January, 19 13 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



21 



The living-room 



the necessary rooms for secretaries bordering on the hall. 



In many parts of Long Island one finds old homes which 

 were built several generations ago by the early Dutch or 

 English settlers of those regions. These quaint structures, 

 which are almost invariably of wood, may have supplied 

 something of the inspiration for the designing of this large 

 country house, for here are the severely plain walls, the 

 sweeping roof-lines, broad verandas and other details of 

 planning which the builders of these old-time homes under- 

 stood so well. The portion of the house intended for the 

 use of the family and 

 their guests is the 

 chief building of the 

 group and is of frame 

 two stories high and 

 having a slightly 

 pitched roof. A wide 

 veranda extends 

 across the entire front 

 and at one end of the 

 group is a similar Second floor P lan of the 



building, which contains the service departments, and this 

 is connected with the main building by the one-story portion 

 where the kitchen and pantry are arranged. The effect, 

 therefore, is that of one large and somewhat low and 

 rambling building, exceedingly simple and homelike with 

 its shingled wa^s and large, shady verandas with trellise 

 between the pillars. 



This large house is designed with two fronts. A very 

 broad hall extends through the building, opening at one 

 end upon the wide veranda and at the other end directly 



e mam 



out of doors. At either side of the hall wide doorways open 

 into other rooms, pilasters placed against the wall support 

 a cornice, a fire-place and very simple mantle of wood is 

 placed at one side, and at the far end as one enters is a 

 broad stairway, which, with one wide, square landing, leads 

 to the floors above. The woodwork of this beautiful and 

 dignified entrance hall is of white enamel, with stair-rail of 

 mahogany, and the floor is of polished hardwood. To the 

 right of the entrance is a large and well-proportioned recep- 

 tion-room, very simply finished, with a "homespun" rug and 



with draperies and 

 furniture-coverings of 

 taffeta or chintz. 

 Like all the rooms of 

 this interesting coun- 

 try home it possesses 

 an air of homelike 

 comfort. The dining- 

 room's most import- 

 ant feature, apart 

 Long Island country house f rom t h e beauty of 



an old sideboard and dining-table, is the arrangement of 

 that side of the room where the chimney is placed. The 

 fireplace itself is both lined and faced with brick, every 

 alternate course being laid upon edge. The mantle-shelf is 

 very plain and supported upon brackets or "corbels," but 

 above and extending far upon either side are wide panels, 

 very carefully planned and painted the ivory-white of the 

 rest of the standing woodwork. These panels afford a 

 background against which are placed old plates and jars of 

 blue and polychrome Delft. From the dining-room there 



e reception room 



