HOUSE AND GARDEN CORRESPONDENCE 
CHOSING A CORNER LOT 
I. Kindly advise me which of the two corner lots 
marked A and B on the accompanying diagram offers 
the most advantages as a building site. They are held 
at the same price and I have a thirty day option on each. 
My own preference is for B, on account of the garden 
next door. The shaded portions of the diagram indicate 
buildings already erected on adjoining lots. The streets 
are nearly level. 
N 
wd-E 
Lot A is decidedly preferable for the following reasons: 
The narrower end of the house will face east with the 
longer side to the south, giving the best exposure to the 
largest possible number of rooms. You will be well 
protected to the north by the adjoining party wall (against 
which you should build) and have also ample protection 
to the west without having direct light and air cut off 
in that direction. This will give you a well protected 
position for the house at all seasons. On Lot B these 
conditions are reversed. The narrow frontage is toward 
the south and the longer side faces west. In addition 
to this disadvantage, most of the rooms in the house will 
face the trolley line (always an undesirable adjunct to 
a residence street), causing especial annoyance at night. 
This annoyance is reduced to a minimum on Lot A. 
As to the importance of the garden to the eastward of 
Lot B, its advantages are more apparent than real. 
1 he fact that the lot is only 30 feet wide will probably 
make it necessary to build to the party line, in which 
case, of course, there can be no windows overlooking 
the garden, except perhaps from the front room, which 
with an adjoining porch would be very agreeable. The 
value of this possible adjunct is, however, more than 
counterbalanced by the disadvantages of the lot. A 
house, too, of the elongated shape necessary here will, 
with its four sides exposed to the weather, be both hotter 
in summer and colder in winter than one built on A. 
Other things being equal, it is my opinion that Lot A 
is worth at least 25% more than Lot B for the purpose 
indicated. To take full advantage of the good points 
of Lot A, however, the plan of the house you propose to 
build should be very carefully adjusted to it. C. E. 
SOME MISTAKES IN FURNISHING AND 
HOW TO CORRECT THEM 
My new home is just completed, and while I like each 
separate piece of furniture, rug and curtain in it, they 
somehow do not look well together. In certain places 
the living-room looks cold and bare, and yet I hardly 
know where 1 could put in any extra piece of furniture, 
even if I could afford it, which 1 cannot. I send with this 
letter two kodak photographs, showing the living-room 
and dining-room; also the little alcove room off the living- 
room, which is furnished as a den for my husband, 
holding his desk and other belongings. The living- 
room is 12'x ig', the den 8'x 10'. The woodwork is 
of good style and finished like English oak, the side walls 
covered with striped green paper from floor to ceiling 
line. The den I have papered in a figured Oriental 
paper, showing brown, green and red. I have used 
madras curtains of Oriental design in the den, and plain 
ones of self-colored pongee in the living-room. 1 think, 
perhaps, these latter are one of my mistakes. 
The dining-room is and the wall-paper is 
figured and shows a variety of colors; the figures are 
large. The furniture is golden oak. There are no cur¬ 
tains; I would like you to suggest these. I had thought 
of a flowered linen taffetas. The carpet is in two shades 
of yellow-tan. I have read much of the advisability 
of keeping things simple. Therefore, I have endeavored 
to do this in my living-room, and have perhaps overdone 
it. Kindly give me your advice, as I have understood 
you will help in a case like this. 
J.C. 
Your kodak pictures explain the difficulties of the situ¬ 
ation to me even more fully than your letter. Your first 
mistake in the living-room, which seems to have a fairly 
high ceiling, was using a striped paper to the ceiling line, 
as the dimensions show it to be long and narrow. A 
striped paper emphasizes this defect. I would advise 
you to use a three-foot frieze for your upper wall from 
the ceiling line, finishing the joining of side wall and 
frieze with a picture rail. This will apparently lower 
the height of your ceiling, and assist in squaring the room. 
The paper I would select shows a pine tree pattern in 
shades of green against a pumpkin-yellow ground. Very 
little of the ground shows, however. Brown cones 
appear here and there in the design, and will harmonize 
very well with your English oak woodwork. This is a 
side-wall paper, but can be utilized as a frieze, with very 
little expense. It sells for 60 cents a roll. Your draperies 
of pongee are very good. They may, however, be im¬ 
proved by having them dipped and obtaining a soft 
golden-brown color, which will harmonize with the brown 
in the frieze and with the woodwork. Your room being 
of southern exposure will bear these. Your picture shows 
that the furniture is badly arranged; the heavy mission 
table should be drawn well out into the centre of the room; 
the davenport to be set at right angles on the north side 
of your fireplace. This will create a modified ingle-nook, 
and greatly add to the air of hominess and comfort in 
your room. One or two low teakwood stands should be 
introduced holding ferns or palms, set in brass or copper 
jardinieres. These latter can be bought in the Russian 
settlements in some of the larger cities for very little 
money, and are extremely decorative. A chaise-longue, 
of wicker, upholstered in brown Marlborough velvet, 
will add to the joy of living in this room, and also to its 
appearance. The upholstering is simply a loose pad 
IOI 
