HOUSES AND GARDENS 



use of cleanly whitewash is recommended, which with some bright window 

 boxes and a roof of green slates will make an ensemble which would possess 

 the qualities of freshness and gaiety which are the essence of beauty in build- 

 ing, and worth miles of grimy pedantic facades. 



Let the money which would otherwise be spent in trying to impress the 

 indifferent passer-by by all sorts of architectural features be spent instead on 

 the interior, or in adding a few more square feet in area to the rooms. 



Such a building, placed in a town where the inhabitants are not forced by 

 the unchecked greed of the speculator to huddle their houses together in 

 restricted sites, would naturally be surrounded by foliage, and its white walls 

 with their gay window adornments would rise out of green leaves. Within 

 easy reach, if not actually surrounding the building itself, would be the public 

 garden, which would replace that private garden which its occupants are unable 

 to obtain. I am aware that the term public gardens conjures up a sorry 

 vision of winding walks, carpet bedding, and notices to keep off the grass. 

 Very different is the public garden I should ask for as a satisfactory substitute 

 for a private domain. It would be selected first of all for its natural beauties, 

 including, if possible, a piece of woodland, and a stream perhaps, and these 

 would be developed on natural lines, while within its bounds would also be 

 included enclosed apartments for the culture and display of flowers and fruit. 



The inclusion of natural features in such a garden would of course only 

 be possible in certain cases, but if the garden is entirely artificial and formal 

 it should be designed with thought and feeling, and with plenty of light and 

 shade, and some good vista effects. 



The smaller plan for a flat shows the application of the same principles 

 in a flat which, lighted only from the front and back, might be built as a 

 continuous terrace. Here there is one good-sized sitting-room, with 

 ingle fireplace and balcony, adjoining which is a bed-sitting-room, in which 

 the beds can be entirely screened by curtains. The bedroom furniture 

 would be designed in the form of little cabinets, which when closed 

 would help to convey the character of a sitting-room. Besides this bed- 

 sitting-room are two other bedrooms at the back, and a servant's bedroom 

 isolated from the family rooms, a bathroom and kitchen premises. If the 

 bedroom accommodation thus provided is not all required, the bed-sitting- 

 room adjoining the hall could be furnished as a drawing-room, and if neces- 

 sary it could be cut off from the hall by closing the sliding doors and entering 

 it from the small door at the back, to which access from the front door is 

 afforded by means of the passage adjoining the kitchen. 



