THE TWENTIETH CENTURY HOUSE. 675 
perfect a lavatory may be as a fitting, there is always a - 
faint odour from it that is undesirable. It arises from the 
water in the trap, and from the overflow pipe, which cannot 
be kept perfectly clean. In a man’s bedroom, a looking or 
shaving glass could be placed above the lavatory, and the , 
dressing-table be dispensed with. A good, roomy hanging 
cupboard should be always provided, large enough to get 
right into, so that the upper part may be shelved for clothes, 
linen, &c., not in use; and on one side should be a chest of 
drawers, unless they are preferred in the room itself. The 
door of the cupboard should be fitted with a mirror in one 
large sheet to serve the same purpose as the usual wardrobe- 
door looking-glass. 
All the bedrooms would be more or less alike, and, 
arranged in the manner I have described, would afford their 
occupants a private room of their own, when they needed 
quiet or retirement. Where there are young children, I 
would, however, suggest from practical experience, that the 
bedroom should not be used as a day-room, but the provision, 
instead, of a large room of the plainest character, almost 
or quite detached, and approached by a verandah. In it 
they could keep their toys, and shout or romp to théir 
hearts’ content; and if it could not be kept very clean, it 
would not affect the house itself. In the playroom of my 
own house, I have made many shutters, but few windows, 
‘and so can turn it into an open air playground. 
If the house is two-storied, the position of the staircase is 
of some importance. It must be accessible from the hall, 
but should not, as in the States, ascend directly from it; for 
in that case the hall becomes draughty, and every sound 
from below penetrates'to the upper rooms, and all service 
thereto must pass through the hall. A better position is 
between the hall, the dining-room, and the kitchen; and if 
the staircase has a separate external entrance, so much the 
better, as then every room in the house becomes accessible 
from outside without passing through another. 
A common American custom is to connect the family 
rooms in general use by folding-doors. These have the 
advantage of making the most of a small house when friends 
are entertained, and are so far useful; but they have the 
disadvantage of allowing sound to penetrate very easily 
from one to the other when closed. A cellar or basement 
is also almost universal, and with a climate of extremes 
. where much artificial heating, and the attendant piping, has 
to be provided for, is no doubt necessary. But with us a 
cellar for cool storage in summer, and for a hot water 
