December, 1906 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



365 



A Small Country House 



By Francis Durando Nichols 



SMALL country house built for Henry F. 

 Nell, Esq., at Chestnut Hill, Pa., forms the 

 subject of the illustrations presented in these 

 pages. 



The house, which is designed in the Eng- 

 lish style, gives the expression of what an 

 architect can do when he tries to attain the true domestic 

 quality in his work and to give that feeling of home which is 

 seldom found in the modern house. There are so many 

 things to be considered in the planning of a house of this 

 character, and so many problems to overcome which make it 

 more difficult, that its solution is the more interesting. One 

 of the most important of these is the due relation in the house 

 of the family rooms and the servants' rooms. Under ordinary 

 conditions of modern life these two separate communities 

 must be accommodated under the same roof with due regard 

 for the privacy and comfort of each; and so, the kitchen and 

 servants' rooms must be placed in such relation to the family 

 sitting-rooms as to insure isolation and convenience of service; 

 for in this connection it is not enough to consider the posi- 

 tion of the rooms alone, but it is equally important that the 

 various routes taken by the family and the servants should 

 become an object of study, and should be kept as distinct as 

 possible. 



In such a small house as is now illustrated, however, such 

 a complete isolation 

 of routes becomes 

 impossible; but a 

 reference to the plan 

 will show how far 

 this question has 

 been found capable 

 of treatment under 

 the circumstances. 

 The serving-r 00m 

 isolates the kitchen 

 from the rest of the 

 house, and the serv- 

 ing - door obviates 

 the necessity for 

 carrying dishes 

 through the hall, 

 while the small ser- 

 vants' staircase also 

 adds to the privacy 

 of the hall. The re- 

 lative position of the 

 kitchen and ser- 

 vants' rooms suffi- 

 ciently prevents the 

 passage of sound, 

 while the thorough 

 ventilation of the 

 kitchen by a shaft 

 carried up in the 

 flue, as well as the 

 absence of direct 

 communication with 

 the family rooms, 

 will prevent that 

 permeation of kitch- 

 en odors so often 

 noticeable in a small 

 house. 



The Service Entrance Has a Privet Hedge Which Separates It From the Rest of the Estate, 

 and Which Is An Excellent Feature for the Small Country House 



Another important feature is the compact form of the 

 house and the relative position of the rooms. In the average 

 house the introduction of much furniture becomes almost a 

 necessity in order to distract the eye from the bare and unin- 

 viting appearance of the rooms, but the artistic house, such 

 as this is, with its well-proportioned rooms and simple 

 fitments, will be found to require very little furniture in com- 

 parison with the usual house of this character. 



The main entrance to the grounds, with its red brick piers 

 and wooden gate surrounded with growing plants and shrubs, 

 gives access to a winding walk by which the front porch is 

 approached. A service-way direct from the roadway to the 

 kitchen door has a privet hedge on either side of the walk, 

 which is of sufficient height to prevent one's being seen in 

 passing from the street to the rear of the house. 



The design of the exterior is excellent, and its latticed win- 

 dows and massive chimney lend character to the whole gen- 

 eral scheme. The underpinning and the first story are built 

 of red Klinker brick. The second story is beamed, forming 

 panels which are covered with a rough cement caste of a 

 cream white color, while the beams are stained a soft brown. 

 The sashes are painted white. The roof is shingled and 

 stained a brilliant red color. 



Taking the front door as the starting point for the con- 

 sideration of the house, one is greeted on the threshold by 



a vestibule with a 

 Welsh tiled floor, 

 chestnut trim, and 

 windows glazed 

 with glass of green- 

 ish blue which sheds 

 a soft and pleasant 

 light. An opening 

 forms an entrance 

 to the hall which is 

 trimmed with old 

 English oak. The 

 walls are covered 

 with a tapestry pa- 

 per in green and 

 yellow from the 

 base to the height 

 of the plate rack, 

 above which they 

 are treated with a 

 deep buff. The 

 fireplace, in the an- 

 gle of the room, is 

 built of red Klinker 

 brick laid in red 

 mortar with the fac- 

 ings and hearth of 

 a similar brick, and 

 a mantel-shelf of 

 good design. The 

 staircase is in keep- 

 ing, and is paneled 

 up the side. At the 

 front side of the 

 hall is a paneled 

 seat over which 

 there is placed a 

 cluster of small lat- 

 ticed windows. 



