April, 1914 
Living-porch 
and energy, which bear fruit in the freedom from ordinary 
domestic trials. Indeed, in all the houses I have studied 
that were planned by Mr. Sellars the strong point seems to 
be the numerous contrivances and labor-saving conveniences 
that were in evidence — great, roomy closets, the careful 
placing of back stairs, the absence of poorly lighted pas- 
sages. A talk to the mistress of the house always brings 
forth warm praise and appreciation of such details. 
Besides the general arrangement of bedrooms and baths, 
the second floor was planned to meet the owner’s needs as 
regards the children’s-room and bath with sleeping-porch 
adjoining; one of the servants’-rooms indicated and com- 
municating with this part of the house being intended for 
the nurse maid. I'he third floor plan is similar to the sec- 
ond except that, as the main stairs go to the second floor 
only, there is additional space over the stairway below, and, 
besides bedrooms and bath on this floor, there is a large 
nursery or playroom extending the full width of the house. 
All the bedrooms have abundance of light and are well 
ventilated. Colonial wooden fireplaces are in most of the 
sleeping-rooms, with tile facings and brick hearths. An 
open fireplace is always an aid to there being a good cur- 
rent of air. The wall-papers are as light and dainty as 
possible. They are Colonial in character, having small 
stripes or quaint little patterns, making a fitting background 
for the old-fashioned mahogany fur- 
niture and simple white painted 
pieces with which the rooms are fur- 
nished. 
rhe sewing-room is plentifully 
supplied with shelves and closets for 
storing things away where they can 
be easily found when needed. 'I'he 
linen closet, too, is liberally supplied 
with shallow drawers and shelves. 
I he latter are adjustable, a great 
convenience when putting away or 
taking out bed or table linen — a sav- 
ing of strength when handling heavy 
pieces, and lessens the possibility of 
crushing newly laundered house 
linen. 
1 he house is lighted mainly by 
electricity, l^xcept in the dining- 
room, no center lights are used. Dull 
brass fixtures are placed in the walls. 
Beautifully shaded lamps are also 
used and diffuse a softened glow of 
light in the sitting-rooms. 
The heating is done by means of 
hot water, but the ordinary unsightly 
radiators are partly concealed by 
Living-room 
being placed in front of the window beneath window seats 
or wide sills. The general construction of the house is of 
brick laid in Flemish bond, the headers of which are more 
hardened to produce a pleasing contrast, although not so 
pronounced as where the black headers are used, but rather 
making the wall surface shaded from the soft reds of the 
brick to violet tones. The roofs are of large split cypress 
shingles broken up by dormer windows. 
A careful examination of this beautiful Pennsylvania 
home and a consideration of its planning, both without and 
within, offer many suggestions which may interest home 
builders elsewhere. It is always difficult to design a house 
for an unusual site, and yet upon careful designing depends 
the complete success or failure of the entire work. A build- 
ing upon the summit of a hill should hardly be tall and nar- 
row, which would only mean the emphasizing of its perpen- 
dicularity, and a house upon a plain should never be low 
and flat, which would only call undue attention to what, 
for want of a more expressive term, may be called its “squat- 
tiness.” 
While never easy to select just the precise treatment 
which leads to success, it can be generally done by careful 
study upon the part of the architect. Mr. Stout’s home is 
a demonstration of the value of fitting a house to its sur- 
roundings. The design is evidently inspired by a study of 
the villas in the hill towns and up- 
land sections of luscany and other 
country sections of northern Italy. 
1 he low and broad roof lines with 
the dormers, which fulfill the func- 
tions of w’indows without cutting up 
the roof, and the graceful and well- 
placed chimneys carry out the idea 
so well expressed by the Italian villa, 
and the broad eaves afford a play of 
light and shadow', while also pro- 
tecting the windows of the upper 
floor from the heat and glare of the 
Summer sun and from the direct 
beating against the glass of the 
storms of other seasons. Then, too, 
the grounds about the house, divided 
as they are into terraces, afford an 
opportunity for treatment true, in 
this instance, to tradition and beau- 
tiful m effect. \o one feature of 
the exterior of an American home 
ordinarily falls as far short of what 
It might be as a terrace when a ter- 
race IS used. Often it rises abruptly 
from the ground, calling attention 
by Its bleakness and bareness to its 
The stair-hall 
