April, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



157 



A House at Newton Centre, Massachusetts 



By Edward T. Wills 



'HE building of a small house with archi- 

 tectural and artistic results is a difficult mat- 

 ter, but Mr. Edward B. Stratton, of Boston, 

 Mass., the architect of this house, has very 

 ably demonstrated the results that may be 

 obtained by skilful treatment in the house 

 which is illustrated herewith. 

 It is true that he has accepted the conventional gambrel 

 roof house for his model, but in the arrangement of the vari- 

 ous rooms he has departed from the usual custom of house 

 planning. A study of the first floor will show the entrance 

 to the house placed at the rear of the building, and'by doing 

 this, the space usually occupied by the entrance hall has been 

 devoted to a living-room, thereby permitting of the placing 

 of the main living rooms across the front of the house, with 

 a view of the street. 



A latticed pergola, supported on rustic posts, forms the 

 entrance to the grounds, from which a walk extends to the 

 entrance, and beyond to the garden at the rear of the 

 property. 



A service entrance is placed at the opposite side of the 

 grounds. This scheme of arrangement is excellent for small 

 plots. 



The entrance-hall is finished with white and green painted 

 trim. The wall space above the paneled wainscoting is cov- 

 ered with a white and green paper, harmonizing well with 

 the white and green trim and the red tone of the Welsh tile 

 with which the floor is laid. 



The stairs rise out of this hall from a broad landing, on 

 which is a leaded glass window, shedding a soft light. Old 

 Italian jars and two or three antique chairs complete the fur- 

 nishing of the hall in an appropriate manner. 



The walls of the living-room are paneled with cypress 

 battens, and the wall space between is covered with tapestry. 

 A brick fireplace, laid in white mortar and surmounted with a 

 molded cap, wicker furniture with brown velour upholstery, 

 Mission furniture with brown leather upholstery, antique 

 furniture and Oriental rugs of harmonizing colors, complete 

 its furnishings. A door at one end of the room opens on to 



the living-porch, on the front of the house and facing the 

 street. 



The dining-room, arranged at a higher level than the 

 living-room, has paneled walls above the low wainscoting. 

 The trim and moldings are painted ivory-white and the panels 

 are covered with a brilliant colored paper in the pattern of 

 the bird of paradise. There is a fireplace built of brick, with 

 a paneled mantel. The furniture of the dining-room is good, 

 especially the old sideboard and the corner closets of ma- 

 hogany. 



A door opens into the china closet, from which another 

 door opens into the kitchen. The kitchen has received spe- 

 cial attention in its appointments. It has a dresser, pantry, 

 range, sink and a lobby large enough to admit an ice-box. A 

 short flight of stairs opens on to the landing of the main 

 stairway, forming a combination staircase, which is a desir- 

 able economy of space for a small house. 



The second floor has a white painted trim. The walls are 

 covered with artistic wall paper. This floor contains four 

 good-sized rooms and a bathroom; the latter is furnished 

 with a floor of artificial marble and porcelain fixtures and 

 exposed nickelplated plumbing. 



The third floor contains the servants' quarters and trunk 

 room ; and the cellar the heating apparatus, fuel rooms and 

 cold cellar. 



The formal garden which is laid out at the rear of the 

 property is placed on an axis with the entrance walk to the 

 estate, from which a broad and extended vista is obtained 

 of the garden. The form of the garden is geometrical, with 

 an attractive little pool in the center, from which the walks 

 get their center. The various squares formed by these walks 

 are planted with annuals and perennials, and in such a man- 

 ner that there is a continual bloom of flowering plants from 

 early spring till late autumn. The charm of the whole scheme 

 is to show what can be done with a small plot of ground, and 

 the whole idea has been most carefully considered. The ser- 

 vice end of the grounds is entirely separated from the gar- 

 den by a high trellis fence, on which are growing vines, 

 forming a perfect screen. 



