underneath it. we mav' count its contents as onh a third of what it actually is. This rule follows |)ractirai usage anil will be found to be fairly correct. Counting the con- tents of the porch as 3^0 cubic feet, and ad- ding it to the i)revious figure, we have tor the total contents of the house, 1 1,960 cubic feet. If the house is to co.st 20 cents per cubic foot, which is the price your neighbor paid for his house, then the approximate cost of the little house at the to[) of page 29 would be $2,392.00. There I It is n't so very dif- ficult to find what a house should cost, is if?

"^'ou can repeat this calculation in refer- ence to other hou.ses in }our neighborhood which differ in materials and finish from the house you have just considered, and in this way you can arrive with fair accuracy at the size of the house and general type of ma- terial and finish which the money' you have to spend will enable aou to get. You might calculate the price per .square foot, but this method is tar less accurate.

This gives you a better idea of building costs in vour own neighborhood than any table of costs, but you cannot go ahead on this rough basis of estimate. You must also decide on the materials you wish to employ, and the way in which you wish ^()u^ house to be finished. The cost of the house will be proiwrtioned to its size, its materials, the

28

THE PRACTICAL PROBLEM OF HOUSE BllLDLNG

.".

'WSUE

.^^.

1 J -A 'BJcr-^WTg

• ^ ■■' ■ F/^^T Floo^ FZ,AyV-

\Scy)LE. :

"Ilinv imicli will a liim^f like this cost?" See page 28.

cost ot lalior and its cxrcllcnrc ot ticrail. A hriik liouse costs nioic than a wooilcn one, liccause bricks are more expensive rlian wood. A house faced with tapestry l^ricW costs still more, because tapc^tr) brick is more expensive than the ortlinarx kind.

Similarly, the success of a house may de- pent! a> muih on the seeminj^l} unim|>ortanr details ot hardware as upon tlie use ot the materials selected. I have known many de- li^'httul small houses that owed much ot their charm to the excellence ot their shutters, their Two stucco h()u>es built from the .--ame |)lan ironwork, hinges, and so torth. Vou can may be extraordinarily unlike, because one spend a fortune on such tascinatin;; lietails has been done by an uninrellifj;ent builder and preserve the modesty ot a siuall house — and has the general effect of thin gra\ card- if you have the fortune. So decide just how board, and the oriu i' has b(cn rmi>luil In an important these thing> ar<-, betorc \<iu tl«Tide artist, with a plaster of a |)leasantly rough on the materials ot which \ou will buihl texture. It \(>u wish the best results, be your iiouse.

jireparcd to pa) for them. A great ileal is said about tl>e usual increase

^9

Tin; iioM.sr iiorsK

over the cstimatril tost, ^^'hy shoiiUI tin- anhittrt b«- blamrd tor tliisV \ou should lx)ast ot it, tor it is simply an index to the j,'row th ot jour ronirjition ot what a h«nise sht)ulil Im\ diirin-; tht- [iroj^rcss of construi- fi»>n. No one with an alert mind can tail to hvome immensely eiluiated durin;: this ex- jMrienie, ami the results ot this education are lx)und to show in the increased cost.

The only way you can avoid making:; chan;;es in \our orij,'inal plans is to run away from your house while it is buildinj^. Go ahroail, and no extras will be incurred.

\N lien you have worked over your practical li\in^ re«|uirements; when you know approxi- inat«l\ how Iari;e \»)ur house is to be, \our program is still incomplete. You do not yet know what sha[)e the house will have, whether it is to be long, or short, or L shaped, or a hi-^h house, or a low one. This will he ilecitled largely by the site you have chosen. The relation ot house and site is usuall\ not enough apjircciated. You may have gone on the assumption that you can design your house ami tit it to any site you please.

The earlier .American houses that we all admire so nuich were practically free from

the considerations that }ou have to face. You have to work ten times as hard to get a simple effect, because your problem is so much bound b}- limitations. You don't own all out-iloors; you arc fortunate if you have bought an ordinary building lot, that pathetic modern p/i'd-j-tcrrc that takes the place of your grandfather's great estate.

If \()ur land is Hat and your property is indefinitely extended you can put your house an)where, and }ou do not have to wort)' about special conditions, such as expensive foundations which result from the differences of grades, and all that sort of thing. But few of us are so fortunate as to have extended lands on which to build.

As to the kind of house you will build on your chosen site, you will have to decide first between a high house and a low house. A high house is usually less expensive than a low one, but it is almost never so satisfactory. If you have to build in a depression, a hollow, it is permissible to put up a higher house than otherwise, but in general a high house is un- attractive. It is interesting to note that the English ami the French, geographically .so close to each other, have totally different con-

H D LL

Dmma ■Loom-

First floor plan.

/ H t- r ^ *"■ X /CM/:

CH/tmcL,

House for Mr. Eugene J. Lang, Scarsdalc, New York, 30

Second floor plan.

THE PRACTICAL 1MU)BLKM ()1 HOISK HI II DINCf

In Mr. Lang's house at ScarsJale, New ^'()rk, broail under tlic Inng roof, anil llie };cneral horizontal expression

ceptions of domestic an-hitcctiire. M<)ii( in English houses are usually low-lying ami pleasing, rising our of the ground as it they grew, while the houses ot France are often high and stilted in appearance.

When you have located the position ot your house approximately on your lot so that it fulfils to the best advantage all the jirac- tical t'onsitlerations ahoxc nanictl. \()u ha\i- fultillfd the important ste[)s preliminary to the program n<-crssar\ in liiiiKfing \()ur hou>e.

Eugene J. Lang, Architect, clapboards are employed. The placing of ihc windows of all the details, gives the house a low-lying quality.

^()ll ha\e Kmsidered the living requirements, the cost, anil the si/.e of the house you wisli to build.

In all these matters it i> well to take the advice ot a comjictent architect, but it his services are too ditlicult to obtain, in follow- ing this program you will have gone through the very steps that the architect him.'-elt wouUI go through it he were handling the work. By well considering your problem at the >rart \()u will avoid painful errors lateron.

V

rm: honks i hoise

The Vanderbilt Gate Lodge, Deepdale, Long Island.

3^

Jolin Ru>>ell Pope, Architect.

W^^^lne^Kfi^

;-:?«

'■^Hi6'/

CHArTEK \'

THE \EXATIOUS iMATTERS OF PROPORTION AND BALANCE

WHAT do we mean when we sa\' that a thing is out of pro{)or- tion"? No expression is more fa- miliar. Yet, if any of us were pinned down to detine zc/ty it is out of proportion, we would tind, on reflection, that it is so because it does not conform to some standard. \\'e judge everything by a standard. When we coniplain that our dail} bread isn't like that made by our maternal ancestor, we are re- ferring to a standard. If we see a man whose legs anci arms are very long, we say he is badly i)roportioned. Yes, but we tlo not criticize the length of arms and legs in a gorilla. Length belongs there. W'e have different standards of proportion tor men and gorillas.

You could go further; even in rlic differ- ent types of mankind, we make classitica- tions. We do nor iudLre rtic beaut\' ot the

Chinese woman by the Caucasian standard. So in the infinite variety of the forms and colors and materials with which the arts deal, we make the same distinctions; we classify things and we judge them according to a standard. This standard, in every case, is what we call our sense ot proportion.

In architecture we have been taught that the classic orders have certain proportions. The height of the column, tor e.xample, is given in temis of its diameter, and variations from the accepted rule usually arc condemned on the ground that their proportions are not good. The Corinthian column, such as that shown in the Salem house on page ^4, is ten diameters high. It has the classic propor- tions. No one will den\ that a column .so projiortioned is attractive.

Contrast this column with that shown on page ^v Examine the two. Tiie propor-

FirM aiut second fl<ior plans of tht V.incler- bili LoiIkc.

33

nil IIONKST HOl'SE

^la

Phtiln^:raph b> Frank C'ou^i^^.

'I'lii» detail of a cliarmiii); old Salem portico is full of the Krace of the liCAt Colonial work. It adheres closely to the classic tradition.

tions of the latter column are such that the trained architect would say unhesitatingly that it is ugly.

tiie Henr\ house columns are well propor- tioned. Like those of the Salem house, they ;ire beautiful, ami yer tlie proportions are dif- ferent. ^^'hat does this mean'? Is n't there any sucii thing as proportion"? If the cor- rect proportion of .so common a thing as a colunm is in doubt, can we have an\- canon of proportion for an}- of the forms of archi- tectural design and composition"? Is there then no standard to which we may con- form"?

The answer is that [iroportion is ami al- ways must be an individual matter, varying continually with the development of the mind of the individual. Like good taste, it is a chimera. At the merest attempt to de- hne it as a permanent standard, it eludes us.

While, however, our conception ot propor- tion and taste is individual, we ourselves are subject to the influence of heredity and en- \ ironment. We see with the eye of those who have gone before us. We are bound to the past in the matter of our esthetic percep- tions, as in all others. We live in com- munities, and our individual minds reflect the thought of the collective body. If }(ni were born in Turkey, you would be likely to pro- fess the Mohammedan religion; if in Persia, sun worship. If you lived in Russia, the steep roofed and domed architecture would seem to }ou the natural expression in that art. We all grow up to the general standards of our local surroundings.

We find that the architecture of one com- munity differs from that of the next, just as we find different ideas of government. But these ideas resemble the molten metal in the

Is the mere fact ot the variation from the Colonial model enough to condemn this j^ar- ticular column"? Certainly not. The pic- melting pot: they are in continual flux, ture of the Henrj- house on page 21 shows Nothing is fixed. The ideas of certain in- columns which var>- from the first example dividuals rise to the surface, and a new style t]uite as much as this cohimn does, and yet is formed. In proportion to the force of the

34

THE N'EXATIOUS MATTERS OF PROPORTION AM) BALANCE

new individuality and of the social condi- tions at the time, the new style, the new con- ception, makes a strong impression. And what was popular yesterday becomes un- popular to-day.

What is our piidance in all this contusion"? For those of us who believe in the possibility of progress, the single answer is: study. If we are to improve on the past, it our art is to have a better and more just relation to our ever}' day lite, we must know what mistakes have been made in the past. In this way, we shall learn what is essential, what is super- fluous, and what is necessarv' to our architec- ture.

The more we study a subject, the more sensitive we become to certain distinctions. The farnur recognizes by sight the ditferent qualities of soil. The coin collector can tell the period of a coin by its general ajipearance. T\\t ph\sician detects svmptoms which are in- visible to the layman. The architect sees distinctions of beaut} in the varying propor- tions of design. All this is a matter of train- ing. And when a body of men devote their time to the study of any subject, they come to an agreement on certain fundamental princi- l^les. These men all go through certain stages of vacillation and inexperience, hut the majority finally ar- rive at certain definite con- clusions. These conclusions are at best only working hy- potheses; they are subject to change and modification at aii\- rime. But on them we lia>< our .system ot education,

of government, and of all our industrial and .social lite. And by such a concurrence of opinion, certain principles are recognized in art and architecture.

If we realize that in order to have good architecture we must study for it — that is a great gain, but what do we mean by "study"'? How does one go to work to study"^ Is it simply a matter of buying a certain number of dr\' and tedious books which deal academ- ically with the history of architecture"^ Is it a matter of memorizing the dates and styles of various buildings?

It is not. One of the greatest stumbling blocks in the matter of pojiular understand- ing ot architecture is the academic history of the subject. For the mo-~t parr these his- tories are written without color or stjle. They are erudite and stilted. They aj>- proach the subject with the intellect alone. They point out facts to be memorized. Not one, to ni) recollection, states the fact that the appreciation of the art of architecture is a matter of training the eye. To study archi- tecture is primarily a matter of training the eye. "Does this please the eye"?" is the ulti- mate question which architecture asks.

The more )ou use your eyes, the more you classity }our impressions, the more )()u be- come accustomed to fine distinctions and to e.s.sentials, the more you are able to answer the {juestions inrelligentlv . Who would consider for a moment the contention that music should be appreciateii by reading about it"^ The way to appreciate a sonata is to hear it. The way to appreciate architecture is lo sec it.

You can develop your appreciation of archirccturc whcnvcr \ou arc b\ simply stopping to consider what hxik- well, and what does nox. and w hy. 3J

mi; iioM.sr norsE

William U. Ramoul, Archilect. This house, built for Mrs. Emmerion at Salem, Massachusetts, lia> much of the character of its old neighbors. It in heautifull> studied throut;hout. Note especially the proportions of the classic doorway.

What do we aim to reach in our study? certain types of architectural design you can-

The criterion ot good architecture is its not avoid following certain general propor-

fitncss. It is all summed up in the word tions. If you wish to reproduce the char-

"character." In liesigning anj thing, we acter of a Greek temple, your columns must

must try to express its character. Vou know have the proportion of Greek columns, and

houses which look like pri.'^ons to you. The you must know what these projiortions are.

houses are huilt as residences, but they look And so with all styles of architecture.

like jails. Imagine the lives people would If you wish to get the effect ot a certain

live in such gloomy places! And yet, the style }ou must understanii w liar jMoportions

same houses by the changing of a few propor- the various elements bore to one another.

tions might become attractive dwellings, with We thus reach an understanding that there is

the character of homes. a reason for designing certain things in cer-

If )ou wish to have an vmderstanding of tain ways; that in so designing them we are

architecture you must study to find what best attempting to express the character of the

expresses the character of the building. In building of which they are a part.

doing this you will come to n ali/c rhut with Let us make a brief summary of what has

^6

THE VEXATIOUS MATTERS OF PROrOKTIOX AND BALANCE

gone bftore in this chapter: W'e liave seen that the sense ot proportion — like tlie sense ot good taste, — is an individual matter, but that it is inriuenced by the communit_\ in which the individual lives; that the standards of good proportion, as of good taste, are similarly \ariable; that our guiiiance in this contusion \<, study; that in this way we arrive at working principles on which we base our system of education ami training in architec- ture; that the wa}- to stud\ architectun- is through training the eye to note distinctions of form and color; that the aim of this study is to enable us to grasp the character of a building, to realize what is essential and what is not.

While we have seen that proportion is in- finite in its range ot variation, we mav ask if there is no principle more "fixed" than this shifting one. Yes, there is the sense of bal- ance.

Whereas the sense of proportion, like the sense ot good taste, depends directly on our local influences, on the character of the com- munit}^ in which we \\\c, on the ideas current about us, on our particular training in art. on

I'cmip.iif lilt lidiLsi' oil iliU p.THf willi llial on pane J'l- The K^"'^''''' scheme of win(lo\v< is similar, yet the sense of reslfvihicss shown in Mr. Ranioul's house is totally wantini; in this example. The central motif anil the over-large ilormers are especially vulgar.

our having studied in Rome, or in Pari.s, or in London, or in some other locality which is cir- cumscribed with limitations, there is a deej)cr .sense essential to good desigTi, which has its toundations nmch more permanently estab- lished. This is the sense of balance. \N'hat do we mean by if^

Ever} thing in nature tends to grow about a center. .\ tree tends to grow straight about a vertiial axis. \ tree that has been bent h\ the wind gives the impression of in-ta- bilit). We know that it is held in its posi- tion from falling over b\- the straining nnns, but it looks ill-balanced to the eye. And yet the tree tends constantly to right itself and grow straight again. It is a law of nature that any object tries to come to a comiition ot rest, of equilibrium.

The most simple illustration of balance is that of the grouping of windows in the wall of the house. But do not confuse "sjmme- tr\" with "balance."

In this countr} the .symmetrical arrange- ment is often seen in Colonial architecture, which follows classic tradition in the disposi- tion ot its detail, its windows and columns. 1 he uns}mmetrical arrangement is found at its best in the English cottage type which, not emphning classic motifs, is naturally more tree in expression. The symmetrical ar- rangement gives an impression ot formality, tlignit}, and reserve; the un.symmetrical, something more intimate in character.

The house that a child draws is generally s) uunetrical in the liisposition of its windows. I'nless )()u know prett)' well the me.ming of balance, w hen \ou come to arrange your win- dow s in unsynunetrical fashion \ou ar<" likely to produce a house with very restless ch.ir- acter. The moment you cut lo<ise from the safe mooring of symnu-try you arc nowhere I

37

IHK HONEST HOl'SE

Just iKvausc >»)ii have chosen an accidental arrant;rMunt. you must not tlunk that your winiiows can Ix- scattered over \()ur walls like |H'|)[HT out ot a shaker. Such an acci- dental placing: of window^ usually results in

a trijihttul exterior that is as spotty as a calico horse.

An iicdJcnfjl or unsyrn metrical faciulc must be buLmced just cis surely ds 4? syminetri- cjI one.

Look at the pictures shown on this page. Fig. \ shows an arrow with a stone head and a feathered tail. We all know that this arrow halances when held as shown, for the weight of the part of the right equals that on the left. Let us go a little further. Figures B and C show a flower pot on a board held similarly. In Fig. B the flower pot is too heavy and tilts the board; in Fig. C we have put a small weight on the left hand side which restores the balance. In Fig. E instead of a flower pot we have put window sashes on the board, a big one on the right and three small ones on the left, and the balance is main- tained. In Fig. D we have put equal sized windows on each side, and again the balance is preserved.

These mechanical illustrations may be ap- plied to the window treatment ot the wall of a house. Fig. F shows such a house with the winilow composition shown in Fig. D, and Fig. Cr shows a house which has the com- position shown in Fig. F. In both cases we say that the composition is balanced, but in Fig. F it is symmetrical and in P"ig. (J the lomposition is unsymmetrical.

Note, then, that in these house designs the .indoles balance about a vertical axis.

Let us go a step further. Let us take for our subject not only the comjiosition of the windows, but the whole house. In Fig. H is shown a house similar in design to the Van- ilerbilt Loilge. It is, as one can readily see, an unsymmetrical composition. It consists of two distinct elements. To indicate them clearly they are shown separated in Fig. I. The vertical element is niarkcd X ami the horizontal Y. In a well designed composi- tion rhe\- should balance. If we diminish

the gable too much relatively to the wing, as is shown in Fig. J, the balance is de- stroyed; similarly if we diminish the wing it tends to become a mere accident, as is shown in Fig. K.

And so we arrive at another architectural

38

THE \EXATIOUS MATTERS OF PROPOIVIION AND BALANCE

A very daring exaiiipic of uiisymrnetrical treatment nently successful. The detail of this house is worthy of

axiom: An uns^innictrical cum position im- plies a contrast, but the contrasting elements must make on the eye impressions of approx- imately equal iin portance, or the balance ilHI be lost.

If you wish to have an un.synim(trii.al design for your house, or an unsymmetrical arrangement for your windows, train your eye by looking at tlifFercnt schemes and wa\s of arranging windows and wall surfaces, and

Joy Whctlcr Dow, Architect. is Mr. Dew's house at Summii, New Jersey. It is crai- careful study.

\i)u will arri\e at a concejuion ot what is nuant by balance.

If, after all, some profane critic remarks "that all this sort of theorj' ends nowhere," it is only necessarj' to remind him that he must have a theory of his own in order to condemn another. It all comes back to the fact that in judging architecture, we have to have a standard — and this standani i> our sen.se of proportion.

39

mi: HONKST HOUSE

Mellur & Meigs, Architects. This house, built near Plillailclpliia, is an excellent example of the picturesque English type. Unsymmetrical in ii» dcvif;n, in elements are well balanced and the impression given is a restful one. The high chimney in the corner is extremely eReclivc.

First floor plan.

40

CHAPTi:i\ \I

THE USEFUL AND WW. BEAUTIFUL

UXFORTrXATELY, when we have considered the matter of proportion and bahmce, we have not done with all the vexatious problems of architectvire. There remains the question of the relation of usefulness to beauty.

A flower pot will serve as an exam[ile. It lulhls the obvious purpose of holding earth so that a [)lant can grow in it. It can also be transferred easil\- from place to place. From the botanist's point ot view it makes very little difference what the shape of the flower pot is, provided the drainaj^e and jirac- tical considerations are good.

Su[)pose we paint two or tlircc colored bands on a very plain flower pot. ()b- vioush we have not changed the practical conditions tor the plant's ;4rowtli, but we have changed the appearance of the pot. To what end'^ In the hope, not of making the pot more useful, but of making it more at-

tractive. Our artistic judgment may be good or bad, but the desire to make the jx)t more attractive is the motive of the decora- tion.

The settler in the charing builds a rough log cabin. The boards he uses are rough hewn, the windows are only holes in the thick walls. .\s time [ia,s.ses and the dangers of attack and the difficulties of living become les.seneii. ami his contact with civilization better, he builds another house. This time he is able to get more finished material and he builds, let us say, a shingled hou.M-. which ha^. instead ot the rough plain iloor, a more elabo- rate doorway with a simple cornice over it. He pa\s more attention to the finish of the lornice and the other parts of his hou.se. I le has ailded these retinements simply to make his hou.se look more attractive, not to make it more useful.

It is important tt) remember, howexer. that

IHK HONKST HOrSE

All olil luK cabin ill ilie I eiiiie»ec MuuiiiuiiiM.

how simple, how well proportioned it is. And yet so tar as the consideration ot utility is concerned, it is no better than the others.

What is true ot" this sprinji house is true in a larpr sense ot all dwelling; houses and ot" all architecture. For the most part, when the untrained laxnian hej^ins to think of his own house which he is {Jioinj:; to build, he be- ■jins with the plan, and considers the number of rooms that he needs. That is rij;ht enough so tar as it goes. Onl} lie must re- member that he can get the same conditions of arrangement and ttic same number of rooms ecjuall}- well in a house that is ugly, or one that is attractive. The plan, cer- just because this builder has substituted ior rainl\. is important, liur tlic inipro-ion we his rough log cabin a house in which the dc- carry away with us of a house usuall\ comes sign has be<'n more considered, it is not nee- from what the eye sees, — the shape, the nia- essarily more attractive. It may be far less terials, the color, and the location of the so. The old log cabin on this page has an house.

attractiveness which ma}' be lost in a later You see, then, }our house has two deti- elaboration. The buililer may have had no nite aspects to tlie anhitect. It is both a taste at all, and the new house may be very "visible" and "invisible" house, which means ugly com|)ared to the old one. simply the difference between the arrange-

It is evident that a useful thing may have ment of jour house on ])lan, and )our the rjualities ot attractiveness, or ot unattrac- house as the eye sees it.

tivencss. Take as an illustration the plan Look again at the sketch at the top of page

of a .small building shown at the top of page 43. In the center is shown the plan of a 43. It is exceedingly simple. It is built small building. What does this plan tell over a spring and serves to shelter it. So far us'? It tells us that there is to be a single as the plan goes it is perfectly arranged, room in the house, that it is entered by a But how does the building itself l(X)k? On door and lighted bj- two windows. And this plan it is possible to get a great variety that is all. It does n't tell us what the of elevation.s. Either of the houses shown liousc will Icxik like. It does n't tell us how beside the plan satisfies the condition of high u[) the windows are, nor how high the protecting the spring from the weather, and house is, not what its roof is like. The plan giving adequate access to it for the visitor, arrangement is the invisible house. In this .And yet, these two houses are ugly. The book we are particular!} interested in the first is barren, and the second is fantastic, visible house. The trouble with most houses Compare them with the design of the spring is not so much that they are badly planned house shown below. Notice how modest, as that they are unpleasant to look at. For

42

THE USEITL AM) IHK BEAITIIUL

(/yV///T£KgSTI/fC

or JFRm(;~/foirj£

AND P:RjrEMT/OUJ^

an}- floor arrangement there are manj- inter- For instance, we are all prettj- inutli a;:ree(J

pretations of faqade possible, j^ood and bad, that theft is undesirable. We accejtt certain

and we shall arrive at the fjood solutions things as establishetl. Thev form a workin"

only as we understand the dangers and pit- basis for our practical life and we make such

falls of design. \\'hat are these dangers'? progress as we can.

For centuries, writers on architecture and Let us go a step further. We have seen the fine arts have been disputing the theories that a house may be useful and ugly, or use- of design. Different schools of design have tul and attractive. The ideal is always to been established and widely different theories combine these latter qualities. Whatever taught. In this country the student ot archi- our individual taste may be, we must come tecture is trained to a conception of beauty to the point of establishing certain h.xed as- under theories which are different from those pects ot house design. To think clearly and by which the young French or English stu- comprehensively on the .subject we must re- dent is trained, just as again the French train- duce it to its simplest terms, ing is different from the English, and so on. To study the problem of house di'sign, we And in adtlition to this confusion of training must agree first on the elements which enter there is the point of view of the individual into it. Look at the two ver\ dirftr<-nt student with theories all his own.

However, just as we differ in our ideas ot good taste, of what is attractive and what i> not, just so we differ at all points. \\ < have different ideas ot government, ot philosophy and of ethics. How do we go to work to clarity our ideas in these tieldsV We study history. We approach the prob- lem by the historical method, and we find that atter long lapses ot time certain institu- tions have a social value; they continue to be useful to the succeeding generations of men.

i.

43

iiu: iioM.sr iioisE

Joy Wheeler Dow, Arthitect. In "Wiichwood" Nfr. Dow has caught the character of Colonial architecture. The entrance door is like the fa- mouj Witch Door at Salem. The porch is an interesting variation in porch design. The foreground is unfortu- nately rather bare.

houses shown on pii<^<s 44 and 45. What h:ivf thc.'^e hou.scs in common'?

To b«j;in with, they all have zcjII surfaces which arc penetrated by window ojienings. These walls and windows are of different heif^hts and shapes, and the arran<^emcnt is different in each case. Each house has its "tcnest rated" walls.

Besides this each house has a roof. The roof's may be different in shape and construc- tion, but each hou.se has its roof.

.■\s we kxjk closer, we make out a certain number of smaller parts. The houses have doorways, chimneys, porches, shutters, etc., — these are the details ami incidental parts of the desipn.

Then we see that these houses are built of different materials — wood, brick, stone, and stucco arc u.scd in them.

Each hou.se has its own color. I'nfortu-

nately in a black and white reproduction this cannot be suggested easily. This color may be the natural color of the material, or of an applied nature, but whatever it is, each house has its color.

Finally, there is the setting of the houses, their relation to the background and fore- ground, to the planting of their gardens — in a won!, the entourage.

What is true of these houses is true of all liou.ses. There are certain elements which occur in every house, and they are few in number. They may vary indefinitely, but the}- can be classified and throvigh these classifications we may learn to avoid certain mistakes in designing our houses.

Understand clearly that this is no "sys- tem" of design. There is no royal road to learning to design well. It is a matter of hard and continual work. Every architect

44

THE I SKFl L AND THE BEAl TIFUL

IiIiiiuikI li. Gilcliri>i, ArchilFCt. It would be difficult to find a small house which gives greater satisfaction than the gardener's cottage at "Kris- heim," Dr. Woodward's estate near Philadelphia. Its simple stucco walls and its happy setting give i( great charm. The roof surfaces are unbroken by dormers, and yet the house is adequately lighted.

wlu) has Studied seriously makes some kind of classitication is only analytical. It is arti-

classitication of principles, and ha.ses his ticial, but it is artificial only in the same way

work upon this conception of the relation of that any methtid of instruction is bouml tt)

the different elements of his art. In a.ssum- be artificial.

m'^ the above cla.ssihcation, it must be saitl In studjin-,' j;;eo';raphy, we separate the

at once aiui most emphaticalh' tliat this niouutains from the plains, the |)Iains from

First and second floor plans of ihc gardener's cottage at "KiiNlicun.

4>

rHK H(Ai:ST HOISE

the v:illf\s. thf v;illry> troiii tin- ri\<i- .mil tlir rivi-rs troin thr sea. And yrt jn nature, all these fonn a |)art of a uniteil whole. They are all interciependent, ami are in reality indissoliibly linked tojjether. Wc make an abstraction ot the word "river" and we take it out ot" its settinj;, but in reality the river exists only in eonneetion with its banks, the valley in which it lies, the plains and the mountains which tomi the valley, and so on.

So in architecture the correct conception of desipi is that of an organic whole. The plan, the section, the elevations ot the house

.^lioulil all be thou};;ht of together. Perhaps it is impossible to do this absolutely, but we should come as-near to it as we i;ui. How- ever, as in geography, it is impossible to think of all the elements at once. We make a kind of classification ot the elements that we are to deal with. In house design, we have these invariable elements, capable ot unlimited variations in their exj^ressions : the walls and windows, the roof and the details, the ma- terials, the color, and the entourage. \\'e shall take them up one by one, and try to find out what are some of the common mis- takes of interpretation.

Jcilin Ruiscll Pope, .Architect. A detail of the Vanderbili Lodge at "Deepdale" showing the carved gargoyles.

46

CHAPTER \U

THE ENTOURAGE OF THE COUNTRY HOUSE

IT is no longer necessary' to preach the joys his own hedges and walls and walks and gar- ot country lite to the right-minded dens — everything that is a part ot the land- American. He dreams of his some-da) scape immediately surrounding his house home to such good [lurpose that evenruiilly becomes as important as the house itself. H< he realizes it. But the consideration ot the knows that until his hou.se fits comt'ortablx entourage ot his country house is new to him. into its site, until his trees and gardens and It savors of that e.\[)ensive new-comer, the vistas hang together in a harmonious series ot landscape gardener. He fears that some picture^, until his place offers his family elahorare foreign fol-de-rol will he brought a niaximum ot privacy ami repose and into his decent .American domain, and he beauty, he has not nuule the best of his en- will have none of it. Besides, he argue.s, tourage.

his house is a good one. His lawn mower Our architects have done everything in

clicks from morning until night. He has their power to hasten the ajipreciation of the

jiroper walks with orderly flower bed> bor- entourage. They are hampered, however, by

dering them. What more could a man the average man's determination to spend so

want";' much on his house, and to let his '"grounds"

Your foreigner dreams always of his take care of themselves. It has n't been long

liouse and garden as a well considered whole, since the po]>ular measur<' ot a country house

No matter how .small his little phice may be, was its e.xpensiveness, ami the number of

he finds some way of enclosing it, of making acres around it. If beauty was considered

all of it a part of his family life. He works at all it w:ls the supjiosed beauty of cUiscIy

from the outmo-r boundaries in, with iu> clipped lawns spotteil with geometric Hower

hou.se always as his point of departure and Ik ds. (harden architecture was limited to a

point of arrival. The disjiosition of the ilepiorabh- mixture of summer ht>uses and

houses and ganlens that surround hi^ place, bridge- of unfriendly styles, (iarden orna-

47

THK HONKSr HOI SE

iiiiiii im-ant a tew terrible statues ot cast of us buikl in the torest; most of us have to

iron or ^^raiiite, ami the last wonl in niaj,niiti- build near our neif,'hbors, and it is necessary

ccncr w:us an elal>orate fountain. to consiil< r the problems ot our entoura^'e ail

With the };rowth of country life a new the more carefully. We must make our

fetlinj; has come al^iut, and wliere a do/en house harmonize with its surroundings, and

years ago tlure were onl\ a ivw houses ami we must lietter them, if possible, by taking

gartiens that '•belong«d,'

to-da\ there arc

humlreds of entrancing tlomains tliat dis- prove all the t)ld arguments that )()u can't make a jH-rfect garden in America. I he three influences that have brought about the new I onsideration of entourage are the arclii-

aii\antage ot all opiuirtunitics tor co-opera- tion with our neighbors. You should con- sider the entourage betorc }()u begin to build \ our house.

Perhaps the site is alr<:ui\ wooded; in that case much ot \()ur work lias been done

tect, who wishes to see his house ()laced to the tor }ou. But more often the lot upon which best jjossible advantage; the .American's habit the house is to be {)ut is barren, or nearl)- so. of travel, of ;idapting the best things his tor- The actual hou.se itself, the house which is

enclosed within the tour walls, is onI\' ;i part ot your i)r()blem. If you wish to get the greatest attractiveness out of your house design, you must consider it in relation to the possible i)lanring and the development of gardens, etc., which \our lot will permit.

eign neighbor has to otfer to hi> own uses ; anti a really genuine pleasure in living out doors, which must inevitably bring about a desire tor the same repose and privac\- in his gar- den that he demands to-da)' of his house.

For these hundreds of houses that have well [)l;inned entourages, however, there are You must consider the approaches, the plac- tens ot thousimds tliat iiave no relation what- ing ot out buildings, the views from certain ever to their surroundings. Nothing is windows — ever}thing. If you have a very more extraordinarj- than the indifference of small place, ever} inch of it should be made the home builder of the average suburban to covmt. Flowers should be kept clo.se to town to the planting about his home. For the house, or lattices, or hedges, or walls, and every cott;ige that is set attractively in its a certain feeling of space preserved. surrounding garden, there are hundreds that stand solitar)-, without so much as a sun- flower or a blueberry bush by way of foliage. The idea back of this bleakness seems to be

that a hou.se is a man's business, and a flower /

garden is merely a woman's frill, to be added if she feels equal to the work of it.

Ot course, a house situated in the forest far from any neighboring house can be treated more freely than a suburban house located in clo.se proximity to other houses. This is al.so true of an i.solated man. When he is alone, he can do as he likes. But few ^'''! ''^'^'■' r"'°P°'-''°"«J ^mi over-elaborate house U set

squarelv in a barren lot. Privacv is impossible. 48

THE ENTOURAGE OF THE COUNTRY HOUSE

W'ilMiii 1 >rc, Aiiliiicti.

"Fairacres" at Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, is an ample house that fits serenely into its seitinc- A ma>s of shruhs gives privacy to the living part of the house. It is possible even for small houses to get similar protection.

In considering; the a[)i)r();Kh, you arc met who live siniph-, sane live.s. We have ttxi

with the problem of placing; the hou.se on the Ion-; lived in a carcle.s.s neij^hborhness tliat

lot, since the approach presumably leads passed for democracy. \\'e have sacrificed

from a public street to the house. There are our possible gardens, throwing them all tt>-

two ways in which we can place the house gcther ifito an unbroken greensward, "for the

that are typical of American and European benefir of the town." This is very com-

custom. In America a small house is visu- mcndable in a clo.sely settleil suburban town,

ally set far back from the juihlie- road, and bur even tlicn there is a |>(xssibility of de-

the space between the road and the house is veloping the side ami back \ards into an

given o\(T to a lawn or garticn open to the enclosed garden. Hedges and lattices can

passer-b) . On a larger lot the hou.'^e will be be used with iliscretion. Tlie humblest

set half way with the same ojien lawn in hou.se, wirli a little careful planting, will

front and a vegetable garden in the n ar. rake on dignity anil charm.

Surely we are all agreed that the charm of In Euro|>ean towns it is common jiractice

home life lies in its privacy. No one wants ro plan tlie iiouse so that it turns its back tin

strangers looking into his house. Why rlie street and faces its own gartiens. This

sliould tie deliberately bare his gardens, his arrangement gives all rhe ailvantages that

lawns, to the public gaze"? It is not a snob- an\ entourage can titfer — privacy, and re-

bi.sh selfishness, this enclosing one's own. Ir pose, and an attractive ganlen space.

is rarlier rhe common-.sen.se practice of people If your pl<n of land i-~ ver\ Muali and \oii

49

II IK HONKS r HOUSE

John Russell Hope, Architect. No detail of small house architecture is so neglected in this country as the garden wall. This house and garden is located on the Vandcrbilt estate on Long Island.

wi.sh your main nxMiis to face the street, you can arrange to have adequate planting hc- twtcn .street and house, and in this way serein the taniily rooms. Rooms so phiced will re- ceive the maximum of noise and dust, how- evtr. Ot course if your interest is such that you have to have a constant view of the happenings on the ■street, you are not in- terested in this argument for quiet and pri- vacy.

A wall is the finest thing a man can bring to his entourage. It should be of the same material as the hou.se — stone, or stucco, or brick — or, if the house is of wood, it ma} be of cobbles, or it may be a graceful lattice with a hedge planted against it. In old European gardens the wall is never forgotten. It is a part of the general plan, often continu-

ing the very house walls, always giving jiicturesqueness and privacy. Against it grape vines and small fruits are trained. It forms a shelter and a protection, it makes a home a man's own, and it is a convincing argument that it is built for i)ermanency. It is looked upon as a heritage.

In building a wall, the question of ex- pense nuist be considered. Many of us would prefer a high stone wall covered with a thick growth of green and blossom to a house, but we f/ave to have the house, and we usually give up the wall. The hard working people who built miles and miles of stone walls all over the old farms of the colonies built with their hands, and our hands are too untrained, too occupied with other things. . But cement — that magic means

50

THE EXTOIRAGE OF THE COUNTRY HOISE

ot accomplishing a di-sircd ctfcct at small cost — has made walls possible for man\- of us.

Walls with green things growing over them and slender gardens of old fashioned flowers creej)ing along them are much more interesting than tine gardens spread ojjen, public park fashion. Who doesn't thrill at the occasional patch ot color seen through a thick hedge, at the adventurous roses that clamber over a high stone wall"? There is always an element of mystery, of remoteness, hanging about a wall of any sort. The beauty of it is that such a wall gives the family within a chance to live their own lives.

and it also gives the pa>ser-by a chance to dream.

Hetlges are a godsend to those of us who cannot afford walls. We have only recently realized that we can have a respectable heiige ot privet in two or three years, at very sniall expense. The clippings of our hedges have been transplanted as hedges for our neigh- bors, and so the custom grows.

Gatewa)S give the necessary glimpses of the pleasure that lies within our walls. Who tliat has had the thrill of peejiing through the great iron gates into one of the old ganlens of Charleston, or Augusta, or New Orleans, will ever see a garden so fair"^? I remember

l'li()lci>;r:ipli h\ l.illijii liayiu-s Cirirtiii.

Here house, garilen and water come together on the <ihorc of Long Island Sound in a delightful and informal intimacy.

s'l

IHK HONKST HOrSE

reali'/iiif: my favorite tair\ Mory, when 1 was a \rry Miiall jHTMrn, in an i)lii Augusta j;ar- il<n. Ilif hiiih iron k-nce was completely covered with vines and roses, but there was an o|H-n j)lace just bi^ enough tor a small head to In- pokeii throu^^h, anil beyoml lived The Sleeping: B«-auty. I saw her fountain, anil a red and yellow parrot that jjerched on its rim, and a very elaborate peacock some- how much more royal than those on my ^grandmother's plantation, and a black-fjreen mapiolia tree Ixavy with white blossoms. Back of the fountain a lonj^ whitewashed stone house rambled alon;,'. and hunilretls ot maki'-believe peojih- lived there. I never .saw the Beauty, or tiic I'rince, thouj,'h I sur- prised the parrot and the peacock often, but I was always sure they were just beyond the vista afforded me. When travelers talk of walled Enj^lish gardens, and sculptured Italian gardens, and adorable French ones, I remember my jierfect glimpse. To this day I am thrilled with expectancy at the sight of an enclosed garden. It always has a beckon- ing quality that allures.

The entourage is elastic in its possibili- ties— for every house there ma}- be a garden that will 'belong." On C'a['e Cod there is an old gray shingle house that I know, just one stor\ high, with a grape vine growing all over the riMit, with little square jianes of glass, and a dark green iloor anil a soft little yard of uncut grass, and gray palings with honeysuckle spread over them. There is a rustic arbor (it would be a pergola now) of weathered gray railings running all around it with a narrow brick terrace beneath, and literally hundreds of grape vines covering house and arbors and the palings of the old fence. The grape vines actually creep along the roof tree and festoon the chimneys. It

is the most adorable little house you can imagine, but it would be as humble as a gray alley kitten without the soft uncut grass and the grape vines.

On the North Shore of Massachusetts there is a great house that belongs in its entourage just as surely. A little park ot i)ine trees screens the [)lace from rlx' pulilic roail. Once past the pine trees vou enter an en- chanted domain of intimate gardens, with m}sterious paths that lead }ou to the tennis court, or a pergola, or a rose ganieii, or a geometric color-mass of vegetables, hing like a brilliant colored f^ag in a sunny sunken space. All the paths lead to the house, as paths should. You go through rlie long hall and come out upon another garden, ;>. brick terrace with grape vines covering the beams above it, and formal box trees in great Italian jars along its rim. This terrace drops to a walleil garden fillet! wirh rose and lilue flow- ers, and this in turn dro[)s to the sea. You sit upon the high terrace and look out over the rose and blue blossoms to the sea. Even the vistas are your own. Were you under pon- der distant little white sail, you 'd be sure that this enchanting garden and the house abo\e it had sprung from the blue water, so perfectly does it all hang together.

It takes an architect to plan a jirojxT house, but any one who is willing to think a little and work hard may develop a very beautiful and satisfying entourage for his house. It is a consoling thought that although the ilctail ot your house may be unattractive, its arbors and gateways badly designed, you can plant trees and shrubs and vines that will cover the ugliness, and your house will become a trans- formed thing that belongs to its garden.

Many houses that seem dignified and fine to us are in reality commonplace and depend

THE ENTOURAGE OF THE COUNTRY HOLSE

entirely on the surrounding foliage for their beauty. I remember one old place that al- ways seemed remote and beautiful because I could see only a bit of the dingy yellow house through a thick tangle of evergreen trees — magnolias, and cedars, and low shrubs that had been transplanted from the woods. Queer old people lived there, and so there was no excuse for a small person to explore its mysteries. It gave me a shock of disappoint- ment years after to realize that the house was worse than commonphue in itself, — it was a dreadful mustard colored pile of clapboards, with gingerbread trimming around its porches. But that mattered little, for the rose vines and ivy completely covered the ugliness of the jig-saw work, and the trees crept close to the house and protected it from the passers-by. It was not a house, but a "place," with an important and comforting entourage that saved its secret from discov- er}-.

We can perhaps never have the fine luxuri- ance of growth around our houses that the English gardens have, but we can have some- thing very pleasant, if we will work for it. Rose vines and hedges and grass and old fashioned flowers grow quickly for us, and lattices and {)ergolas add to the charm of our little houses. We can manage everything quickly except trees, and we can have pretty good trees if we study the soil and plant the trees that are quickest in growth. \\'e can plant those for our own pleasure, ami a few- slow growing ones — oak.s, elms and such — for the pleasure of our grandchildren. There is no excuse for barrenness.

We can't have the delightful brick walks of English gardens, with grass growing be- tween the bricks, because the bricks will freeze in winter and Itulge up. Rut we can

Mellor i Me!^, Architects. The ro^e-gro^vn lattice adil* Kfcatly to the attractive- ness of .\lr. .Meigs' little cottage.

have flat stones of irregular shape laid in the grass Japanese fashion, and they will keep their places. We can have walks ot bricks laid in cement or in sand, instead of ugly ribbons of gray cement, or we can have soft earth jiaths with a little gravel in them instead of terrible white-wa.-heil walks. We can have bottlers ot little Howers and ferns instead of tiresome arrangements ot ■/ig--/.ag bricks or shells or bottles or white-wa>hed stones.

No place is too small for some sort of flower garden, an arbor or a lattice, a [hhiI, a stretch of greensward, a little space for vecetables. ^^'e mav realize the wall foun- tain, or the pergola, or the sun dial, or the little pool we have always planned, but wc

53

llli: HONKS 1 IIOISK

must never crowd thinp^. Kr|)osc is the be- jjinnin^ and end ot a j^arden.

1-tirnial j^ardens are rarely cntrancinj:;. They are admirable and orderly, and the\- atford us plenty ot flowers for the house, but thev seliloni ;:ive us >heer ecstasy, as a proper j;arden .should. The real pleasure ot plant- ing' flowers lies in placing; them where they will tollow stimethinfi. A rose covered arbor is much njore charming: than an orderly "bed" ot roses. Lonj; shallow masses ot flowers tollowinji the rim ot a terrace, or a wall, or the rim ot a pool are always suc- cesstul. A larj:e cntouraj^e may include a dozen ^^ardens — formal ones, wild ones, vej^etable ones, but on a small place it is best to plant flowers where tli< y will supple- ment the trees and shrubs, ami tell in strik- ing' spots of color.

We can all have flower j^ardens, and we can all avoid flower "bed.s." It is all very well to till your garden chock full of flowers, so that there is no room for fjrass or walks or anything else. A mass of flowers is al- ways lovely, just as a field of weeds is lovely. But if you have a well planned garden vour flowers should be against or around things, in

.\ ru»tic arbor that leads to an old-fashioned flower garden.

long shallow borders against a hedge, or a terrace alongside a brick wall, or around a tree. The only other waj of handling masses of flowers is to make a formal gar- den of them with walks and a sun dial, or a tree, or a bird bath in the center. Nothing is more unfortunate than a great stretch ot green lawn dotted with isolated crescents ami stars and circles ot flowers.

The house must always be the heart of the entourage, and the paths should all lead to it, but they need not go directly. \\'inding [xiths may go pretty much as they please, if the}- are accompanied b}- shrubs and flowers to invite strolling, but straight walls should always lead to something. It may be an arbor, or a pool, or a sun-dial, or a bench against a lattice wall, but it must lead to .something. There should be a vista of .something pleasant at the end of all the walks that lead directly from the house. This is often achieved by placing the main walks in line with the windows of the living-room, or dining-room, so that the eye can follow the walk to the picture that lies at its end.

Probably no one ever planned his ideal entourage without including a little brook, or a glimpse of the sea in his plan. We yearn so tor the sight of water, and if we can afFord it we sometimes compromise by bringing an elaborate fountain into the garden to take the place of the little brook. But fountains are dangerous things. They are usually vulgar in their noisy display and their mechanical elaboration. A pool with a simple rim of stone or cement or marble set deep into the grass will give greater joy. A round pool eight feet in diameter, or a rectangular pool five feet by eight, is quite large enough to serve as a mirror for the trees and flowers about it. It may have a tiny spray of water

54

THE ENTOURAGE OF THE COUNTRY HOUSE

1

u'i^xsi:^

Dejit;ncd b> 11. 1'. Liiidelierg. AIItu \ LiiiJHm:— . ,\:.'.t.. k.

Mere is a formal garden which is also emrancing. The walls, the pool and ihc prim hox trees are all formal in their disposition, but a long garden of everyday Mowers relieves the formality by its gaiety.

from sonic little tipirc in the centtr, a truit

and

fountains and benches and bridijes that

tree tvvistin<j; over it, a bencli beside it, and a tlu- landseape architect can devise. Mod-

school ot gold tish within it. It will atFord lis never failing color and motion, ami it will cost little more than a pair ot the awful cast- iron vases your grandfather bouglit for his garden.

esty IS an essential to rejjose.

The house is the final, as it is also the first, consideration of the entourage. It mu>t tit comfortably into its site. The brutal line ot the foundations must be softened with a mass

(iarddi furniture is tempting, ami here too of shrubs. Ivy will creep over its wall, ami we must go warily. Cement has made possi- i)ull it more securely into place. If the ble to all of us reproductions of fine old house is low ujion the ground, and we can Roman and Crreek benches and fountains and enter it without climbing, we are fortunate jars. It is hard to resist them, but an over- indeed. If the house is nuich iiigher than the

main garden, terraces will do much to bring it into the general harmony.

\\hen the house has finally grown into its surroumlings, and ivy has sotten<il the- new- ness of its lines into mellowness, when trees

crowded garden is as sad as an overcrowiled

house. Too nuH-h garden furniture destro}"s

repose. Indeed, the small place with one

garilen bench, and a sun dial, and a pair of

Italian oil jars i)laced where the creamy

whiteness will tell against dark green foliage and shrubs have been planted where dark

is in much bt tter taste than the elaborate en- shadows are needed, ami flowers ma>seil

tourage that iiulmles all the marble temples where they will be most effective, then will

riii; HONKST HOI SK

come to pass an infimacv of house and j;ar- plant.-d, it needs little care. \\ho that

den that will make the p'ertect entoura-e. h:us n't planted trees can know the excite-

Do not iH- dis.-ov.ra-ed bv the thou-ht that ment of watching the hrst apple npen ,nt.)

it tik.-s time for bvishes and trees to ^rrow. maturit) "^ ^^■ho that has n't planted a rose-

Of course it takes time, but once the tree is bush can know the thrill of the hrst rose"?

Charles Barton Keen, Architect. Entrance gateway at Strafford, Pennsylvania. Note the generous proportion of the arch and simplicity of the design.

56

CHAI'TKli Mil

CON'CERNIX(; COLOR

HA\'E you ever gone along one of aiul w Iio has developed his garden in his own

the streets of a suburban town way. and noticetl how eaeh house is The reason that Kuropcan cities, espe-

paintcd without any regard to the colors of cially those on the Continent, are so skilfully

the neighboring houses";' First we have a developed is that certain desi)otic rulers have

red house, then a white, then a chocolate, and said, "We are going to jnit a boulevard from

then a gray one. If these colors were light, here to tliere without ;ii;king anybody's ad-

.soft tones, such as one sees in the nuilti-col- vice or consent about it." Whereas, in

ored towns in some of the tropical countries, .America, the only way this could be done

it would not onh' be pardonable, but very would be by unanimous public opinion, and

desirable. But nothing coulil be turthiT on i-tli<tic matters ])ublic opinion is very

from pictures(]ueness than the aspect the\- ditlicult to awaken.

present. The colors are hard, deciiicd, cheap Nevertheless the intelligent house builder

and unsympathetic. nuist realize the advantages of making his

Don't be afraid to lia\c the color of \our neighbor's property benefit his own, anti to

house bear some reasonable relation to the do this means stuily and consiileration antl

color of your neighbor's house. K>-o|)(ration.

Don't think you get an artistic distinction Mucii of the attraction that the old Kuro-

by making }our house picturesque or notice- j^ean towns has for us exists largely because

alil<' by \ iolince or eccentricity. ot the character ot the houses, liomogeneous

The thing that strikes the European most in botii ilesign and color. The harmony ot

forcibly on coming over here is the lack of hannon) between houses jiut up in the same neighborhood. A man builds his house in his own wa\', and next to him will be a neighbor who has a different type ot house.

liesign comes from the custom ot observing the traditions in building. Ilannony of lolor comes largely from the use of local building materials.

Each building material hxs a color of its

57

I Hi: IlONKSl HOLSE

own. Naturt- endows it with that color. The- lominon buililin^ .stonts such as linic- stom-, sanil.st«)nr, -iranitf ami niarblr all have their characteristic colors. Bricks, thouj^h artiticial in that they are niaiie by man, pre- serve the natural c«)lor ot the sami and clay that pMS with them. Wood, the common- est building; material ot all, has its pleasant ranj^e of neutral colors, but unfortunately we ;Lss«Hiafe wooti always with paint, and so the valu«' of its natural color is rarely seen.

It is extremely dillicult to consider color in its relation to architecture, for color lies so much in the eye of the beholder. And it is diHicult to convey an idea concerning; the use of color through the medium ot a black and white jiage. To many people "color" sug- gests instantly paint, something applied to the surface of the house. To others, "color" is an elastic temi including a hundred things — the effect of the house and its entourage, the color Nature has given and man has ap- pli<d.

It you seek to anahze the spell that your tavorite house always casts upon you, you will find that much of its fascination lies in the harmony of color of the house and its detaihs, its surroundings. You have prob- ably treasured such a house in your imagina- tion, a house that seemed exactly right to }ou. It may have been a pink stucco house in the Azores, or a salmon-colored villa in Sicily, or a dove-colored Knglish cottage with velvety thatched roof. It may have bi-cii nearir home, an old whitewashed, broad-shingled farmhouse in a pink and white apple orchard, or a cottage of clap- boards silvered by the weather, with masses ot hollyhocks crowding against it. Wher- ever you saw it. it entered into your soul and became a vision to be cherished; and vou

planned a some-da)- house very much like it. I'lie point is, ) ou considered die green ot the trees and vines and grass, the hues of the flowers, the very clouds and sky, along with the house. It was the harmony of color that got into your memory and staged there. EIs(; why do we not go into ecstasies over the houses we see in winter^ We don't. Ideal houses are visualized in full color.

You nvA\ succeed in avoiding all the com- mon pitfalls of design so far as your anlii- tectural detail is concerned and rh( n wreck your house by the use ot bad color. You can avoid this only by studying assiduously the possibilities of your house and its rela- tion to the neighboring houses. It your place is large enough, ot course the neighbor- ing houses need not enter into your consid- eration at all. Then you can work out a harmony of house and garden that will de- clare your good sense and }(>ur understand- ing of the community in which )()u live.

One of the finest examples ot a color plan in our architecture is the country place of Mr. .Albert Herter at East Hampton, Long Island. Here is a large, rambling house, built so close to the sea that the blue-green of the water and the clear blue of the sk}- are de- liberately considered as a part of the color plan. Mr. Herter's idea was to get, if possi- ble, the eifect of a house in Sicily, and so he built the house ot [)inkish jellow stucco and gave it a copper roof. The sea winds have softened the texture and deepened the color ot the walls to salmon, and the copper roof has been transformed into ever-changing blue greens that repeat the colors of the sea. In front of the house there are terraces massed with flowers of orange and yellow and red, and back of the house there is a Persian gar- den built aroimd blue and green Persian tiles.

?8

CONXKRMNG COLOR

Plioiojiraph liv l.ilii.in l>.iMie> Grirtiii. Slee & BrvMHi, .\riliii<-ci>. This stucco house at Tokonckc, Connecticut, shows viviil conlrasis of cohjr which arc fascinatinj;. A maw of black-green ivy climbs over the creamy stucco. Note the ruKReilness of the plain walls and the sense of graceful in- timacy which is given by the Italian bas-relief on the ivied wall.

and great blue Italian jars. Here flowers ot blue and rose, and the amethyst tones in be- tween, are allowed. Black green trees and shrubs are used everywhere, with the general effect of one of Maxticld Parrish's vivid Oriental gardens.

It is a far cry from this intoxicating har- mony of color to a shabby genteel villa ot an Italian peasant on the Long Island railway, but somehow the [leasant's house seems al- most as wonderful to nu-. it i^ so tranklx a courageous attempt at realizing an iileal

houM-. 1 p.i>> the house every day, ami in tiie few seconds it is within my >ight I liml new pleasures, a new amusement.

The house is a large, sijviarish box, s|>ang atrainst the railway tracks, but it iKi> Ix-en treated as seriously as if it were an imiMising \ ill.i with spreading acres. A higli wall cov- en il with stucco has been liuilt to encl«»se the \aril, which the ambitious owner is strug- gling to make into a real ganlen despite the ciiulers and .smoke and heat. In the mean-

time, huge coloreil vases at least a story high

^'9

nil: iioNKsr iioi si:

havf bct-n |>:iintcil on the walls of tlic house, farmliouse, jiaintecl white with dark preen

vases with spiral-like leaves and Howers in blinds, but ot a whiteness which onl) the

j;ay colors. On the lar;:e •,'ate posts are li^ht ot heaven can etjual. It is a cold

clumsy urns, with tVebh- Howers f,'rowinf; in white, with a bluish cast, ant! a^'ainst the

tlu-ni. The ^'ate itself is a stranjje affair of dark greens of surrounding trees it shocks one

odds anil emls of iron patched together, but with its intensity and austerity.

what nuitterV On the arbor real grajie vines Let your gra)s antl )-our whites be warm,

grow, and the vegetable garden gives real and \()ur (tfccts will be happ}. The white

color. needs onl\ to have a blush ot yellow in it

.•\ hudille of little out-houses, "dependen- to take away the fro/en aspect, but that cies," runs along one wall, and I am sure they slight blush is what makes the difference be- are somehow a part of the dream. The tween amiability and harshness. Avoid dream, by the way is clear to me: here is a bluish tones always, tor they give an impres- pros|M-rous Italian who has always had a sion of bleakness. This is a matter perhaps vision. Prosperit) gave him courage to ac- ot psycholog}-, but certainly it is none the less complish the villa that nuist be as much like true that we always associate our ideas of an old-country estate as possible. In the winter and ot the coKi landsca[)e with bluish frankest, simplest fashion he has set to work colors. And so with tlie somber tones in our to embellish his house and his wall in the gay stone and brick and stucco walls. color that expresses his ha{)piness. All But, after all, the natural colors as they around him are hideous little mustard col- occur in the different building materials, ored shoe-box cottages of clapboards, with such as stone ami brick, are all relatively not a twig or a tree for solace, but they do subdued. Probabl}- jou think of an excep- not iliscourage him. Somehow he has ac- tion to thi.s, and remind me of the bright complished a splash of real interest and good colors of certain marbles. We do not, how- color in a ding}- railway yard, and I rejoice ever, use these marbles in everj- chn- houses, with him and wish we had more like him. and our common building materials are not

The charm of the cities of Spain and Italy endowed with brilliant colors. Even if the\-

and ot warm countries generally, lies in the are sometimes strong and displeasing, time

ever i)resent evidence of warm colors. Th<- ami weather gradually soften their bad

tones of the walls are light, — light grays, qualities. The real color i)robl(in of the

pale yellows, pale pinks and greens, and the usual small house is the painter and his paint.

appeal to the sense of beauty which they In the field of artificial color, the possi-

make is irresistible. bilities for ugliness are unlimited. The

In the temperate climate in which most of colors which the house painter can wallow

us live, we run to two extremes. In New in range from the deepest j)iratical black to

England, where granite is plentiful, one sees the most screaming vermilion, and whereas

frequently the house of a bluish steel-col- nature endows each building with one color,

ored cut stone, than which there is nothing the painter can make your house look like a

more gloomy in the whole world. Then on kaleidoscope in a few days' time.

the other hand, there is the New England The ordinary house painter, armed with

60

COXCKRNING COLOR

three pots of different colored paints, varies only slightly from a maniac in his conception of decoration.

We have all seen rows of small wooden cottages, badly built and badly designed, that became relatively attractive by being painted in one uniform color. The same cot- tages painted in bright reds, greens, purples and browns look more frightful than words can tell.

Good advice to follow is this: if you have a shingled house, it is well to let the shingles take a natural weatherstained color. If it is

necessar}' to give them protection stain them with some silver gray stain which appro.xi- mates the weathered effect. Or you can paint the shingles. Generally speaking white is best for the shingled walls, and with this you can have your outside shutters, your flower bo.xes, and your lattice work painted warm tones of brown or gray or grci n. It is best to paint the whole house uniformly, save for these details.

For the ordinary simple house of clap- boards, no color combination has been found more satisfactorj' than white walls with

I'liarlr" Karcun Krrn, .Artliiicct. The restful impression given by these houses at SiraHord, near PhilaJelphia, is due to their hjrmony oj color aiul form.

61

nil, HONKS 1 HorsE

shutters ot some prccnisli c()lt)r. li you I(<1 yourself at all unicrtain on tlu- matter ot color, paint your house white. Avoid heavy colors like chixolatc, slate fjray, ami ret! tor the colors ot" your walls. Don't be afraid to have youT house conform to the liouses t)f your n<ij^hbors. Don't think that you pet artistic distinction hy making your own house an eyesore. If your ornament is unstudied and bad, to silhouette it by usinp two con- trasting; colors, is simply to make your house a thousand times more hideous than it need be. In the days when cheap wcxhIi ii orna- luent of the jij^-saw, j;in;,'erbread t\ pe was prevalent it was customary to emphasi/.e this ornament by the use of paints of different color.

Even if your trim is {^ood, it is best not to emphasize it. In no other way can you make }our house look cheaji so <]uickly as to afflict it with stripes and rectangles of j)ainted trim. The roof has one color, the walls another, and the shutters and doors have still auother. That is enouj^h. Noth- in-,' is more unpleasant than a house with the first-story walls painted one color, the second story another, the trianpilar sjiace of the fjable ends another. Such houses have been called the '"shirt-waist-and-skirt-houses." and the term fits. They are usually further embellished by painting the piazza lattice and railing still another color, and of course the roof has something awful to declare be- fore the color-plan is finished. Often you will see such a house sitting impudently be- tween two self resjiecting colonial houses, affording a contrast which only a blind per- son could l(K>k upon without shuddering. I shall never forget passing such a house in a sweet old village on Cajie Cod, where its verj existence was a libel. A little South-

ern girl was with me, and though none of us sail! a wori.1, she looked at the house, sniffed, and said, "It looks like a nigger preacher's house!"

It is a great misfortune, this lack of con- sideration of our neighbors. For Ux) long we have ignored them. Eacii man has built as he ])leased. Beside a house ot the Eng- lish style he has erected one of the formal classic colonial type, and his neighbor has built a house ot the Spanish mission tj pe, and so on, thus producing a disharmonious jum- ble of color and design.

Happil), this reckless disregard of neigh- borhood is passing. We are beginning to co-operate, to pull our little towns into pleas- ant completeness. There are several garden cities already begim, planned on the English and continental schemes, and at least one town is far enough along to be an object les- -son to thousands of people. This is Forest Hills Gardens, Long Island, a niucli misun- derstood communit}- that owes its being to the Sage Foundation.

The popular conception of this place is that it is a model village for working men. It would be much more interesting if it were, b>it unfortunately land in the immediate

Too many colors are used. The columns are hadly spaced and like the stone wall, they are out of keeping with the rest of the house.

CONCKRMXG COLOR

Photograph by Lillian Ijj ...l i ..::.i. .. 1

The first floor of Mr. Gooilnow's house at Forest Hill- Clardens is very near the ground. This gives an impren- sion of intimacy and informality on entering. The house looks as though it grew out of its surroundings. Note the admirable texture of the stucco. The wooilwork of the p;)rch is stained a deep brown, the tiles are red and the stucco is a light gray, tinged with the slightest suggestion of green.

vicinity of X<-vv' York i.-^ r(Ki ex|unsivc to per- cntrrpn.-c ^.turcsstul. You may object to

niit the charniin^ cottajje coIoni«\s .so success- heinj; restricted yourself, but it is heavenly

tull\ fostered in Enj^hind. Forest Hills to know that \()iir neighbors are re.stricted

Gardens is within nine miles, and fifteen as to color, antl d(siL:n, ami the many thinfp

minutes, of the heart of New York, and this that are .so unpleasant at clo.se ran^'e. Ytni

means that a man must [lay as nnich for the are willinfj; to pay more lor a .small house

little bit of pround on which he would builii. that fits into its landscape, its neij:hborhiHHi,

as a pood house would cost in a more remote than \i>u wouKl pay tor a very nuich larjjrr

community. But then- are enout,'h people house in a town where every liouse is a law

who appreciate the excellence of a little town unto itself.

that is planned for the future to make the Much of the chanu of Forest Hills

63

llli; HONKST HOUSE

Gardt-ns comrs from thf color of the ma- terials used. Some ot the color is un- doubtedly unfortunate, but as all the houses must be fireproof this makes for excellent color. Firepr(H)f houses are most commonly expressed in brick or stucco, which almost always have j;;(H)d color and |)leasinji texture. If your stucco pocs wronp, jou can tint it. If your bricks arc uj^ly in tone, you can whitewash them. Good color is always easy to obtain in such materials.

It is almost impossible to build wooden houses close together and get a harmonious effect. Indecil, we ncall very few success- ful streets of wooden houses, except the quaint old village streets that are lined with rows of gray and white and faded green houses, pulled together comfortably by old trees and placid gardens. But when you be- gin assembling houses that are vertical ratlicr than horizontal in expression, you Iki\c a difficult problem. The architects who have planned Forest Hills Gardens had this prob- lem to solve. They do not permit three or four houses to be built on a line, for instance.

The two enil ones maj- be set near the street, and the two inner ones set far back to- ward the edge of the lots, and so a pleasing irregularity is gained. Houses ot timber anil I )1 aster, houses of a composition cement of dull browns and reds, houses of brick and held stone antl stucco are all there, but the architects have decreed that all the roofs shall be of red tile, and so the comnumity is united. As one of the architects says, the little houses are all satisfyingly different, but their roofs are all singing the same tune.

As with the house design, so with the garden. Each garden is considered as a part of a perfected plan, and the planting around the house assumes its proper importance as a iiart ot the picture. The result is a de- lightful mass of color that will grow finer alwa)s. As ivy covers the houses and the gay little gardens grow up around them we shall have a fine exposition of wliat may come to pass when every man considers his neighbor.

In the meantime, most people arc forced to live in neighborhoods that have grown

Compare this restless row of badly designed houses with the street of modest white houses on page 6i. Compare them also with the group of houses on page 65.

64

CONCERNING COLOR

-^j^'^?^.

Wilson Eyre. Arcliiirct. These houses, built at Forest Hills Gardens, are grouped so that all share in the enjoyment of the enclosed ({'"■• den. A detail of the house at the ripht is shown on page 63. The middle house is a twin house.

without plan, and must make the most of hints, because each hou^e presents its own

situations that are most discoura^in<:;. You special ditliculties. Nevertluless whether

may have boufjht a lot with a magenta house your house is of stone or brick or shinjjle or

of man\ rurrets on one siiit ot it, and on the stucco, there are certain combinations which

other a sprawlin<:; house of mustard )tllow it is well to a\()id. These combinations arc

stucco, and terrible tiles of a red that swears tho.se maile li\ tlie asstx'iation ot unctMuple-

at the ma;,'enta. What sort of house can mentary colors.

von buiKi that will soften tin- vul;4ar conflict "S'ou know wliat is meant when we say

of \()ur neighbors' houses"? How can \<)u rliat crim.son and .scarlet clash, tiiat they do

separate }()ur own liouvc from it- ill-bred fel- not look well to<:ether. I'nder oniinary

lowsV conditions this is true ot .-carlet ami crimson.

Of course the oiih real separation possible brcau-e tiny are not complementary colors.

is planting:; — trees ami shrubs and hed-:es. WW.w are the complementary colors then.

But after you have done all you can with the ami how shall we know them? This could

frame of the picture that is your house, you be answen tl simply by giving a pterence to

must study color as relatetl to the neighbor- any text book on |>hysics, but text bo«iks of

ing houses lictorc \nu tan l'o aiu ad. that kiiul arc alwavs forbiiliiing. Briefly,

As to the matt( r of clioosing Aour colors, the theory of colt>r is this: white light, or

it is po.ssilih' iiere to give onl\ the slightest sunlight, is maiie up of seven or. we may say,

6c

IHE HONKST HOLSE

six colors. ThfSf ;irr tailed the colors of the spcctriini. Vou see these colors in the rainlx)w, or throuj^h a [)rism of f^lass.

There are three primary colors, red, blue, anil yellow; tlic secondary colors, orani^e.

17^

OX/iAVS/ /_ L.

\pl7y^j:s

YxLLour

^/:ir£

L

(;kj:^.^'-

violet and preen, may be derived b\- the com- bination of the primar}- colors. Thus if we have some blue paint and some yellow, we can mix them and the resulting color will be preen. In rhe figure on this page, yellow, blue, and red, each at an apex of the tri- angle, represent the primary colors; green, orange, purple, which form another triangle, are the secondary colors. Thus, if you will notice, green lies half way between blue and yellow, orange half way between red and yellow, and violet half way between blue and red. Now those colors are comple- mentary which lie diametrically opposite each other. Thus orange is complementary to blue, purple to yellow and red to green. These colors can be used successfully to- gether, that is, side by side. The nearer two

colors approach, such as green and orange, or )ellow and orange, the more difficult they are to use together.

Many difficulties will probably present themselves to your mind I First for in- stance, that there are a dozen different reds, and a dozen different blues, and so forth. \\ hiili of these are )ou to take as the stanilanl for comparison"^ The answer to this is found in the spectrum. The yellow which forms the standard is that }ellow w hich has no green ami no orange. And so for the other colors.

Another difKculty is, how do we account for such colors as gray and brown V These are composite colors, and if you w\\\ look closely at a gray you will see that it is a blue- gray, or a yellow-gray, or a red-gray, and so with the browns. Thus these so-called neutral colors may be considered as ha\ing the color of that primary color which is most {prominent in them, and associated accord- ingly.

This explanation is of course very incom- plete; the science of the combination of colors is involved and difficult. But if we can be content with simple color combina- tions, we have nothing to fear and much to gain. It takes an artist to j)lan a house of many colors, but any of us can accomplish a house of some soft tone, with individual detail of colored lattices, or shutters, or what-not, to satisfy the personal equation. With a background of neutral tone, we can experiment with occasional splashes of bril- liant color in our gardens, and here, after all, is where vivid color really belongs.

66

rr:-i*scc5»»Zrt-/;;

i»_

CHAPTER IX

THE MATERIALS

IT is all verj^ well to tell a man that a masonry house is cheaper in the long run than a wooden one. But the run is so long! The immediate necessity is so imperative I It is hard to convince a man who has only so much money to spend, and who wants a lot for his money, that he should wait until he can build a fireproof house.

He knows that masonr}- construction is more durable ami from certain points of view more sanitar}'. Brick, terra cotta, field stone, or concrete will make a house that will last beyond his time with little necessity for further outlay. But he sees all about him the wooden cottages of people who lived a hundred years ago. These cottages have lasted. They are attractive. The price ot building such a house is not prohibitive. These are the arguments with whidi he ciin- soles himself.

Still, the cost of a house should he figured as an investment of capital. The cost of painting clapboards or siding, and ot re- shingling, is large. Six hundred dollars extra to build of brick means thirty dollars

a )ear interest. To keep a wood house painted means as nuich as this, and there will be repairs in addition, to say nothing of depreciation in value.

^^ hen the insurance companies reach a stage ot intelligence (and they are leading the people in this), it will be considered good business not only to build the walls of ma- sonr\. but to build the house fireiiroof throughout. Wc burn up some three mil- lion dollars' worth of pro|iert\' jxr annum, and insurance does n't pa)- for a cent of the loss — it only makes us pay for our own care- lessness and the carelessness of others.

We are agreed that on all practical [xiints of view, save that of initial cost, masonry construction has the advantage over wood frame construction. I^uf from the |>oint of view of appearance, the matter is not so easily settled. The oUl clapboard Colonial house with its white i>aint<d \vall> ami its green shutters remains one ot the nu>st charming expressions of small house archi- tecture.

.\ house buililer umier primitive condi- tions built his hou.sc of local materials, and

67

THE HONKST HOl'SE

a ^Ttat many historual >t\ Us wtrc iltvflo|utl in rlif iiuitrrial.s »>r rapabilities wliich were touiul in the Iixality. 'Hh- diHiculty of trans|Hirtation toned builders to use their inj;enuity in solving: their probh-ms. We do not have to do tliis to-day. As an instance, the early builders of Colo- nial houses in this country li;ul to im[)ort some of their buildin;^ material trom Eng- land. The facilities for traas|H)rtation were, however, v«t\ feeble, consecjiuntly Colonial builders had to turn to local materials to satisfy their needs. The cheapest and easiest material to get was wchkI, which was plentiful and of ven,' good quality, whereas in the P^iropean countries it was both scarce and expensive. Wooden houses therefore sprang up all over the Colonies as a result of the economic situation.

Today the facilities of transportation are so great and the number of building ma- terials so multiplied that there is a tempta- tion to build largely from a surplus of ma- terial. The supply ot wood is of course diminishing, and is forcing the builders to use some form of masonr\- construction.

This is, in some ways, a very good thing, — • it has a tendency to produce a more solid architecture!

In coming to the matter of materials in which we can express ourselves, there is a variety to choose from. Suppose you build a frame hou.se; you can express its exterior in stucco, claj)board, .shingle, or half timber. If )ou build a masonr}' house its exterior can be expressed in stucco, brick, or stone. Each of these materials has its own character, its own limitations, ami its own application. The eye judges the house by its appearance, rather than its construction.

The use of shingles for exterior covering is, one might almost say, indigenous with America. If shingles were ever used in England and the European countries gen- erally, they had long given away to the use of slate and other materials by the time of the colonization of this countr\. The forests of our new world offered such an abundant supply of wood that the wooden frame house with its shingle or clapboarded exterior was a natural and easy develop- ment. Until something like fifty years ago.

When this attractive old house at Hartsdale, Nc^v York, was buih, there was a plentiful supply of shingles of good quality. They were more durable than the shingles you can buy nowadays.

68

THE MATKRIALS

Eugene J. I.ann, Architect. This house for tlie Misses McVeaii at Great Neck, Long Island, is unusual in its design and cliarming in its simplicity.

wood was Still plcntitul, ami no oiu- thought piiu' tn-es. lit- was called a visionary! Had

of the danger ot its iMcoinin^ scarce. there been a few such visionaries about a

As late as 1870 hardl\ any one thought of hundred years apo we would have hail a

jilanting new trees to replace those which system ot forestry insuring the countr\ with

were being so ruthlessly cut ilown. In the a rotation in the prtniuction t>t hnnl>er.

European countries the forestry regulations We should be sure ot getting wchkI ot giKnl

have been in force for hundreds of years, and quality, cut troni large trees instead ot hav-

wood has been greatly pri/.cil for .so long ing to u.se wckkI cut troni small trees still

tliar ir has become an establislutl custom to tilled with sap and thentore being imperma-

plaiu a tree wIk 11 an()th< i- is cut down. • nent for building purpo.ses. Only recently

So far from bt ing appreciated was this have measures been taken by the government

attituile in this country that when, about for the increase of our tore.>-f>. ami tor re-

1870, a New Englander, inspiretl by the sys- fore.station.

ti ni of forestr\ j)ractised in France, bought What is the bearing of this on shingles?

a number of ileserted farms in New Hamp- Just this: that whereas shingle> were t>nie a

.shire, and pianteii hundretls of thoiisamls of fairlv durable hou.sc covering, they coim n»

THE HONEST HOUSE

Photograph by Couiant. Parker Morse Hooper, Architect.

Few houses in America have so much quality as has this house designed for Dr. Abbott at Cornwall, New

Vork. The balcony is a somewhat daring feature but it is beautifully studied. The first and second floor plans are shown below.

he If.ss and less so, because it becomes harder and harder to j^et them of good cjiiality, and of sufficient hngth.

The older houses were shinpled with hand- split shinj^les about eighteen inches long. These can still be obtained, though they are expensive. They make a much more in- teresting house covering tlian the shorter machine cut shingles, which in virtue of their retluced length, cannot be laid so as to ex- {iose more than five inches to the weather. On page ^ is shown an excellent example ot a Colonial house with hand-split shingles

70

THE MATERIALS

laid about nine inches to the weather. The effect is charming. Wide courses of shingles are generally more attractive than the common narrow courses, in which tlit; shingles are laid only six inches to the weather.

One ot the commonest misuses ot .shingles trom the point ot \ifw ot gootl tiesign is seen in the attempt to rej)roduce witii them elabo- rate architectural torms. Houses of dns t) pe belong to the post-Kichardsonian school ot domestic architecture, common to tlic eighties, but happily belonging to our past. I am cjuite sure there will never be another epidemic of such houses, but iin- fortunatel)' many of them are still with us. They are seemingly built tor inHammable purposes, but fire has passetl thcni b\. and they linger to torment us.

Another misuse of shingles is the would-be tlec()rati\e scheme, where scalloped shingles are u.sed along with ginger-bread and jig-saw work. Nothing could be more ugly or more tri\ial. Another misuse is seen in the com- bination of shingles witli other materials for wall covering, a familiar sight in closely settled suburbs, where the lower part of every house is clapboarded antl the upper parr shingled. This treatment, b\ the way, invariabl\- invites a shocking apjilicarion ot paint.

As for clapboards, the type of wide clap- board used in the old Long Island tarm- houses gives an excellent effect, tar lutter than the type of narrow clapboard used com- monly in New England. \n excellent ex- am|)le of the [iroper use of the wiile weather clapboard or sitling is shown in Dr. .\bbott'- house at Cornwall. 'I'lic wide lourses giv< int<-rest and vigor to the ta(^ad<-.

In the real ohl English houses of the iialf

timber t)pe, the timbers expressed the actual frame construction of the house. These houses were constructed of heavy joists, and the spaces between them were filled in with brick and sometimes covered with stucco. In our modern methods we have n't the honesty ( or perhaps we should sa\ tiie money!) to use real timber in our half- timbered work. We frame our wooden houses which are going to be halt-timber on the exterior, just as we frame them when they are to be covered with a shingle or stucco, and then we appl\' our talse halt- timber to our frame. This false half-timber work consists often of onh- ">" boards, and uiulcr the action of the weatlur tii<y tend to twist and warp and go to pieces generally, all of which is too painfully evident if one looks somewhat critically at most ot these houses.

This practice of false half-timber work is not altogether reprehensible, but wlien we have a modern house ot real timber work built as is the \'anderbilt Lodge, there is a certain satisfaction in viewing it, a satisfac-

lii llii<i old Englith lioii»c, ihc timlicr work c\prc»»c» ihe actual frame conjiruclioii of llic luui»e.

rm: honks r hoi sk

tion which t.onif> trmii xcin^ :i thiii;^ well ilonr.

'I tun- arc tvcT so many stheiiu'S jxissiblc in th«- hanillin^' ot halt-tinibt-r lUroration. We sav dfcoration rather than constnution, bfcause the real const met itm nt our lioiises is concealed. In the oM Norman work tlie pattern ot the halt timber was the natural expression ot the construction. Notice that a horizontal piece is laid under the sill ot the window and over its head: similarly the slanting pieces were put there to brace the frame, and so on. Thcretore, as a general rule it is well to tiesign a halt timber house a.s though the halt" timber had a nal meaning structurally. This tends to make the design hxik serious and reasonable.

In the English and Norman work, the timbers were spaced rather do.se together. This was done because it gave strength and solidity to the building. In some ot the mo<iern .\merican work designed b}- un- trained builders who knew nothing of the antecedents ot halt timber work, the design is frequently skimpy, the spaces between the false timbers too great, and the false timbers have no apjiarent structural relation to the window openings, or to each other. Such

lu)u.ses usually look as it they had been striped with brown pasteboard, or smooth satin ribbons.

The use of stucco is very oUl. and it is used very generally throughout Kurope, largely because it is made ot lime, and lime is abuntlant every wture. Moreover, the use of stucco on masonr} walls has a distinct advantage inasnuich as stucco can always be re-applied, and an old house made new. In this countr}', where we have excessive heat and excessive cold, stucco has to meet diffi- cult conditions of expansion and contraction, and it is consequently still somewhat im- perfect. Still, if the stucco cracks here and there, it can lie patclied, and that patch in- stead of being ugly is often a picturesque ad- dition. Certainly much of the charm of the old European stucco houses lies in their bat- tered condition, their delightfully varying color.

There is a sad .superstition in America that a house should look as though it w-ere taken out of a band-box. The moment it becomes shabby enough to be interesting, it is painted and varnished until it shines. Of course we must keep our houses tidy — but not too tidy. It the} are of wood, we have to repaint them

First and second floor plans of Mr. Raymond's house at Manchester.

THE MAI I:RIAI,S

Note the complete lack of useless decoration in this ter, Massachusetts.

lest they tail to pieces under the attacks of the weather, but when they are of brick, or stone, or stucco, there is no excuse for our frenzied housech^aninj^. People actually fear liown the shrubber}' and friendh' \ines that were strufj^linj; to make their houses beautiful in order to apph' a new and un- necessary coat of paint!

I know two stucco houses of approxi- mately the same cost and plan, in the same town, and there is all the tiitference in the work! to any one possessed of the seeing; eye. One house was planned for years by its owner, and fuially the plans were turned over to a synijiathetic architect. The hon-c

James Purden, Architect, interesting house of .Mr. Robert L. Raymond at .Manchn-

is placed as close as |X)ssible to the street, to j;ain privacy tor the garden in the rear. Tile lon^ line of the hoiL>^e is parallel with the street, which gives it addeii inter<st. And this line is em[)hasi7.ed by a wall which be- gins uniier the front windows and runs along jiast the end ot the house, enclosing the laun- dr\ \ ard. The house sits low on tiie ground, and although it is not \et two years old, it has all the subtle cliann of an old FInglish cottage. The texture of the |)lasfer is very rough, slappeii on by a ^kilhii hand, -.ind just enough black was put into the creamy mix- tun- to t.ike away the "new" ap|x-arance. I'Ih- unobtru.sive outer trini is painted a neu-

Tin: IIONKST HOUSE

tral blur-r:n-. Thr rvd filed root has the work beneath the first floor that says ob- tharactrr ot an oKionr, tor the tiles have not viously, 'This is the basement." But my that unvarvin- redness that is so dei>lorabh-. main quarrel is with the horrid smoothness Brownish ones, and purplish ones, and black of the stucco, the neat yellow expanse that ones have been sj>otted amonp the dark red looks more like the eggshell plastermg ot an to give a shadowy variation of color. inr.rior than an outside wall built tor

The other house was equally well planned, weather. The trim on this house is very but it has been set at right angles to the heavy, verj- much emphasized, and it is ob- street, so that you get an impression of the ^ iouslx- false. It is stained an even, choco- bolt upright end of a narrow house. It sits late brown. It is supposed to suggest a bit up from the ground with a deliberate frame- of half timber, but it really suggests brown

satin ribbon, neat and thin and temporary. The roof of this house is blatantly red, every tile a perfect mate to its neighbor. Cer- tainly it is a "new" looking house, and should be quite right for the people who wish to live in band-box-new houses, but even to the unpractised eye it is disappoint- ing.

From the point of view of good design, the main difficulty with stucco is its color, and the next is found in its limitations when used otherwise than in flat surfaces. In other words, stucco is not adapted for the Miiall house unless the details be extremely >imple. Nothing is more disagreeable than a dark bluish, or dark brownish colored stucco. This danger can be obviated usually li\- the use of white sand and white cement, for it is essential that the tone be light. Light grays, with a suggestion of yellow or green, are warm and cheerful, and show off stucco at its best. The quaint pink stucco houses of Southern France, of Italy, of the Azores, and of so many fair countries are not for us, for their color is tempered bj- climatic conditions, but we may at least aim for a pleasant deepening of some cream or gray tone.

The doorway of •■'Ilie Cloibler>," an old liou>e at It is well tO keep the SUrfaceS of StUCCO

Ephrata, Pennsylvania. The stucco is of good color and n i ■ i • ■ i-rr> i

a most interesting texture. walls plain, because it IS difficult to express

74

THE MATERIALS

Edward U. Cjilclirim. Arcliiiccl.

This house is located at Si. Marlins, I'hiladelphia. Note ihe large areas of blank wall, the inirreMiiit: icxiiire

of the stucco, the Hue grouping of windows, the generous proportions and mysterious rliarm of the arched diKirway.

detail in stucco without getting into trouble, walls arc kept severely simple ami the ile- It is worth noticing that in the attractive tail, in order to give contrast to the stucco, stucco houses of English architecture the is found in the dark stained wotxlen cornices,

7>

THE HONES I HUL SE

window frames, aiul b:i\ windows. Mr. Dow's housf shown on paj^c ^y is a beauti- ful illustration ot this use ot detail.

Brick is one ot the most attractive of buildinji materials, provided two things are observed: the brick must be of ^mkI color and it must have good te.xture. The brick used in the early houses of this country were im[H>rted from England, and wen no doubt imperfect from the point of view of technical composition, but they had and still have more attractiveness than the majority ot our modern bricks, judged at least by our m(xi«m standards. Their ver_\ imperfec- tion of manufacture gives them a texture and a variety of color which is extremely inter- esting. This is also true of the first bricks that were made in this countr)-, which were crutle in color and texture, and therefore wonderful in composition in mass.

About 1870 the so-called "water pressed," or smooth faced brick came into use. It was smooth, unvar)ing in color, and usually of a dead salmon-colored red. During the time that this brick was in fashion, brick houses were unattractive, so tar as their design depended on the material. Onh recently has it become recogni'/.ed that the variation of color and texture in a brick wall is one of its charms, and we have to-day a variety of bricks which are beautiful in their color and rough texture. The best of these are the so-called tapestrj- brick.

The chief mistake in the use ot brick is in its misuse in connection with stone. Fre- quently brick is used for the general wall surfaces of the house, and the window sills. heads, trim, and so forth, are made of terra cotta, marble, or lime stone. Mr. Greeley's house at Lexington, Mass., is an example of an excellent brick house which is quiet and

re|)oseful. It has an almost complete ab- sence of stone ornamentation. Compare it with the agitated little house shown on this page in which the repose is all lost in the con- fusion created by the stone decoration.

.\ house should be one thing or the other; it should be brick or stone. One of these materials should predominate if it is to be restful. Nothing is more vulgar than the emphasis ot decorative forms which are totally unrelated.

The color of bricks is most important, and the old fashioned red bricks arc the most satis- factory in the long run. They have a rough uneven surface which will permit the weather to work its changes agreeabh'. The worst colors are the deep blues and browns, purples antl magentas, because they are cold and un- sympathetic in effect. In combining brick with other materials the color should be care- fully considered. Do not put crimson-red brick with orange colored sand-stone, or sal- mon colored stone. Go back always to the old Colonial work, and notice how simple and how sure is their sense of color in brick work.

Stone, in spite of its abundance, was not so extensively used in Colonial architecture

76

.•\n overworked little house.

THK MAIKHIALS

William Roner Circcley, Arcliilcct. Mr. CJrcclcy's house at Lexington, Massachusetts, is quiet and restful in design. Note that the entrance ve>ti- bule is at the ground level. Note also the enclosing wall for the service yard.

as might be imagined. It was used most in work is shown on page 79. The walls are

those districts where limestone, which is eighteen inches thick, and because ot this

easily worked, was readily accessible. There the windows nia\ have %er\ deep reveals,

remain, however, many e.xcellent stone This depth of reveal may be taken ailvantagc

houses, notably those in the vicinity of of either for the e.xterior or the interior: in

Philadelphia. An example of such stone- either ca.se, it gives added interot.

.aim

First and second floor plan> of Mr. CJrecley's houM. 77

THK HONEST HOUSE

Savery, Sheetz & Savery, Architects.

Mermaid Lane Cottage at St. Martins, Philadelphia, is a line example of the house built of local stone.

For the small house, cut stone is usually submitted to the influence of sun and storm, too expensive to be considered, though one often acquires an attractive character. Mar- finds occasionally a combination of cut stone ble of the whiter kinds in order to be attrac- and rubble stone. It is in the simple rubble tive must have also warm pink, yellow or wall that the small house architecture of this greenish tones in it to be agreeable in color, country has found its completest expression. It should never be bluish in tone. The

There are mistakes to be avoided in the use stones with the deeper colors, such as red and

of stone, as in all other materials. The diffi- brown sandstone and the dark gray and dark

■culties commonly met with in this material blue limestone, are best avoided. Nothing

are first, the manner in wliich the stone is is more lugubrious than brown sandstone,

laid and second, the color of the stone, which, in addition to being ugly, is very

Contrast the beautiful wall shown on page friable.

82 with that shown at the bottom of this We have confined ourselves to the con- page. In what does the difference consist'? sideration of shingles, clapboards, stucco. The stones in the wall shown in the first stone and brick, in this discussion. There figure are laid horizontally, and rest evenly are, in addition to these, two other building

on their beds while in the other case the stones form a era/.)- pattern which is restless and futile.

If the color of the stone which is accessible to you is not warm antl cheerful, it is better to build your house of some other material. iUH: Warm gray limestones tinged with yellow- green and pink are attractive, and grow bet

materials used for the exterior of houses

■ -11!

ter with age.

Field stone which has long

78

This shows how not to build a ilune wall.

THE MATERIALS

^'

. ^:Jmr

^

which are fairly common, concrete and f^lazed terra cotta. There are still other materials, such as the decorative tiles used in Mexico, the tile beinj:; applied directly apainst the masonry wall. Hut this material has been little used in this country, and, while its po.s- sibilities arc nian\-. it tails witliout the scope of this book to j^ive it more than passing no- tice.

Of concrete there is this much to be said : Constructively, it is an excellent material, and its color (usually a dull blue, brown or gray), makes little difference provided that it is covered with a warm colored tint. As tor the concrete lilock, ho\ve\-er, it may safeh' be said that it would he difHcult to find an}- thing much more ugh'. It the concrete bloi'k house, which looks like a German toy bl(K-k house, were covered with stucco of a uniform tint, it wouUl be passable. Gla/.cd terra cotta is used generally for the purpose of imitating stone, and serving in its place, and as such it does vet)' well. Its use in domestic architecture, especially of the smaller type, has been restricted, and so it is onl\ neces- sary to say that what has been said about stone applies to the u.se of glazed terra cotta.

Finally we come to a most important mat- terials. His hovise is composed of all the ter. the juxtaposition ot materials. Ma- motifs he can think of. He uses three or terials in themselves are far less frequently four tlifferent nuiteriais and, finally, he abused by the imtrained builder than when jiaints his liouse two or three different colors. they are j'ut in intimate association in the .\ll sim|>licity is lost.

same building. That is where most of the The effort of the trained architect is to get mischief enters. If )()u will look at the good back to a simple expression of his idea; to examples shown in this book you will find hmi tiie interest of his design in tlie r«-hne- that most of them are built of one uniform ment of its proportion, and the skilful use material. It is saddening to note the ten- of iletail il«-veloped at the salient places. denc\- of the amateur liouu' builder to In combining materials, tlun, it is neces-

mix unn lated things. The untraineil sary to remember that from its very constitu- builder seeks for interest in complexit). He tion masonry does not knit with wood. One multiplies his forms, his colore, and his ma- kind of masonrx is ta-tcneil to another with

79

Mellor & Meigs, .'Vrchiircts. Note llie stonework 'y\ this cotiaEC near Philadelpliia. Tlie white paiieli'cl woodwork set in the reveal of the clourwaN is heautifiillv stuiiied.

THE HONKST HOISE

ccniriit, win re. 1^ wocxl is tastcnctl to anotlur pific ot wm)il with nails.

To .show what is meant by saj inj; that two niatrrials do not knit, Ut us take a practical example. Consider the house shown on this page. In this house, which is a clapboarded hou.se painted white, the red brick chimney seems to cut ri;,'ht throuj^h the side ot the house and j^ives one the impression that with a slif^ht push from the other side it would tall awa}-. Compare this with the house shown on pa^e Si. Here the chinmey hoUis the same relation to the house design, but it is ot the same material and color as the house and consequently it gives the im- pre.ssion of belonging to it.

In the first case, the brick of the chimney and the wood of the house do not knit. Nothing holds them together. From this we can make a generalization.

With materials diflFering so completely in character as wood and masonry, we get a feeling of stability when the joint between them is a horizontal one, and not a vertical one. \\'hen wood rests on brick, as tor ex- ample the wooden second stor}' wall rests on

the stone tirst storj- wall in tlie house on page <S2, we feel that gravity acts to hold them together, and that the weight of the wood holds it in its place.

Of course this is only a matter ot theory, because in i)ractice we know that a chimney is stable, whether it is red or white in color, and wc know that in house construction the .second stor)' wall isn't built with reference to iti weight. Nevertheless this theory has its practical side, which is simply this: the impression w hie h the eye gains in looking at such a building as that shown on page 82 is that the chimney does not knit with the house. The eye also decides that it is rea- sonable for ditfVrent materials to lie hori- zontally upon each other, and the eye is the tinal judge of architecture.

The relation of wood to stone is an im- portant one. \A'hen it is necessary to cope a stone [lier, such as a piazza porch, wirli wood, the stone work should not be rough and angular. The strictures which have been expressed on the matter of joining wood and masonry ap])ly in a niuch more limited sense to the joining ot one torm of masonry

This charming little cottage is reminiscent of the old villages of New England.

80

THE MATERIALS

r

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' /

DeArmoiid. Ashmead & Bicklfy, Architects.

Note tlie distinctive simplicity in lliis house for Miss Mary C. Gibson at Wynnewood, Pennsylvania.

wall with another, sinijily because they have traction which is very appealinj^, but the tact

much in common in their character. that they are not tireprtx)! cau.ses them to be

So far we have coii^itlcrcd onh the ma- rc;4arcitil with suspicion by many house biiild-

terials used for walls. There remains the im- ers. Tin n. r(H), the)- must be renewed once

portant <juestion of the roof and its covering;, in so man)' years, which is expensive to the

Of all the roof coverings tiie most common modern economist. So we turn generally to

is shingle, and undoubtedl)- this is one of one of two tyjies of roof covering, shitc or

the most satisfactory so far as looks are con- tile. cerned. The gray, weather-beaten shingle Slate is permanent ami fireproof, but it

roofs of some of the old colonial houses, colored by mosses and lichens, haxe an at-

is usually cold and unsympathetic, in color. The best roof covering is \nu]uestionably Hat

First and second floor plan* of Mi»> tlitison's hou»e. Hi

THE HONEST HOUSE

shinj^le tile. In the old European tile works, as in the old European brick work, the manu- facture was impertect. Tlu- tile was ot a roujih texture, unglazed and soft baked. The consequence wa.s that while they satisfied the conditions of permanence and tireproot- infi, they also permitted age and weather to beautify them. The roofs resulting were symphonies of color. Their tones varied from light orange to warm browns, antl through these colors, the greens and grays ot the mosses and the lichens played.

In this country until recently tiles, like brick, have been too hard, too smooth, too colorless to be interesting. Recently, how- ever, shingle tile has been made with a rough texture and good color. Little can be said

in approval of the so-called mission style of round tile, such as is seen everywhere on ponderous near-Spanish houses. This tile is always ugly and awkward, and its constant convolutions are very tiresome.

Of the other types of roof covering, such as asbestos shingle and various patent roof coverings, it is only possible to say that they are practicable. Certainly they are nearly alwa\s ugly. Nothing is more sad than an asbestos shingle roof with its dull, monot- onous red or sickly green, and its thin un- broken evenness. It has a surface that one could almost skate on. Some day this sur- face and texture may be improved, and we may have an asbestos shingle of good color, and thickness enough to be interesting.

Charles Barton Keen, Architect. Note the excellent stone work in this Germantown house at Garden City, New York.

82

A

(HAI'TI.I? X WAl.I.S AND THKIR Ol'EMXGS

I' I I'.Ii :ilK what is the wall ot a wliilc camping in the \v<)Otl> the <-xcitfnicnt lioiise"^ Firsr ot all it is a protec- of improvisinjj; such a shcltt-r';' It t-xiTiises tion a^'ainst the weather; secondly, your in};;enuity to obtain and fashion the ma- it is a construction to insure privacy. terial for the rude walls and roof. F'ar The earl)- builtier. lon^' before he came to awa}' from villaj^es and shops you must cope successfully with the problem of rooting make the best of such material as you can his house, reali/ol that his walls insund him tuni. Finally, however, the shelter is fin- against the attacks of the enemy, gave him islieil; your few belongings, your stores, and shelter from the weather ami afforded privacy clothes are moved into it; night falls; a huge tor his famil). 'Ilun he adileil a roof to fire is started and you contemplate the sur- turtlur protect himself, a roof consisting, rounding blackness with security and con- probably, of skins ot animals. In the walls tent. To a certain extent xou are living of his rough dwelling he made a few openings as the primitive home-builder lived, .\fter — rough wintlows and doorways to give him all, what you hav<- done is simpiv to con- light and air. And so came to pass an ele- struct some walls with an opening or tw(» in nirntai) home. them anti a roof oxcrhead. Ami this was This primitive home is a tyjie of dwelling j)rimarily just what the lirst house-builder which exercises a fascination u|)on most of constructed.

IIS ( ven to-day. Don't you renuniber as a In this ruile beginning we ha\e the earliest

child, in reading stories .such as "The Swiss torm ot domestic architecture, and in its t-s-

Famil) Robinson," a certain thrill of .satis- .sentials the most pretentious dwelling of to-

faction when the adventurous castaways s\ic- day varies trom it only in the interpretation

ceeiled in establishing a rough shelter tor ot these elements. In the iliminutive huild-

themselves"? Have you not experienceii ing shown on page 84 we see a wall with a

83

THE HONEST HOUSE

rough opening in it, and in the backj^round — a pahu'c. It is obvious that in the most elab- orate architecture the tX-ade is, in the hist analysis, onl\ a wall punctured by openings. If these openings are arranged so as to pro- duce a balanced effect, the facade has at- tained a large measure of the essence of good design. There are, of course, many other considerations which enter into its design, but the placing of the windows in the walls so as to produce a happ\' effect, is one of the very first problems.

To show how the character of a building varies, not only with the arrangement of the ■windows but with their size, examine the houses shown on page 85. In enlarging the window openings relatively to the wall spaces between them, we lighten the appearance of the building. We let in more air and light.

It is easy to see that one of the essential considerations in designing your house is to get the window openings just right in size, not too large and not too small. If you make them too small, your house will suggest

a prison; if too large, it will look like a greenhouse.

Somehow we associate our ideas of home with a certain snugness, a certain security. It is this quality which makes the difference in character between a public building and a home. Seated around the great fire, with the doors securely locked and the strong walls of our house about us, we get a feeling of what the French call the foyer, — of what the English call home. This feeling vanishes tor most of us, if we tr}* to imagine such a scene in a house which is all windows.

In a word, it is all summed up by saying, as is pointed out in Chapter V, that in archi- tecture the important thing is to express the character of a building. On looking at a building we should be able to say by its ap- pearance to what purposes it is put. We ought to be able to tell a greenhouse from a jail and a jail from a dwelling house. Nothing tends to express the character of the building so much as the treatment of the walls in relation to the ojienings in them.

84

WALLS AM) in KIR OPENINGS

In a greenhouse the openings are large; in a jail, small. It is not a question ot the k/iul of window you use ; it is simply a question of fixing the amount ot window space rela- tively to the wall space and thus to find a treatment which will express the particular character of a building.

It is interesting to look a lirrlc further into the conditions which determine the difference in the treatment of walls and windows in dif- ferent countries.

'V\\v walls ot a house protiiT the inmates against heat and coUl. In adiiition to the heat and cold which come trom the outsiile atmosphere, the house also receives its light from out of doors. There is protection against cold b\' the use ot artiticial heating in the house, but there is no such protection against excessive heat.

In hot countries where the light is intense, and the heat excessive, the window openings arc \vx\ small. In extreme norrlicrn coun- tries, and in countries where glass is expen- sive, and fuel scarce, the windows are small again. In temperate countries the windows are made as large as possible, to let in much light and air. Thus you see that the matter of the size of the windows in a house has a direct relation to the climatic contlitions.

Of course these climatic conditions tend less and less to influence our house ilesign, because with modern ajipliances, we are able

to combat more or less successfully the condi- tions of heat and cold. The jxiint to be nuide is this: you c;mnot expect to retain the character of certain types of architecture if }ou go to work and change the ver\ things which gave them their character.

It is important that you shouUl not confuse the wall itself with the decoration of the wall. The essential thing to remember in designing a house is that you have a simple wall in which you are going to make simple openings. The use of pilasters, of band courses, of win- dow frames, etc., are all of .secondary im- portance. They belong to the decoration of the wall surface, and are not essential. It is important to recognize the beaut)' of th^ wall in itself. How often we have admired the crumbling wall of a deserted house over which the vines and lichens have grown. Time and exposure have given to the oKI stone color and texture, a richness which comes only with age.

So nuich for the theoretical aspects of the wall and window treatment ot the house. .\ vet}- practical matter is the placing of the windows.

Generally the people who are planning their first house begin with a consid«ration of the plan arrangement. I have seen ilozens of people in the first flush ot their pride as lanilowners, and invariabh- they seize |x-ncil and paper, and begin making squares that are

^ipiiiiiiiiiu:,y^aiiiiiii.ii.ii.#^iiia

liiiaiJnttiiiiiiui

limiiiiiiuiiiiM^^

•s.

Mil-: HONKS 1 HOI SE

sup[X)sed to indicate rooms, and ch()[)py little lines to inilirat<- \viniii>ws and doorways. I>;iter they lurtect these anuisin^' plans and work out room sizes laboriously, with the aid of a simple scale of measurement. But ot the e.xterior they think not at all. Where will these windows and doors tind them- selves'? That is a myster}' they expect the architect to solve, and woe he unto him it in solvinj; it, he sacriHces their room arrange- ment! I do not decry the making of phms — it is one of the finest pleasures a man can have, — but I do wi.sh his imagination would soar upward to his second story, to his roof. A cnule elevation wouUi be quite as much fun

to work out as a crude plan, and would give him -SO much mor<' resi)ect tor his archircct.

In ni}' magazine experience, I ha\i hail hundreds ot plans sent in to me with re- quests tor criticism. These plans usually are incomplete and hast}', and ot course an_\' in- telligent criticism is impossible, because noth- ing has been submitted to show what the liouse is to look like.

How is it possible, looking at such a plan, to tell whether the windows are going to work out right, whether the roof is possible, — in a worci. w lirrluT rh( re is anv design to the house at air?

The correct way to work at such a problem

Photograph hy Frank Cousins.

The old Henry House at Germantown, Pennsylvania. Note the beautifully proportioned windows.

86

WALLS AM) rHKIH OPENINGS

is this: suppose you want a house which has a living room, a dining rcxini and a kitchen on the first Hoot anti two or three bedrooms on the second floor. Usually you will have been inspired by some house which you have seen, and liked. Perhaps it did n't altogether suit you, but it gave you a point of departure. Suppose that )()u want an arrangement in which the living room and dining room are adjacent. As soon as you have drawn that much, jou realize that you need windows in these rooms. Where are they to go"? Well, the a\(rage person just indicates them an\- where, without reference to anything. That is wrong. The thing to do is this : when your little sketch is drawn, make a rough study of the elevations as is shown at the bottom of this page. This will tell you where your windows ought to go to look well. Then check on }our plan so that the)- agree in po- sition with the windows on the little sketch elevation.

This does not mean that the position of the windows is fixed. You have only made one little study, and before arriving at the design you should make a great many such studies, always checking the plan and the elevations. Not only is this true in the con- ditions of the windows, but it applies to the roof and to all the elements that go into your house design. It is the onlx way to work intelligently. If you work simply by con-

sidering the plan arrangement, you will in- variably get some terribly complicated and impossible plan for which no ingenuity could possibly devise a resj)ectable elevation.

So tar in this cha|)ter the window oj)en- ings have been considered in relation to the wall in which they form the openings. I have tried to point out that the essential character of the home lies in its security and shelter, that in order to express this charac- ter the openings of the walls nnist be neither too large or small, and finally I have tried to show how in designing a new house you must constantly consider how the windows which )ou St) easil}' locat»- on plan are g«>ing to l(K)k in elevation. So far nothing has been said about the tjpes and kinds ot win- dows and doors which we can use.

I wonder if ever a woman planned her ideal house without a vision ot wide-flung casement windows, iv\ framed, with broad inside sills holding orderly jxits ot red gera- niums, and a bird cage .somewhere in the background"? Of course there are no wm- dow shades and no wire .screens in sight. Flies and mosquitoes do not frequent ideal houses.

Men plan differently. They always think of the sensible side of things — ot adequate light and air and all that. They bring us to earth with practical considerations and ar- guments for and against casenicnt.s, or double

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Tin: HONKSI" HOI SK

Edmund B. Gilchrist, Architect. The planting about this house is so successfully done that, although the house is still very young, it has the appearance and charm which age and time give. Note the plain wall surfaces which contrast happily with the planting.

hun^ windows, as the case may be. I know sisting of two huge sheets of phite glass! one man, however, who always specifies case- Architects should be also artists, and artists ments when he [jossibly can (of course he is have such visions. If your architect insists an architect), because he says the text of his on huge sheets of glass, instead of begging career is the image called to his mind by the }ou to consider small panes, there is some- poets' .songs of the magic casement. He sees thing wrong with him. I knozv. a small window in a high tower Hung wide In the chapter on wall openings we con- open, with a fair}- princess hanging out. A sidered windows as mere penetrations, but more definite examination gives him an im- they must also be considered as decorative, or pression of a charming arrangement of small marring, details. From a historical point of panes of glass. No one, however realistic, view the window in the primitive house was could conceive the passibility of poetic an opening to admit light and air. At first a imager}' lying in a double hung sash con- simple hole in the wall, it finally came to be

\VA1,LS AM) IHKIK OPKMNGS

glazed, and then the retineiiients ot window design began.

The early English antl French cottages from whirh we draw so murli ot the ins[)ira- tion tor our American homes were built in a period when glass was expensive. Lite was lived out ot doors, and when night tell the family went to bed, since artiticial light was scarce and expensive. Parti}' to protect themselves from the rain and snow, men made the windows of their houses small and few. Look at the ty[)ical old cottages shown on pages 5 and 2;. Notice how small the windows are as relateii to tlie wall surfaces, and how charming the cottages are. because of the mystery, the intimacy ot those cjuiet walls.

When glass became less exjiensive and it became possible to have large wimiows, a new condition was brought about which still obtains. The modern architect nuist keep the picturesqueness, the sense ot hoinines-s, the sense of privacy- which these old i()tta;:es gave, but the house nuist ha\ e more winilow-. People demand windows everywhere I Each room must have two and otten three, and the houses of to-day are designed .so as to answer these conditions. Then the human wonder- why our small domestic architecture is not picturescjue, lik<' the old Knglish and French cottage architecture.

The small K)untr\ houses ot England havi .small windows ami large wall spaces. This is also true of Spani.sh houses, but the Spaniard has the excuse that the sun is so bright and the day so hot that thick walls and small windows give relief. It is curious that the I'^nglishmen should have built in the sam<' way, for the climate is exactl\- the o|i|H)sire of that of Spain. Perhaps the price of glass, or the olil winilow and il(X)r tax, caused this.

[•-,..11 I'* II I Ml

In northern Italy \tni go through a great manv small towns where the windows are boanled up. and the Italians have even gone

89

THK HONKST IIOl SE

so far as to pive the effect ot windows by

paintint: thrm on the outside walls. "\ on

may renitniber having: seen in Italy the

painted li^ure ot a man leaning aj^ainst a

painted diH)rway.

At the beginninj^ot American housebuilding,'

our windows were <:()<)d, — tluy had to be ^ood btrause no one had attempted to ap[)ly the principles ot vulj^arity and ostentation to them. ( Principles is too good a word, — what is its antonym"?) Then, about iS8o some mali^ant hend decided that windows had been decorative lonj; enough, and introduced into American domestic architecture that hideous atrocity which we know as the plate glass window, the window which makes ever\- house in which it is used pretentious, dismal and uninteresting. For a shop window the big pane ot" glass has its utility. It is a pub- lic window. It invites us to examine it. We all look into it to see what is exposed. But is not this the very opposite of what we should demand of the wimiows in our home? The modest retiring asjicct of privacy should be the quality which distinguishes a "home," and this is destroyed when the house has win- dows of huge sheets of glass.

In America we have not had the difficulty of the window tax, and with the introduction of electric light — a desire came over the coun- try to have the maximum of light by day as well as by night, and so plate glass win- dows were introduced because they gave a great deal of light. The fact that they ab- solutely destroyed the beauty of the houses where they are used, meant nothing to their perpetrators. An epidemic of plate glass made most of our houses as badly open to the gaze of passers-by as if they were shops.

I remember as a child, with the smugness of childhood, classifying the social desirabil-

it\ of people on the basis of whether or not the windows of their houses were of plate glass. I disdained the small panes, I thought them old fashioned and that only poor peo- ple had them in their houses.

Many old cottages which the American traveler admires so much when passing tlirough English villages are vci} lovely — from the outsitle. The traveler rarely sees them from within, and he docs not realize that their defect lies in the lack of light and air the interior enjoys. He sees a low, rambling cottage with an overhanging roof of moldly riles, and a few small casement windows, and much ivy, and he decides his architect must give him an English-style house of exactly this sort. He is sadly dis- appointed when his architect tells him that the interior of the cottage is as black as your hat, and that these visible charms can't be in- troduced into our American houses without sacrificing sunshine and air and comfort.

But if English houses are defective through a lack of light, many American houses err in the other direction. You must understand that this is not a criticism against well- lighted rooms, but against the disposition of too much window space in one place. Often in .\merican houses the privacy that should belong to the home is destroyed by badly placed windows on or near the street, which enables the outsider to look into the house.

If we could only make up our mind to the radical idea of broad wall spaces and few windows, we could get along with small win- dow openings. The Boardman Robinson house on page 164 is a fine exposition of this. Here is a long rambling house with large wall spaces broken by small casement windows. It is most adequately lighted and ventilated, and yet it has the picturesque and

90

WAI.rs AM) THKIH OPKMNGS

J

Photograph by Frank Cousins.

I'his detail of the door and windows of the old Robert inspiring model. The small window panes are charmingly

intimate character ot an oki-worlci house. It has great charm, absolute convenience, and all the comforts.

The window divided into small panes possesses much more decorative interest than the single pane sash. Look at the housts shown on page 109. The first is without in- terest; the second has windows that kK)k like winilows, and not like great black holes, or I haracterle^s shop windows.

The defense of the large pane of gla.ss is comnionh' baseil on two considerations: — the small pane window is more ditiicult to clean, and the muntins between the small

.Morris House at Philadelphia may well serve as an proportioned.

panes obstruct the view. If one were to be logical he must also do away with the open fire-place because it is responsible tor a cer- tain amount of dust in the house, whereas steam or hot watt r luating is more scientific. .\nd if the muntins obstruct the view, so also lit) curtains obstruct it. To be logical these siiould be done away with also. But we are not (juite so Itxilish as that, ^^'e keep the open fire-place, becau.se in spite ot its inetli- ciency as a house heater, we like to s«f the open fire. We liecid*- that its cheerfulnc-ss makes up for its dust. .\nd so with our cur- tains. Tin \ ilo obstruct the view, but the

9'

I Hi: HONKS 1 HOLSE

window looks bare without them, and %vc can see enough.

With these strictures we piiss iwm the sub- ject ot phite ghiss windows. The offense does nt lie in the tact that the windows are ot pij/i- glass, but in the hideousness of an unbroken e.xpanse ot" glass. \'ery large ^tudlo windows are otten tilled with large sheets ot glass, but the}- are small in compari- son with the wall oiu-ning, and they are, atter all, ilivitled by nnmtins.

\Nindo\vs made up ot large single panes of glass are uglier than windows subdivided into small panes, but unless the small panes are well managed they can be prett) bad, too. In ordinar) house design a window with wcHKlen nnmtins has panes eight by ten inches. As a rule a rectangular pane is more attractive than a square one, a vertical rec- tangle better than a horizontal one. The sim[)le rectangle of ordinary cottage windows is much more satisfactor) than the diamond shape, or anj- of the fantastic sub-divisions, be the nnintins of wood or of lead.

The leaded diamond panes in the old Eng- lish Tudor houses are very delicate and grace- ful, but these windows were large, and verti- cal in expression. Diamonil panes that are squarish and separated b\ thick wooden mun- tins are very unpleasant.

Do not have windows of one sort in one part of the house, and windows of an unre- lated family in another. It is possible to use double-hung sash windows and small case- ment windows in the same house with excel- lent effect, // the general character ot the windows is the same.

If your house is two stories and a halt high, your windows would ordinarily be larger — that is, taller — on the first floor than on the second. Consequently the panes of the sec-

ond floor window may be less in height tlian those in the first, but the width of the panes shoukl be kept and the windows will belong to the same family.

There are three kinds of windows in com- mon use: the double hung, which is the familiar window, the two halves ot which slide up and down; the casement wWnh opens into the house; and the casement whicli opens out.

Of these three types tlic advantages and disadvantages are pretty much as follows:

The double hung window i> more iiractTcal in a \ery small house where outside shutters and inside screens are required, since its opera- tion does not interfere with either the swing- ing of the shutter or the screen. Its disad- vantages lie in the fact that one can utilize only half the opening. Its advantage lies in that it may be opened solel)- at the top or bottom. From the point of \iew of good looks it is invariably the least attractive of the three t)pes.

The casement opening in is generally less weather proof than the double hung window, or the casement opening out. It also con- sumes part of the room space which would otherwise be useable, since it has to swing into the room. Its advantages lie in the fact that it can be used easily and it gives you the f\ill vahie of the window opening.

The casement opening out is weather proof and looks well open or shut. Its disadvan- tages lie in the fact that it is less easily man- aged from inside ot the house than is either the casement opening from the inside or the double hung window. It is difficult to ar- range outside shutters in connection with it, and in summer the problem of screens be- comes an abomination. There are now, how- ■ ever, contrivances that make it possible to 92

WALLS AND THEIR OPENINGS

Designed by H. T. Lindeberfj. Albro i Liiidrberf;. Architects.

This house presents interesting and excellent detail throughout. It will repa> the most careful study.

o[)cn the windows by using a small lever that runs through the lower part ot tho screen.

Doubtless as we become more aj)[)re- ciative of the beauty of the casement "tlung wide," our American ingenuity will ilevise still better mechanical means for manipulat- ing the shutters and .screens. C'axnunts nuist ordinarily be smaller than double-hung windows, because they are svipported b\ their hinges. It will take a group of casements to admit the same light as two or three oniinary windows, but tlic ordinary wintlows give too much light usuall\ — cIm- wh\ do people cur- tain them so resolutel\ "^

Studv the olil cottage architecture ot Eng-

land and France and notice how simple the forms of the windows are. In the Colonial work, it is true, you tiiul txamples ot semi- circular and elliptical arched windows, and (Kcasionall)- in gambrel rtnif houses you find (juarter circle windows. But the great ma- jority of windows are plain, straigiitaway, rectangular openings, with little effort to elab- orate. Ir i- aKva\> well to avoid triangu- lar, hexagonal ami oval wimlows. Es|>ecially unpleasant in modern wt»rk is the recurrent oval window with it•^ elongateil key stones, in- variably made of wimhI. Many otherwise gixnl houses are spoiled by tln> silly little oval window that is inserted in the wall without

9i

THE HONKSr IIOISE

rhyme or reason. It may li^ht a closet or a truth prohably is that the glass started out in- dark corner ot a .stairwaj, but surel) the ncxently as phiin j^lass, and Nature, the bat- architect ct)uld devise some better opening;. Hing chemist, did the rest. It is sate to say, T(x> ot'ten the oval window has not even this however, that a man who deliberately e.xcuse: it is merely a stran},'e e.\i)ression ot a planned to till his sashes with panes ot violet mi.sguided ambition to decorate; to beautity. glass would make an awtul mess ot it. Almost always it goes with another dreadful The ha) \\ind()w and the tlormer window sin against good taste — colored glass. are s|)ecial t} [)es \\\uch merit special atten- There is a general superstition that the stair tion. Both these occur in a great variety of hall window shouKl be tilled with colored tonus, and both are hideously designed in the

glass, and this idea has ruined many stair halls that would otherwise be good looking. We all remember the houses that have come to us from the dreadful period of the seven-

ordinary house built by a contractor. The common mistake is to make the ba\' window too heavy. A bay window shoiilil always show some kind of supi)ort under it. It the

ties and eighties, when blue and green and walls ot the bay window cannot run to the orange and purple glass was used with grounti. ;is shown on page i ^5, then it should terrible effect. If you feel you nmst have be supported by brackets, or a series of mold- stained glass in your house, study the subject ings.

thoroughly, and then use it sparingly. Of As for dormer windows, the great error lies course if you are a connoisseur in glass, that in making thein too monstrous. Nothing is different. You will understand what takes awa\- from the serenity of a house so stained glass /s. Otherwise, let your glass be nuich as great dormer windows, too big to be of good quality, transparent. Cheap stained dormers, and too small to be gables. glass is a sure way to vulgarize the appear- The dormers not only are frequent)}- too ance of any house. It is a two edged swonl : large but they are nearly always batUy de- it betrays you to the world outside, and it is signed. Compare the dormer of the house always with you inside }our house. Shun it. shown on page 36 with that shown on page There are accidental effects that are worth 37. Note in the latter house how heavy are recording, while we are discussing colored the pediments crowning the dormers, and glass. Any one who has visited Boston re- p, members those quaint old houses on Beacon Hill with their windows tilled with panes ot violet glass. This is one of the delightful things that came b\ accident, for the violet tones came from some chemical action in the glass. There are dozens of other reasons for it, one hears a new one on ever}- side ! One theor}- is that these Simon-pure Bostonians conceived the idea of living in a violet light for ethical reasons. Another theory is based on the hygienic value of violet rays. But the

94

What a root ought nol to look like.

WALLS AND THKIK OPEXLXGS

note turtlur how imidi narrower in tin- plies, ot course, to the usual windows. Spe-

ddiniers shown on Mr. Rantoul's house is cial windows may be high trom the Hoor.

the space on either side of the window sash. Shutters have much to do with the attrac-

'Ihese dormers are beautifully jjtoportioncd. tive appearance of the house. The most

In the ordinary dormer a common fault i^ channin-; unes are the old, faded blue-green

seen in the too great projection of th<- roof ones. The old painters did not achieve this

of the dormer. Look at the example shown delightful color deliberately, they used a

on [lage i 1<S. What could he more hideous green paint in which the jellow was weaker

than the great flaring overhang of the dormer than the blue. The )ellow faded out,

roof"? Compare these with the modest dor- grailuaily, leaving much of the more lasting

mers of the house shown on pag( i ig. Still blue, and so those delicious blue-green tones

another distressing use of dormers lies in came to pass. Recently paint manufacturers

overdoing the number of them. The dor- have had the gomi sense to copy this acci-

mer windows in the house shown on page 94 dental color with excellent results. Crray,

destroy absolutd) all sense of restfulness white, P>ench green, and sometimes even

and give the house a ver\ unha[)p} and agi- blue shutters are used with interesting color

tated appearance. effect nowadax s.

A word ot caution should be given: it is In most of the newer country hou.ses the

well to finish the side walls of the dormer downstairs windows are grouped to give

wintiow in tin- same niatcrial as the r(X)f. greater lighr. ami no shutters are used, but

Thus, it your root is slnngle, let the shin- the upstairs windows are placed at well

gles be carrietl around on the side walls of stiuiied intervals, with wide-spread shutters

the dormer. This makes them more incon- that help balance the grou|)ed windows be-

.spicuoiis and knits fheni to the root. low. One seldom sees solid shutters on the

The grouping of wimlows is done most groumi Hoor, nowadays, but ixrasionally in

successfully in the English country house clapboard houses one .sees batten or solid

work, and well repays study. One thing shutrers on the first story, and slat shutters

that has to be remembered, however, is that on the second story.

a grouj) of windows makes the application of It is much better to stick to .shutters of one

outside .shutters impo.ssible, unless the win- type for the whole hou.se. I'ndoubtedl} the

tiows are spaced .so far apart that they lose heavy, soliil old shutters, with their graceful

the feeling of being grouped, — anil .shutters panel ings. were most attractive to the eye.

are ver} attratfive additions to the hou.se. But for real u.se they are a nui.sancel The

In placing the windows in relation to the happ\ lompromi.se is the shutter that has a

floor and ceiling, remember that the up|i<r |)anel at the top in which a little tree, or a

part of the window lights the room, and that crescent, or a binl, or what-nt)t has been cut,

the nearer it is to the ceiling the lighter the and the lower two-thirds .slatted. These

room will he. As a general rule the head of shutters ailmit suHicient light and air. and

the winilow shouUI come to within about are very attractive foKi«d back against the

eight inches of the ceiling, and the sill within housi- walls. They gi\e the hou>e an «»ld

two feet four inches of the Hoor. This ap- fashioneii homc-lik«- character.

95

THE HONEST HOISE

"An old hLshioiud character." Dcx-s it j^row. It }ou arc to build a new house let

seem reactionary, this praise of the old tash- it be so designed that you will catch in an-

ionedy The signiticance ot "home" de- ticipation something ot wliat tinu- will bring.

penils upon its hmg tradition; on the idea Vou can achieve a suggestion of this char-

ot a |)hice of well established security and acter if yovi consider carefully the design of

peace. It takes time for such a tradition to )our windows.

.•\n old farmliouse in Normandy

96

CHAlTKll \1

THE COXSinrHATKA' OF THE ROOF

THE average untniiiKil lionic huiKlcr architect has a hard enough time with it,

is inconsiderate of his walls and win- and the untrained builder finds opportunity

dows, hut he is positively indifferent for a thousand mistakes in solving the prob-

to tlic designing of the roof of his house. It leni.

seems to be a tailing of untrained architects. How, then, are ^()u to ilesign your roof"?

and all carpenters, as well as ot the home Iln architect sighs in despair as he tries to

builder. One of the most famous professors answer you. If you asked: How do you go

at the Ecole dc Beaux Arts in Paris had the to work to design your wimiows or your

habit of saving, when he was calleil upon to ta(;ade, or your chimneys, or wliat not, his

criticize a student's plan, "How are you going sigh would be as heartfelt. Htiw can you

to roof it"?" He realized that the student separate the designing of one part of a house

had n't thought of how he was going to root from that of the others"? ^'ou can't I He

it, and that in all probability it was impossi- can't! You have to grope and grope until

ble to roof the proposed building reasonably, you fintl your vague dream-liouse gaining

It is very easv to draw a pleasing floor form. Tin ii the tonn grows more definite

plan, given plenty of pencils and paper, but ami becomes style, ami when you have your

when you try to visualize a house built up- gen<'ral style decided, th<- iletails of r<H)t and

ward from these floor plans you find yourself wimiows and chinm<'ys suggest themselves,

lici(i(Ics.sl\- iii\()l\cd. \i)\\ can'r dtcide how little by little.

the room-- on the second flcMir will find them- One thing you are sure of: you must have

selves, and the roof liisappears into the clouds, a roof, anil it must be a gtxxl <ine. Who ot

You can't even imagine it, except as a poetic, >is has n't saiil : ".Xs long as we hav<- a n>ot

friendly covering that will .somehow tit itself over our heads — " 'Die very spirit of hos-

comfortably over \nur liouse. pitality hangs iipon the pro|MT consideration

The troubh- i^, it won't. The rraineii of the rtH)ftree. Your riH)f and your hiarth

97

rm: honks r hoise

miL>^t be untailinf; in pivin}; you shelter ami warmth, it you wouKI make the most ot your house.

The two tyjies ot root in general use are the Hat riwt and the root composed of slant- inj: surtaees. It is with the varieties of the latter that we who build small houses are particularly concerned. \\'e seldom use flat roofs, for ours is a countrj- of rain and snow. We associate round roofs with Eastern tem- ples and Eskimo huts. But ever) where we see three ty|)es of sloping roof: the gambrel, the gable, and the hip. Almost all our houses are roofed with these tj'pes, or combinations of them. Illustrations of each type are shown on pages 16, 19 and 31 respectiveh .

It seems easy, given only three types of roofs, to select one and play safe, but just as there are onh' a few kinds of windows and a thousand vicious ways of misplacing them. so there are so many mistaken ways of han- dling your roof that }()u have good reason to beware the seeming simplicity of "putting in your thumb and picking out a plum" — be it gable, gambrel or hip. You can design an}' one of them so that it looks like a pasteboard crown or a heavy load of tile or shingles.

Go out into vour neighborhooil and see if

\m\ can't tell a good roof from a bad one. Stud) first the little good and bad sketches on this page, and then exercise your powers of criticism. It is good for }ou and it won't hurt your neighbors.

The three houses on this page all have uambrel roofs. Mr. Jones's roof is bad because its lines are flattened out and weak. Mr. Brown's roof is a hundretl times worse, because it is spread over a thrcc-story house, and the eaves of a gambrel roof are best nt\er more than one story from the ground. Mr. Green's delightful little house, on the contrary, has a pleasanth i)roportioned roof of logical lines.

The slope of your roof depends on the style of your house, the arrangement of your plan, the climate, and many other such condi- tions.

The gable roof lends itself to the necessities of houses built in climates where snow is plentiful. It is the roof most used, anil it is the easiest of the three types to construct. It has its difficulties, however. You have to be careful that it does not project too far over the face of the gable wall. The roof that extends too far looks like cardboard. If it hugs the wall and is finished with a

At the left is Mr. Jones's House; at the center Mr. Brown's; at the right Mr. Green's. The roof lines of the latter are designed bv the method shown on page 102.

98

THE CONSlDKKAl ION OF IHK KOOK

Joy Wliccler l)o«, Arcliilect. Mr. Dow's hou^ie at Summit, New Jersey, is full of unusual ilciail. Note the leaded glass windows, the plain, steep roof, the stroiig contrast between the stained woodwork and the stucco walls.

simple molding, the effect is usually happy, degrees with the hori/on. than to have Compare the projcctioas ot the roots ot the it just at torty-hve. For houses in the Enf;- houses shown on this jiaj^e. One looks like glish style {.generally a stceppitched nx)t a slip.shod arran^^enient of pasteboard. The sueh as is shown in Mr. Dow's hou.se above other root fits its house perfectl), and the is most in character. From a practical |Hiint narrow molding is as clean-cut as if it had of view it is rarely safe to risk a rtxit with a been inotiflcd h\ a practised .sculptor.

I don't think, liowever, that any i)hoto- graph or drawing could give atletjiiately the bad impression which a gnat tiaring roof gives in real it). There is something so heavy and brutal ami common about such a roof, that one must get the imjiression of the actual house as it exists in three liimensions to appreciate the gravity of this fault.

,\s for the pitch of the root, it is better to make the slope somewhat over torty-hve ""

99

THE IIONKSl HOLSE

25

5

3X0

m

5?

*r

J/es

□ L	r			B	—
'/.'	.•			^<.

pitch less th:in twenty-five degrees, if it is to withstand rain and snow.

There are tour common ways in which the gable roof is terminated at the gable wall. These are shown on this page. The first temiination of the gable is common in Eng- lish cottages, and is usually used on a house with stucco walls. The second is frequently used with half timber construction, and the thin! with stone or brick walls. The gable termination shown at the right at the bot- tom of the page is a special problem, and will be considered in Chapter XIII.

It seems dr}-, does n't it, to spend much time on small matters like moldings"? Ac- tually, although it may be difficult to be- lieve, it is the lack of understanding of such details that is responsible for so nnuli Ixui

architecture. Let us, as patiently as we can, consider each ot these gable terminations in order. So far as (A) is concerned, the most re[)rehensible error to whirh it is liable has already been noted in the preceding page. It consists in giving the roof too great a pro- jection over the roof of the wall. As the drawing shows, the projection under ortii- nar}- circumstances should not be more than three inches.

The type of gable finish ( B) is called the barge board termination. The barge board is the large flat board which runs parallel to the roof, and projects from the wall. It is sujiported by brackets. In much of the P"nglish and French construction the barge board is highly ornamented, but this decora- tion is not essential. It this type of ternii-

100

THE CONSIDERATION OF THE HOOF

nation is to be used, it is important to re- You remember, I am sure, some old Colo- member three things : — do not let your barge nial or Georgian courthouse with its im{X)»- board project too tar from the face of the ing front of huge, white-painted columns. gable; do not make it too large, and do not The columns, without doubt, remain charly tail to support it by brackets. in your mind. .\s a child, I remember won-

There is little that needs be said here con- dering how anything in the world could be cerning the third type of termination (C). so big as the columns of just such an old It is one of the most attractive of all gable courthouse. I don't think I ever tried to terminations, and is used extensively in brick look to see what wiu-; above the columns, colonial architecture, and in English stone Of course, I knew the building had a roof, — construction. The roof is contained between but how that roof ended above the columns the two gable ends, and shows only at the I never stopped to notice. And my attitude eaves. In using this gable termination the wasn't so different from that of grown-ups.

.\t any rate, it is safe to say that over the columns was a cornice and pediment, — in fact, the pediment looked something like (D) on page lOO. Of course, the courthouse with the columns required a comj)lete cornice and pediment to conform to the classic mtxi- 'Is from which it is copied. In the case of small houses, such as that shown on page 86, where no columns are uscii, it is custom- ary to modify the cornice and to omit the architrave and sometimes the trie/e. and when the corner of the house is reached, only the upi)er moldings are continued up the edge

The barge board in this house is brutally large. Com- pare it with the barge board shown on page 45.

lines of the coping should always be simple.

Compare the simple and effective coping of of tlie gable. Notwithstanduig this moditi-

the houses on pages 21 and SH with the hor- cation, the moldings should have the charac-

rid accentuated coping of the house on page t<r of tlu- classic molding.s. To know h..w

-5 to use the.se moldings, you must under>tanil

Finally we come to the last type (D). It something of the classic tradition. What

is the cla.ssic pediment, and is common in the that tradition is we shall take up when we

larger Colonial work. In this ca.se the pro- comr to the chapter on columns,

jection from the face of the gable is the We now come to the gambrel rix>f. In

same as the projection at the eaves. For general, what has been said regarding the

the ordinary gable roof the projection of the gable roof applies to this als.). It is lv->t to

roof at the eaves must be greater than at have only a slight projection at the gambrel

the face of the gable— and amounts visually end of tiie liuilding and a unich larger over-

to about twenty inches. But the rules for hang at the eaves. In the best Cohmial work

the classic ixdiment and cornice are nuich thi- rule always obtains.

.\ very sjircial diflicult). however, con-

more rigid.

101

THK HONKSr HOUSE

fronts the designer ot the pambrel root. On page 98 I {winted out some ot the characttr- istic errors to which the gambrel roof is liable. It is evident that the chief trouble lies in the determination of the slope of the roof surfaces. They must not be too steep or too flat.

We very often see unpleasant fzambnl roofs, such as that at the to[) of this page. How shall we go about to make a better one"!* There is a general rule whleh will be found to give good results for average domestic work.

In the tigure at the bottom of this page let AB represent half the width of the house. Let us suppose the width to be 25 feet, which is that of man}- small houses. Let B be the edge of the outer molding of the cornice which projects 20 inches from the wall face.

With the point A as a center, strike the arc of a circle as shown in the little diagram. Draw the top line of the roof tangent to the circle at an angle of thirty degrees with the horizontal line. Then join the tip of the eaves with this point of tangency as shown. To make the roof graceful it is well to have the lower line slightly curved at the eaves.

This shows a method for designing a gambrel roof.

An example of a badly designed gambrel roof. Note the awkward projection of the roof beyond the face of the walls.

Now }()u have to test this roof in relation with the tioor lines, esj-ecially the second floor line, to determine if the necessary dor- mer windows will take their right places. By a series of simple experiments you will arrive at a good roof slope.

In the house shown at the top of this page the roof lines are stiff and harsh. The pleasant sweep ot the roof at the eaves, so familiar in the old houses, is absent. The old Dutch Colonial roof is worthy ot great commendation, but it is easy to lose all the charm ot this roof by bad lines.

The third type is the hip roof. It is called "hip" because of the rafters which run up diagonally from each corner to meet the ridge, and into which the other ratters are framed. With this roof there is only one mistake to watch for — the overhang of the eaves. If the overhang is too great, the roof will look like grandfather's hat on a small boy. It is usually a good plan to bring the eaves down as near as possible to the heads of the windows. This gives an impression of lowness, and low houses usually have much greater charm than high ones.

So far in this chapter the difficulties which are peculiar to the design of the gable, the

102

THE CONSIDElUriON OF THE ROOF

gambrcl and the W\[> root have bt-t-n con- sidered.

These three types of roof are distinct, and in building any house it is well to avoid combining more than two of them. It is usually best to use one type. Let }our roots, as much as possible, belong to the same family. Thus, it your main house is roofeil with a gable and you have a projecting wing, do not use a gambrel roof on it. Do not make a salad of }()ur house top. As a rule =; the roofs which go together are the gable and hi[i roof, and the gambrel and hip roof.

Do not mix the gable and uambrel. It luis

Here ilie rouf tils the li(iii>c, and tlic relation iif the eaves of ihe roof lo the second slorv windows is tiouii.

been done, Imr it is rarely satisfactory. worked hard for beauty. Look at the long

It is almost impossible to get much length resttul lines of the house shown on page 65

for roof line in a small house, but wherever and com{)are it with the agitated roof lines

it is possible it is to be strongh' reconi- ot the houses shown on [xige 64. Nothing

mended. A little cottage one room deep could be more restless or unpreinissessing

and one story high that is phucd parallel than these, and yet they are no worse than

with the village street is more pleasing than other houses one sees every day.

a very much finer house that shows you onh' When your house is small, try all the

its narrow < nd. Often one gets a finer effect harder to get your roof simjile. .Sometimes

of lengtii ot line in a small cabin that sits this is achieved by the combining of two

low on the ground than in a house that has small houses into one, so ;is to get an e.xpres-

sion of length, as is shown on pag<'s 1 ^2 and

i^V I'^'^ your root be as undi>turbed :is

[possible.

Look again at "F'airacres," on page 49.

The root has one long, unbroken riiige.

"But," you say, "this is a huge house; how

are you going to get a long ridge-line with

a small house, the i>lan ot winch is squared"

Well, if your ])lan is .st|uare, do not nK)t it

i^ wirh a hip r(X)f; if p«>ssible, luse a gable.

licttcr ailvice is this; — Try to di-sign your

house .so it will not be perfectly square in

plan. \ |\vr;uiiidical rt)ot on a snudl house

is alway>; unpleasant; — such a lunise is that

Tliis house, with (be exception of its roof. i» like iliai showu ou the bottom ot page I 1 S. One way shown at li.e top of the page. -Note ihc too great over- ^^^^^ ^j- ^j^^. Ji(f,t.i,Ity j^ the twin hoJlSC S<-hcnir hang of the roof.

103

^h

:^i.i.

f

m^^

THP: HONES'! HorsE

alrcaily s[wken of in the pnceilinj^ paraj^raph. Atttr all, tor all you can tell by looking' at it, "Fairacres" might be such a twin or triplicate house.

Avoiti dormers which are so big that they destroy the lii >iL.'n of rlic root like that shown

'^5

Aiiuilicr illiistraiinii of bad riMit lines. It the iloimer has to b« so big, why try to have a gambrel roof?

on this pa<;e, where in order to ^ain room for the second floor the dormer is made so larpe that only two thin ribbons of the gambrel roof are left. In a case like this, it would have been better to give up the gambrel roof, and make a simple, two story and a halt house. A recent atrocity is the double dormer, — one dormer on top of the other. It it were carried a little bit further with still another dormer on top of the sec- ond one, the roof would look like a wedding cake, or a Chinese pagoda.

So much tor the design of your roof. The consideration of the material is also im- portant. What is the roof to be made of — shingles, or tiles, or slate, or thatch"? And what is its color to be?

Lately there has been an effort to shingle roofs in curving lines, imitating thatch. Thatch is a charming miracle of nature and of architecture that should n't be imitated, as a matter of fact. But occasionall}' a mas-

104

terl) architect comes along and accomplishes a wonderful effect. Mr. Harrie T. Linde- bcrg has accomplished some reall\ satisfac- tory roofs with thatch-like curves. One of these is shown on page 105. Usually, the thatch imitations are very distressing, and at best the woven shingle roof invites criticism on the ground that it is an imita- tion.

The cvcryda)- roof is made of shingles, left to weather a soft gray. Certainly for average wooden houses this is the most suc- cessful treatment, and the least expensive. The only sensible variation of color is to stain the shingles wood-brown, or soft green. Brown shingles seem to belong to certain bungalows, and green shingles are very pleas- ant on the little white cottages that sweeten the country landscape. But the eccentric roof is always to be avoided : red shingles are somehow always terrible, where;is red tiles are almost always pleasant.

The temptation of gay-colored roofs is hard to resist. I have seen one blue roof that gave me great pleasure, and the blue- green copper roof of Mr. Herter's house at East Hampton, Long Island, is a rare sight, but the best roof for all neighborhoods is the uneven red one of flat tiles. When we planned a little house for Forest Hills Gar- dens, I had so long dreamed of a white and green house, with green tiles on the roof, and a whitewashed chimne)' with green stripes around its top, and green lattices, that it was difficult to yield to restrictions. But to all my arguments that it would be cool, and fresh, and just as fireproof as if it were red all over — the architects said me nay. All the houses must have red roofs, to pull the place together. I recognize their wisdom when I go through other towns, with

THE COXSIDKHATION OF THK HOOF

Designed l>y H. I". Lindchcrj;. Au.r.i & Lindeberg, Architects.

Nothing could be more charming than this glimpse through the shrubbery showing the excellently designed lat- tice. Note the way in which the shingles arc woven.

vari-colorcd roofs s[)r«-acl out like a crazy quilt.

Our roots belong to mir (.(iiniiiunitics as well as to ourselves, and it is only fair to make the best of them.

Yes, we have "to make the best" of our roof. Do \ou know that every roof repre- sents a conflict V We try to cover our house simpl). we know that a simple roof costs less and looks better than a comjilicated one. but we also wish to ufili/e the space uniler the root. We begrudge the space lost h\ the

slantinp surfaces. If you cannot atford to use the space under your nK>f tor an attic, tr)' to chcMise a t\pe ot plan and r<M>l which will permit \()u to utilize the .space without spoiling the e.xterior ap|H"arance ot your root. I remember a house in which the root was so arran^eil that the attic was n't (juite hi^h ent)uj^h to staml u|> in with- out bumping one's head. ^ Ct it w.i^ m) nctir/y practicable that for twenty year>, the (Kcuj>ants bumped tlieir h« ;ul> in the attempt to utilize it. Finallv the\ burst throudi the

io>

THK HONEST HOISE

riK)t with luif^f dormers, — with the result son wh\ your roof should not be a pnictical as that the appearance ot the exterior ot the well as a beautiful one. if you take time to house suffered appallingly. There is no na- think it out. But dont be luo practical.

Wilson Eyre, Architect. Nearly all modern half-timber houses are built with a machine-like finish in the half-iimber work. Note in this drawing of the house at Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, the irregular, hand-hewn character of the timber. The charm of half-timber work lies largely in this rough suggestion of strength.

1 06

cnAPi"Ki{ xrr

DETAILS OF SM Al I IIOLSE DESIGN

TO refresh your memory turn hark to may otherwise have. It is these smaller

\y.v^r 44. You will sec that we things which are sometimes the most vicious,

planned to discuss the ( lemcnts I remember an old stable I used to pass

which enter invariably into the licsij^n of a on my way to school. It was an tmpre-

house. Whatever kind of houseyou have it tentious affair; rather low lyin^ and hiiiden

must have some kind of setting or entourage; by trees; but I never paid any particular at-

it must he one color or another; it mu.^t he tention to the modesty of its retreat. Over

built ot some material ami it must have walls the large door was carved a sunburst. Do

with openings in them and a roof overhead, you know what a sunburst is"? It is a piece

These are the important elements which we of ornament representing the rays of the .sim

li;iM (italt with. In addition to these there and usually semi-circular in shajie. This

are certain other things to consider. For one in particular had a yellow center, from

examjile, your house usually has chimneys which orange rays Ha>hed out over a blue

which are visible; it usually has leaders for background. It sounds frightful. ilo«-s n"t

the rain water; it sometimes has balconies; it if? Yet I used to l(H)k at it with e<)ua-

always has at least one exterior tl(M)r. More- nimity. In passing the stable I always

over, columns may be used in its design, ami lookeil at the sunburst and wondired in a d\il!

it very likely has a porch.

After all, it is the consideration i>t tin' various details uliiih niak< ^ or mars \(tur house. \N ( have seen in the |)receding chap- ters on the walls and windows and the roof that hail design consists largely in tin-

way how such things w«re l^orn. I know now. .\nd I know this one small detail in tlie design of that old stable completely coimteracted the charm which the buihiing oth<rwi-<' hail.

On<- diH-s n't nied to take so violent an

way in which the window and the mof were example as a sunburst, however, to make fh«' treated in detail. A hadiv de^i;:neii donmr jioint clear that it is the character ot the window, a hideous porch, an ugly chimney, ditad ot your house which largely makes or will go far to dotroy any merit )(»ur houx- breaks it. Look at the old hou-< h.mn .in

107

THK HONEST HOISE

The sunlit porch of this old house at Mt. Vernon, New York, is very inviting.

this paj^f. It was built almost one hun- began to submit to a number of "improve-

dred and fifty years ago. It began simply, ments." A porch was added. The posts of

ProbabI}- at first it had neither porch nor this porch are very simple; their designer,

dormers. The general proportions of the moreover, had sentiment enough to make the

house were excellent. The window open- cornice over the post small and in keeping

ings in the front wall were well disposed, and with the unpretentious gable termination.

the roof was terminated at its gable end with So far so good. The appearance of the

the modest molding so commonly used in house was doubtless benefited by the addi-

the early Colonial work. Then the house tion of the porch. Then the dormers were

J* » k M_

The first and second floor plans of the Mt. Vernon house. Note that the second floor plan is modified and that three dormers are shown instead of four.

1 08

DETAILS OF SMALL HOISK DLSICN

added — and half of the charm of the old house was destroyed. Why'^ Because there ought to be no dormers'? Certain!) not. But because the dormers are too big, because there are too many ot them and be- cause they are awkward in design. Com- pare for instance their large pediments and heavy moldings with the charming and deli- cate cornice over the posts. This is what I mean by saying that it is detail that counts. 1 am going to press this matter further. The old Mount Wrnon house started our well and was damaged subsequently. Sup- pose, on the other hand, we start out badly. Suppose we have a house like that shown at the bottom of this page. The drawing was made from a photograph of an actual house. What is wrong with if? Compare it with the house at the top of the page. The shape of the two houses is the same, thej- have the same number of windows, the roofs are alike, and yet the upper house is attractive, and the lower one disagreeable. What is the rea- son? Look a little closer and you will no-

Modern American DumcMic architecture, — ala>!

What ihf house lx;lii\v mislit have looked like >( its designer had known more about architecture.

tice that instead of a heavy round tile roof with fantastic brackets at the eaves, the upper house shows a simple Hat tile, or shin- gle roof with simple moldings at the eaves. Instead of the eaves being high alx)ve the heads of the second floor windows, they are brought close to them. Instead of the huge awkward dormer windows in the r<H)f, smaller ones have been substituted. Instead of uninteresting single panes of glass, the window sash is divideil into small panes. Instead of a pretentious and more or less use- less porch, a simple hoot! has been placed over the entranci- door. Instead ot the hi)u>e being raised high out ot the groumi, a ter- race has been used to bring the house cUx>c to the ground, giving the pleasing impression of the house growing out of the ground, auii therefore belonging to the lamkcaiic and ni>t looking like a hat-box placed on the fl(H»r.

So you see there is nuich in the wa\ we de- sign these various details.

Before taking up the matter of doors, col- unms and [M>rches, which are, after the va- rious elements alreaiiy considered in the previous chapters, the most iiniH>rtant mat-

109

THK HONKS 1 HOISE

ters in house design. I am t^oing to toiah on two or ttiree t)th«Ts ot Irsser importance. First ot tluM- is the chimney.

In the older cottages ot Enghind the chim- ney was usually made much ot. Otten it took huge and uncouth shapes, but usually this resulted trom the tact that many and large fireplaces had to be accomnKxlated. However that maj- be, when the colonists set- tled this country they brought with them the tradition of the huge chimney. It was customar}- in the old New England houses to place the chimney in the middle of the house, — and then build a house around ir. In tliis way the cxcupants of the house were able to utilize the chimney for as many as four fireplaces, and thus keep the house warm. It is not until comparatively late that the chimnej became a decorative feature. When the Colonial brick house developed, the chim- neys were otten arranged at the end of the house, in the manner shown on the Henr}' house on page 21. This trcatincnr is ryjiical of old Southern houses, where the wide hall usurped the center ot the house, and at least two large chimneys and often several smaller ones were necessary to heat the large, high ceiled rooms.

As has been pointed out, when wood and brick join each other horizontally, the wood upon the brick, gravity acts to hold them to- gether and if they don't "cohere" in any other way at least the weight of the wood holds it in place. Therefore in a wooden house it i^ well not to expose your iliinin(\ on the out- side. Often space on the insitie is at a pre- mium, and this jnishes the chimney out. \N'hen it is thus pushed out it can at least be painted the color of the house, or treated in some way to make it inconspicuous. Of course in a brick or stone house the danger

rarely arises, since the chimney is usually of the same material as the house proper, and consequentl} belongs to it.

So far as the design of the chimney is con- cerned, whether it is to be a chimney which shows its full length or one which starts trom tlie roof, it should not be too high. Per- haps the only criticism one can make ot the excellent house shown on page 70 is the too great height of the chimneys. The tops of the chimneys should not come much above the main ridge line. It is best, it possible, to have your chimney intersect the root at the ridge or near ir, or to have it located on the face of the house wall, either at the ga- ble as on page 21 or at the side wall as on page 40. It appears in this way to be tied to the walls ot the house. \\'hen, however, it emerges from the roof as shown in the house on page 48, the result is usually less hapjjy. As to the elaboration of the design, ot course a chimney like that on the \'ander- bilt Lodge shown on page 9 is verv' beauti- tul, hut such chinmeys are difficult to do well.

Balconies are untortunately little used in this coimtry, chiefly for the reason, I sup- pose, that their place is taken bj- porches. And yet nothing is more charming than a well designed balcony such as is shown on page 70. And a balcony such as that on Mr. Dow's house on page 39 will appeal readily to the imagination. In France and Ital}- where it is common to use small iron balconies the charm of the house is greatly added to by their use. Moreover, a balcony such as that shown on the \'illa Gambreria on page 8, though it is nothing more than a railing between the jambs of the windows, has a considerable practical value. Inside this room, one can open the windows and feel that he is n't altogether "cooped up." If

no

DEIAILS OF SMALL HOL SE DESIGN

the balcony is hirfjc fnouf^h to walk upon this impression is largely incnascd. Small iron balconies like this are beautitiilly adaptable to houses built in the Italian style. But in the best examples the iron work is severely simple; just plain square rod about halt an inch thick, set about three inches apart. Such balconies should be adequately sup- ported, but the brackets, it brackets are used, should not be gross and heavy. Freejuently one sees in American stucco houses the tloor c)t the balcony made of a huge slab ot con- crete supported b\ blocks of concrete each large enough to supjiort the world. The es- sential qualities to .search for and to ex- press in designing a balcony are delicacy and

Now we have done with chimneys and balconies and leaders. We come to the im- [)ortant matter — the door — of your house. I have reserved it for the last because it re- lates in its design to columns and to |x>rchcs, two subjects taken up in the two following chapters.

The most formal of all doorways is the classic type. The opening is usually half as wide as it is high, and is surrounded by an architrave door jamb, usually molded. This is surmounted by a frieze and cornice and .sometimes by a pediment, as is shown on this page and on page 36.

Inasmuch as these doors are derived from the monumental doors of the classic tradi-

The leaders of }our house should receive ample consideration. We have the habit in this country of conducting our roof rain water to cisterns. In England they let the leader run into a rain-water barrel, — which is an inlinite improvement, because a rain- water barrel properlj- treated is a very in- teresting object. We used to use rain-water barrels, too, but tiny have somehow fallen into disuse; and even at their best they weri rarely developed as the English have devel- oped them. The sketch on page 29 show- such a rain barrel. It adds a sjiot ot inter- est to the design, and is a far more etfectivi thing than a simple leader which disappear- in the ground. Of course we can't use rain- water barrels for every leader, but it is well to remember that the barrel is a charmin^ motif to .make use of. The best leatl<r are those made of copper. If it is po.ssibli to do so, it is very d«vsirable to use leader boxes. They, too, give interesting spots ot color. A very interesting example is that shown on the \'anil(rbilt Lcnlge on page 4^).

.'\n old clauic doornav ai .^nnapoli>, Mar>lan<l- ^>'<*' ii> timple dignity.

I I I

THK HONKS I IlOl SE

This old doorway wliicli belongs to a house in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is a fine example of the modest Co- lonial doorway. The eight panel door and the side lights are characteristic.

tion it is absolutely essential that the man be a true one, or as closely approximate to it

who attempts to design such a door should as possible.

have an understanding of that tradition. The exterior door should be painted to

The Salem t)pe of doorway which we have match the walls or the shutters, or .should be

shown on page 1 1 3 has a somewhat freer ex- stained anil waxed to a cjuict, flat tone,

pression. Here it is possible to get an ex- Avoid doors of golden oak or mahogan)-, and

pression of width without having to increase shun big panes of plate glass. A door should

greatly the height, because we are using a not be so spick and span as to suggest the in-

plate

triplicate motif instead of a single motif. It is best, however, that the side lights be nar- row, and that the door itself maintain the general proportion of its width being one half its height. One of the common mis- takes made in this kind of doorway lies in the inaccuracy of the ellipse. The ellipse should

terior ot the house, and varnish and glass are sure to give this suggestion.

If you are absolutely sure of yourself (and this surety comes from a keen appreciation of the daring things done by artists and archi- tects who kno-os) you can take liberties with }-our doorway. On a certain grimy, dusty

112

DETAILS OF SMALL Hf)l SK DKSIGN

Photograph hy Frank Cousins.

The Andrew Safford house at Salem, Massachusetts, can lioasi one of the most perfect doorways of the later Colonial period. In these Salem houses the walls and windows are kept severely plain and the doorway is treated elaborately.

Street in London there lives an artist who Can't you renimibtT xtnir trirnds' hoaxes

chose to make his house peculiarly his own. by the impression \ou received ot tlie dixir-

He had his doorway hicquered Chinese red, waysV We recall so many deli<:httu! dtior-

and ^avp it a hii^'e kntnker. Certainly the ways: pleasant, homely ones ot ordinary

nei^'hborhood should ble>s him. But a New j^reen boards with oKl hinps ami latch

York man who made over an old stable tried strinj?;; serene and fjracious white painted

very nuuh tin- same thin<: with sad results, ones, with .shinin;^ brass kmx-kers; quaint

He paneleil his ;:reat door, and |>ainted it a Dutch dtM)rs, cut in half, the lower halt Ix--

gay, deliberate green. Before the next night ing clivsed to keep dogs out and children in,

it was covereil with chalk and pencil draw- the u|)per half opening iiinm a i>leasant in-

ings b\ flu iinappreciative youngsters of th<' terior; dark iloors stuiideii with nails, sug- neighborluHKl.

gesting a great liall ami ctmiplcte privacy

11-5

THK HONKS r HOISE

within. All tht-sc are pocKl doorways: they forfzet them. You know them all, any-

beikon you to ronie anti tr\ them. But the wa\.

dreadful doorwavs, always hung on the in- It is easy to have a pood door in your house

side with much lace and colored silk, or filled by emulating the simple and effective doors

with near-stained j^lassl We prefer to of the old houses we have mentioned.

•MiirHirtMiiiiM

iiiiiiii '•^-j^jagi

i

Designed by H. T. Lindeberg. Albro & Lindeberg, Architects.

The difficulty in designing a hooded doorway lies in the danger of making the moldings too heavy, and the hood too big. This detail from the house for Mr. R. S. Carter, Hewlett, Long Island, is a well studied example.

114

CHAPTKR Xfll

THE tOl.lMN AM) US COKMCE

WE employ coliinms so cxtrn- sivcly in Anifrican architecture rli.ir it iicMT enters the head of the ordinar\ man that tlure ma\ lie essential differences ot proportion antl tlesi^'n. "A column is a column — just as a house is a house!" That is his point of view. It is because of the commonness of this point of view that there is so much bad architecture.

Indeed, in some parts of the coimtry a man who has lived his workinj^ jears in a plain box-like house, usually builiis a new lar;^!- house with a lor of columns, wIkii I-'ortum- favors him. 'I'lie towrrin;^ columns ser\e as eviilence ot his prosperit)". He has hu}:;e I^orticos with tiers of columns built all arouml hi> houNC, all kind^ and shapes of colunms.

Let us leave him with his pipantic house and its multitude of columns, and turn our attention to the reasons which justit)' the use of columns. Let us try to umN-rstanil

their real meanin;,'. The column is almost alwa\s used in the desi;.m of porches and :us it is almost invariably as-sociated with .some kind of cornice, it will be profitable to consider them tofjether.

The element which <;ivcs greatest difliculty to the untrained designer in the detail of a house is the column and its cornice. Thi- column is used everjwhere — for porch«'S. en- trances, porticos, and pergolas, and for this reason it deserves the most serious considera- tion. Often an uj^ly hou.se can Ix" made at- tractive simply by correcting the hideous de- tail ot its columns and cornices.

.\ column is a very be-autiful thin;;, iiseil ri;;htly. Hut do you know a ^kkI colunui when you .see on*-*?

Perhaps your own hou.se has "classic" columns surmounted by some kind of cornice. Do \()u know that such columns, from an architectural ]x>int ot view, are simjily [xist.s

11?

THE HONKST HOUSE

dfsijirifd to hold somftliin;^ up. hut that lhf\ must have certain dcliniti- dinicnsions ot hfi^^ht to dianutcr, and c-qiially detinite re- lations with tlic cornice above and with the adjacent columns"? Perhaps you have never thoujiht about it.

It is well at this point to remark that tor small domestic architecture the use of classic colunms is not absolutely necessary. 0\ir early Colonial architecture and the sim[)lc Enj;lish cottaj^e which charms us all rarely employed columns. It w;ii only with the intr(Kiuction of the more monumental type of Georj^ian architecture, such as was built in the later Colonial days, that the colunm was used extensively. Its use even then was confined principally to the Southern colonial work of the large antl formal type. For the small domestic architecture of to-day tlie only place where the column is indispensable is in the porch ami the pergola.

In any case if you decide to use columns, be sure }ou employ them rightly. If your house is not of the pretentious sort, the sim- ple square post treated as one sees it in an unassuming farmhouse will give you the most satisfactory and pleasing results for your porches.

To use the column rightly you must un- derstand something about it. Let us look for a moment into its history.

Every one is familiar with pictures of the Parthenon. It is not necessary to reproduce it here. From the days of our liistory and geograph}- lessons it has been so familiar that we have ignored its relation to our affairs. If we thought of it at all, it was as we thought of a picture of the Sphinx — as some- thing with which we had no concern!

Forget that you have seen the picture of the Parthenon before, and consider it with a

new interest. After all, it is only a com- [)Osition of columns, but they are so beauti- fully proportionetl that they make a deep and lasting impression on the student of architecture.

The building at the left looks like the framework for a garage or a boat house, and yet it is not different irom the primi- tive type of wooden building from which, somewhere in the Orient, at some time in Mesopotamian history, the Parthenon and all the classic orders sprang. Beside it is shown a sketch of the Parthenon columns. The wood jK)Sts correspond to the stone columns. On the wood posts rest strong beams which support cross beams, the ends of which are visible. These in turn carry the roof rafters.

This wooden structure represents primi- tive construction. Gradually the un|)erma- nent wood was replaced by durable stone, and although the two building materials are very different yet it is easy to trace in the stone temples of antiquity survivals of the earlier wood construction and wood detail from which they came.

At first the column was only a post, made doubtless of a tree, or a bundle of reeds, just as the cornice was originally nothing but the rough projecting edges of the roof covering. From these simple beginnings arose what we i6

THE COLl MN AM) I IS CORNICE

now call the Doric, the Ionic and the Co- rinthian orders, which are distinguished from one another most readily by their character- istic capitals.

Under the Greeks and Romans these or- ders were developed and pertVcted. ^^'hl■n, after the long night of the Dark Ages, the Italian Renaissance came, certain architects, inspired by the renewed interest in the civil- ization of Cxreece and Rome, undertook to classify and measure the various proportions and parts of the ancient temples, in their design. Among these architects was \'ig- nola. He established a system by which the dimensions of the whole order, that is, the height of the cornice, the projection of the cornice, the size of the capital and base, and so forth, — are given in terms of the size of the diameter of the column near its base.

In Chapter V we considereil the matter ot proportion, and we touched on the classic or- ders as examples of "fixed" proportions in architecture, and of a canon of proportions which has been accepted by tlie great ma- jority of trained architects in all countries. To-dav in the schools in this country the stu- dent of architecture is first set to work to mas- ter thorough!}- the elements and |iroportions of the orders, and the system of \'ignola is commonly em|)loyed. The student is tauglit to combine columns with other motives, such as arches, doorways, and the like, and this method has been ado[ited because after sev- eral thousand years of study and criticism, the most highly trained architects are agreed that these orders express a perfection in th<ir proportions which can be lu'trenil only by genius. Geniuses are rare!

If we |>ut ourselves in the position of the student, we shall understand some of the

thing> there are to learn concerning the or- ders.

The next thing to notice is that a column is not simply a straight shaft, cylindrical in form, nor is it like a tree which diminishes in diameter as it goes up. Tlie column has a slight curve. This curve is called the enta.sis of the column. If this curvature becomes great enough to be noticeable, it is unjilca-s- ant; it is simply to give the column more grace and strength. Many stock columns carrj- the entasis to excess, as is shown on this page. It finds its extreme in the cigar

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At the extreme left !>• shown the Puric cnluinn accord- ing to the proportions eMahlished hy Ni^noU. I'he pro- portions of the Ionic and Corinthian columns have >im- ilar systems of proportion.

shapeil column, which i> most unpleasant. In the real Roman orders the curvature is hanily perceptible.

On the other haml, pilasters are given no entasis; they arc usually made the wiiith of the coluum at its necking. .\ Unv example of the Doric pilaster is .shown on page i)i.

.\ common misuse of columns lies in their application to [xirches of the ty[M* shown on page 1 iH, wher<- the column rests on a railing and is onlv about five feet high, and usually

117

THE HON ESI HOI SE

If >oii use the classic pedimenl, let it have the right slope. If vou use columns let their proportions be riclit.

thick out of all proportion. No misuse of the column is more common or more hideous. If you are to use columns, respect their dignity and let them come to the floor. Use the column without a pedestal, and it will pain dignity and grace. It is almost a safe rule to say that no column should be less than eight feet high, if it is to be used in exterior work, and provided it makes a pretense of keeping the proportion of the classic orders.

Do not make the mistake of having a column in the center of the portico. This has an unpleasant effect. A column should never come in the center of the front ot a house. One should feel the center of the colonnade open and inviting. It may come in the center of the side colonnade, however, — as witness the Parthenon.

For the relation of the arches of the columns, for the spacing of columns, and for the full development of the orders it is neces- sary to refer you to treatises which deal with these problems. It is an extended stud}' which unfortunately lies without the province of this book. We are simply trying to give an indication of some of the common mis- takes which are made bv the untrained

builder who does not realize the fixed pro- portions of the orders. A trained architect can advise you wisely about your col- umns.

In Chapter XI, in considering the termina- tion of different kinds of roofs, the gable roof in which the classic cornice is employed was mentioned. In using this cornice the great danger lies in getting the cornice too big for the house. The sketch at the top of this page shows two houses which are identical save for the clesign of the pediment. On the right the slope of the pediment is like that of

118

.Another example of e\"er\-Ja\' American ■■ iie.

It has so many faults that it is hard to find anything good at all about it. Xote particularly the stunted col- umns and the ungainly stone arches.

THE COLIMN AM) US CORNICE

Designed by 11. T. I.imlcbcrt;. Alhro Sc Lindeberg, Archiieci*.

Nutc the rcHiicmeiit of tbe dciail in iliis huu^c at iU-wlcti, Long Uland.

the classic rxamplcs. On the left the \h\\\- lias to present. The anhitccture ot .--iniple ment is nuieh too steep. We trecjuently see walls ami the architecture ot columns present this error in American work. It is an error very different degrees ot complication. To which arises partly from ovir if^norance of use a comparison: it is not hanl tor any ot what the classic proportions are, and partly us to understand the simple melodies ot S<.hu- troni the fact that we have chanj^ed theslojie bcrt; it is very difficult to understam! the in- to meet the hard conditions of our climate, tricate architectonic structure ot the Bach The Greeks and Romans had no snow to fugues. We can all ho[)e to vmderstand some- contend with, and their roofs were not sub- thing of the little steei>-roofed Engli.Nh c«n- jected to the tests of harsh weather. But in tage, with its simple and free lines. Those changing the slope of the [lediment to the of us not architects rarely have the time or re(juiremcnts of climatic conditions we have patience to umlerstand the immense ditfi- com|)letely sjioiled it. .So, if jou are going culty of using columns rightly. Thereti>re to u.sc the classic pediment, give it its right it is well in small htnisc design to use the slope, and frnil some way of making the roof column as sparingly as |H»ssible unless you tight. Orlxrwise don't use it; use some type are willing to take the time to unravel its of architecture which adapts itself more mysteries. Infortunately this is not widely easily to the conilitions. appreciateil ami evi-rywhere aK>ut us we si-e In dealing with coluiiuis we have touched architecture- of which the house given on the on the mo>t difficult subject which this biH)k iiottom of pag<- i iK is a sad ex.uuple.

IK)

THE HONKST HOl'SE

When- cohimns are used in connection with the cornice, it is easier to determine the size of the cornice, because we know that it should have a certain rehition to the column. Where, however, the columns are omitted, how are we to determine how h'v^ the cornice should be"? Perhaps one of the best ways would be to study the facade as if it were to have columns, and then remove the columns.

It is very difficult to give definite informa- tion concerning the proportion ot columns. It depends largely on the type of building which you are designing. The best thing to do is to go to the examples which are shown in the books written on the subject of domes- tic architecture by competent architects, and studv the cornices used on these build-

Ford, Butler i: Oliver, Arcliilects. This house for Mr. Mestrc at SheHield Island, Connecticut, is interesting be- cause of its long ridge line and its simple roof.

120

CHAPTKK XIV

THK I'l.KAM KK OF I'ORCHES

THIS business of living out-doors has hroiif,'lu about a (■lian;:e in our ideas ot house building'. We have actu- ally found it desirable to drop Show and em- brace Comfort. From boxlikc houses witli no porches at all, or porches so narrow as to be useless, we have juiupcd to an embarrass- ment of porches.

We were once content with a long front porch where we sat in six green rocking- chairs with six turkey-red tidies at our backs, and gossiped as the neighbors jjasse'ii. .\iul we sat in our b»'st clothes, and busied our- selves with company sewing — lace or em- broiiler}- or such. \\'e ilitl n't taki- the ilarn- iag basket to the front porch. We liiil n"r even go there in the morning. The porch was reserved for atr<rii(M)ns ant! good clothes. We sometimes had a back porch, but that was n't intended to be enjoyed : it was a place for chums and milk-cans antl fuel and so forth. The cook did n't think of sitting there.

In Nhort. most [MirclH-s were then ugly and meaningless excrescence^, huilr tor show.

The only good ones, from an architectural stand[)oint, were the neat little stoops of New England cottages, with their two stitf settles and their fonnal air, and the great verantias ot the classic Southern h«)uses. Southern porches have always b<-en pretty go<Kl. because they have always been used; and now jieople ever) where are insisting on living a part ot every d.iy outdiKirs and porches everjwliere are becoming n<»teworthy. When we plan a new house, we feel that we nui-~t have an entrance porch, very stnall anil very formal ; we must have a great living porch opening from the living room, a |iorch that nuiy be screened with glass in winter or wire net in sunnner; we nuist have an ample porch for the servants, and we must ha\e one. or two. or three sleeping |H»rches up-stairs! We ileuumd .so many |H»rches that the p(H)r architect tears his hair, tor tlic solution of the problem of i>orches is proba- bly the greatest trial the American architect has.

The architects of Kngland ami Tr.uue solve the problem easil\ : thr\ ^im|>I\ have

1^1

IHK HONEST HOISE

no jMirclu'S. They somttiiius have what the It requires great ingenuity and restraint to

a\eragc American home builder would re- add porelus to a well designed house. Look

gard as an apolog)- tor a porch, an entrance at the photographs shown in this book. The

liood which is ver}' small and narrow. houses that please }()ii most have no porches

In the early American work also, the at all, or very small stoops. There are nota-

porch was largely absent. In the most pre- ble exceptions, such as Mr. Langs house at

tentious Cieorgian houses of the Southern Scarsdale and the cottage on the Tracy

states there were ta(;ades consisting of colon- Dow estate. There are many enclosed

nades, and the effect of these porches was porches, "sun rooms," but the old porches

usually imposing, but the floor space afforded tacked upon a house without rhyme or rea-

was usually small and narrow as compared son are conspicuous by their absence. Two

with the moilern porch ami jiia/za. The or three of the Colonial cottages have porches,

wide spreading piazza is something distinc- it is true, but on the newer houses they are

tively .\merican. distinctively modern. That missing.

it is a wonderfully comfortable institution, no The two usual types of porches are the

one will den}'. That it is a difficult matter screened room incorporated as an integral

to design is admitted by those who have tried part of the house and the porch that is built

to do it. The architect cleclares that our de- against the finished house. Of course the

termination to have man\- porches will be porch that forms a part of the house itself

disastrous. \\'hat will become of the style is much easier to treat successfully. It takes

of the house'? he pleads. away a minimum of light from the living

I don't know what will become of the style room, it can be glazed in winter and screened

of the house, but I do believe that if we in summer, and it is ample enough in size to

really enjoy living and eating and sleeping outdoors, our domestic architecture will have a chance at a style of its own at last. Sim- ple, honest living conditions have always produced simple, honest architectural styles. Something very desirable will come from o\ir recognizing the need of bringing outdoors into our houses. Witness the delightful style ot the Mexican and Spanish houses, with their o[)en courts and patios, which came from this same problem of brincjinii outdoors in. We may make many mistakes in arriving at this new style, but if we have the courage of our common sense and employ trained architects, we shall finally add some- thing to the sum of traditional architecture and decoration. We will find in ourselves that rarest quality — originality.

make it comfortable.

Another porch that seems to be a part of the house proper is that which is obtained

122

This represents the idea ot a seaside cottage as the architect of i88o conceived it. Note the ugly posts and the fantastic railing.

THE PLEASLKK OI- I'OKCHES

l'liuiii^;i.i)ili h. c .lui.iiii. |)i«it,,.i,. ... .. 1. l.imlcbirn. Albro & LlndcberK, Archiircn.

Do not let llie beauty of the setting of this small house on the estate of Mr. Tracy Dow at Rhincbeck, New

York, blind you to the excellence of the house itself. The house is so designed as to take full advantage of the

slope of the land. The roadway passes on the upper side of the house.

by letting; the root project over the ponh, as is shown in the cottage on page loS. This is one of the earliest types of porches and still one of the most attractive. There is also the niodern example ot whicii Mr. Dows cottage is an excellent illustra- tion.

A tyjie of [lorch which has come lately into favor is that shown on pages ^ •'"'' 127. Here the porch is made into a .se|Ki- rate construction, almost like a little house in itself, anil it is an cxitllent solution of a ililii- cult problem.

The different types of porch have certain

things in common and it i- in the interpreta- tion of these things that most mistake> are made. They all have some kind ot riH)t sup|)ort, usualh' consisting of a series ot [x)>t.s or columns. If columns are used it is neces- sary to see that they follow the rules for flu- use of columns, \\ Inch were touched on in the foregoing chajner. If the supp(»rts are wtHnlen posts, a wide variation of interpreta- tion is possible. I'sually, however, tor sniall domestic work, a simple |>o>t five indies stiuare spaced alxMit six fe«t from the nt xt po>t is an excellent >olution. It is sim- ple, unpretentious and adequate.

'■i}

II IK HONEST HOrsK

It is |x)ssiblc to use stone, stucco, and brick piers, but stone piers used in connection with ;i frame house of which the exterior is clap- boarded or shinj^le, are usually disagreeable because they suj^gest unnecessary brutality in the use of materials. The main trouble with masonry piers is their size, and unless they are of the same material as the house they will look awkward and bulky.

Often it is possible to use an arcade treat- ment. In the old Italian work most porticos are so desij^ned, and nothing is more attrac- tive. They have this fault: the arch cuts off a certain amount of light from the rooms behind the arcade, but the rooms can be lighted sufficiently by proper treatment.

If possible let your porch floor be of brick or tile, rather than wood. Cement mav be

marked off in squares and a tiled effect is se- cured at small expense.

.■\11 porches have some kinti of cornice. We have touched on the subject of cornices, and what applies to the house cornice applies here also, except that the porch detail should be finer in scale than that of the house cornice which is much higher up and nat- urally more important.

If you use lattice, use a simple design such as is shown in Mr. Embury's house, or Mr. Lang's house. Do not go into florid and meaningless forms.

So nuich for the ordinary porch. Now for the sleeping porch, which like the porfe cochere, is one of the nightmares of the archi- tect. Why? Because in a small house the sleeping porch means that we are going to get

Howarii tJreenley, Architect. The small arcaded porch of the gardener's cottage on Mr. C. A. Coffin's estate at Locust Valley, Long Island, is full of charm. The roof which is cut oflf on the gable end might better have terminated in the usual way.

124

THE PLEASURE OF PORCHES

Aymar Embury, Architect. The u&e of the gable uri Mr. Embtiry'» cuttage is questionable, but the bouve a> a whole is agreeable.

a great, black, gapinp hole in ovir wall, or in our roof. Xevertht less, it is possible to treat a sleeping porch attractively. The best ar-

ItoUi

■Livina Loom

■lifZS

• f I a z z. A f

First floor plan uf Mr. Embury'* cottage.

rangenient, |)erhap.s, is the treatment of it as a loggia, as is shown on page i 2'^>.

If there are enough trees alwut the liou.se it is much easier to manage a sleeping porch, for if it can not be >~fcn trom the street or the garden proper it is not a .source of worry to the architect. I once visited a house in New Jersey which hail an upstairs jxirch that is most sticcessful. It is broad and h>ng, anii is rmifed at each end. The center ot it is op<'n to the stars, like a court. The great trees swish over it, and ot course it it rains the slce|HT can retreat to the sheltered enils. This |>orch is an exception, however*

IHK HONKSr HOrSE

and was made possible b) the tait that the house is built aj:;ainst a steep hillside, and by the great trees that screen it.

The large veranda which is to be used as an outdoor living room should be at the side or back ot the house, if [possible. In front

Eugene j. Lang, Architect.

One of tlic liest ways to treat the difficult problem of the

>lccpinK porch Is that shown in this house at Scarsdale,

New Vork. The use of the Palladian motive is a happy

one.

we do not need more than a little square porch with two trim settles for a hit of talk with the parting guest. The real business of living outdoors is reserved tor a more private place. Have n't you had the doubtful pleasure of calling on }our friends only to find the whole family lounging in the ham- mocks on the front porch, scattering hur- riedly, when you come up the front walk"^ This is not the most hospitable reception in the world, but what else can you do when there is only one veranda, and that a very public place?

The porch must not only be inviting, it must give you the comfort it promises. It must be as cool, as clean, and as gay as you can make it. .\ screen of some kind is im- perative, whether it be a lattice covered with vines, awnings, or hanging screens of bam- boo, or slat-like strips of wood. Screens

not only offer shadow: they temper the heat of the sun.

Standing screens of latriciwork are very successful if they are i)lanned well and se- curely placed, so that they will not be pulled awry by the growth of the vines upon them, or by the strength of the wintl. Where roses are to be planted around a porch, these lat- tice screens are the best solution ot the prob- lem. Last summer I saw a veranda one end of which was .screened with a white painted lattice filled with small glass panes. This house was on the sea, and the wind was so strong at this particular exposure that the glass screen was necessary as a real shield. You can sit on this veranda and have the pleasure of looking out at the sea through the glass, and at the same time you are pro- tected from the southwest wind. This is an attractive but rather expensive screen.

You can do what vou like with color

126

First and second floor plan of Mr. Barrett's house at Concord.

IHK IM.KASIKK OK I'OKCUKS

Derby Sc Robinson, Architect*. An attractive solution of the porch is to treat it a> >ho»'n above in this house for Mr. Barrett at Concord, MauacbuKtts.

schemes inside your house, but when you :ire phinninp the color scheme of your porch you must consider the colors Nature has j^iven you to build on. The best of all colors for porch furniture, awninjjs, and so forth are white, gray, brown, Ii;,'lit ;.'reen, ami very dirk j;reen. The lij,'ht ;.'reen should be the color of green apples, or green i)eas or lettuce — if you are uncertain of the tone I mean. The dark gnen should Ix- the soft velvety tone of the evergreen tree — the boxwiMid, olive, gardenia, japonica, laurel, or any such green. "S'ellow is a gcMui porch color, prop- erly used. Red is extremely popular, ami extremeh" dangerous.

For some strange reason, tour porcho i>ut of rive seem fo ha\f turke\-rid cotroii

cushions on the chairs, and red-and-white- stripcd awnings, the only excuse being that turke) -reil is advertised as a "fast" color, and it is believed, by people who do not think for themselves to be "cheerful." Why shouUl we bring this wannest of all colors into the place that is sup|M).sed to l>e cool«*st and most restful"? These are the |H«>ple who plead for the combination of red and green, arguing that "this is a nice contrast." Certainly if we could manage tnir reils and greens as Nature manages them, we might be panloneil the use «)f this combination, lint we can't ilo if, mi we had b«-tter leave it to Nature. She will do it for us in a riower-box of red genaniums and white d.ii-ie-. We will get all the red we n«-cd

THE HONKST HOUSE

in such flowiT-^, iiiui in rhe plain rarrlicnware pots, and |Hrha()s in the dark rcd-hrown tilt-s of our floor. We must remember al\va)s that preen is the dominant outdoor color. Nature provides jileasant preens, and we must not destroy her tine harmon\ by intro- dueinp vivid fabrics colored with cheap dyes. Our awninps should be preen and white, or pray and white — some cool color; our ciLshions and rups and thinps of preen, or brown, or pra\- — the natural tones of wood, or stone, or foliape.

A masonr}' house will probably have its porches floored with tile, bricks or cement, but most of the wooden houses will have jHirches made up of ordinary boards. When you are paintinp such a floor, tones of pray are pood, and certain shades of preen are also I)leasant. It any rups are used they should be rups that will not be injured by rain or dirt.

The furniture-makers are pivinp us really charminp furniture for out-of-doors, and it is hard to decide just what we will have on our ideal porch. I think there should be a Gloucester hammock of preen and white drillinp, fitted with preen cushions and mat- tress; a winp-chair of willow with a bip pocket tor mapazines; a larpe Canton hour- glass chair with a tabounr of the same type beside it; a chair built on the lines of the familiar steamer-chair in willow or rattan; a lonp bench painted dark preen (this bench may he eipht or ten feet lonp, and it will serve as a table as well as a seat when there is company) ; a chest or sritle with box seat for tennis-rackets and such ; one or more tables

of preen painted wood or willow; several larpe jars of preen thinps, and a bird-cape.

Surely, if there is ever an excuse for hav- inp a hlrd in a cape, I rliink one mipht be excused tor havinp one of those enchantinp thrush capes of oranpe-colored reeds on one's livinp [lorch. You needn't have a thrush in it; have an}- bird you please. The cape itself is such a charminp thinp that any bird would be happy in it.

A wooden settle with a box beneath the seat to hold outdoor thinps, or a lonp chest of painted wood, will be fouml most useful on any livinp porch. Such a settle or chest offers a preat chance to jounp people who have been study inp the applied arts, for here is a tine opporninit}- to decorate a simi'le straiphtaway object with some bold scheme of desipn and color.

Don't allow }our porch to become untidy. Have as much freedom and gaiety ami in- formality as you please, but none of the shabby disorder that is so distressing. The cushions, tor instance, should be covered with water-proof cloth if [possible, and then with whatever }ou choose — denim, linen or chintz; but the outer covers should be made to button on so they ma}- be washed. Cushions that have faded or "run" in un- siphtly streaks are unpleasant. Gaudy, sappinp hammocks of many colors and un- tidy trinpe are also unpleasant, but the modern Gloucester hammock is a comforta- ble restinp-iilace by day and a bed by nipht. It is the ideal porch hammock, because the lines are lopical, and you are screened while }ou are resting.

128

F..^ -^

CHAl'lER XV

THE I'LAN AHKANGEMEXT

W

HM\ you start out to dcsi-^ your house the probabilitits arc- that you do not worr\ about its looks so much as about the arrangement ot its rooms. You want }our house to have an attractive exterior, but that is the architect's business, and )ou are sure that jou can do as you please with the plan arrangement. So you get out a calling card and draw your flfxir plan on it, as casually as you 'd make a memorandum, and all the king's horses and all the king's men can't alter some whim.sy that you give that first rou;,'!) plan. The [KWT archit<-ct is expected to possess a leger- demain that will enable him to develop any sort of house from your proposed floor plan. .\n architect tolil me recently that in one of his recent houses he gave three French windows to the living-room, two on the south siile and one on the east. There was no view on the north siil<-, and no windows were needed there. Besides, the architect considered that the wall space was necessary for furniture, and that the e.\t«rior appear- ance of the house recjuired a blank wall to make the design effective.

'But we are building the house for com- fort, not tor looks, and we want a cross draft in this room. After all, it is only your opinion that the windows will s|)oil the looks of the house I" said the client. So the win- dows were put in and the appearance of the house was spoiletl. The hou-e has been ik- cu|)ied several months now, and the north w indows have never been o[>ened. The oi- cupants forgot all about the cross draft the monunt the\' hat! bullied tin- unhirr.f into s{)oiling his fatjade.

It is difKcult to realize that whatever you arrange for in plan is going to atf<ct the ap|>earance of the e.xterior. If mmi reflect, you will realize that there is no valiil rea.son why your |>lan and your e.\t<Tior ap|H*arancc should not lx»th b«- go<Kl. But to get them, you must not Ix- bigoted; you nuist n»>t make unr«a.sonable demands of the architect. You must e,\|Mvt to make concessions.

In any problem dealing with any subject, it is possible to im|H)se conditions which make a ginnl solution ini|H>ssible. S> when you are thinking of )our nxim arrangnucnt, you must also be thinking of what this par-

IHK HONKST HOISE

ticular room arrangniu-nt is going to toar you to accept tor the exterior of your house.

Vou must think of your house as having tliree dimensions, length, breadth, and height.

W'e are accustomed to tliink of our houses in two dimensions only, mainly because our architects offer us only floor plans and ele- vations, blue prints that we are supposed to visuali'/e into an attractive mass. Only the trained eye can imagine a roof line, for in- stance, from a cold and regular blue print. It we only had some one to mak< little clay models of our proposed houses how delight- ful it would be!

Last winter, a young English architect came over with the extremely sensible idea of making models of houses in clay. He was an artist as well as an architect, and his chamung little models of Devonshire cot- tages and spreading Tudor manor houses were most convincing. His theory is that client and architect should work together while the model is being made. If his client insists on a certain group of windows, he can show the effect of those windows in the clay model, and the client is convinced.

Surely nothing can be more interesting than to watch the dream of your little house gain form, to see the roof lines fmd them- selves, to find this chimney absolutely beau- tiful and that window a surprising defect. It savors of magic to see the architect thumb your roof into more poetic lines, and soften the window frames until they look like weather beaten stones. If you plan to build a wing, some da)', he models the wing now and fits it to the house, and you know exactly what your house will look like when all your plans are realized. These little models are irresistible. You cannot but agree with their maker that eventually every one who

plans a gooti house will have a model made before he makes fatal mistakes. Hasten tlie

da) :

"^'our architect would like to show )ou a model, you may be sure. But his office is not organized to produce models, and so he must do the best he can with the meager information you give him. Given the sur- vey of )our site, he would much prefer a long letter setting forth ideas to a crude plan of \our proposed plan. You can propose a hundred plans later, but unless you have a clear idea of the arrangement of your rooms you 'd better let him do his own groping at first. Send him all the information you can — the amount )ou can spend, the number of rooms you must have, and get just as much of your personality over to him as you can.

A woman went to an architect I know and said that she wanted a house with a staircase of the curved balustrade sort. That was all she could offer to help him. The architect was set adrift on an ocean of possibilities, and made dozens of sketches of different house designs only to find that none of them were satisfactory. He had been given no real guide post or indication, because his client was either unable to define her wants to him, or too lazy to find out what they were for herself.

.■\norher client gives him a problem pretty much as follows:

"We must have a huge living-room, no matter what happens to the rest of the house. We will do without a real hall — a tiny little box of a place will serve — and we will do without a proper dining-room, and have a breakfast room instead. The breakfast room will be sun parlor and con- servatory as well, with flowers and vines and a tiled floor. It must be very gay and sunny,

130

THE PL.\N ARRANGEMENT

^v^th comfortable chairs and a ^atc-lej; tabic and a built-in dresser tor our blue china and pewter, aiul magic sliding partitions that will make it a part ot the living-room. We will have most of our meals alone, and sometimes one guest, or two — but onl\- a dozen times a year will there be as many as six people or more — then we can "repair" to the living- room and eat on the great black oak table.

'■\\'e will do away with the conventional kitchen. Please plan us a compact labora- tory ot a place, with a big laundry in the basement that will serve also tor overflow kitchen things. We will never require more than one servant, so the kitchen ma)- be -very small. People who build kitchen closets and pantries are such idiots — having wide shelves eighteen inches apart, when many narrow shelves close together and a tew deeper ones at the bottom would hold all the utensils and provisions for a hotel. Please plan a long cu|)board in the launtlry, with an ironing board that will swing down, and many six-inch .shelves below it that will hold irons and wax and holders and such. .\nd the long outside panel will be painted with — with — I don't just know what, yet. Something gay, with yellow and orange in it. And there will be many shelves in the laundr}, where I can display my cherished tins and jars and things full of provisions and jellies and jams. There will be one ver- milion chair for the washlady, ami cjuite a lot of color, for it must never become a dreary place.

"And there must be casement windows ever}'wh(re, and thin glass curtain.s, and tliiik inside curtains of shimmering stuffs that will be drawn at night, ami no window .shades. .And many clo.sets — a ceiiar lined one for linen, and .so manv in the kitchen.

The kitchen must be fairly walled witii closets and drawers."

Essentially a woman's letter, but the archi- tect gets a feeling of her real need.s, her i>er- sonality, the quality of her family's life, and he has inspiration to go ahead. The flowers and \ines and pewter and ironing wax and jellies are not in his specifications, but tluy linger in his imagination and Ix-come a part ot the invisible house that gives him inspira- tion.

You probably have just such personal ideas. Note just what you wish to siK-nd, and just what these jiersonal idit)syncrasi«-s are, and then go ahead. Before \ou reach the enil }<)u will probably have reaxmed yourself out of believing that certain of these idiosyncra.sies were very im[)ortant, after all!

Ot course we not onl\ have our idiosyn- crasies, but we usually have a lot of them, t'ntortunately, when we come to build we have to forego a gixnl many of them, — .»im- pl\ becaiLse the house is n't big enough to hold them all.

There are two kinds of houses, big and little. This may .seem a most arbitrary cla.ssitication. So it is! Nevertheless it holds true as a basis for di.scussi«m. Obvi- ousl), when you have money enough to build a titty riHim house, the jKissibilities of ar- rangement in plan and in elevation arc far greater in th«ir vari<t\ than when ytni liavc money enough to build only a six rtxMii house. If \\i- except cabins and camping cottag«-s it is rare that we build a hous<' with l«-ss than tive or six rooms. The hou.se with from five to ten rtxnns is the home of the average h»Hnc biiiliier. It costs from $vooo to $19,000, anil we call it a "small house."

It is noticeable that a great man\ small luMises are .s(]uare, or approxinutelv s,;ti:irr.

>:$>

THE HONKSr HOl'SE

in plan. A common njie is planned with a crntral cntranct- hall, and the second Hoor hallway is thus reduced to a minimum. With a rectanpilar house, longer in one di- mension than in the other, the second Hoor hallway nui>t usually be longer. But what is saved in space in the square plan is usually lost in appearance. The square plan house is less flexible and less suitable to a variety of room arrangements. More- over, the longer house will as a rule give a better looking house for the reason that one gets the imjiression of a dominant sense of direction. Of course tliis does not mean

that a square house is always bad. The house shown on page 29 is excellent, but of course in this particular case the impression of length is gained by the addition of the porch.

.\ group ot small single houses placed at regular intervals along the street has some- thing discouraging] y monotonous about it. In many suburban communities where land is expensive, the houses have about twenty feet or so between them. These houses, often built on speculation, are usually of about the same size, and the impression they give altogether is of an overcrowded communitv-

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W/^Ei^ AI-tL^

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Floor plans of the twin house shown on page 133.

JrA£c:T

THK PLAN AUKANGKMENT

l.ilrniiiul li- (iitiliii^i, Anhiirti. I III" liou^c, tucalcJ at St. Martins, i'liilaJcljiliia, is a Imi: suluiiuii ut ilic luiit huusc problem. The plant arc ttiowo on page 132.

The space between the houses is too small to count as a real breathing space, and the houses are too tar apart to look like a con- tinuous building. Many architects are turn- ing to the type of dwelling called the twin house as a solution ot this problem, two houses being gathered into one building com- plete in itself. Such a i)lan is shown on page 1 32. Sometimes as many as five houses are planned in this way.

I nd< r this system, it is easy to see that the space which wouKI exist between sei)arate houses goes to augment the space between the twin building and its next neighbor, and in this way we get a piece of land and an air space which is big enough not to look cramped. That is the first benefit gained from this type of house. The next is iiartlly less imi)ortant. B\ joining two small houses into one, we arc able to get a greater variet}' of expression for the elevations ot the house, a long r(H)f line. This is tr<'- mendou>ly important. The charm ot the low lying English cottages often consi>ts in the long unbroken r<H)f line.

.\ house may have either an ■■o|)en" or

"shut" j)lan. The Colonial house witli its central entrance, its staircase in full view as one enters, and the living-rooms all ojMning from the hall and all visible to the visitt>r, is an example of an o|)<n plan. In a houst l^lanned like this, there is little or no sense of privacy.

The "shut" plan is one such as is shown on this page. \\'h«n the visitt)r enterN he sees little except the room in which he finds hiniMlf. He dm-s not i)enetrate at once into the privacy of the house. He is received, so to speak, in a waiting roont.

These two ty[)es corrtspond to the t\(MS of humanity which we meet every tiay. .Some people like the sense of privacx. and otlurs lion't care. .\s tor nie, I am sure I should ahva\< ileclare for the shut plan when

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Noir llw >r<;lu>ion u( ilir living •|uarttr».

n^

THE HONEST HOUSE

it is possible to {^ct it. This type of plan has an importance in its nlation to the sur- rouniiinj^s of the house, as has been touched on in the chapter on the entourage. It tn- ables the house to turn its back to the street, and to reserve its better rooms for its garden.

In most English countr\- houses of any pre- tense, a forecourt is alvvajs arranged for the reception of visitors and strangers. The house and its ganlcn are screened by trees and bushes from this entrance court, so that the sense of privacy is not destroyed. If )ou are a guest or a |>rivileged person, you are taken out into the garden.

Most American houses are so planned that the onh' privacy is on the second floor, and when an unwelcome visitor comes, ever}' one is forced to flee to the security of his bedroom to escape detection.

With these general observations over, I am going to note some of the essential things which should be striven tor with a view of

convenience m }-our room arrangement. In order to have your house beautiful as well as convenient, _\<)u must resign yourselt to make concessions on both sides, and it is nec- essar)' to look at what constitutes the essen- tial jiractical conveniences. You should not be forced to sacrifice the appearance of your house to obtain these.

Economy of space is most important, since it has a direct relation to the cost of the house. Often houses are built with rooms that are never used. I know ot a house in New York which has a small reception room to the left ot the hall as you enter. The onl}- jierson who has ever been known to go into it is the maid who dusts it. Everybody else rushes into the living-room which opens directly upon the hall. We all know the country house parlor which is entered even less frequently; which through the livelong year preserves its chilly respectability and is disturbed onl\' at rare intervals on the occa-

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These plans, of which the elevations are shown on page 135, will repay careful study.

THE PLAN ARH.\NGF:MKNT

W.

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■vi^-^-« -r.

This house is so planned that it "lurns its back to the the garden. The garden elevation is shown below.

sion of a tunrral or a weddiii;^. 'I'liat parlor is \va.ste .space.

Build )oiir house to live in. Count on usin^ j/I ot it.

"\'ou tan waste space bj' the had phuinin;^ which results in h>ng second stor}' hallwa\s, in kitchens which are too bijj, and which re- quire man)- steps to cross, in badly shaped rooms into which it is impossible to arran^'e ordinary furniture conveniently. All the>e mistakes of plan cost money, and they can all be avoided.

Nothinj; is more uncomfortable than a lonj; narrow room. In a bedroom ot this

Kdniund B. (>ilchrl>l, Arrhiiecl. Mrect, " thus gi%'ing its tine rooms the advantage oi facing

sha|)e, tine has alwa\s the teelinj; oi -n. j.ui^ in a hallwa\. In general, in a small house ot from six to eij^ht rooms, the living-room should not be less than 14 feet wide and at least 22 feet lonj^; preferably more. The dining-room, unless it is tt) l)c used only as a breakfast room, should not be less th;m I i.\i2 feet if it is to be used by more th.m tour peo|>le.

The kitchen is variable; it .should be planned in reference to the size and needs of the house and particularly in relation to the (juestion of .servants. If the hou.sc is to rc- <Hiire one servant, the kitchen can be made

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THE HONEST HOUSE

as small as 9x10 feet, it it has adaiuatc closets and ice space in addition.

For the bedroom, the closets are best ar- ranged between rooms, so tliat the rooms shall be of giKul shape, always rectan<;ular if jH)ssible, and without any closets or strange angular forms projecting themselves into the rooms.

A clear height of 8 feet 6 inches is usually adequate for small house rooms.

If you contemplate the employment of one or two maidservants, the house plan should be considered as having two distinct divisions: — the living and service quarters. In the latter are grouped the kitchen with its dependencies, such as the pantr}-, laundry, service juirch, and servants' bedrooms. It the house is of two or more stories, the service quarters should, if possible, have an inde- pendent staircase.

Of an cinincnrlv j)racrical nature are the matters ot heating and plumbing. The in- stallation of these two systems adds greatly to the cost of the house, and should be reckoned with from the beginning.

An attempt should be made to keep the plumbing fixtures in close proximity. You can easily see that if your house is planned so that your kitchen is on one side of the house, the laundry on another, and the bath- room on a third. \(nir water su[)[ilv pipes

have to run a considerable distance to con- nect to various tixtures. If they are near together you save the expense ot tiiis piping.

This applies also to the heating system. If your heater is placed in a central position under the house, )ou will get better use out of it and }()u will not have to pay for long runs to connect distant parts ot the house. This, of course, is I'topian. It is not al- wa}s possible so to arrange )our plumbing and heating, but it is worth the effort.

It is well to note here that when you begin to plan j'our house, you must kee[i in mind the uses to which your house is to be put. If it is to be a tarm house, it must be planned as a tarni house. It it is a suburban house, it nuist be so planned.

By this I mean, that if it is to be a farm house, it is well, for example, to have the side entrance into a vestibule lavatory, so that heavy boots and coats may be removed there. Also, if you have a growing family, you must plan your house so that it maj- be expanded; so that it can be added to with- out spoiling its beauty or its convenience. For this reason, it is well to keeji Aour house as simjile as you can in plan. A complicated house plan is always difficult to moditV.

The front hall must be reduced to a mini- mum in a small house, so as to serve onl}^ for stair and coat room accommodations. The

First and second floor plan of Mr. Dayton's house. 1^6

THK l'I.A.\ AKliANCKMKNr

Dc Arriiiiiiil, A<iliincatl if Kuklr>. Arcliilctt*.

An excellent mculern example of ilie Duich gambrel roofed house is Mr. l>ayton'» house ai Wjnnewood, Penn- sylvania.

hall HKU- even be omitted, and the front door cheer; it pivcs a raison d'etre for the hearth

opened into the livinf^-room with tlic coat niji, the symbol of a home, it provides a place

closet and the stairs on one siiie ot the room, to han^' the stcxkin^s on Christmas Eve, and

To insure protection against the weather on finally it j^eneroiisiy offers a place into which

enterinji the house, the entrance can be imiler to throw all kinds of waste papers,

a covered porch. The livin;,'-room shoulil The ilininj;-ro<im .should have an easterly

face the south. It should be li^^ht, but \<>u ex|K)Sure, as the only family meal at which

must beware of too many windows and thwirs. it is possible in winter to have the sun is

A comjilete lay-out showin;: every i)i<ce ot breakta>t ami this is also the rime in the day

furniture accurately drawn to scale in its in winter, spring! and fall, when the warmth

proper place should be made pr«vious to of sunli;;ht is most welcome. In the dininj;-

buiUiin^'. \\'all space is essential tor the r<H)m it is a fine luxury to have a bay window

placing; of furniture. if \ou can. The rinim should <i|H-n trtim the

I.i^ht and rcKim are mcessities. .\ fire- hall or livin{:-r(H>m, and shoulil Iv- directly

place can hardly be calleil a lii\ur\. If accessible to the kitchen. It ma\ Iv made

means manv things to flu- room. It affonis a fhorou;:hfare fri>m the kitchen to the front

pood ventilation; it is the best ornament a il(H)r. alfhou;:h this is not an ideal arranp-

room can have, it is a place for a chxk and ment. .\ fireplace here is of nnich le>> im-

candlesticks; it pves out warmth ami ^kkI |H)rtance than it is in the livinj:-riKMn.

•37

THK HONEST HOl'SE

The kitchen should be a hiboratory piire and sinn^le, it the mistress is to use it alone. If it is to be used b)- a domestic it may be a combined laboratory and livinf^-room. Di- rect access from the kitchen should be had to the cellar without the necessity of j:;oin^ out of doors. It is a bad thing to put the cellar stairs so that one has to reach them by going into the pantry. The plan at thf top of this page shows the design ot a kitchen arrangement which may serve as a basis for the discussion of what a kitchen ought to be.

It is a model which in actual experience would be moditied in a huntireil ways to suit the contlitions ot the particular problem. It shows : —

(a) Ice-box with door to permit filling from the outside. Mechanical refrigerators are better than the ordinary ice-box, but they are not yet made and sold at reasonable prices for small houses.

(b) Fireless cooker. This should be com- bined with the range, if the latter is a gas range.

(c) Range. It is preferable to use a gas or electric range, insulated for tireless cook- ing. An oil range is an alternative.

fd) Sink. A pantry sink set into the mixing shelf is a convenience.

(e) Cabinet. Whether "built in," or merely set against the wall, such a cabinet, supplemented by a cupboard under bread shelf, and pot-hooks and shelves over range and sink, provides place for utensils and sup- plies.

(f) Slide. A slide from the dining-room opening upon bread shelf for the p;issage of dishes is ver\- convenient. This slide is shown dotted on the plan at the end of the shelf near the dining-room door.

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(g) Stool. From this stool everything in the laborator)' can be reached.

The larger and more usual type of kitchen is commonly used also as a sitting-room for the "domestic." It should be laid out in principle like the laboratory kitchen. A good solution of the larger kitchen is to use the laboratory kitchen with an alcove or ad- ditional room to be used for a service dining- and sitting-room.

The cellar should extend under the whole house if possible, and should be adequately lighted. An exterior entrance to the cellar should be arranged. If the land slopes, the cellar can be lighted by windows on the side of the house which is the highest out of the ground. If the land is flat, it is far better to use areas, so that adequate light will be obtained without the necessity of raising the tirst floor level high above the ground. Many houses are so designed and the result is that the houses have a very stilted appear-

138

THE PLAN AHKANCKMKXT

ance. Pape 118 shows such an example.

The [liazza or covered porch, in rej^ions where the southwest is the prevailing sum- mer wind, should be on the northwest, or on the east of the house. It lends itself to a greater variety of uses if it is broad and short, — that is, if it has the shape and size of a room, — than if it is long ami narrow. It is also much more easily decorated and much more distinctly a part of a private house. If it is built so that it can be screened in, it will afford still greater variety of use.

The bedrooms of the house should lie like hospital wards, if one can use the word hos- pital without running the danger of suggest- ing unpleasant things. They shouKl be clean, gay, simple and airy. In any bed- room much depends upon the closet. Size alone is only a part of the need. Closets shoulil he ilesigned with special fitness for the clothes to be accommodated with drawers, poles and presses. Wherever possible, out- side ventilation for the closets should be se- cured but this does not mean that small, ec- centrii' \\ imlows arc permissible.

The sleeping balcony or sleeping porch is a valuable adjunct, but I believe it is no im- provement on a good bedrcxjm, if it is built with a solid rail and sash to fill the openings. These effectualh- hinder the free movement of air. which is the only virtue of out-of-door sleeping. .\n open bahisrraile, with scrcenx of light canvas or thick above it jiermifs ot free pass.nge of air and allows tin- vun and air to kee|) the Hoor and all its corners sweet

and ilr\ at all times. The duck screen can be swung from the ceiling during a shower, and let down during a snow storm.

rii( l)athroom nowadajs takes care of it- selt. It is as much standardized as a tele- |)hone, with its white porcelain ami white' enamel. If possible, the tub should .-it ' squarely on the Hoor, so that there will be no difficult cleaning. There should Ik- a large mirror and a large medicine cabinet, not one ot those silly shallow boxes that refuse to hold a fat bottle. There should be an ample supjily of towel rods, and if a towel closet can be managed it will be a great con- venience.

Discuss and amplify all these things with )our architect, and you will probably get a ver) g(Hxl house. The temptation to quote an architect who is still a friend of all his clients is great. The architect is Mr. Harrie T. Lindeberg, ami In- disi)roves the ad.ige that )ou cant build a projier house without mak- ing an enemy of your client. His theory of success! ul house planning is this:

"It \()u wish a successful hou.se, give your architect a free hand, not into your |Hxket- book, but into your confidence and faith, b«'- lieving he will work many times the harder, knowing that you trust his judgment and stand behind his ilecisions; and when all is sail! anil done, and your hou.se is built, and you are proud ot Ix-ing its owner, give now and then a little cr<dit where it is due, ant! don't be g\iilfy of that bromidic SjKcch, AVe de>ign<il the house (uirselves; the architect ju>t drew it out ft)r u>I" "'

no

THK HONKST HOUSE

Photograph by Coutant. Parker Morse Hooper, Architect.

Dr. Abbott's house at Cornwall, New York, is an example of small house architecture at its best.

140

X Am/U-

CHAITKK X\ I

GOOn T AsTK A\n CDMMOX SENSE

BKFORE you Iv^'in considering the interior of your home, you must con- sider your own point of view. You must take stock ot yoursclt, and discover just what you have to jnit into your house that will make it a home. Thintjs won't do it.

A home is not so much a place as it is a state of mind. Lots of people who own houses have n't really homes, and, b\ the same token, lots of us who have a tin\ ai)arr- ment or even a mere hall bedroom have homes in the real sense ot the worii. W'l- will take the homes and home t<eling tor granted. I assume that what we all want is to make our homes a little tiner and cleaner ami more heautitul.

By finer I mean nu)re genuine.

By cleaner I mean treer trom shams and imitations.

By beautiful — well, that is a word that hokis its own meaning for each of us. Thtre isn't any better word, if you apply if hon- estly.

Women who have a lualfhy interest in their surroundings, who reali/.«- that no real grt)wth is possible in an uiitri<nilly, jarring

atmosphere, who see the intimate relation of environment and family life — these are the women who have fundamentall\ good taste. They need only an honest silf-analysis to become real home-makers.

riif woman who asks for help and admits that she iKr's n't know ever} thing, can tie- velop her sense of appreciation mi that her life will be full of a genuine joy that she hxs never before realized. .\nd this applies al.sti to men. Men are interested in developing the interiors just as women are interested in the buililing of their homes. .Somehow the greater interest in the practical problem b«- longs to the man, however, anil the job of making the house decorative and comfortable is the woman's. .\nd m) one falls naturally into discussing certain subjects with nien, .md others with women. But tvrry subject iliscussed in this l^nik should Ix- of e<iual in- terest ti» Ivuh.

Cheap ami changing fashioas have done inutli to deter .American women from real appreciation of the principles of h«iine making. l'ros[VTify has come s<i easily. an«l there is such a fatal f.icilitv of imitatiui;

141

THK HONKS 1 HOl'SE

•good thin^,'s, that we have tvcr chanj^'in^ tpi- dciiiics ot tashion.s in house turnijhin;^ that are disastrous to the development ot taste.

There are alwajs new developments ami improvements in certain house turnishin^'>, as in everything else, but there is no such thing as the "latest wrinkle" in good taste. It your grandmother left }()u a kitchen chair that was made a hiunlred jears ago from a .g(KKl model, it is better than the "latest" chair of gilt legs ami tawdry satin, or any chair constructed from a worthless model to meet the needs of women ot no taste. But if she left you a chair that was ugly when it was new, age has n't made it beautitul.

It is the women who trj- to follow the fashions in house furnishings who have the dreadful, dishonest houses that flourish all ■over America. It is these women who have furniture of every style, of ever}' wood, ot •ever) period, jumbled together in rooms •equally bad.

The intelligent woman when she buys a ■chair demands that it shall be comfortable to sit upon, beautiful to look at, and simple and sturdy of construction. Even given these things, it must be suitable to her neetts or it is not the chair for her. It must be in harmony with her other furnishings and in scale with her husband's means.

There are French chairs of damask and ^rarved wood that are comfortable, beautitul and ot exquisite workmanship, but the}' arc not suitable to the needs of the woman who lives in a small house. Suitability is the first and most important law of good taste. If a thing is suitable it must necessarily be com- fortable and beautitul and of sound construc- tion.

Oh, the dishonest and {>retentious spirit in which so many women furnish rheir homes I

.\nd the pity of it is that they are proud of their shams, their imitations, their petty hypocrisies. They glor}- in being a little more magnificently gilded than their neigh- bors. The only excuse for them is that they are bewiklered by a sea ot things ot no value. "Bewildered" is a nicer word than "stupid."

How nian\ houses we all know that ha\e not violent paintings and grotesque crayon "portraits" on the walls'? Is your house in- nocent of them"? None of these things are beautiful. You know that. Every one knows it. They are on our walls because the}- imitate the real things, because they are "done b\- hand!"

There are thousands of beautiful prints and engravings to be had for less money, antl }et we are contented with imitations. A print is not an imitation. It is a mechanical copy, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. But a print gives us the jiicturc the master painted, and a cheap imitation gives us merely an absurdity that is neither copy nor cartoon, that has neither beauty nor value.

\\'e live in an age of just-as-good-as things. We hear daily ot the high cost of living, ot the shallowness of religion, of superficial education, of untrained daughters, of dis- sipated sons, of tired husbands, restless wives. Much of this discontent, I firmly believe, comes from the prosaic matter of badly cho.sen chairs and tables and wall- papers. A red wall-paper with fiendish scrolls gives a man mental indigestion just as surely as fried foods give him the other kind.

I believe that the houses of women who are "pizen neat," who have uncomfortable chairs placed just so, who have no logical center for the family gathering, no reading light, no books and magazines, no real touch ot home — these houses will result in disap-

142

GOOD TASTE AND COMMON SENSE

lihiuinJ K (iilchrist. Architect. Could anything be mure miji^cmIvc oi cwiI (iaii<|iiillii> than iliiii tluriiiiiiK picmrr oi ilic lilitar> in Mr. \V. \V. Gilchrist's house ai St. Martins, I'hiladelphia? 'I"he (ireplace with its front of artificial »toiie, framed b\ au adc- (|uaie moldiiij;, does not need the customary mantel-shelf. Note (lie entire absence of unnecruary ornament.

pointing; children. Who couUI bhmif thr advice, and have nuthinj^ in our houses that

)<)iinj;srer.s for prcttTriii;.; otlitr iK-ople's we did not know ti> Ik- UMtuI, and Ixlieve to

hou>es"^ In- btautitui, how clean anil j^enuine our ehil-

Did }oti ever know a real, sliahhy home ilren would be!

room, with i)lenr) ot hooks and couche.s and Lose \our teniiKT in a stately, well-onlered

hi;; chairs ami Howers in the winilow, swarm- nwim, and \i)u will be shamed b\ tl>e very

inji with ha[)|)y children^ Diil n't you j;et ili^:nity o\ ytiur surrttumlinp^. Go mto a

a thrill of the real spirit of home from it"? suashiny family rotMu when ymi are des|)ond-

If you have a real home nxim, the children of ent. ami your mtHxi will chan;;e; it can not

your nei};hbors will j^et happiness from it, as resist sunsiiinc ami ;:tHHl cheer,

stirelv as your own. You haven't rime tt)r p<tty jcahmsirs if

If wc could all follow \\'illiam Morris's \ou are surrounded by simple furni>hings

"43

IFIK HONKST HOUSE

and quiet colors iiml wcll-u.^cd books and r.\- More than an) other one thin^% it retards

cellcnt pictures. The t'rienilly spirit of the the growth of good taste,

rcxmi gives you new poise, and petty things Last winter a number ot us who were in-

are forgotten. terested in the advancement ot the decora-

Antl — you couKl n't tliink great thoughts tive arts arranged an exhibition of bad taste,

in a dirty, chittery room, for if the great We were inspired by coming upon a hirge

thoughts w<Te there, you would be busy statue of the \'enus ot Milo with a clock in

making decent surroundings for yourself. her stomach. The \'enus reminded us ot all

It is true that in the last generation we the atrocities in bad taste we had observed,

have gone far on the road to good taste, but and we decided an arrangement of very bad

think how far we had retrograddl I Think olijects would be much more impressive than

how beautiful were the simple houses of our all the good things that ever were,

great-grandparents, — beautiful because of Wc did not purpose to laugh at our grand-

their enforced sim[)licity, perhaps, but beau- mothers, or ourselves: we planned to pre-

tiful just the same. They had the things sent a retrospective view of the art of home

they required, antl nothing more. decoration from which instruction and

Thirty years ago women were so far from amusement might be gained by the sensible

this simplicity that they hung gilded shovels visitor. We showed the things that had

and clothes-pins in their parlors. The sit- gone before rather than the things of to-

ting-room, the living-room, and the drawing- day because we wished to amuse our friends.

room were too "old-fashioned" for this gilded There is nothing amusing in our modern cut

period. "Parlor" was the word. glass, our gaudy lamps, our disgusting orna-

The accomplished ladies of the period mentation of things that were bad to begin

filled their parlors with "tidies." They tied with, but there is always amusement in bad

ribbons on chair backs, around vases, and I things that happened a long while ago. A

have heard of a lady who tied ribbon around lamp made to-day of stag antlers, a quart

the newel-post of her staircase I They of glass beads, and a few yards of puffings

painted snow scenes on the tin tops of lard- of silk saddens us. A lamp made many

cans, and sunflowers on empt}- wine-jugs, years ago of a milk jar covered with putty

and cattails inside honest mixing bowls. It and encrusted with a hundred odds and ends

is hard to conceive of the colossal stupidity — nails, ear rings, sea shells, buttons — af-

which made this epidemic possible, and yet we fords us unholy mirth. So we showed the

have modern epidemics of china-painting and things of many years ago, depending on the

burnt wood and crude stenciling that are al- imaginations of our visitors to point the

most as bad. I suppose we always shall have parallel.

them until we open our eyes and use them. The exhibition was approved by over a

The best way to open our eyes to the es- thousand visitors. Its lessons went home,

sential differences of good antl bad taste is But there were disgruntled dozens who

to hold hard to our sense of humor, and to called the wrath of their pet newspapers

let sentiment go. The excuse of sentiment down upon us because we "violated sacred

covers much that is banal and meaningless, sentiment." They were entirely unable to

144

GOOD TASTK AM) COMMON SKNSE

li.iiric I". I.iiuicUcr^;, Arihiirti. riiis l)eilr(K)m in the Uoardman Robinson house a( Forr-i Hills, Lon^ islaiul, invc« tniuli of ii« cliariii lo the suh- slanlial old furniture. A gay, English chintz covers the four-post bed. The French windows lead to the sleepioR porch.

disrinpii.Nh bctwttn filial siiuiiiKiit ami ts- that will ^^row more hcaiititul tin- lonpr I thetic appreciation, and tlu-y touml tht-ni- livr with themV What thin^ have 1 that selve.s in the riiliiulous po,>^iti()n ot drtrm.!- arc worth Icavinj^ to my chililrrnV" in;; bad ta.-^te. .\n»l, having; worthy thin^js, what M»rt of Ciood tastr comes slowly, but it is the final house have yon to place them inV Are its .standanl by which our hdiiies must be juil;,'ed. walls pleasant in colorY Are they real back- When you studv other |)eople's houses and ;,'rounds for the life that must In- lixeii in analyze jour own, consider alwa}s your own \our riMJinsV needs. .\re \tiur ri<H>rs maile to walk on. or arc

Ask yourself: ■What .sort of home is tiny piled with ru;:s u|Hin ru^^sV

suitable to me, to m\ hiisbanil, to my chil- Are your wimlows fulfilling' their objn-t

drenV What furnishinp; do I actually re- of ;:ivin;; li^ht and air. or are the> ilraiMil

(piire in my house— not my nei;.'hbor's house, ant! redraped with dusty curtains ot no

but my own house";' What tliin;:s ha\e I utilitarian or artistic valued

"4?

IHK HONEST HOl'SE

Is your woodwork jrraincd to imitate some woikI, or is it real w(K)d. waxed to a soft j^low"!? Ami it it isn't real. wli\ haveiit you jiiven it a coat ot honest white paint "^

Are your hrejilaces real, or shams?

Is your piano a piano, or is it a catch-all for frinj^ed velvet and motley bric-a-brac V

Happy the woman who has a tew piocl things to build upon, tor a ^ood thinj:; is always j^ood — you may be sure ot that. It may not be always suitable. For instance, a spinninji-whee! rliar was both beauritul ami useful a hundred years ago is not at home in a city apartment nowadays, but it is the usefulness that has jiassed. The beaut\ lives always.

The training of the e)e is a long process,

but most amusing I Its lessons are never tedi- ous, though they are sometimes very shocking, but you live through it all and watch your ap- preciation grow as though it were a wonder- ful plant. You cannot see actual growth, but }ou discover by looking back from day to tia\ And trom }ear to )ear tliar there lias been growth. "\ ou timi }ourselt in a room that }esterda\' seemed unobjectionable, and to-day )ou resent its ugliness. You look at a vase that )ou once thought beautiful, and reali/.i' that it is impossible. When you know that the room is ugly and the vase is ini[wssible ;isk yourself why it once appealed to )ou, wh}^ it now offends you, and if )ou can answer you have traveled tar toward good taste.

An old hooded doorway at Germantown, Pennsylvania. Note the delicacy of the moldings.

146

CHAPTER XMI THE SHELL OF THE HOUSE

THE average woman's idea of braiiti- l\inf; her home is to buy new things for it. She covets a rug like Mrs. Brown's, a cut-glass pumh-bowl like Mrs. Jones' anil brand-new turniture like Mrs. Robinson's. She thinks it she could only add new household goils lier home would be a ver}" tine place. She does not concern herself with the possible beauty of the house it.self. It does not occur to her to work at fundamentals first, to begin at the shell of her house and work inward.

By the shell of the house I mean the walls, floors, ceilings, woodwork, doors, wimlows, mantels, cupboards, and in tact all the archi- tectural details that make or mar the interior of a house. The placing of a picture-rail is of more importance than any amount of new furniture, and a too elaborate mantel is worse than any detached [lossession.

There is one period in liouse-buiKling when M>ur house is potentially as beauti- ful as you care to make it: when the shell of it is reaily for the workmen who will smooth its rough edges and make a home of

it. I love to visit a house in the rough, to wade through sand-piles and climb over heaps of timber, to explore and speculate on this promising home in the making. Thin* is a great fascination in the rough frame of so much jHissible beauty and hajipiness. We are tree to wander through it, to anticipate closets here ami bookshelves there, to hang its skeleton walls with the [licturcs that mean beauty to us, to till it> tireplaces with log tires, to cover its tloors with magic rugs, to {Koplc it with congenial friends — in short, to make b«'lieve a home for ourselves.

How man\ houses I have enjoyeil in tlw rough, only to shudder over them when they wen- tini>hed and tilled with unworthy thing>I I have a strong sjTiipathy ft»r the architect who plans l>eautiful interiors tor people of no appreciation. It must Ik hard to |>lan an lionot house for linen-and-ging- ham p«'ople and then have them try to live silk-and-plush lives.

Manx of you have houses alreaily, proba- blv, and do not wi>h to make structural changes. You may not be able to have new 47

THE HONEST HOI SE

	• _ - 1 ^^^^^^^^^^
■ •-. fl . ., ,,. .... '•^'•. ■ ^	ii " '
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Samuel Howe, Architect. During the past decade the bungalows have become popular with home-builders. Most of them, however, have little value from an architectural point of view; they are too frequently overornamented and awkward in design. This bungalow of Mr. Howe's has the merit of unpretentiousness. Its plan, somewhat modified, is given at the bot- tom of this page.

doors and windows and mantels, but }ou can improve those you have. You can deter- mine the finish of your walls and ceilings. You can make your floors good or bad. You can at least empty your rooms, one at a time, of furniture, and go to the root of \()ur troubles. When you have made the best of the shell ot the room }ou '11 be so pleased with the restfulness of space that you will be tucking }our excess furniture away in the attic, instead of coveting new things.

Ot course, if you are planning to build a 148

THK SHELL Ol THE HOISE

ntw house, anythinf^ is possible tor you. It does n't matter how little you have to spend: "Good taste builds a house for peasants to live in." It is n't the lack of money that makes so many houses commonplace, it is the lack ot forethouf^ht. Ecw ot us will build more than one house in a lifetime, therefore we shoiilil huilcl ir \vis(l\. 1 approve ot builtiin^ }our houiic with worils and pcmil and paper. It does n't matter if you are nt f^oinj; to build for five years, or ten, you can read books on architecture and decoration, you can till note-books with observations of the mistakes and successes ot )our triends, you can make scrai)-b(x)ks ot house plans and photographs and such, ami when jour house is at last realized it will be well worth while.

As with the exterior, so the interior ot your house will be a success or not de|)endinj; largely on whether the detail, architectural ami otlu r. is gcKxi. The three rooms which ordinarii) have the most detail in them are the hall, the living room, and the dining room. In these r(X)ms it is not uncommon td have fireplaces, wainscoting, cornices, beamed ceiling.s, and built-in furniture in ad- dition to the door ami wimlow trim which is common throughout the house. Now all the.se elements are architectural, and they need as much consideration as the details on the outside of your hou.se.

A room consists broailly ot three eleininr--. the tloor. walls, ami the c<-iling. Ot these till- walls ot tourse i)restiir the greatest op- portunity tor liaii il( sign aiul bat! treatment. In the rreatnifiit ot the room, to give an im- pression of lightness, keep the tone ot your floor liarker than your wall, and \our walK darker than the ceiling. The theory of thi- treatment of the interior finds its |>arallel in an out-of-doors lami.scap«-. If )ou liK)k first

at the ground and then raix yn,i . >< - -mw 1\, you will see that the ground and the immedi- ate toreground with its bashes and graiis has a stronger value than the distant fields and hills, and the value of these fields and hills is stronger than the value ot the sky at the horizon, and the value of the sky at the hori- zon is stronger that that of the sky higher up. This is why the arrangement of an oak floor covered with dark blue or green oriental rugs, with the walls pa|)ered or tinted in s<ime tone of light gray or light yellow and the ceiling

There i« fine JiRniiy in ilie uiicluntrrd •p»tT» o( ihit room in ilic Ca»a Hlanci, Sjii .\ng»l, Mt»ictt

'49

THE HONEST HOUSE

Photograph by Lillian liaMies Grittiii.

This house, on the north shore of Long Island Sound, fits well into its surroundings.

treated with the phiin white or the faintest tijipe of color, gives an impression of gayness and space.

If you wish to have an interior which is gloomy, keep the ceiling darker than the walls, and the walls darker than the floor.

Not so long ago people generally refused to admit the presence of floors in their houses. The}- concealed them with carefully fitted velvet carpets, thi".-k of pile and gaudy of coloring. They pretended to like walking on beds of cabbage roses and bows of ribbons. They even added insult to injury bj- piling rugs upon carpets, and insulted the hearth by flinging a rug representing a life-size collie dog, done in red and green and brown, before it. They did n't question the wisdom of having dogs and sheep and flowers beneath their feet — but accepted them as being finer than [ilain boards, because their neighbors ac- cepted them.

Then came the wave of interest in sanita- tion, in hygiene, and the dreadful carpets

gave way to expensive parquetr}' floors. The floors probably had intricate patterns of different colored blocks of wood. I have seen may parquetry floors that were quite as bad as flowered carpets. The parquetry man has a devilish ingenuity, as any one who will take the trouble to enter his shop can see. He can execute squirrels cracking nuts, palm- leaf fans, American flags, lilies-of-the-valley, and lions in the jungle, all in many colored woods. But do }ou want picture-puzzle floors? I don't think so. Good honest boards, well polished, with just enough rugs to give warmth and softness, are good enough for any house.

I am not condemning parquetry floors. Those made of blocks of wood of uniform size and of not too abrupt a gradation in color are very good. The floor to be avoided is the conspicuous floor, the floor that ceases to be a background and jumps up to meet you when \ou enter the room. A floor of bricks or tiles is beautiful, because we ex-

150

THE SHKLL OF THK HOLSE

pect bricks and tiles to come in small squares and oblonpp. But we expect lumber in long pieces, and a floor composed of boards that have been carefully cut apart and then put together again reminds us ot the mere man who pondered over the ejelet embroider) that occupied his wife: What could he the wisdom of punching holes in cloth just to sew them up again"?

It you have an old house with floors made of wide boards, paint them. Hardwood floors are preferable to painted floors, but painted boards are infinitely better than car- pets. One of the best hoiLses I know is a New England farmhouse now used as a sum- mer home by people who appreciate its good points. It was necessary to lay new floors in the bedrooms, but the downstairs rooms were fl(M)r(d with eighteen-inch boartls, en- tirely t(x) tine to be discarded. The old house is square, four rooms to a floor, each room wainscoted with plain white boanls on three walls and i)aneled to the ceiling on the fireplace wall. The woodwork is all white, the walls painted a soft robin's-egg blue, and the wide boards of the floor are painted a bright leaf-green. This treatment, with simple New England furniture, rag rugs, Swiss curtains, open fireplaces with well uxil brasses, and huge jugs of wild flowers, is somehow exactly right. You tiel that the green boards are resjwnsiblc tor the rightness ot it.

Ir might be safely saiil that all New ICng- land ceilings are tcxi low, ant! all .Soutlurn ceilings too high. The cause is obvious: the New England house was built to ctmserve warmth in winrtr, ami the .Southern house was built for summer comtort. Architec- tural etT<'(fs w< re n't often consideretl in either : perhap> that i^ wh\ they are so goo*!.

despite their ceilings. Carpenters were con- tent to be carjienters in those days, and they built for utility and comfort. They had n't begun to {)retend to be architects.

The matter ot the height of \..ui k iling ilepends to a certain extent on the amount of window space you have. It w:is the tasluon fornierly to make the story heights consider- able. In the pericxi of iSHo a rtx)m height of eleven teet was not unusual, wherexs now in mtKlest country, work a room height from eight to nine feet, except for a very large room, say over sixteen feet by twenty-five feet, is generally recognized as ade<iuatc. One great advantage of the lower r«K)m is that it is much eiLsier to decorate. It you use a beamed ceiling, count your ceiling height from the bottom of the apparent beams, and do not make your beams project nnich from the ceiling. Beams four inches deep and five inches wide spaced about two feet on center is an average gotxl arrangement for a span ot fitteen teet.

The treatment of a low-ceiled rtxim is simple: the wall color should meet the ceil- ing, with a narrow moliiing as dividing line.

There are many ways of lowering a too- high ceiling. The simple.st method is to lirop the picture-rail four or five feet, and treat the wall-space above the rail a-< a part of the ceiling. Then you will not be con- scious of where frieze-spac«' stoi>s and ceiling begins. The eye will travel no higher than the picture rail.

The (»ther method is to have a simple wainscoting three or four feet deep, painted or stained to match the n-st of the wcxKlwork, and a smaller space between picture-rail anil ceiling. \Vainsc<itings are very gtHnl in any higlweilingjil r«H)ms that have cream <»r «hite wtxHlwork. btit a wainsi-oting of dark

I ;i

THE HONKST HOUSE

Dr»«n hy Cliftrl. » S. rhajinian

Here brown woodwork is used wiili liiowii beamed ceiling and cream waslied walls of the settles, the "built-in" cupboard, and the English treatment of tlie fireplace.

Xnie the generous width

wood is too formal a finish for any room, ex- cept halls and libraries, or living-rooms with dark tinted walls.

The treatment of vour ccilinjj: should be

work, and the effect was excellent, but usu- al l_\- it is better to have beams and woodwork ot the same wood and finish. If you have brown oak woodwork and beams, the plas- determined by the finish of your walls and tered space above the picture-rail and the woodwork. Plain whitewashed ceilings are spaces between the beams may be cream or always safe, but a cream wash is better than \ el low or gray or tan. If your beamed room dead white, just as cream paint is better for has mahogany doors and furniture and white woodwork than white. Pure white is the woodwork, paint beams and ceiling white. most difficult of colors for the amateur deco- The next stumbling block is the window rator. It should be used sjxiringl)-. and door trim. Here is where the carpenter

It }i)u are fortunate enough to have a designed house again betrays itself; because beamed ceiling, the beams should be scra[ietl in it the trim is almost sure to be too heavy to the grain and waxed. I have seen brown and the moldings too coarse. There is no oak beams in a room finished in white wood-

need of using a "stock" molding, which is

ip

THK SHKLL OF IHK HOUSE

almost invariably ufjly. One ot the clicap- keep it simple, it you wish to ;:«-t an attrac-

est and best looking window and door trims tive and restrained etfett.

is shown below (Aj. It is not only inex- It the trim is painted white it can atford

pensive, but is easy to put in position. The to be molded, and the nioidings can Ik- liner

double hung window as it is generally built in scale, than it it is staineil. With stained

requires a width of trim of at least tive inches woodwork the shadows of the molding d»j not

to cover the plaster. It can be designed so stand out clearly, whereas with white painted

that it will be narrower, and as a rul« rtu uinxlwork the trim may be so Hat that it may

narrower it is made, the better it look.-. seem bahl and uninteresting.

It your trim is of this tjpe, the tiat part If you wish to stain your trim, go warily.

of th( trim ma\ hi- kept narrow by using a Dark woodwork is an absolutely comjH-lling

baik-molding as shown ( BB ). aiul thus gain precedent: you have to follow its de-

the nece.ssary width. mands. Che>tnut. or oak, or redwcMKl, or

There is a .saying that " interior iletail can- whatever w(kx1 you |)lea.se may Ix- uM-d with not be made too small in scale" and while it excellent results if you plan everv stick of is an exaggeration, there is much truth in it. your furniture to harmonize with it. Other- Keep your trim as small as you can. and wi>e, there is great danger of chishing effects.

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Bmli lllc^c iM>c- i.f il.K.r iriiii avoi.l ilie ncic»«ily of miicrtJ coriictv 1 lie t\amnlc ai ihc led n nkni |i.><ii an old Ih>u>c on l.DiiK Maiul. In cliann rc^i« on ilie cscrllcncc of ii< moKlc.l »rrtiiHi. li i» hriWf. h.iwrvrf. in unall hoiir.« lo cmplov a-, narrow a trim ai pm^ihle; 5'/' \y a matiinum »idlh; 4" '" 4'j' '' •»' l«itrr. K.>r Rrnrral piirpo«'i for .l™.r^ aiul window!, ihe irim shown ai the rinhl i> riccllcni; ra.v to con.iruci and fflrrtnr in i« .<m- pliciiv. .Note the panclini; of ilic doors.

«53

THE hoxp:.st house

It you have been teniptetl by some arch tienti ot a "painter and decorator" (generally a near-American who doesn't speak Enfjlish anil who believes that a cut-out border ot pink roses or jnirple j^'rapes is the last word in wall decoration) to stain all your wood- work to imitate mahofjany, tor instance, I pity you. You have set the mark ot indiffer- ence uj)on yourselt. A birch cliair ma} be stained to imitate mahopany, and it may re- main unobtrusive. But the moment niaho<;- any woodwork asserts itself we "look it in the grain." It nuist be real. There is the chance ot changing the chair, 30U see. The wood- work is a fundamental, and should be what it seems.

This does not mean tliar your woodwork will lose in character if you paint it. Paint is paint — if it is applied properly. It may be streaked and wiggled to imitate graining aiui knot holes, and it becomes a nameless thing that has no excuse for being. We are accustomed to think of jiainted woodwork as being white, cream, or French gra}', but given proper consideration there are many other colors that may be applied to the trim of a room. Yellow, jnitty-color, a dull green-blue, a gray green or a yellow green, — all these colors maj^ be applied to wood- work it the color of the room is worked out skilfully.

I know a kitchen in an old Long Island tarmhouse that has dark blue woodwork and pale gray plaster walls. The dark blue doors are relieved by gra}' trees painted upon them. The room is very successful. There is a room in another house where the walls and woodwork are painted bright yel- low, and the curtains are of a blue that has a tinge of green in it. .\nother has the woodwork painted cream, with an orange

line outlining door panels and moldings. A little cottage has all its walls washed with liuU green ami all its woodwork painted a very nuirh tlarkcr shade ot the same color. .Ml these rooms were jilanned b}- people who understand color, and therefore were able to do as they j)leased.

This freedom that conies with sound taste ap[)lies also to staining woodwork: gray, green, and even violet may be rubbed light!}- into raw wooti b}' a man who knows what he is doing. If you are n't sure of }ourself, stick to neutral colored paints and stains. Avoid imitation mahogany c?/:a/i'.f, but use brown or gray stains on almost an)- wood you please. If you have real oak or chestnut rrini. In all means give it the effect ot oak or chestnut, if you don't care for painted trim.

Granted that you are willing to choose all your turniture and rugs and wall-papers to go with oak or chestnut woodwork, avoid var- nishes if }'Ou would keep your self-respect. Almost any wood may be stained lightly and waxed, and it will be good in effect, but there ne\-er w;is a wood that would stantl a thick coat of varnish. Polish it as much as you please, stain it judiciously to heighten the shadows of the grain, but don't varnish it.

Inhere is a deplorable fashion in the South and \\'est that has sprung from the vogue of yellow-pine woodwork. This is to make the tioors, ceilings, wainscoting and wood- work of a room of yellow-pine boards, oiled or \arnished to a slippery degree, and to plaster the walls a ghastly white. The floors will take on a good color with age and use, but the shiny ceiling, eternally threaten- ing, is unpardonable. Yellow pine may be macfe very beautiful b}- rubbing in a tan or gray or brown stain, but in the natural finish

154

THE SHKLL OF IHK HOUSE

Uiiwjrii iffeciilc>, Afclnicvl. An excellent adaptation of the English type of small houses. The plans, shown below, are carefully thuuKhi out.

it has the color of a har of laundry soap. No niattir how good your turniturc may be, yellow ]iine kills it.

The onl) thing to do with such a nxjin is to paint every bit of the wood, e.\Tej)t the floor, white or cream. If the varnish were not so thick }ou might stain the wooilwork and paint the ceiling white or cream, but

whatever you do, paint the ceiling! It will no longer hang like a pall over your rcxim. And do something to those ghastly while waIN I If you don't like wall-|>a|X'rs or col- ored walls, if you are waiting for your house to settle, jiaint the walls a soft cream or tan or gray. White walls are ;ls mistaken as oiled pine ceilings: all physicians and oini-

r

I

h r'

'.??

THK HONEST HOl'SE

lists deplore the distressing effects of the white glare on the nerves. There is no rea- son in the world why white shoulil be con- sidered cleaner for walls than cream or tan or yellow.

There is another mistaken ceiling treat- ment that has been brought about bj- cata- logues of wall-papers probably, ami this is to paper ceilings with moire papers, or papers sparkling with stars. Moire suggests a watered surface, and wh}- should we wish our ceilings to remind us of thr rippling of waves'? As for tlie stars — go outside for them. Forego the indulgence of a papered ceiling, and buy a better paper for your walls.

These are the general first considerations of the shell of the house — floors, ceilings, and woodwork. The treatment of walls will be discussed in another chapter.

There is another subject which really should be considered while the house is in the shell, and that is the matter of built-in furni- ture. It does n't matter whether )0ur house is still in embryo; whether you are making over an old house planned antl built b)' some one else, )ou can make it ven,- much more your own by building certain things. You may have lived in jour house for years, and still find there are advantages in built-in furniture that you cannot afford to disre- gard.

To be good at all, it must be vet}-, z-cry good. Otherwise, it is n't furniture. Grant- ing that it is well designed, well constructed, and a logical part of the room, its case may be summed up pretty much as follows:

It is more interesting than "detached" furniture because it has a flavor of the de- signer's personality, a suggestion of judicious planning.

It is more dignified, because it has been planned for permanency.

It is more decorative, because it has been considered as a part of a whole, and there- fore has an architectural relation to the room.

It is more reposeful, because it keeps its place as a part of the wall.

It is more duralile. because it cannot be mauled about by the careless.

It is more economical because it ma}' be constructed at a nominal cost of labor and material, antl, once finished, it invites no further outlay.

Built-in furniture is very good in a small nx)m, because it takes and keeps its place as a part of the wall, and increases the floor space. It is advantageous in a room of great size, because it then becomes of architectural importance, and may be of great decorative value in mass and color if its conception is in scale with the architect's concejition of the room as a whole.

Built-in furniture, on the other hand, is for the permanent home, not for the transi- tory one. If you are n't satisfied with the house }'()u live in, you 'd better buy filings you can move.

It must be -zve// built, because you cannot change it as you would an unsatisfactory chair or table.

It must be logically placed, because there is no latitude of change in a room that has been so furnished, and what normal woman does n't love to move furniture about"? So it will be best to build in only the things that belong inevitably where you place them.

It has a dignity which must be respected; it will not stand being "prettified." Give it no laces and ribbons, or }ou '11 destroy its reason for being. Its restraint and formal- ity must be preserved. The ideal built-in

156

THE SHELL OF I HF. HOUSE

This fireplace is in a remodeled barn near Hruokliaven, Long hiand. The ireaimeni of the iiteful lillle cup- boards ja ingenious and decorative.

furniture rtprfscnts ^n:ir siniplHity ami per- sccrftarics with liiainonil-panrd iliH)r.s and on

feet crattsnianshi|). the hroail i>r(>j«rtinj,' >h«lt the colUrtion of

For so man} \(:irs \\c woiucn were slaves family hric-a-brai which had to be removed to bulky things! W'v iliil n't tliink for our- piece by piece b<'fore you ctnild o|K-n the dt»r selves. Our classii- houses hail t<H) much ot ami j;et a IxxjkV Such Ixnikcast-s were not geometrical exactness to peniiit closets, or very encoura^inj^ to the children's love of window-scats, or open hook-shelves, and we readin;:. Surely there couKI Iv nothing nittkly endured the colossal furniture that more sensible than o|Mn IxKikshelvrs with the was thrust ujum us. Some of us still endure friemlly b(H>ks spread out invitin;:ly and the — more 's the pity ! There are still incredible mosaic of their binilin;:s addmj: to the decora- houses where ponderous wardrobes s«-rve in- tion of tin- nM>m. .\nd yet I kn«»w many stead of closets, and heavy bookcases tower people who |>rotest at n\H-n IxMik-shrl vrs. to the ceilin-;, with dim j^Iass d<H)rs etfectu- The smaller our houM-, the more nrcrvsary ally concealinj; the b<M)ks. it iMcomes to consider its imwibilitirs. Wc

Haven't y«)u seen those beautiful oUI nuLst not forget that the fireplaix- with its

'?7

IHK HONEST HOUSE

sumiountinp mantel, the wimiows with their broad sills, the closets and cupboards, are all architectural furniture, and must be studied in relation to the detached objects to be broujjht into the room, as well as in rela- tion to the window-seats, the settles, the o[)en book-shelves, that will become a part of the room. A closet witli well placed shelves and glass doors becomes as definite and use- ful a j)art ot the furnishinj:js of the dining- room as the chairs and table. The chimney- piece invites book-shelves in the recess flank- ing it, and the book-shelves invite settles, and so an ordinary corner becomes a [ilace for foregathering The turn of the stair in- vites another settle, with a woodbox beneath

its seat. A group of windows invites a long window-seat, with a latticed paneling that conceals the necessar\-, but hideous, radiators. The kitchen, ot course, is pnuricall} made up ot built-in furniture. It needs no argument. Ever}' angle of the house should be given the furniture it invites, and convention should be subordinated to ingenuit}-. When the house is finished it will be pleasantly furnished: only tables and chairs will be im- mediately necessary. You can wait com- fortabh- for the things you really want. There will be no temptation to rush in antl buy recklessl)-, and in the fullness of time you will be able to furnish your home with "finds" that will become real household gods.

Kilham and Hopkins, Architects. Here advantage lias heen talcen of the steep slope of the hillside in order to give an interesting and unusual Appearance to the house.

158

CHAPIKK Win

A PLEA lOK nil: UKARTH

BEFORE we go furtluT into the treat- ment of walls and windows, ot woodwork anti built-in turniture, I want to talk about tli<' most important fea- ture of the shell of the house: The Hearth. I like to think that all houses, no matter how dreary they ma}- be at times, become homes once a year, at Christmas. If hai)pi- ness doesn't fill your house at Christmas there is something radically wrong with the house or the j)eople in it. I womicr if the fault is with the Iioum"!' I wonder if it is built around a hearth V

There was a time when the hearth was to the house what the heart is to the body ; when the hanging of the crane was the symbol of the birth of a home; when hr«- glow was the e%tning light; when the spin- ning wheel whirred here, and the meals were prepared here, and the hooded craille was snug in the shadows of the setth ; w hi ii tam- ily traditions and folk songs ami fairy tales and prayers were hamied down from one gen- eration to anotlur: when the problems ot the family anil tin- nation w<re tiiscus^eii

here; wlien the passing traveler w:is wel- comed for the sake of hosjjitalitj, and for the sake of news of the world outside. The hearth was the foundation. The home was an elastic i)lace built art)und it.

The hearth stcx>d tor something more than mere physical comfort then. It >uhx\ pre- eminently for family loyalty, and we must be skilful indeed to give our children this saving ijuality in the mechanical ^h(K• K).\es that jerry-builders iliru>t uinm us and call "homes."

Certainly none of us wishes to revive the primitive customs of our ancestors. We are vastly better otf materially; we understand hygiene and sanitation and m;uij things our forel>ears h;ul n«) time to ctmtemplate. \Vc read by well->hailed lights and >ave our ryes. We bu) our cloth read) spim and wo\en, and h;ive no regret for spinning-wlii-rl ilajs. W'f are done with the drudgery of the crane and its ungainly |x)ts, ami we no Unigrr r«-- tjuire the services of the wanning pan — wr treasure it tor dec»irafi\e |nir|)«»Nr>I Our hou>es are as wami as ia;Lst, .\laildin-wann.

i?0

THE HONEST HOUSE

/vr-T^'i^-^H^'' Axru^'

Kdmund B. Gilchrist, Architect. This shows the advantages of a well-arranged foreground. The house is Mr. W. \V. Gilchrist's at St. Martins, Philadelphia.

and we have no material need of the old- time hearth.

But — there is another side to the iiicture. Are the fairy stories in gaily covered bind- ings as wonderful as were those we heard from our mother's lips when we were chil- dren'? Do the illustrations compare with the marvelous pictures we saw in the flames'? Can the modern wedding trip be as soul-sat- isfying as was the ceremony of the hanging ot the crane"? Are the newspapers more in- teresting than were the travelers from the outside world'? Are grandfather's Memoirs, bound in tooled leather, worth as much to our children as the family traditions tho.se other grandfathers passed on to the crackle of the logs and the flare of the flames'? Have we any such logical home center, where we may meet and talk, or listen, with the

feeling of home and fam

iiv s

trong within

US'?

Think it over: when you were a child, did n't most of the things that really mat- tered have the hearth as background'? I am sorry for our modern children, with their orderly lives and their rigid routine and nothing to touch the si)ark to their imagina- tions. Poor dears ! \^'hat chance have they in our smug, shiny little houses that are so empty of tradition'? Material things have improved amazingly, but if we have lost a jot of the strong feeling tor family that should be ours, all our gain is as noth- ing, for the happiness of the whole world dejiends upon the conservation of family life.

Two of my friends, young married people, recently built a house in a suburb of ISew

160

A PLEA FOR IHK HEARTH

York. They hud lived tor )ears in apart- ments, and were quite happy until the chil- dren came, and then, Mary said, she had to have a real home with a Hearth. She couldn't tell her children fairy stories be- side a steam radiator, and, more imjwrtant still, she wanted them to sa\' their little j)rayers at her knee before an open fire.

So the house was built and became a home, because thouj^httul people made it. The home room was planned to last forever and ever, the walls paneled with brown oak, with many built-in bookcases as a logical jxirt of

the paneling. Many windows flooded the room with sunshine, and the furniture wxs comfortable and simple. The whole room led u[) to a great chimney-piece, with an ojH-n fireplace of red brick. .At right angles to the chimney-j)icce was a huge settle, roomy enough for comfort. The climax was the portrait enclosed in the j)aneling above the mantel-sh« If, a chamiing old gentleman with white hair and ruddy cheeLs and smihng lips. Mary confessed to me that she lx)ug!)t him I She said she did n't feel that a h(«iie w as a real home without a grandfather or a

rdmuiiil H. (iilrhritt, .ArrhiiMt.

Tlii^ mnnlfl i» In ihr .liniiiK-nKitn nt Mr. W. W. CJililifin'. liouK n Si. NUriiiii, PluUdclphn. Salt lh« «ir of •limpliciiv ci^'rx l>v <l>r iinframcd painliiiK-

161

THE HONEST HOUSE

jjrcat-auiu or some nice old person who could ttacli tlif tliildrcn tin- tilings that only oKl peoplf can teach. She was the }Oung dauj^hter ot a younger daughter, and so the family portraits had gone to others, and when she neeiletl an ancestor she calmly went forth and bought him. She calls him the General, anti Sir. and all sorts of lovable names, and the children call him Uncle Jim. They are in the secret and qviite approve ot him, and he — well, Mary declares that he positively twinkles with joy at his adopted famih'.

"He stands for dignity, and Sunday-quiet, and time-to-live," sa\s Mary; 'and just let me tell you that we mothers of this mechan- ical age have to give our chiUlren a feeling for these things. M}- home is a home, thanks to our love for it, and the Hearth, and Uncle Jim. \N'e have open fires on cool evenings the year 'round, and on winter Sundays, and on all our birthdajs and high days. I have n't a piano yet, because I can't afford that and logs too, but at this stage of the game open fires mean more to children than music. We have story-tellings and songs and beautiful times before the fire. The children hear all the legends and stories we heard when we were children, and they can hang up their own stockings before a real chimney at Christmas, which is every child's divine right.

"I could sing tor joy at the development of their imaginations, for they tell me amaz- ing stories of things they see in the fiames. Can you imagine a child telling his mother a story out of his own insides, as Billy says, before a radiator"? I can't! I tell you there is nothing that can take the place of the Hearth."

Now Mar^■ is what I call a real home-

maker. She feels the Spirit back of the Tlung.

I suppose that to the mothers who Inive real homes this chapter seems imnecessarily strong. But I have seen so many false man- tels, and tilled-in tireiilaces and hearthlcss houses lately that I am alarmctl at the trcnti of it all. I appreciate the high cost ot liv- ing and the formidable cost of coal and wood, but we can alwajs tind a way to enjoy the things we very much desire. The very poor have no hearths, perhaps, but they can make the kitchen stove a substitute, and lind in it something our expensive "false man- tels" can not give; something to gather around. No one ever had a desire to pull his chair up to a false mantel or a radiator.

A living-room without a tirejilace is un- satisfying, but it is inrinitely better than a room that is dominated by a false mantel, of the kind so often seen in apartment-houses, and indeed in thousands ot private houses. A false mantel is a dreadtul imitation of an honored tradition. It is a mere excrescence, with no grate behind the elaborate "bronze" tire-tront, no tlue, no excuse for being. The jerry-builder knows that traditions die hard, and this is his way of giving you a hearth.

You can forgive people who tolerate one of these mantels in an apartment, because }ou know that often the landlord admires the thing and refuses to allow its removal. But how can any man tolerate such a sham in his own house V Somehow, one feels that a man will be honest in his own house, even it he does blink at shams in other people's houses.

Contrast these sham mantels with the big homelike chimney-pieces on pages 152 and 1 97. Does n't the one with the settle sug-

162

A PLEA FOR THF. HEAR! H

^!^\P

In this remodeled Colonial house tlie huge tirepiace lias Iiccm |>rl■^cr^c^l iiiiaci. Sole ihc tt.i,,

gest a pood book and a basket of apples and And \et I think there will always br

a long winter evening^ Doesn't the other lionus where the hearth will In- the honored

one — the more informal brick one, with its center of things. Even in New York, where

useful little cupboards — suggest real warmth the cost ot living is felt most keenly, and

and hospitality"^ liome-niaking is most difficult. I know many

Grant<d that fuel i> a luxur\ ; couldn't people who put up with the uuonvrn-

you j)rovide an open fire for your family on iences of old-fa.-<hitmed apartments that tl>ry

gala occasions'!' II<i\\ did we ever ilare may have tires in open grates. Old Father

eliminate the hearth from our homes, I won- Knickerboiker provides w«mhI for his chil-

dcrV I dare say the day will come when dren at a small consideration — in hi> nmnic-

some one will invent a s\stem of illumiiia- ipal wtKnlyarils. Surel\, then there is no

tion that will make sunshine unfashionable, part of the countr> where tuel is an in)|H»>i-

and a system of ventilation that will result ble luxury.

in windowless houses, to those who lose all Tlie Frem h h.ive a thrifty nisfom that is

the s[)irit of home-making. very pleasant for iwople who have a little

163

THK HONEST HOUSE

hrt-place and no tuel tor it. Tluy save all the waste i)aixT and dried leaves and flowers, and every evening make it into a "fagot." The tagot is made by emptying the contents of the waste-baskets upon several thicknesses of newspaper, rolling up the paper until it becomes a "log," and twisting the ends tightly. Then the fagot is wrapped with a cord, placed in the lirej)lace, and a light is touched to each end. In a moment there is a wondertul tire.

Try it, and }ou will soon become a connoisseur in tagots, and discover that orange-peel makes a wondrous blue flame, and that laurel leaves crackle delightfully and that for special occasions a few chunks of old rotting wood will give a flare worthy of a Fourth-o"-Juh- fireworks-maker.

What can we bring into our homes that

will give the beauty and cheer of an open flre'^ Music and books and good appetite and sunshine and sound sleep and clear water — all these are essential luxuries in our homes, but the sujircme luxury is the open fire on the hearth.

So I plead for one real tireplace, as big or little as you please, and an occasional fire in it. It will be worth an}- sacrifice you may have to make for it. Have all the radiators }GU need, but have also this one hearth, where you can gather your children around }ou and teach them the things the hearth has stood for for hundreds of years : a place where Christmas is Christmas, where stock- ings can hang, and where, in the long j-ears to follow, the children may come in their day-dreams, and bless the memor}- of the place you made home.

Harrie T. Lindeberg, Architect. The Boardman Robinson house at Forest Hills, Long Island, is unusually successful in its suggestion of old- world picturesqueness. Note the unbroken roof surfaces, the plain walls and the ample chimneys.

164

\^^y

-■«s>?s..;

•-- it ;#*-«>"" "5^

CHAPTKU XIX

DETAILS OF IXTERIOH DESIGN

Jl^ST as windows, doorways, porches is the idi-al arranjicmrnt. It makes for pri-

and thimneys determine rlie appear- vaey, obviates draughts, and simplilifs to a

anee ot the exterior, so do the diini- certain extent the heatinj^ of the halls into

ne\pieces and their mantels, the staircases, which it opens. Given plenty of li;;ht and

headroom, an enclosed staircxse is most de- sirable.

Of course, there will always be hiMises in which the treatment of the staircase will fol- low the tratlitions: Colonial hoiise> with their witi(. ionp halls, would seem queer without

doors, and the lesser details such as hard- ware aiui lighting fixtures add to or iletract from the attractiveness of the interior of your house.

\\'e have considereci some of the architec- tural details of the interior, such as the built- in conveniences that are a part ot the shell ot their long stairways ot white spindles and the house, but there are so many things still mahogany handrails. Certain houses «it the to be said that it seems hopeless to ilo more Knglish t) pe will always invite ojH-n stair- than count them off on our fingers, and leave ways with interesting scrcenwork ot oak tak- th( ir real consideration to \<)u. ing the place of spindles.

The design of the staircase is almost always Stmly the staircas<-s of the •x^Mxl hotisrs

a stumbling block. If the staircase is in evi- ab«)ut you. Stujly their columns and |H»ts in dence at all, it is the most important thing the same spirit in which you examine out-ot- in sight. If \()u don't wish it to dominate d(H»r columrLs and railings. The .same prin- your hall, or living-room, you can k«-ep it out of sight by having it go straight up \tf- tween two walls. Imleed, in a small house where there is to be onlv one stairwav, thi>

ciples apply to Kith. It would b*- |x»ssiblr to go into great derail, bur the main thing lo remember i^ that the usual defects lie in ovrr- ornamentation of the stair|><»sts and balus-

165

THE HONEST HOISE

trades. OhsiTve the modest detail ot tlie in-: and sliding doors. Frtneh doors filled

staircase on page 167. It is a lesson in sen- with small panes of glass are deservedly

sible detail. The staircase in the Colonial popular, because they protect us from

hallway shown on page 185 is equally good, draughts without cutting off light and the

but of an entirely different tjpe. Here sense of s})ace that comes from long vistas.

there is a gracious quality in keeping with Provision should always be made for curtain-

thc broad spaces of the Colonial hall. ing glass doors, however, as there are times

A staircase coming directly into the living- when privacy is welcome in any room.

room is a mistake, unless the family is very There is an architectural axiom, "never

small indeed. There should be at least a make a doorway without a door." which is

possibility for privacy, even if it be obtained often violated, and occasional!) w irli reason.

li\ rlic u^f of a screen or a curtain cutting off Often a large opening between two small

a small stairhall. If there are several living- rooms is a great improvement. The opening

rooms, this is not so important, for a chance ceases to be a doorwa)', however, when it is

visitor may be left in some other room until large enough to be of real service, so perhaps

the family room is ready for him. the axiom is not violated after all. Cer-

All staircases, whether they be conspicu- tainly the man}- "open doors" of certain

ous or concealed, should have easy treads and houses, openings with only ffims)- curtains to

should be reasonabl) broad. It is necessary cut off noise and draughts, are a nuisance,

not only to provide for people with eccentric The consideration ot the chimney-piece

headgear, but for the occasional moving ot and its mantel might easily fill a book, so

trunks ami furniture, and so the headroom varied are the possibilities tor good and evil

should be more than ample. Otherwise, you effects. The decorative value ot the chim-

will pay for it with badly scarred walls. ney-piece is not sufficiently appreciated b}'

Ordinarily, stairs stained in dark tones most home makers. The cliinuiey breast

have oak treads and risers. Where white should be treated architecturalh', as a part

woodwork is usee! the handrail and treads are usually of oak or mahogau} , and the spindles and risers of white.

Doors are of great importance, architec-

of the woodwork of the room, and as a fit- ting trame tor the center of interest — the hearth.

There are more dreadful mantels to be

turally, ami must be treated accordingly. In seen to-da}" than ever before, cheap stock

a small house it is usually best to have all the mantels, seemingly designed in a lunatic

doors ot imitorm size, but wherever possi- asylum, are turned out by the thousands.

ble it is advisable to place closets where their New suburban houses are tiooded with the

doors will not invite chance callers. It is most atrocious, unstudied mantels imagi-

very embarrassing to open several closet nable. Again the word of caution is, play

doors when you are trying to find your way safe! Use only the simplest motifs. The

out ot a room. tamiliar mantel found in so man}' Colonial

Doors tor large spaces are often difficult houses is an excellent one. Such mantels

to manage, and there is a never ending dis- are shown on pages 161 and 183. It is not

cussion as to the merits and demerits of fold- true that a mantel is good just because it was

166

DETAILS OF IXIKKIOR DKSIGX

Edinuritl H. (iilrhritt, Archiifcl. Nn pnrt nf ilic liitt-rlor is more ditficull to design than tlic !>iairca!>e. Thiii example, lakeii froin j huu>r *l ^ oik Harbor, Maine, is inosl commendable for its simple siraigliiforward detail.

huilr in Coloniiil cl;iy>, hut it is sate ti) .say that it its eloign is siiiiph' it will provtr ac- ceptabk'. The nu)re complex it f:;ets. the more it incor{)orates columns ot unusual shape ami strange supports, the more likely is it that you .should leave it alone.

It is always sate to avoid ready-made mantels that have superstructures ot mirrors and shcUcs, like the corner what-not. .\titr all. the chinm<-\ -piece is the important fiiin;_'. the mantel is a part of it. The ihiet duty of the mantel is to frame plea>antl\ flu opening for the tire.

The ihimnt \-piece that projects into the

room .shoulil have a certain reserve, an a|>- [uarance of strength and ilignity. and thi> etfect can be obtained b\ the simplest method, by builihng a rectangular o|H-ning for lire and paving it with plain bricks; by carrying tlw franu-work — be it wtHxI. t»r |)laster, or brii k, or fib- — around the o|>rn- ing ami crowning it with a plain tnantei- shelf if the lintel of the tirepla> tlush

with the walls of the r«K»ni. Tile hr.mli n«-rd not project into the ro«>m more than sixteen inches from the f.ice ot the fireplace.

I'he space Ix-tween niantel-shelt and ceil- ing may be filled in with paneling if the

167

THE HONEST HOISE

dfiign is carried to the cornice, or the space effect, it was simpl) toriiud to fit around a may be used decoratively for a mirror, a real fire, and it had no Indeous overmantel. good picture, or a plaster cast. It the And, turthemiore, a marble mantel was to frame of the fire opening: is flush with the its owners a sort ot object ot art, a thinj: wall, the space above the mantel-shelf may apart from the woodwork, ot die room. be treated as a part of the wall, and the White painted woodwork, a white marble decoration will suggest itself when }-ou look mantel, and a (juaint ^ilt-frameil mirror fill- through \()ur belongings for just the right ing the wall-space above the shelf — this jiicturc. or mirror, or whatever seems most was n't an undignified combination. The suitable. marble might be very bad trom the stand-

Until recentl}. it was impossible to get point of an anhirect or a .sculptor, but it was

tiles for fireplaces. We were offered thou- at least dignified in effect,

sands of ridiculous little dabs of white There are jirincely American hoiLses where

cement with thin colored glazes that were oltl marble and stone mantels may be u.sed,

sold as "tiles," but they are libels. These but these mantels are really works of art, and

fancy little tiles are a.sscxriated with cabinet are treated as such. They are the j^roduct

mantels, and are an insult to an honest tile of master sculptors, and are perfectly at

maker. There are three factories that I home in dark paneled rooms. Lately,

know of making beautiful tiles at reasonable makers of cement and terra-cotta have copied

prices, tiles that are good enough for an}- many of these old mantels, but no matter

house. They copy the fine old Dutch and how good the copies may be, they are out of

Spanish and English tiles, and of late they place in little houses. A huge drawing room

have begun copying l^ersian ones that are ob- or hall or library may welcome such a

jects of art in themselves. If you can't mantel, but in a small room it would be an

afford such tiles as these, use bricks for your absurdity.

fireplace and hearth. AvoicI fancy brick. The Colonial mantel, however, would fit

and use good red ones, the cruder and rougher almost any room where white or cream or

the better. Srav' woodwork is used, or it would be good

It is well to remember that the mantel is in brown or gray stained wood. The first

a structural part of the room, and should be principle of this mantel is simplicity, and

made of the same wood used for the doors the square panel between cornice and mantel-

and window frames and so forth. It is not shelf offers a tempting space for decoration,

to be treated as a thing apart, as if it were An old portrait flanked by mahogany candle-

a grand piano or an easy chair. A mantel sticks would be suitable for it, and one can

of oak, introduced into a room of walnut imagine a quaint circular mirror or a good

woodwork, is in a distressing position. A cast being equally good. Or, if you liked,

mantel of mahogany in a brown-oak room is you could leave the square panel to its own

just as mistaken. decorative devices. I recall one mantel of

The old-fashioned marble mantel was not white painted wood with the space between so bad as the modern cabinet mantel, be- mantel and ceiling filled with a white panel- cause, despite its bleakness and its chilling ing. The center panel was framed in a slen-

168

DETAILS OF INTERIOR DESICiN

:tA^

\\. \aii Burrn MaKooiKlc Arrhiiccl.

The CJanlcner's Lodge on the estate of Franklin Miirph\, W'endham, New Jcr»c>. The ilniKii oi \\\\t houw,

which in j;cneral i> excellent, would be improved, perha|», by the oiniMion of the horizontal band on the Kible end.

di r molding. Lighting fixtures of brass wtrc tlit- ratttr>, ami on tin- slab ot granite that placed at the extreme edge of the molding, tornuil the niantel-shelt w;ls a row ot cut- and the only effort at decoration was a blue glass vases! I tVIt sorry tor the jxx»r, in- Chinese vase of field grasses on the mantel- suited old chimney-pi«Tr. shelf. Einall), tlitrr i> the <juestion ot hardware

The bungalow is responsible for the rhini- ami lighting h.vtures. Hardware is an al- ney-jiieces made of field stone, or rough most hopeless subject. The l>est you can <\o brick, that are omnipresent nowadays, is to select the very sim[)lest door handles

anil hinges otfereil you. American makers h,i\c not yet gone in for carctui design in h.irdware. mt)re "s the |>ity. 'Hie French anil Englisli hanlwarf shown at the Metro- mass of stones in a room where puli>hed politan Museum >hould Ix- an inspiration to furniture ami silk curtains are useilV our designers, but the designers await the

Recentl) I saw a fireplace that would hoKl public demaml, and |K-ople who have opcnetl a five-foot log, with the chimney-piece tower- their eyes to the badn«-ss ot many det.iils ing to the rooftree and disappearing through such as lighting fixtures are -'i" •-"•••"

169

Such a chinmey-piece is at home in a real bungalow or in a mountain camp, ulnrc rafters ami beams arc cxpoMd. bur c;ui vnu imagine anvthinir worse than a towering

THE HONES'l HOISE

ami let it j^o at that.

with spun-brass door-knobs and hinges and can use are tccble compared to the lifiht of forth. Bu\- the simplest thinp offered out-of-doors, and the rooms we live in are too

small to admit much light. We have to face this difficulty, to look at the source of light, whether we want to or not. Out-of-doors, in the full sunlight, the sun is so tar away and yet it is so brilliant that we don't have to look at it. In fact, we can"t look at it for more tlian a moment, or we become blinded.

\N'c are not blinded by the intense glare of the lights in our rooms, but we are greatly annoyed when the lights are so placed that they shine in our e}es. One of the first prin- ciples of good lighting is to use that method of lighting which will adequately illumine our rooms, and to select fixtures that will veil the source of the light as much as possible.

In recent years the sjstem of lighting called "indirect" has come into common use. In its simplest terms it means only this: you place your lights (the incandescent bulbs) in a bowl ami liang this bowl from the ceiling. The light is thrown up to the ceiling and re- flected back again to the walls and f^oor of the room. It this bowl is opaque, this method is called "indirect." If translucent, so that the bowl itself is softly lit, it is called "semi-indirect." In this way the source of light, that is, the brilliant incandescent bulbs, is hidden.

For this system it is imperative that the ceiling be cream or white, so as to reflect the light to the greatest advantage. Moreover, the walls should be fairly light in tone. If }our ceiling is dark in color, you will succeed in lighting only the ceiling, and nothing else.

The light obtained from indirect lighting is diffused, and is good only for general il- lumination. It should be supplemented by special wall or basel^oard fixtures conven-

so you

Lighting fixtures are being improved rapidl>. It is possible to buy reproductions of most of the good ones from France and England now, if aou are very judicious in your selections and if Nour [nirse is long.

It is always the tendency to underrate the expenses of lighting fixtures, when the plans of the house are being made. One hundred dollars seems a liberal apportionment for a small house of, say, seven rooms. But there are unexpected difficulties. It seems very simple to go forth and buy lighting fixtures — until you see the innumerable varieties of- fered you. And the good ones are as rare as the proverbial needle in the haystack. You must determine whether ceiling or side lights are best, and whether direct or indirect lights will best fill your needs. Your architect will probabi}- decide much of tliis for you before }ou go forth to bu}-, but the chief difficulties and advantages may be consid- ered here.

There are two kinds of illumination com- monl}- in use to-day. They are called direct and indirect lighting. By "direct" lighting I mean that the light shines directly in the room, so that you see it. For example, when \ ou are out-of-doors with the sun shin- ing overhead you are enjoying the best kind of "direct" lighting. When you are in the house, let us say in a room on the north side, where the sunlight does not reach, you are enjoying diffused lighting. The source of light is not visible, and we call this indirect, or semi-indirect, lighting.

Now in our houses we have to use feeble imitations of the sun. We use, most of us. electric light. Even the strongest lights we

170

DETAILS OK IXIKKIOlt DESIGN

A light in the center of the room, at the level of the e>e, blinds one to the ^ize of ihc room.

iently located, so that when a brilliant con- centrated light is ncccssat} lamps may be used.

Having accepted as an axiom of gooil lightin;,' rhar the source of light shouKI bf veiled as nnich as is consistent with obtain- ing good lighting, the next important thing is to place the lights to go(xI advantage. In a large room with a high ceiling tiu- problem is much less diHiciilt than in a small room. By .small I mean the ordinary dining-r(M)m or living-room such as is touml in a small liwcll- ing house, a room perhaps fifteen by twent\ feet in ana ami nine teet high.

In general it is a most unfortunate thing

to use a center light in a small room of this kind. This center light is almost sure to take a jjosition about :ls high as a man's head, and consetjuently the li;;ht of the fixture it- self is always in one's eye. This means that the size of the visible rcxMti ap|)ears dimin- ished. Now you want to make the nnim look as large as possible, and with a light in the center this object is defeated, b<-cau.xr }()u never can look past the light. If the light is vet}- bright, you see the other side of the room ver}- imperfectly.

On the other haml, if the room is lighted b\ side lights, or bracket light.s, you see all parts of the r(X)m clearly, and the light is

lU -4 . ■?• wTI ■

l.inhi* Ji»powl aloiitj ihe wallt ijive a tntiu\ eircl.

l/I

THK HONKS r HOUSE

more agret-ably diffusfd. It is advisable to have as man)- wall lights as possible, and to use center lights only in such places as the kitchen, where overhead light is really valua- ble.

In using wall-lights you can employ semi- indirect lighting, screening the incandescent light with a shade ot some sort. The best shades arc those made ot silk. There are man\ tancitul t}pes of shades made of differ- ent materials, such as metal, leather, glass, and parchment. Often the) are decorated by hand-painted designs, but they are nearly always too dark or too gaudy, or too some- thing. The most successful shades are of silk. When you cannot get silk, use paper; those made of the yellow silks and the yellow papers are most attractive. The glass shades made of gaudy stained glass are usually ut- terly offensive; the colors are garish and -crude.

Choose your fixtures always lor their sim- plicity. Choose your colors always for their delicacy and their harmony of combination. The reason that yellow is an advisable color is because it looks well under ordinary con- -ditions of daylight as well as when the elec- tric light is turned on.

Avoid very ornamental fixtures — at least till you have made a study of ornament. Unless you feel that your knowledge of the forms employed in design is considerable, play safe. Choose the simplest thing that you can find. In doing this you will never lay yourself open to the charge of vul- garity in your taste. Remember that in

these matters you have to rely on }our own judgment.

Curiously enough, )ou will rind the sim- plest fixtures are either very cheap or verj' expensive. All the ornate fixtures are priced at medium low or medium high figures. Have the courage of your taste and demand the least exjiensive modern fixtures, if you can't afford the reproduction of the severely fine old ones. Often a three dollar fixture that is commonplace in spun brass is excel- lent in a pewter or bronze finish, and the cost is no more.

No matter how good your lighting fixtures ma}^ be, you will need a certain number of special lights, lamps or tall c^mdlesticks, for reading. If your supply of electricity is stable, it is sensible to have a few base plugs in each room in the house, so that a reading lamp may be attached at will. If your elec- tric lights have a habit of failing you at in- opportune times, oil lamps and real candles are necessar}-. The principles of decoration are the same: the shade should never be too heavy for the lamp; the lamp itself should never be over-ornamented; a candlestick should be graceful, with a shade that has some relation to it, and so on.

Beware of too great a flood of light. It is very trying to most people's eyes. Learn to enjoy shadows. Have your wall lights so screened that they will give you an even dif- fused light for ordinan,' occasions, and have special lights when intensity is desired. The comfort you will enjoy will repay you for your painstaking work.

172

CHAl'lIll XX TiiF. TKADiiioN ()]■ WOOD rwr.i.iNf;

WV. ma}' borrow ideas from the I'uropean and the Oriental tor the small <'lepancies of our houses, hut tor the substantial thin<;s we de- pend on the Enfjlish tradition. WC may teel ourseKcs (juitc >u))(ri<>r to (,ur l''n^lish nei^'hbors in man}' thin^^s, hut we nuist ad- mit that when it comes to buildinfj a home the Englishman builds best; because he places his family first, ami determines to make a house that will be home to his family for generations. We build small houses, or buy them, and then when we can "afFord" if w'c liu\ hig;_'(T ono. and on and on and on I Not all of us, hut an appalling number of us look u|)on our homes as temporary stop- jiing places en route to a vague affluence. \\v do most things very much better than we do our houses.

We think of the things that make old English (a>tles and manor-houses ilistin- guished for their beaut\ as being remote from our |)ossibilities. Ihc >uprrb oak fur- niture, the historic paneling, mellow with age and hard usage, are not for the like-^ of

1

us! Ami yet, the humblest Tudor fami- houses that are left have the same dignified paneling, the same well-built furniture, made b} the hands ot the ignorant themselves. \\ < asMTt that we are the most "etticient," the most "successful" people in the uorKl. and }et with all our ellicienc\ we can not embellish the interior of our hmises with our hamis. We cannot build a joint stool, or ])lan a panel wall. In sharix-ning our wits we ha\<- forgotten Im)w to use our hamls. The unlettered peasant can prtnluce tumi- ture that will last for hundreds of years, hut the larefully educated son of .\merica is un- able to jnit up a kitchen shelf for his mother. Now this matter of |)aneling. It .s<-niis expensive ami remot<- to most of you, and yet it is witliin the means of the aver.igr man who builds a house. Of course, the ct)st of paneling varies witli the Imality. hut machin<-made lumber has lex>ened tl>e cost «'ver\ v.here. There are few sections in .\merica where there is not plenty of lumber available at reasonable priiY>. Exixpt in rhi- liesert country t)t the S4«ithwr>t, thrrr arc 73

THE HONKSr HOL'SE

dii/fiis i)t natixf xmxhIs to be had in all U>- calitifs that are suitable tor paneling:. The country is full ot little sawmills where you can have your lumber finished to order, ami it would be the simplest thing in the worUi for a man to plan paneled walls for one ot the important rooms of his house — the hall, stairway, living-room, dining-room — which could be executed by any carpenter. Once paneled, it will last forever. There will be no after cost.

The trouble with us is we have not learned to look about us, to utilize the materials nearest us. We have so many beautitul woods — ash, oak, elm, birch, maple, poplar, Aellow and white pine, chestnut, cypress, cherr\-, walnut, the California redwood, aiul other local woods, all suitable for interior woodwork. The English ideal of paneling is oak, but certainly many other coarse- grained woods are ver\' beautiful ^\ hen prop- erly stained and waxed New woods have an unplensant rawness, and with the excep- tion ot a tew of the more expensive woods (notably walnut and cherrj') they should be stained before being waxed. Even the woods of the most beautiful grain and color are improved by an application of a light stain, because a stain brings out the lights and shadows of the grain as nothing else can.

We have seen so many houses with wood- work of yellow pine covered with a thick coat of shellac and then a coat of varnish, ap[)lied directly to the raw wood. The re- sult is a hideous, cheap, glaring and glassy wood. We have seen other houses which had trim paneling of the same wood with a little brown stain rubbed in, and then an application of black wax, and the effect was as good as an English oak paneling. Hard- wood should always be waxed, never var-

nished. The glare of the varnish kills the sott mellow (juality of the wood.

In old England, before paneling was used, \\all> were rough and primitive masses of stone and mortar, hung with arras and tapes- tries and leather to keep out the cold. The tirst paneling (and indeed much of modern English paneling) was hand-cut and carved, the result of great labor and thought and nicety of workmanship. The paneling of a tamih; was handed down in the wills, along with the plate and the tapestries. If the family moved to another home, the paneling was moved too.

Paneling began as a wainscot at the bot- tom of the wall, with the heavy hangings above it, and as the beaut}" of cleanliness and comfort became appreciated the loose hang- ings were removed and used as isolated dec- orations, and the walls were lined with carved oblongs of wood to the line of the ceiling, or to the line of a frieze. It is said that Henry III was the first king to use {)aneling, and he embellished the wood with gay colors and gold. From this painted pan- eling to the simple rectagonals of oak of Elizabeth's time is a great jump, and many beautiful and elaborate patterns of the in- tervening periods are still in evidence.

The Elizabethan paneling might be called the standard English paneling, because it is to be found in thousands of English houses, old and new. The wall is made up of rather small rectagonal panels, framed with a flat and narrow molding. On page 1 76 I am giving a working drawing of this panel- ing, with approximate dimensions. Some- times the oblong is larger, and sometimes smaller, but whether it be found in Powis Castle or an humble farmhouse the propor- tions of the panels are much the same.

174

THE TRADITIOX C)I- WOOD PANKLINC,

I'Jmuful K. (filchr'iti, Arrh'iim.

An effective example of fiinnnl interior ilesipti. It shows ilic liallway Irailiii); m ilie ilininK-rouin in i huuw at St. Marlins, Pliiiaiielphia.

I have seen this parrcrn iiscil in ever x) lioanl ;inil wotui when the wall was to In- many small houses hitelw ami ir i> always staineil, but when it is to \m- painted ereani f^ood, whether ir be staineil brown or ^ray or white or ^'ra\ what liitfereme d(>«-< it niakeY or painted cream or white. I have .seen a \\ liite painted panelin;; i^ a jH-rteet l>aek- room with the pattern on a foundation ot ;,'round for furniture of wimhIs of fine j;rain jxilp board, the oblong's franietl with two — walnut, maho;:any, rosewtHkl. and so and one-half-inch strips of wooil, the whole forth. The tir>t vopie of white panehn;; iniinted white. This, of eour.se, reiiueeil the wa.s in tiu- time «)t Oueen Anne, when imiih cost of panel in{^ to a nominal ti;,'ure, ami the of the heavy oak furniture j;avr way to the effect was very j,'ooii. .Some one may .ir;:ue defiant new wchxIs, and it Ixranic ncc«-s.sar)' to that such a use of pulp lioarii is not hone>t. hiul a new hackf,'round. Oh\iou>ly. oak pan- The chief use of i>anelin^' is to ^zive the elin;; belon;:ed to «iak furniture, ami m> white walls of a room ili^mity ami beautv. I paint was applied tc» panehn;: of chrapcr should not advocate the combination of pulp wihhIs, and was tiuite in keeping with the

^7^

THE HOXESl HOUSE

•Sc/izs of ' „.,^ ,

kicA — rrr — .j — j|i.. ^N^v^

The important things to remember in designing a pan- eled wall are: — the shape of the panels and the widths of the stiles between. The panels should have a width about two-thirds their height, and the stiles should not be, in general, over three inches wide.

satiny furniture and the- soft damasks. The crude tapestries and the sturdy oak furniture and the velvety brown of oak paneling is first in every Englishman's favor, however, and always will be.

The linen-fold pattern is as well known as the plain rectangular jianel, but the old linen-fold work was always done by hand, when every man was his own carpenter, archi- tect, and furniture maker, and now it is so expensive that it is seen only in the more costly houses. Certain English firms sup- ply the linen-fold paneling carved by hand, but it costs about two dollars a square foot. The same firms supply a plain rectangular

paneling at about ritty cents a square foot. You ma} now appreciate our advantage over the Englishman, for we can panel our walls at a fraction of this amount. I have seen recently a Colonial hall, long and wide and higii of ceiling, [laneled in white rectagonals for twenty dollars! OKI wood and home labor made this possible.

The linen fold is not available for many of us Americans, but it is full of suggestion to the man who likes to use his tools. I saw a beautiful oak chest made up of squares carved in the linen-fold manner, built by a young student of a technical school. An over-mantel made of .small linen-told panels is also very beautiful, and easy of accom- plishment.

In a house recently built on Long Island there is an enormous living-room paneled in chestnut. Ordinarily chestnut is expensive, but in the localities where the chestnut trees are dying, the lumber can be bought for very little, and these people were wise enough to seize this opportunit}*. Chestnut has a won- derful rosy tone in its natural state, and a soft, gray stain has been rubbed into the pan- eling, showing rosy lights.

There is a house in Boston in which the huge living-hall is paneled with cypress, an upright paneling ot broad boards running from the baseboard to the frieze line. Nar- row boards ot the same wood are applied where the broad boards meet, just as the nar- row boards are applied to the rectangular pan- eling, except in the upright paneling they run straight from the baseboard to frieze line, where they are finished with a projecting molding of the same wood. This cypress paneling had a little brown stain rubbed in and was then waxed, and the effect is very soft and mellow.

1-6

THE TRADITION OF WOOD PANKLING

An unusual farmhouse paneling composed of old pew doors came to mj- attention re- cently. Only a little while ago, it seems, the old village meeting-house was torn down, and ot course the old lumber went for a son".

o

The owner of this farmhouse, who had the seeing eye, bought all the pew doors and paneled his dining-room with them. The dining-room has quaint corner cupboards, also, and the effect of the diamond panes and the graceful white panels is very pleas- ant.

We are all familiar with the old New England farmhouses that hat! at least one wall, usually the chimney wall, made up of white painted wood [)aneling, and the other three walls plastentl and papcretl. This treatment is always pleasing in an old house, but it would be mistaken in a new one, un- less the new one happened to be a replica built to please some lover of quaint old cot- tages.

In Westport, Connecticut, there is a colony of artists who have bought old farmhouses and remodeled them, keeping the open tire-

[)laces and big timbers and beams, but adding many modern conv<niences — sleeping jHirches and hardwood Hoors. and adequate heating systems.

Most of the houses are a hundred years old, or tlu nabouts, and have heavily b<-amrd ceilings, and that of course invited paneling. I wish you could see those paneled dining- rooms — all planned b\ the artists them- selves, and executed b\ kaal workmen. The walls of one charming dining-room have a white painted paneling of an upright de>ign, similar to the one shown on tliis page. This paneling is finished at the top with a molding broad enough to be used as a shelf, which is just the place for a collection of Colonial things — pewter and bra.ss, and such — that are in keeping with the room.

.Another house has a low-ceiled duuug- room with most interesting w(H)dwork. This house was built in 17^0, and the new owner is very proud of his huge brown beams. The room is paneled with cypress of a brown tone. One whole wall is given up to two big china-closets, with a d(X)r Ixtween. .\n-

Hfre a simple rectangular paneling in brown oak is usnl elfccii*cl> in cunncdioii wiili ilw ilnglith bay window.

»77

IHK HONKSr HOl'SE

otlur wall is broken by the chinincy-piece, and a third by a glass dcK)r which kails to the sun- room.

The space between the top ot the ])an(ling ant! the ceiling of the fourth wall is rilled with a row ot little casement windows, about fourteen inches deep. In the center of the wall, just opposite the fireplace, the panels are recessed to make room for a long radia- tor, and in the space left between the top ot the radiator and the top of the paneling, about thirty inches, are Iniilt two long shelves which ma}- be used as warming-shelves, but usually hold [)itchers and tea things.

A soft-toned curtain hangs just under the lower shelf, hiding the radiator, and the effect suggests recessed bookshelves. So much of the wall space of this room is filled with the cupboards, radiator space, windows, doors, and mantel, that very little paneling was required.

These old farmhouses often have paneled walls in the most unexpected places. Often three outside walls of a long room are plas- tered, and the fourth wall — that leading into another room or a hallwa)' — is made up of oblongs of wood, usually painted white.

The stairs are finished with an upright p)aneling that creeps up, one board at a time, like the treads, and now and then you will find little cupboards and cabinets hidden in these stair-panels. The paneling be.side the chimney-piece usualh' hid a cupboard, cor- responding to the oven on the other side. That is one of the fascinating things about wood-[)aneling — it invites secret cupboards or patent ones, little cabinets for a few

treasures or big cupboards for magazines and books and smoking things.

There are so many excellent stains and wood-d)es and wax-oils to be had now. ) ou can experiment on a board of )our chosen wcxni.

Oak turniture ma) be treated in a do/en ditferent wa}s. from the soft grayish stain to the black-brown, but if your woodwork has a brown tone, light or dark, and a dull waxed finish, you need not worr\ about the har- mon) . The many shades of gra\- and brown are best, usually, but in a bungalow an up- right paneling might be stained one of the man}- wood greens. If jou are to use ma- hogany or such fine-grained furniture, your paneling may be stained a soft gray, or painted cream or white.

There is another method of paneling that is much used in modern American drawing- rooms, indeed wherever fine French furniture is to be used. This paneling comes to us from France, and Miss Elsie de Wolfe has been largely responsible for its vogue in America. The French method breaks the walls of a room into a series of large and graceful panels by the use of narrow mold- ings applied direct!)' to the plaster. The plaster, it goes without saying, must be good. If it has n't been done by a man who knows his business, it will crack, and that spoils everything. The wcxidwork and the moldings ot a room paneled in this manner are painted a faint shade lighter or darker than the walls. Cream, ivor}- white, putty- color, and French gray are the colors used, and the [laint is invariably flat, affording a suave background to elegant furniture.

176

" -c.

CHAPTER XXI

THE DKCOKAl ION Ol WALLS

THE fundamental principle of mural liecoration is: Walls arc back- grounds. Keep that in mind and you cannot go far wrong. The surface of the wall is supposed to be flat, and this flat- ness must be preserved, but structurally a wall has thickness as well as length and breadth, and therefore this solidity nuist not be concealeil b\ flimsy coverings. For in- stance, if )ou paper a wall from ceiling to floor with a flowered paper it would look as unstable as a muslin curtain, but if there is a baseboard at the bottom of the wall and a cornice or molding at the top, the strength of the wall is obvious, and you can use an\ [)aper or decoration you please.

The most distinguished wall treatments — the hangings of tapestries and other tex- tiles, the tooled leathers, the beautifid painteii panels of the mural artist — are not within the jirovince of these articles. The average householder employs two methods ot wall covering, wood paneling and plaster. We have discussed the possibilities ot wooil paneling in a former article. Plastercil

walls ma\ be divided into three group: the walls which depenti upon the natural color and uneven te.xture of the pla>t<r for decora- tion, the walls that are painted or distem- pered, and the walls that are paiH-rrd.

It \ou are building a new house, i)ay a little more for an expert phtstrrrr and do without wall-papers. A g<MKi wall otT«rs o|>- portunity tor real decoration, but an imiKT- tect wall must always be covereil with pa|)cr or textile in order to become a baik;:round.

i'apered walls are very g(HKl indeed when the paper is caretully selected after due con- sideration of the u.ses of the nxmi, the ex- posure of the winilows, and .so torfh, but papered walls cannot Ix* compared with painted walls for cleanlines.s ;ind dignity if the |)laster beneath the paint has Ivin pro|>- erlv ap|)lied. We see so tew giHKi painted walls that it seems hardly worth con.»itirr- ing them at all. Most iwople fake it for granted that the plaster will crack and srt- tle. 'Ihe\ wait |)atiently until that ordral i> over and then pa|x-r the walls.

I*l:Lstered walls arc vcr) plca.sint when

•79

THE HONEST HOUSE

left in the nariiral color of the plaster. In every locality this color vi'ries, according to the sand used. Sometimes the plaster is a pale biscuit color, sometimes a clear gray, but usuall}- it is a soft tan. The colors ma) be varied indefinitely by the addition ot a little pure color when the plaster is being mixed. The grain ot the plaster is like tlic texture of a fabric, pleasing in its rough- ness.

Given a good plastered wall, }ou can do many things. You may paint it cream or gra)- or tan, using a flat paint always, or you may tint it with one of the many cold- water paints sold tor the purpose. A painted or distempered wall may be broken into large panels by the use of a narrow molding, the molding being painted the same tone as the walls, or a lighter tone of the same color. Walls so painted should always be light in color.

Whitewashed walls are all ver\- well tor tro[)ical countries, but they are the most dit- ticult ot all walls to make beautiful. An artist can plan a room with white walls and achieve something worth while, but an ama- teur cannot. In the first place, the glare of white walls is very bad on the eyes. Again, white is not a background color, it is too cold and downright; you cannot get away from it. Walls are primarily backgrounds, so there you are. White may be softened and mellowed by mixing a little yellow with it. and it becomes cream or ivorj- or buff, suave and aristocratic. But dead white walls are never pleasant. A white marble bust, or a white [xircelain figurine outlined against a darker background is distinguished in effect, but the same object placed against a white wall would be pale and as uninter- esting as skimmed milk. White is one of

180

the precious colors, and should be used spar- ingly and skilfully, and not tor large areas.

In some parts of the country, notably the extreme South, walls are alwa\s white- washed. This treatment is either very good or \ erj' bad. It a room has white woodwork and a few pieces of handsome old furniture, whin- walls give it a severe formality that is commendable in a warm climate, where the inclination is to let things go.

^^'hite plastered walls with dark wood- work are distressingly glaring. Such a room rec}uires masses of green things to make it homelike. I know one Georgia drawing- room tliat has white walls and ceiling and woodwork, and a tioor of wide boards jiainted a dull green. A faded old rug of no particular color, a square piano, a davenport and several chairs of dark mahogany, and one old portrait above the mantel furnish the room. It is not necessary to comment on the quality of this room; few churches give }ou a feeling of greater quiet and reverence.

One can imagine whitewashed walls being ver}- appropriate to the stucco houses of Mexico and southern California, where the glare of the sunshine is tempered by thick walls and embrasured doors, and windows and many hanging vines. There the interi- ors have the atmosphere of sun-rooms with tiled tioors and light furniture and many growing plants. I am told that in those queer little islands, the Bermudas, every householder is required by law to whitewash his walls twice a year. The inhabitants are large!}- English people, and they know the decorative value of chintz, so they temper the glare of too-white walls by hanging lengths of gay fabrics against the white- washed surfaces, as we would hang pictures.

I had the entire lower floor of my own

THE DECORATION OI- WALES

\\'il»on Eyrr, Archiiett.

The pergola at "Tlic Clarlli," Slrafford, Pennsylvania. Note the effective contraM l>ct»een tlie vin« and the white columns.

hou.se painred a flat, soft pray, walls and (|iiict tone of it all, anil I actually like thr

woodwork. I considered lia\ inp a sli;^htl\ ileci) sliaiiows at nij^ht.

darker tone tor the woodwork, hut decided With this df«'|) j,'ray as backj^round, I have

that it would serve merely to emphasize the been able to use strong color in small thinpi.

smallness of the r(K)ms. One uiiliroken tone would make the hall, living-room and dining-- room one large apartment in effect. I n- wisely, I gave the painr<r a scrap ot soft velvet carpeting ot a iieli;_'hrtul gra\-tan.

I maile a deep orange velvet cover for thr living-room couch, and several large pillows are covered with this orange velvet and an orange ami gray figured challie. There i> a small table, jiainted black, at the lieail o\ thi>

the color of a little woolly animal, and went couch to lu)lil a lamp and smoking things,

away serenely expecting him to get just that The lighting fixtures are all ot |K-wtrr. al-

color. Hi did II t. He got a deep miilille m<»t exactly the color of the walls. The

tone of gra\ ttiat is vet)' lovely on sunny reading lamp is made of a crramy-whitr jar,

days, and when it snows in winter, but at with a shaile of orange col«»retl silk. This

night it darkens to a tleej) gray. 1 love tiie color, which lies l^-tween rrii and orange. i>

181

THE HONEST HOUSE

repcatt'il in many small thinps — in the pic- occasional rooms there are fascinating fig-

tiire over the mantel (a color print of one nrecl papers, reproductions ot the landscape

of Jules Gucrin's French chateaux), in many papers of the early nineteenth century, of

of the book bindings, in a little lacquer vase, the grotesque Chinese papers, or the tapestry

anil in Howers. Somehow there are always and foliage English papers designed by Wil-

flowers to be had of orange iuid red and sal- liam Morris and Walter Crane, and hun-

mon color. Just now my vases are filled dreds of gay bedroom paj)ers that are almost

w ith tat rose hips and bittersweet berries that irresistible.

will last all winter. I admit the temptation of figured papers.

The dining-room, which is really a part of \\'hen I go into a wall-paper shop I have

the living-riHMii, has the same color plan, the same greedy feeling I have in the early

Oak. furniture of a wami, waxed brown, spring when hundreds of flowered muslins

linen colored curtains; a rug with much old and sweet-smelling linens are spread out in

red and dark blue in it; a gay Carl Larrson the shops. I should like to buy dozens and

color print with splashes of his wonderful dozens! But flowered wall-papers become

red; an orange lacquer tray and a big green \ery tiresome if you live with them long,

jug of yellow flowers on the sideboard; and and nou would n't want to wear the sweetest

a blue and yellow Spanish bowl on a square rose-sprigged muslin that ever blossomed for

ot Chinese red brocade on the table. Ever}- years and years.

where spots of old blue, Italian yellow, or- \\'hen you buy wall-papers, consider the ange, and deep Chinese red against the gray rooms in w hich they are to be used. Con- walls, sider also the rooms that connect one with

Upstairs, the gray walls and woodwork another, for your o{)en doors will bring about

continue in the hall. There is a group of discord or harmony.

four windows on the stairs, bringing light Figured wall-papers are not to be con- and air to both floors, and in order to pull demned wholesale; man}- of them are beau- the two floors together and bring a little tiful. The main thing to guard against in color into the gray hall I had long side cur- selecting your paper is too realistic design, tains made of gray challie, with Japanese The more fantastic and conventionalized the figures of flame red and very dark blue in it. paper is, the better the result will be. A These long curtains are beautiful by day realistic wall-paper is dreadful for the simple and by night. The flame red is repeated in reason that walls are supposed to be flat sur- a number of pictures — black and white faces, and "natural" objects destroy this flat- prints with mats of Chinese paper exactly ness. The trouble with most people who use this color, and narrow black frames. No figured wall-papers is that they are not con- other color is needed in the hall. tent to let the design of the paper decorate

If the walls of }our house are too badly the room, and they pile on pictures and mir-

scarred and cracked to be painted, there are rors until the general effect is that of a gro-

hundreds of excellent papers to be found, tesque crazy-quilt.

For most rooms plain papers, or papers plain One of the most beautiful halls I have

in effect, are best. For long hallways and ever seen had a paneled wainscoting about

182

THE DECORATION OF \\A1,LS

MMlfS^lU

llarric T. I.indcbrrK, Architect. The dining-room of the Boardman Robinson house at Forest IlilU, Long Island, has waIN of poncrc color and woodwork of cream-white. Black chintz curtains patterned in hirds and flowers are used in the casement nindowv

toiir t(( r hi^'li, a wliinwashed c-cilin^' that kiiul, ami tin- tiiriiitiirf usihI in thr riHim with

dropped two tfet to a [)iitiire--molilin;^. and muIi a paper must hv carrtully chost-n. This

the space between tilled with a Chinrse paper particwhir hall hail tiirnifure of hhuk oak.

made up of impossible trees and vines and and ruj^s of plain ^'reen velvet, just the tour

flowers, wirli hundreds of <^orpeous birds ot the branches. This is an example ot a

perched anion},' them. Tliis paper was tlarin;^ [laper well used, copied from one of the rare old hanil-painted In my own little house I have useil a pajxr

{)apers ot a centur)- ago. The ^^round color very fantastic in d<sipi, but very sulxlued

was a deep \(llow. Each lenj^th ditfered in color, with e.\crllent effect. The r«>»»ni in

slight!} in tlcsign. there were ditjennt birds question is an upstairs sitting-nxmi, with

swinging on liitferent colored branches, but four big wimlows that give us vistas r;Lst,

the flat arrangement of the backgrouml and west, and south. The design of the pa|>rr

the brilliant plumage of the birds and the is maile up of peactxks with sweeping tails,

queer greens of tlie br.iiu lies gave the etiVct perched on flowery Inuighs. But it is thr

of an ord<rl\. well-balanced design. Of .softest paj>er in tone, in color, in quality.

course IK) pictures are used on a paper of this It has no sheen. The c(»lors arc dull blues

i«^

THK HONEST HOUSE

and j^rct-ns and j,'ra\-iiiaiivi> on a dark pray ground. The wootlMork has been painted a lij^ht blue-green, jii^t the c()U)r ot the tail feathers ot the peacocks. The ceiling was siii>p()sed to be ot shimmering silver, but it does n't shimmer, and sooner or later I am going to go over it with a thin coat ot gold. Thar will make it lovel}. The furniture in the room includes a black oak desk, a black oak table for books and magazines, a pair of old Japanese chests of black and gray cedar, and a large day bed painted blue- green.

The color of this room is so jo)ous it does n't seem possible that it took so long to plan it. The curtains were easy — a lovely Japanese chintz of blue and green and silver, with the silver dominant. This stuflF looks like a brocade, stiff with metal, but it costs only fifty cents a yard. The rug was a hideous thing of velvet — a gift — heavy of pile and shocking in design. I had it dyed black, jet black, and it is very fine indeed, not gloomy — it is soft and deep and warm looking, and throws all the other colors in the room into proper im[)ortance. I tried all sorts of colors on the da\- bed, and they were all too low in key. Finally I brought out a piece of deep sulphur yellow velvet, and it was just what the room needed. So I made a cover and pillows of it. There is also a pillow of the curtain stuff, and an- other ot yellow with Chinese figures in it. Later, I brought in several things of vivid flame color and peacock blue — and a tall gra}- jar of real peacock feathers for my desk, and now the room is full of color but not in the least jarring.

There are hundreds of papers of good de- sign and color in the market to-day, papers decorative enough to carr\- rooms far toward

beaut)'. The power of selection is all that is needed.

The hall is the most formal antl least used part of the house, and therefore the very [)lace for papers of bold design. The old landscape papers that were planned tor the halls of Colonial houses are being revived, but rhcy are suitable only to those long halls with doors opening just so, and stately stair- cases, and massive mahogany furniture. The hall shown in the illustration on page iSf is admirably planned. The white of the woodwork and the polished wood of the stair and the furniture is perfect with the dark landscape paper.

There are hundreds of foliage papers on the market. Some of them have designs in the tapestry colorings, and are very allur- ing. They may be used as friezes above the wainscoting or paneling of a hall or dining- room. Recently I saw a hall in a cit}- house papered with a foliage paper made of many gray and white leaves, and the elTect was very cool and prim. A similar paper of green leaves would be delightful in a country cottage hall, used in combination with white paint and green painted furniture.

Ot course this does n't apply to halls that open directly into living-rooms with no doors between them. A bold paper should always be used in a room that has doors that open and shut.

Be careful of your bedrooms. Bedrooms invite gay papers copied from old English chintzes and French fabrics of the eighteenth century. You can do almost anything you like with your bedroom, but it must be planned just as carefully as the other rooms of the house. If you have a collection of small pictures and photographs you cannot put away, paper your walls with a plain

184

THE DECORA riON Ol- WALLS

lias a -^lass to() inset, and undt-r it I have a It-npth of" tirern and blue and silver cloth. All the little bottles and thin;;.s on tl>e dress- in;,' table an of queer Chinese blues and ;,'reens. I |)itked them up in Chinatown. The curtains are of a sunprcKjf material of >ilk and linen, of nmlbe-rry with little yellow threads in it.

Another one ot m\ bednMims is pa|>ered with a plain elover pink pa|)er. The furni- ture is hucjuered blaek. the wcHnlwork cream, and the chinf/ an En;,'lish one with birds of paradise and funn\ Howers in dark red, clover jiink. dull ;:reen and yellow on a cream ^^round. .Another little rcxim has an old- fashioned |)aper s|)rinkleci with little ba^ket^ of blue and rose posies. Her«- I used a black

Umnu li) t S L'lini'tiian

A Coldiiial hallway with its generous staircavc, ami large wall spaces decorated hy an old-fashioned landscape wall-paper.

color, as p;ay as you please, and be happy.

You will lose your ;:;ood spirits and friends

it \()u cover your walls with a pajx-r of lar;;;e

design, and then cover the paper with photo- chest of drawers, and covered the bed with

gra[)hs and bridge score-cards, and calendars an old blue woven coverl«-t. \\m s«-e. so

and odds and ends. much of m\ house is gray I feel I can afford

In selecting my own wall-papers, I de- gay papers in these rooms, cided to give up picturts ami odil^ and ends The sho[)s have been very proud tc) offer and to have just the paper I coveted for figured wall-|)a|H'rs and chint/.«-s to match, my own bedroom. .All ni)' bedrooms have the last few \«-ars, though why any one cream-coloreci woodwork and cream ceilings, should wish to have so much of the same h\ the w a\ . and ^o it was necessary to select design in a rcxim, I cannot understand. The papers with cream grounds. M}- bedroom plain wall-paper always invites figured paper is a reproduction of an old Japanese chint'/ hangings, and the figured pa[X'r in- one with all sorts of legendary flowers and vites plain colored hangings, trees and temples and birds upon it. The I once sj»cnt a night in a fvdroom that was pnxailing colors were soft jade gncn and sup|)o.sed to be a "sweet-jH-a riK>ii)" by its mulberry, on a cream ground. The dress- misguided owner. The walls were ctn- ing table, the chest of drawers, a high back ered with sweet jH-as, millions of thnii, s<» chair, and the wooden bed were all painted violentl\ colored as to Iv a lih-l to the tr.ig- exactly the green of the little islands in the ile butterHy flowers that inspired the paper, paper. Ihe curtains were ot a sweet-i»ea chintz "to

There is to be a little green bedside table, match." The furniture covering and the

and a bedspread of cream, and a large rug hangings were of the same chintz, and e\er>

of cream and mulberry, when I tind th<-m. inncnent wmxlen sjiacT — drawer front.s and

The litrli nig I 1ki\c is a wee one. bur it i^ chair back.s, and so forth — w;us painted with

exactly right in color. 'Ihe dressing table more sweet jx-as. I never w.mted to srr an-

.85

iHK HOXKST HOUSE

other swt-et pea when I left tliar unlia|)i)y is so indescribabh lovel). There was much

room! color in the room, in small thinjjs, but the

Another custom the shops have thrust upon effect ot it was as rctrcshin^' and coolin<; as

us is the scalloi)ed border tor beilroom pa- a f^roup of silver birches in a ileep wood,

pers. I am so tired ot pink-rose wall-papers You could shut }()ur eyes and feel the color,

with carefully scissored and scalloped bor- Brown and buff and cream and tan have

ders in bedrooms! The nicest thinj^ about been tlic well-bred friends of homemakers for

roses is that the) aren't prim and careful, )ears, but j^ray has just rccentl) come into

and th(\ do not repeat themselves. I am its own. (iold papers are sometimes good,

sure we should all grow frightfully tired of when they are made by Orientals, but do-

them if we had every petal in replica. mestic gold paper usually has a greenish

But the color of tin- rose — that is differ- tinge, and blackens unpleasantly with age.

ent. That we ma\ take for our own and en- A room with one of these tarnished papers

jo\. ^^'hen I was a little girl we called soft has the effect of plated table-ware when the

pink "pink," and that dreadful candy-pink silver has worn off — it tempers your pleas-

that is so vulgar we called "pank." ure.

Rose color is as different from pink or The gold-leaf and silver-leaf papers of pank as orange is from canary. I alwa\s Japan are very beautiful, and are much used think of them as pinks and panks now, the by artists for covering ceilings and screens pleasant and unpleasant tones. Rose is a and occasionally for walls, but gold-leaf pa- young girl's own color. Another good [link pers must be used with discrimination, and is the shade the Chinese use so much in their the hangings used with them must be care- porcelains, and the English use so much in tully chosen.

their chintzes — a deep pink with a hint of Gold papers are more often used success- gray in it. This is real l}niy clover pink. fullj^ on ceilings than on walls. Many a

Gra}- and tan are good wall colors, but gloomy hall would be vasth' improved it its

they absorb the light most extravagantly. I ceiling were washed in gold, or covered

like brown walls when they are ot paneled with gold paper. Gold invites Chinese red

wood, but usually brown is not a pleasant lacquer, and bronze green velvets, and dark

color in paper. waxed oak furniture. The silver paper that

There is a dark tobacco-brown paper .Ia[)anese artists use so well is a perfect

(Japanese of course) that is lovely in tex- background for violet, and old blues, and

ture, soft and changing and shadowy, and pale yellows, and vivid light greens. Grass

not vet)' expensive, but the ordinary brown cloth is a sort of betwixt-and-between stuff

papers are coarse, ami tlirr\ looking. A cool that has the sheen of gold or silver and the

tan is much pleasanter. texture of coarse linen. It costs more than

Gra)- papers are charming in south rooms, wall paper, but it lasts well. Grass cloth

I saw a wondertul room lately with walls has horizontal lines, and should not be used

covered with gray Japanese grass cloth, wood- in low-ceiled rooms. In silver-gray, gold,

work stained a silver gray, and ceiling cov- cream, tan or buff it is an unobtrusive back-

ered with that silvered Japanese paper that ground for good furniture.

186

THE DECOHATIOX Ol WALLS

Drawn l.y (■ s I r. HI, III... I

'rhe>e rooms have the serenity which comes from bare floors and plain walls. A glimpse of the Casa Blanca at St. Angel, Mexico.

Rliif is the nicest color in the workl, the heavenly color, but it is not tor walls. It is too precious a color for large s[iaccs. Think twice about blue. Blue hanj^in;?; and porcelains, and gray or tan or cream or buff or sage green walls, ami rugs with rose ami more blue — yoii could make huiuireds t)t color plans with liliir ;i- the dominant color, Iiuf it is n't n<'cessar\' to spread it our on your walls. Blue ami white figunil papers are all

1S7

rigiit, tor thin there is more white than blue, and a bedroom with such a pai^er and white wtKKJwork and furniture and muslin curtains would be as sweet as a spring morning. Blue \\ hen used as a hou.se color should always br a soft blue or a darker Chini-se blue. Baby I'lue is a feeble color for ilecorative jmr- poses.

Green and red have been so long and so badly misused that I 'd rather say, do not use them at all, than give any advice that will lead to the perpetration of further mis- dieds.

Green we love because Nature loves it so, iiiit we bring greens into our hou.s<'s that Na- ture would not tolerate. The strong greens ami the strong reds are b«-st left outdoors. I'liere Nature takes care of them, and m;is>es other greens with them.

But tor interiors we had lM*st use the de- rivatives of these colors, and use the pure greens and reds only in emlx-lli.shing Mjft- roned backgrounds. In a sunro<«n or a room with man}- wimlows you can use an ama/ing amount of green but it must be the right green.

The outdoor greens are only suitable for sunshin\' rooms that are to be treated as iiut- door nxims. For int<riors bluc-grerns and bron/e-greens and .s:ige-greens and black- greens are best. They should be u.sed as blue is used, with some softer color for b.uk- grouml.

"S'ellow is the pleasantrst of all wall ct»lors. B(x)ks have been written in its praise, of its aristcx-ratic influence in city draw •

of its sunshiny atmosphere, ot it.^ su _ _

gestion of pros|VTity. Ymi amid not grt vcrv glooni) in a room with walls of wanu \(lIow. But — fhire are yellows and yel- lows! I once knew a man who pr»>trsrrd

'IHK HONKST HOISE

that blue \va> liliic: you coulii n't ;,'(t away troni that I

Now fvt-ry woman knows that blue is a most versatik- rolor; it is a luimlrcd thin}j;s, pleasant anil unpirasant, but you cannot mix blut'S rtckicssh and expect harnion).

Yellow also has to be handled with caretul thou^'hr anil consideration. It it has a creamy tone, it is suave and gracious, just the color tor a paintetl wall that is to be broken into large paneled spaces by narrow molding.

It it has a rosy tone, it is delicious enough to eat, smiling and ga}' and full of the cheer of sunshine, and the jiroper color tor the walls of the family living-room. It it is deeper, with a leaning toward orange, it will be su-

perb in a darkened north rix)m, with heavy brown furniture and nuich cream paint antl nuislin and an occasional splash of coral red, or tlame red, as you prefer.

CJreen-\ellow is ugly and depressing, like a sour smile. I have seen canary yellow used wirli mauve and gray in a French wall-paper, but I shdiiKI not like to Ii\c with ir. Sul- phur yellow is also ugly in large masses. But both these yellows can be used successtully by any one who can handle color.

Orange, pure and simple, is a magnificent color, bur it should be used sparingly. Too nuich of it is distressing. A cream bowl of orange flowers and green leaves against a creamy-yellow wall — that is one of the things that makes one appreciate the gift of eyes!

188

CHAPTEH XXII

THE RIGHT ISF, OF (THTAIXS

ONE of the New \'ork papers re- while the people of the tenements arc forced

oently contained a .scathing editorial hy law to have a certain amount of light and

on the cit) women who make cave- air, the cave-dwellers of the brown>tone

tlucllers ot their taniilics b\' having curtains, houses have no one to say them nay, and ^*

and then more curtains, and more curtains, bring u() their pallid families in air-tight

so that whatever light ami air nun be out- houses.

side, very little ever gets into the rooms ot tiie The city woman is not peculiar in her dread city house. of light and air. Every little town h;Ls a The editorial was well deserved, for the gomlly number ot houses with windows al- present mode of curtaining New York win- ways tightly shuttered. I have .seen tidy cot- dows seems to be to hang an expensive lace tages in New Englanii with wintlow> that curtain tiat against the glass, the full length of have not been opened in years. There w;tv the window; inside that, there is usual! \ a a time when [K-ople had to pay faxe> tor the holland shade (as if the many curtains were privilege of windows, so much t»>r each win- not enough I j ; then another pair of lace cur- dow. One can imagine that those early win- tains, looped back to give just a little tri- dows were really appreciateii, that they were angular view of the glass curtain; then a allowed to give rlnlr tull inr.i-nrc .>t h^lit jxiir of very heavy velvet or brcK-ade cur- ami air.

tains, lined and interlined, hanging straight Perhaps .some day. when health is just 05

or looped slightly and finished with a deep nnich a matter of law as honesty, it will hr

titted top, similar to the hiileous lambre(]uins a misilem«-anor to be ill »ir cross, and a tax

of the \ictorian era of decoration. will be imposeil on closed wimiowsl

By the time all tli.se draperies have been "S'ou can walk along the street and •■>i/.c

adjusteil tli< re is ver\ little chance for light peojile u|»" by the way they treat their w m-

or air. Tlie editor in ijuestion remarked that dows. When \ou -ee huge vas<^ ot artih. lal

189

THE HONEST HOISE

flowers bctwtrn the lace curtains arnl ^lass, script houses the windows are spotted singl}-

tor outsiders to enjoy, you may be sure the over the surface with no apjiarent rime or

people are "showing off." Closely drawn reason, and are ver}- ugly. Often these

curtairLs and shades pulled down just-so sug- scattered single windows ma} be pulled into

gest a too-neat housekeeper with a dread of a group. For instance, if a room has one

light and air. or a room too fine to use. side wall broken b)- two windows, about four

R(H)ms should n't be too fine to use. Here feet ajiart, the space between may be tilleil is a house with lace curtains at the parlor with a new window. The room will be nuich windows, ragged net ones at others, and pleasanter, and the exterior will have a new shabb\- ilotted swiss ones at servants' rooms interest, for the three windows will form a and basement — you know very well what to logical break in the wall. People are al- expect of the people behind tlic windows, ways "improving" their houses by adding Then you come to a |)lain little shoe-bo.\ of bay windows, which usually look like ex- a house, such a humble little house no one pensive excrescences, when by expending would think of looking to it for a lesson in about the same money and a little more decoration, and you find real windows, shin- thought they could make the whole house ing and clean, with fresh white curtains hang- more interesting by pulling the scattered win- ing straight and full, and green painted win- dows into well-bahmced groups. dow-boxes full of growing things fastened to A group of windows often invites a the ledges outside. You know the dvvellers broad window-seat. The window-seat may in the little house are nice people, anti that be constructed to cover a long, low radiator, they appreciate the privilege of win^lows. with a lattice for the heat to filter through.

Windows are intended primarily as dis- Such a seat should have a long fitted pad, pensers of light and air, but like all archi- mattress fashion, of some fabric that will tectural details that are of practical value, be in keep:)ing with the other fabrics and they are also of the greatest decorative im- colors of the room, and that will fade to an portance. Too many windows are as bad agreeable tone, for fade it will, you may be as too few. It is n't that we need so many sure of that. However, grays and browns more windows, but that we need a better and tans fade to even pleasanter tones than grouping of those we have. That is one the)- had when they came from the dye-pots, thing the modern architect does supremely In a small dining-room a group of win- well : he makes the most of windows inside dows will invite a square or an jblong din- the house and out. Instead of spotting the ing-table, placed at right angles to the win- exterior of a house with many windows, dow-sill. I have often watched women badl\- proportioned and badly balanced, he scramble for the tables nearest the windows in groups the windows so that they decorate the tea-rooms and restaurants, and yet their own exterior and make the interior a place of dining-tables are always placed exactly in sweetness and light. the middle of the room, no matter how small

The single windows in Colonial houses are or how gloomy it may be. It is not always

placed with geometrical precision, and are practicable to jilace }our dining-table under

dignified in effect, but in so many nonde- the windows, but when it is — do it I You

190

THE RIGHT ISK OI ( I U lAlXS

Ntellur Ic MriRv Archiirctt. This fascinating detail of the entrance to the olfice of the architects in Philadelphia i> full of helpful <uKt!"' tions for small house work. The casements are of metal.

can make tin- room even more dcli^'hrtul by plarcil flu- dinin^'-room tablf apiinst thr cast

hinliiin^ a lonj; .slielt umlrr tin- thrcf win- wall, iiiulir a t,'n)iii> ot tour wiiult>\v>. Tltc

dows, and havinj; a row ot plants on tin- tablf is a rrprodiution of an old Knjilish rr-

shelves. You will alwa\s liavt- trt'.sh j^ret-n tVctory table, seven t'ert by tour. It was

thinji.s, and you '11 always ttel tbat meal- iiuuh too lar^r to bi- placed in the nuiiiile

time is a ^■.\\;\ occasion. ot the tioor, but is mo>t suix-j-sstul under the

The dinin^'-room in mv own little hmise is windows. We pull the chairs up nruund it,

[•(■all} a parr ot the livinp-room. and I diil and look out the wind<»ws. When the doj;

not want it conventional, with a table sit wotnl is in bItKiiu, or when the first sni»w

S(]uarely in the middle ot tlit floor, so I storm comes, we can offer our trirud- r. i!

it>i

THE HONESl HOUSE

In this drawing note the method of screening the radiator which is under the seat. Note also the picturesque-

ncss of the window arrangement with its small panes and simple hangings.

entertainment with their dinner. Then in- shelves to hold plants. A lattice may be deed do we appreciate the privilege of win- built around the windows, and ivy trained dows. There are so man}- trees outside that over it. This, of course, it there are Jther there is no glare in your ejes, facing the windows in the room. The flowers will light, and our friends find it a very happy darken the room slightly, arrangement. You can see how it is placed Don't permit curtains that will interfere in the photograph on page 199. On gala with the pleasure of living. The best cur- occasions we pull the table out into the mid- tains in the world are made of sheer white die of the floor and .seat twelve people com- swiss muslin. You can be sure they 're al- fortably. But there are few such occasions, ways clean. You are n't worried about peo- It you have a bay window in your house, pie looking in, and if you want to look out use it! Take down the heavy curtains and you can pull them aside, draperies, and remove the marble-topped The most beautiful windows are treated table with its fine vase that has been viewed architecturally, and require only a heav}- side by passers-by for these many jears, and make curtain that may be drawn at night. Made the little recess a useful place. A big arm- up ot \\'ell-balanced sashes subdivided into chair and a sewing-table, or a broad window- rectangular or diamond panes by leads or seat with narrow shelves for books at the small moldings, such a window is a joy in ends, or a low table with a big chair on itself. It doesn't need curtains. If you each side of it — any of these combinations can afford the glass that is uneven in cjuality will make the recess most inviting. If it (amber is the nicest color of all) your win- has a sunny exposure, you can easily make dow will be a jewel, as full of changing color a flower room of it. In this case, take as an opal. I love those stately old houses down all the thin curtains and build many on Beacon Hill in Boston, with their panes

192

THE RIGHT I SK OF CL KIALNS

of violet and lavender ^lass. If one of these precious panes is broken the Bostonian's heart is broken also, and he seeks until he finds another piece of misty gray or lavender glass that will fit into his window.

If your house is built with thick walls ask your architect to see that you have broail in- terior window sills. Nothing adiis more to the attractiveness of a room than a row of flower pots on a broad window sill. Some- how I can't imagine an English cottage case- ment window without a very crisp white mus- lin curtain and an orderl) row ot red geran- iums on the sill. A bird sings merrily in a yellow reed cage, the flowers always bloom, the curtains never lose their crispness, in my imagination. This vision of mine has been

tostered b)- the pictures of hundreds of art- ists, and grim reality does not change it. Therefore, this must l>e the ideal window treatment — all poets will agree with me!

We are so cursed with Hies and mosquitoes in .\merica that we can't consider our win- dow curtains until we have arranged for wire screens. Window shades are ahnost as great a nuisance, but we can do without them by having two sets of curtains. Window shades temper the light, and are usually necessary to bednwms, even if )ou manage to do without them in the living-rtxim. If you must have them, be sure that they look well trom the outside of the house. If they are tan or ecru or linen colond they will not br objectionable, but if they are white

WiUon K» re, .\rcliilccl. Tlu. ki.rlKM., when well <onsiclcrc-.l, in.iy l.<r ^ay a.ul cherrful.-.. it i. in ihi. hou- a. Kort^ HilK I^oR t.Und.

THE HONEST HOUSE

or dark green they will be very glaring. Ot course it }()ur house is painted white, you can use white shades, but be careful not to get a sickly blue-white.

It is almost impossible to use a holland shade at a ciisement window. The wire screen is almost as difficult. It you have the screen placed outside the window, you can have a built-on \\ iiulow-box outside, but tlie casement will have to swing in. If you have the casement swing outward, the screen will have to be removed ever}- time you wish to open or close the window.

Casement windows are best curtained with thin white net or muslin, shirred at the top and bottom on small brass rods so that the window may be opened without the vexation of trapping curtain. Casements made of leaded panes of colored glass do not require thin curtains. A heavy curtain that may be drawn across the window at night is all that is necessary.

,\ heav)- curtain has great possibilities for beauty. When you choose the fabric, select some stuff that is good in design and texture, especially at night, for while almost any heavy curtain is attractive enough when jnilled to one side in heavy folds by day, when it is drawn at night it should be even more so — it should be decorative. I like a curtain that shimmers at night, a soft fabric with silk threads, or one of those lovely Jap- anese cottons that are printed in metals and dull colors — bronze and silver, orange and brown, on a tan ground. Such fabrics cost no more than ordinary reps and velveteen.

The day of lace curtains has gone for- ever. This is one of the reforms of which we are sure. Despite the fact that millions of pairs of lace curtains are sold each }ear, no one that aou know buvs them. Realh'.

there might be an adage: By their lace cur- tains ye shall not know them!

I am so often asked "how. long [larlor cur- tains should be," or how new curtains are made, or whether curtains are draped. The treatment of window curtains is exceedingly simple because it is invariably based on com- mon sense. The drapings and puffings of other days are unknown to the modern decor- ator. The main things to remember are :

Crlass curtains are nicest when they are of white or cream net or muslin or scrim. Natural-colored linen scrmi also is good. A two-inch hem on both sides and the bottom and a two-inch casing at the top are the usual finish. Sometimes they are rinished with hemstitching, if you care to take the trouble.

These thin curtains are strung on a small brass rod and are hung as close to the glass as possible. The lower hem barely escapes the sill at the bottom. The curtains may hang in straight folds, or may be pushed to the sides by day. If they are made of net, it will not be necessar}' to {)ush them aside, for net is thin enough to see through. Rut- fled curtains, crossed and looped back, often appeal to us just because of their cleanly, fresh appearance, but plain ones are nicer. Ruffles belong on wearing apparel, not on house-furnishings. Occasionally one sees muslin curtains finished with an old-fash- ioned ball fringe. These curtains are usually held back by white cords during the da}', but they should be released from the cords at night.

Windows that go all the way to the floor of course should have glass curtains that barely cover the glass and side curtains that just escape the floor. French windows are treated differently; here two small brass rods must be used on each panel, confining the top

194

THE UK. HI I SK ()1- CL KIAIN.^

and bottom hems of the thin curtains. Casement windows are often treated in the same way. Small casements may have short sash curtains, loose at the bottom. It the casements open out, the white curtains an- often eliminated and inside curtains of silk or linen or cretonne are fixed to the inside win- dow trim. These curtains are maile with plaited valances.

When side curtains of chintz or such a fabric are used at the double-hunp windows there may be a fitted valance, or a plaited ruffle at the top of the window. This valance should have its own rod, so that the chint'/. curtains beneath it mav be drawn to-

f^ether at nitzht. Many |)eople strinf: the valance and side curtains on the same iH>lr, and while this is n't exactly :is it .should br, the framing of the f^ay chintz is very nice to look upon. If several rofjnis oiM-n toyetlu-r, and the wall treatments are the same, the side curtains should also Ix- the same.

When glass doors lead to an outdoor din- ing-room, or a little conservatory, or an en- closed piazza, the effect is very phx-ant in- deed, because you can enjoy the sun>hiiu- and flowers and the feeling of outd(K)rs while you toast your feet by a real fire within. I'su- ally these glass d(X)rs are maile French fashion, of two long narrow --ashe^, rat h rwo

... , , ,,,,,, .Mliro & LindrtwiK. Arrhncct*.

ranKr.l for .he ITench windows. The hou.e a> a «h..lr i, full ..f «.KKC^...mN anJ ... «ell--ua.cO dc.l m., be easily applied .o small house desiRii. 1. is liHraied a. Whi.r Plains. New \ork.

'9i

THE HONEST HOUSE

panes wide, and many panes deep. The best method ot curtaining the sash is to shir a soft white or cream stuff — muslin or net — on small brass rods, the top rcxl being {jjaced at the second bar from the top, and the lower rod beinp placed at the very bot- tom of the glass panes. This leaves an open square of four panes at the top ot the sash.

Plan }our windows for sunshine and air, and then ret use to have a wall-paper or a rug that will not stand the test of the sun- sliine. This is a pretty good rule for the furnishings of your house. And if you are willing to spend your money for qualitw — even if you have to deny yourself certain things you like, — your house will reflect the wisdom of your action.

A studio near Hartford, Connecticut.

196

CHAl'TKH XXIII

BEFOHK vol m V vol K 1 1 KM IIKE

H(^\y mail) women rcalh clcridc what thf turnituR' of their houses will be-? There is a nice theor\' that wiien a woman has a house to be turnisheci slii has a neat little list ot all the thinj^s she will require in that house, ami all she needs is a few days' time and a certain amount ot mone\ and an obliging; salesman, and Ik r hou^e will be furnished. There nia\ b<- women who have actually bouj^ht the furniture ori;j;inally planned for their houses, but I haven't known rheni.

Certain!) most of the women I know have had this f^rave matter decided tor them In some particularly j^ood piece of turnitiire that has come to them, and this piece ot furniture ;_'raduall\ inHueni'es the equipment of the rest of the house. It ma) be a <;;rand- fathcr's clock of mahogany, or an old ro.se- wood table, or a walnut .sofa, or a tjuaint old oak chest, or e\ <-n a Chinese vase or a French etching. But its influriuc is inevitable.

Houses cannot be furnisheti in a tew weeks, or a few months, save b) experienceil

decorators. It jou plunjje in des[HTat<ly and do all your shopping in a few dajs, as so man) bewildered )oun;i brides ilo. you will want to be^in eliminating' )our mistakes before rh( )tar is out. H;Lsty shopping: is always a series of comi)roniises. no matter how careful 1) )()u have planned it Ix-tore- hand.

\\ h) are we so afraid of our houses s«"rm- in^' bare and empt) "? Why aren't wr him- est en()u;^h to bu) tiling as we actually re- quire themV \Vh\ lio we a|)oloj;i/e tor the kitchen table in the dinini;-riM)in, when the fine old chairs e.\|)lain the situation V .\ny one with an ounce of imajcination will know we are waiting' until w«- can atfonl the pro|)rr table for those chairs, anil wliy shouKl wc concern ourselves with [H-ople who have no imaf^ination'i'

There are so man\ ot u^ \viu> n.m) ".mi simple thin;,'s, and yet we conipronii-r b\ buyinj; thinjis that do not nir.isurc up ' standartis. IWause the {greatest number of women are content with thin;r- oi hidrou* tlr- si^'n, wicked color ami alximinablj cheap r.\-

'97

THE HONEST HOl'SE

ecution. the rest of us, who reall}- want sini- Fourth, the light-weight furniture that is

pie and durable things, sigh and compromise constructed ot reeds, rattan, and so forth,

because, we argue, "Here is mj- house ready that comes to us from China, the Philippines,

ami waiting. It must have this and that at the weavers of Europe ami our own willow-

once, because other women's houses have this craft workmen.

and that. I 'd like to look further, but I Of late another sort of furniture has been

am so tired, and, after all, this is the best put on the market that will some day be

thin" I have seen I" Haven't vou made useful to many of us. This is the cement

this compromise, over and over"? And or terra-cotta furniture made from old

haven't you finally thrown away half your Italian models, and most suitable for gar-

hastily purchased furniture in sheer disgust"? tlens and hallways of stucco houses, but we

I have! need not concern ourselves with this furni-

If you start out with the determination to ture in this chapter, have mahogany furniture onh', or oak, or You can associate furniture of each of the walnut, or whatever }ou may like, }our first four classes pleasantly in one room, if house will be absolutely unobjectionable, but the design and color are in harmony. For you won't have vet}' nuich fun with it. If, instance, jou can use a mahogany table and however, you have a few pieces of furniture chintz-covered couch and willow chairs and that you love too much to give up, and you a chest of drawers of painted wood in one have to search and search for every new room, or you can use oak furniture, tapestry- thing vou buy so that it will be friendly covered chairs, a black lacquer chest and with the old things, your house will be a Chinese reed chairs together. The Oriental nuiih plcasantcr [ilace to live in. lacquer furniture and the Occidental

The furniture that most of us buy may be painted furniture are not friendly, just as

divided into four groups: oak and mahogany are usually unfriendly,

First, wooden furniture that is oiled or but any one of the decorated woods may be

waxed so that the grain and color of the combined with any one of the stained and

wood is its own decoration, such as oak, ma- waxed woods if the selection is made care-

hogany, walnut, and so forth. fully.

Second, wooden furniture that is covered If you had a piece of black-and-gold lac-

with paint and lacquer or gilt, such as the quer furniture, for instance, you would be

quaint Colonial furniture with fiat ground careful to select a covering for your uphol-

colors and decorations of posies and gar- stered chairs that would be of plain color,

lands, and the lacquered Chinese furniture in or of a design in keeping with the design

which conventional decorations of gold are employed on the lacquer. It would be silly

applied to a ground of green, red, or black to associate chairs decorated with primrose

lacquer, and the simple models painted or garlands and lacquered furniture covered

enameled in one tone. with fantastic temples, ships and Chinamen,

Third, the furniture that is covered wholly in the same room. And }et either of these

or in part with tapestries, leathers, chintzes chairs, if used in connection with oak or ma-

and the many less expensive fabrics. hogany furniture, would be ver}' pleasant.

198

BEFORE YOU BUY YOUR FURNITURE

WilMin K>rc, Architect. This view, taken in Mrs. (Joodnow's house at Forest Hills. Long Island, shows a portion of the livinR and din- ing rooms. Note the use of hangings to give color to the walls.

Fortunatel}-, wc arc no longer forced to buy sets ot thiri'^s. \\'e buy a cliair because it is comfortable and because it is beautiful, but we do nor wish to repeat the chair. We would rather have a second chair of a dif- ferent kind. The only room that really in- vites a "set" of chairs is the dinin;;-room, and there is a ^'reat opporrunity for gaiety and charm in this erstwhile formal room if you po about its furnishing in the ri;_'ht spirit.

Ever so many new houses are built with- out any real "dining-room." If the family

is .small and their life i^ Mmi)le, a hufjr liv- ing-room with a cormr tor dining is sensi- ble. In my own hou>e the dining- and living-rooms are practically one, .s<i 1 avoided all the ugly "dining-roomy" things, anil 1 keep the gla.ss and china in the kitchen.

We have to be careful alxmt mi.\ing wtMxts that de|)inil on their grain and |K)Iish for their beauty, but there are so many lovrly things in willow and rattan, in chinty and fapestrv coverings, that wr may asMviatr with our fine jwlished wcxxls and gel ranark-

199

THE HONEST HOUSE

able ctfecti;. There is something so ver)- drear\- about a proper room, with a set of furniture carefully matched, and sets of pic- tures and vases and books — not an accidental anywhere I

The secret of the association of furniture is: Harmon}- of colt)r aiui line ami titsi^n. Oak and mahogany are both beautiful woods in themselves, and if darkened b\- aj^e and usage they may be used together, but it the oak is very brown and the mahogany very red, each cheapens the other. The oak seems coarse and colorless, and the mahog- any seems impossibly red and shiny.

If your living-r(X)m is paneled or wains- coted in oak, and you have a particularly- good Stuart chair \\-ith turned legs and cane inset to build on, \ovi need not wait until you can bu}- other turniture of the same pe- riod as the chair. I know a very successful living-room furnished with objects of wideh- different types. There is an oak Windsor chair of the old kitchen t}pe, a reproduction of a Cromwell ian chair with oak frame and leather seat and back, a j)erfectly new up- right piano of absolutely simple lines, a small table of unpretentious design, and a graceful Stuart chair, all in perfect accord with the spirit of the oak paneling. One beauty of such simplicity is that a fine tap- estry-covered chair might be introduced into this room, and the piano and kitchen chair would still be at home.

This room might have been spoiled in a dozen different ways. If the piano had been "ornamented" a bit with geometric de- vices, if a squashy leather chair of the tufted variety had been used instead of the simple oak-and-leather one. if a heavy "Mission" rocker had been used instead of the Wind- sor chair, if one of those elaboratelv carved

chairs miscalled "Early English" by the deal- ers had been used instead of the Stuart chair, the whole room would have been thrown out of key.

You must consider not only the harmony of line and color and design, but also har- mon} of mass, of proportion, when you mix furniture of different types.

It is not possible to tell you just the sort of furniture to bu)- : that is something every woman must decide for herself.

I am not one of those painstakingly care- ful people who would have you throw away good furniture just to keep each room "in period." I think very few of us need con- cern ourselves with the tr}ing task of work- ing out period rooms. Most rooms grow of themselves, if aou give them half a chance. Even if they were begun in the wrong spirit, they may be made beautiful if aou will weed out the ugly, mistaken things and give the good things a chance to assert their worth.

A woman I know started out, thinking she wanted to furnish a house with "Mission" furniture. Fortunately, she started in a very small way — in a three-room apartment — so her purchases were restricted. She bought a library table, a bookcase and several heavy oak chairs for the combined living-room and dining-room. In less than six months after this ambitious little home had begun, an old lady died and left my friend her beloved secretar}% one of those dignified old desks with book shelves above, with doors of leaded diamond panes. The old secretary was so big it did not really belong, after it arrived at the flat, and it had to be done over, but it was so very much nicer than ever}-thing else that the rest of the furniture was pulled around to make room for it.

It was n't long before the clumsy chairs

200

BEFORE YOU BUY YOUK FUKMTUKE

were sold to a second-hand dealer, and a willow chair and a rush-bottom one and a chint'/. covered one were substituted, because they seemed more at home with the old sec- retary. The heavy round table soon ^ave place to a graceful old mahogany table with drop leaves. The bookcase was abolished, anil plain white shelves were built in. This home grew of itself from the moment the secretary entered it.

I am not condemning Mission furniture! Certainly the plain oak models that have come to us along with the craze for the bungalow are very much better than the fur- niture we 've suffered for so many years — the Victorian walnut, the awful golden oak.

the imitation mahogany that is still huouing the cheajjer shops. Mission furniture is very good in its [)lace, but its place is neccs- saril) an uncrowded, spacious rtxjin. Cer- tainly massive oak chairs and tables, no mat- ter how well made, have no pla"- ■" -'" 'U city rooms.

Nor is this chapter a brief for old lumi- ture. We sjjeak in the temis of old furni- ture because the best furniture offered us is made from the old models. There are new men who are making beautiful things, both in America and abroad, but the prices arc prohibitive. So we will be wise to study the various styles and sciiools of furniture that are being reproduced by intelligent manu-

\Vil»on Fvr* ArrVim. A strongly fiRured wall paper is possible if i.s color, be harmoniou.^ Bu, i. ,. "*"' "";*'^' '" "' than a simple flat tone paper, because the furninire and hanRinRs must be cho^n especially to mjtcn ii- This room is in Mrs. Goodnow's house at Forest Hills, lone Island.

201

THE HOXKST HOUSE

facturcrs, and plan our rooms according; to what we most like, what we most need, and what we can actually afford. In the bibliog- raphy at tlic (lul of this book you will find a list of books on furniture, books that will give you the arguments pro and con, the earmarks, the secrets of those passionate ad- venturers who spend their lives in collect- ing old furniture. Certainly it seems to me little short of foolhardiness for a woman to plunge into a furniture shop until she has read much, and thought more of her require-

ments. 1 have n't laid stress on it, — but mistakes are costly.

I should like to give a neat lot of rules, a list that might be followed as casually as your grocery list, but it can't be done. I can onl)- beg vou to accept my theory, that nothing is worth buying which does not of- fer you both pleasure and service. Pleasure should mean Comfort and Beauty, and Serv- ice means Economy and Utility. Put these principles in your pocket and go a-shopping, but go slowly — go slowly I

Charles Barton Keen, Architect. Note the unusual arrangement of beams in this pergola porch.

202

CHAPTER XXIV A LIST OF USEFl'L BOOKS

AND so we come to the end. A sur- vey of the subject of home build- in<^ such as is made in the fore- going chapters would lie incomplete, however, it it tlid not include some suj^ges- tions for the turther study of the subject.

The literature given over to the study and

there has been very little commendable archi- tecture in this country to write about. The older Colonial or Georgian buildings have re- ceived much deserved attention, though the number of books at moderate prices is sur- prisingly small.

Our modern small-house architecture at its representation of architecture is extremely best is excellent; at its worst it is unb«-!irv- varied and in many respects satisf actor}-, ably bail, — and there is to-day much more Architectural histories and treatises are bad architecture than gcHwI. Naturally abundant. If you wish to study Greek or enough, as a reHection of this fact, there is a Roman or Italian architecture, there are paucity of books which present onl\ the best nian^ competent books which will give you examples of moilem small-luuise design. plenty of information anil inspiration. For While books dealing adecjuately with the the greater part this literature is (xrcupied better asjiects of domestic architecture are with monumental architecture: — the archi- wanting, there is, unfortunately, no lack ot tecture of temples, palaces and jniblic build- books which advertise its worst as|>ccts. Es- ings generally. Domestic architecture of pecially is this true of that tyix- of cinnmer- the formal and pretentious type is well rciirc- cial catalogue of hou>e plans ivsueil by sented, but, excepting the b(H)ks devoted to certain "architectural hmis" lu^ually under English work, there is a very slight literature such alhiring titles as "One Hundred HtMisr dealing with the more modest types of dwell- Plans for One I")<»llar." They are tilleil tor in.r. the most part with utterly reprehensible ilc-

Of b(M)ks treating of the American small sigms. Tlie untraineil person naturally house especially there are very few worthy of enough cannot t«ll the ilitferemr brtwern a commendation. Of course one nuist remem- bit of glass and a diamond, ami while m.M

ber that from the period of the later Georgian of us know that there is a d •■ •• •

architecture until comparatively recent times, mighf b.- liard put to it to di

THE HONEST HOUSE

twecn them unii(T all conditions. The case is, in its essence, not diti'erent in tlic matter a ot judging good and bad architecture. Real- izing this, certain publishing concerns, by issuing books ot Iiouse designs devoid ot any artistic merit, have, by claiming for these designs all the architectural virtues, system- atically debauched the taste ot the public.

The attempt here made is to suggest only such books as arc regarded as meritorious by competent architects and so far as possible to name books the prices of which are moderate.

The Georgian Period, edited by Professor Wm.

rente Weaver, $2.50. (Scribner's, 1913). These two books, very fully illustrated by photographs and floor plans, present the best modern work of the English architects in the field of small house architecture. The photo- graphs are admirably chosen and the designs in general are worthy inspiration for Ameri- can home builders. Naturally some allow- ance must be made for the English point of view, particularly on matters of planning. The Hai.e Timber House, by Allan W. Jackson,

$2.00. (McBride, Nast & Co.). Devoted entirely to the consideration of half timber houses, this book sets forth the advan- tages of this type of construction. The illus- trations are well chosen.

K. Ware, Twelve parts, $6o.oo. (Ameri- Bungalows, by H. H. Saylor, $2.00. ( McBride,

Nast & Co.). One of the few commendable books on bunga- lows. The illustrations are excellent and a great variety of bungalow designs are given. Successful Houses and How to Build Them, by C. E. White, Jr., $2.00. (Macmillan). of 100 representative plates called "the stu- The Country House, by C. H. Hooper, $1.90.

can Architect, N. Y.). This is an extremely exhaustive survey of the whole Colonial period and it presents a large collection of photographs and measured drawings together with an explanatory text. There is also an abridged edition consisting

DENTS edition" which sells for $1^.00. Colonial Architecture for Those About to Build. By H. C. Wise and H. F. Beidle- man, $^00. ( Lippincott, 1913). This book devotes itself more particularly to Colonial architecture in and about Philadel- phia. The illustrations, of excellent quality, are very numerous and show the best work of the period. The text is at once informing and agreeable to read. The Dutch Colonial House, by Aymar Em- bury, $2.00. (McBride, Nast & Co.). Devoted almoiy: entirely to the gambrcl roof type of house, this book shows in an enter- taining manner the possibilities of the Dutch Colonial house. The illustrations, which in- clude floor plans, are numerous, and good. Several modern adaptations of this type of house are shown. Small Country Houses of To-day, edited by Lawrence Weaver, $5.00. (Scribner's, 1913). The Country Life Book of Cottages, bv Law-

( Douhleday, Page 1.^ Co.). Both the above books deal very fully and com- petently with the usual practical consideration of house construction ineludins drainage, plumbing, heating, lighting and equipment. Of them, Mr. White's book is the better since its choice of examples is far more discriminat- ing than that shown in Mr. Hooper's book. The latter book should be consulted therefore for practical suggestions ; the artistic merit of the houses illustrated is frequently question- able. The American \'ignola, edited by Professor Wm. R. Ware, 2 parts, $2.90 for each part. $5.00. (International Textbook Co. Scran- ton, 1910). For those who wish to understand the signifi- cance of classic architecture, — of columns and arches and all the motifs used in classic archi- tecture, there is no book which will repay study so well as Mgnola. There are many editions of ^'ignola, but Professor Ware's is for gen- eral purposes perhaps the best.

204

A LIST OF USEFUL BOOKS

Details of Old New England Houses, by Lois

L. Howe and Constance Fuller, $10.00.

(Architectural Book Publishing Co.). An excellent book consisting of titty plates giv- ing measured drawings and details of Colonial work, including porches, door ways, mantels, and so forth. If one wishes to know just why Colonial houses are charming he must study their detail. Building Details, by Frank M. Snyder, 1 1 parts,

$3.00 for each part. (Published by the

author. New York). This collection although it includes details of many buildings other than dwelling houses, contains a good number of drawings showing the details of the very best modern house de- sign. The details are drawn with great fidel- ity. The parts may be purchased separately. Colonial Homes and their Furnishings, by

Mary H. Xorthend, $5.00. (Little, Brown

& Co.). This book gives many illustrations, especially of New England Colonial Homes, and lays special emphasis on the treatment of the inte- riors. The House in Good Taste, by Elsie de Wolfe,

$2.50. (The Century Co.). Unique in its way, this book deals with in- terior designs which have been all executed by the author. Its field lies somewhat beyond the reach of the modest small house but it will be found full of useful suggestions. The book is interestingly written and the illustra- tions are admirable.

Adventures in Ho.me-Making, by Hoi,r,i anu Elizabeth Shatkleton, $1.75. (John lane Co.). The stimulation which the reader dcrnr, ii..ni " this book is largely due to the very j)ersonal quality infused in the text. Its authors show how they met various problems which arose in the process of altering old .American homes into modern and more livable houses. CJardens for Small Country Housis, by Ger- trude Jekyll and I^wrence Weaver, $5.00. (Scribner's ). Although this is a book devoted to English Gardens from an English jioint of view, its suggestions are for the most part applicable to our own garden problems. Its readable text is sup|)lemented by a quantity of photo- graphs and plans. It deals with garden de- sign as a whole, including garden at' '"••-■ "m" and planting. The Practical Book of CJarden .\RciiiTKCTtiii, by Phoebe Westcott Humphrey"-. »-'-. ( Lijjpincott ). This b(H)k deals in its way with .\mrriiaii j;4f- dens as the foregoing btH>k does with English. It is devoted largely to the architectural treat- ment of gardens, — their pergolas, arbors, irate- ways and garden houses. The text is excel- lent. The illustrations, though good, are un- fortunately unequal to the text. The Lure of the Garden, by Hildegardc Haw- thorne, $4.00. (The Century Co. ». A most interesting book on the romantic as- pects of gardening.

Xo rcjMitable architect so sells his desipis in the open market. In desipninfj a house he tries to express in it some original character and special interest. His iileal. unlike that of the publishers of these cheap b(M)ks, is not to sell the same design to a thousand clients.

Of course the foregoing list is only sugges- tive; there ar<- many other valuable books which deal with tlie various aspects of home building. The books in this list, neverthe-

less, arc fair!) representative of the b<^t. and no list, however long, coulil Ix- exiiaustivc.

.\fter all, the value oi b<H>k> lies n«»rr in their power to stimulate our interest and en- thusiasm than to in>truct us. When one comes to examine it, every problem is diffrr- ent from th<- next. If your rX|KTirnir is in

the least like mine, you n>ay searcli •'■' '1

books for the sohition of a particular ,

— anil \ et vou rarely find just the iiaswcr that

20?

THE HONEST HOUSE

)ou are looking for. In the field of artistic endea\()r, it is next to impossible to co()y anythin;:; outright without sacrificing some important consideration imposed by aouf problem. Nearly always the practical con- ditions of your problem differ from those of the examples shown in the books. Conse- quent!} you are driven back upon your own resources anil initiative. This tacr brings large com[)ensarions.

What we should all try to do is to adapt, — not to copy. That which the enlightened person seeks is inspiration, not simply in-

formation. The matter of designing, build- ing, and turnishing a home comes in the end to a question of self-expression; and the op- portunities tor this expression are infinitely varied. If we are servile in our attitude, if we are easily satisfied, if our critical sense is wanting, and our enthusiasm impoverished, the houses we design and furnish will be weak ami without character. We build our- sehes into our houses. Remember that the world we live in is a world of ideas. Though we see it dimly, a worthy ideal is always be- fore us in all our undertakings.

THE END

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