July, 1916 
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In this plan the living-room as well as 
the enclosed porch receive sun all day 
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With a south frontage the dining-room 
and bedrooms have the morning light 
HOW DO YOUR ROOMS FACE? 
If You Build by the Compass You Can 
Have Sunlight and Shade as You Wish 
ERNEST IRVING FREESE 
L 
so 
OOK about you. How 
many houses do you see 
that can be said to have been 
planned with a conscientious 
regard for the proper aspect 
of their various rooms? They 
are few, and far between. It 
becomes startlingly evident that 
the majority of them were 
given no study whatsoever in 
relation to the points of the 
compass. Let it be set down, 
forthwith, as one of the vital 
principles of house planning, 
that all of the main rooms must be 
placed as to have the best aspect for light 
and warmth, in consideration of the pur¬ 
pose they are to serve and the time of day 
they are to be most in use. 
The Breakfast and Dining Rooms 
The morning-room, or breakfast room, is 
occupied at the coldest part of the day, at 
a time when neither the house nor its in¬ 
mates have become thoroughly warmed. 
Therefore this room should invariably have 
an aspect toward the morning sun, either 
east or southeast. The level light of early 
morn streaming in through the windows 
dissipates the morning grouch and implants 
good cheer in its stead. 
In the majority of houses, however, the 
breakfast-room is omitted, all meals being 
served in the dining-room. For the latter, 
an eastern aspect would then be desirable, 
so as to let the morning sun into the room 
at breakfast time. At other times of the 
day, direct sunlight into the dining-room is 
usually objectionable. In winter, artificial 
heat will have warmed the room for the 
midday and evening meals, so that the heat 
of the sun is not needed. And, in summer 
time, the direct rays of the western sun in¬ 
truding into the room while people are 
seated around the table and 
cannot shift their places is far 
from agreeable, both in respect 
to light and heat. However, 
there are times in late autumn 
and early spring when this 
room, with only an eastern 
aspect, is hardly warm enough 
for comfort, yet it is hardly 
cold enough to require artificial 
heat at the midday meal. At 
these times a southern aspect 
would effect just the right bal¬ 
ance. For the southern sun at 
A west frontage for another type of house. Each house, of course, 
must be planned to meet the requirements of its environment 
mer the aspect should obvious¬ 
ly be the coolest possible. More¬ 
over, the equable north light is 
highly desirable in the per¬ 
formance of the various kitch¬ 
en duties. Perhaps just a peep 
of the early rising sun would 
not be amiss in the kitchen to 
cheer up the cook before the 
fires are started. But it should 
be no more than a peep. Never 
should the southern or western 
sun be given access to the 
kitchen. 
the time of the midday meal is high enough 
overhead so as not to project its rays di¬ 
rectly across the room into the faces of 
those seated about the dining-table. Thus 
the room is suffused with warmth, yet 
the light is such as to cause no undue dis¬ 
comfort to the eyes. So we find that, all 
things considered, the dining-room should 
have both an eastern and southern aspect, 
but never a western one. In case a break¬ 
fast room is a part of the plan, then the 
southern aspect alone, for the dining-room, 
would fulfill all conditions. 
Living-Room and Kitchen 
In the living-room we can afford to have 
direct sunlight at all times of the day. For 
this is the one room in the house in which 
people can move about freely and choose 
their positions. Here, therefore, an abun¬ 
dance of sunlight is permissible, even de¬ 
sirable. The living-room should have at 
least two aspects toward the sun, either 
south and east, or south and west, prefer¬ 
ably the latter. 
Now comes the kitchen. Unquestionably, 
this room should always look toward the 
north, for, in winter, ample warmth will be 
supplied by the constant fire, and in sum¬ 
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MOiLTH rfL.OFLTAGL 
A north frontage that may be found desirable 
in houses south of the Mason and Dixon line 
If there is to be a nursery in the house, 
this should invariably have a southern ex¬ 
posure, whatever be the preferable char¬ 
acter of the outlook in other directions. In 
this case an abundance of warmth and sun¬ 
shine outweighs all other considerations. 
Sunshine and Sleeping 
Sunlight, in sleeping rooms, should be 
considered a prime necessity. Being in use 
only at night is all the more reason why 
these rooms should receive the full benefit 
of clarifying sunshine. An eastern aspect 
is undoubtedly the best for bedrooms, be¬ 
cause this aspect allows of the sun entering 
them as soon as the occupants of the night 
have arisen. A western exposure is ob¬ 
jectionable because in that case the sun 
cannot enter until afternoon, wherefore the 
room becomes unduly heated toward the 
evening hours so as not to be conducive to 
refreshing sleep. Wherever possible, sleep¬ 
ing rooms should be contrived to have two 
exposures, so as to allow of a cross-circula¬ 
tion of air through the opened windows. 
In that case, the two most favorable ex¬ 
posures would seem to be directly east and 
directly south, although any two exposures 
occurring eastwardly between the north and 
south points of the compass would fulfill 
all requirements as to sunlight 
and circulation of air. 
Now that we have arrived 
at certain definite conclusions 
as to the most favorable aspects 
of the various rooms, let us see 
if these conclusions admit of a 
practical application in the 
planning of the house, assum¬ 
ing, as a typical example, a 
suburban or country bouse, 
subject to the following 
quirements and conditions: 
(Continued on page 62 ) 
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