HOUSE AND GARDEN 
146 
September, 1913 
brick fireplace in the center of one side, between two large, six- 
teen-paned Colonial windows. Three sides are fully exposed to 
the air, with removable windows, and a large, removable window 
on the fourth side. In, summer the frames are taken out, the 
open spaces screened and awninged, and the living-room is a 
great, open, breezy,, covered piazza, having the added charm of 
the large fireplace, which on damp, 
dark days accommodates a blaze to 
dry and cheer. There is no need to 
go outdoors for cool breezes, because 
the piazza living-room attracts them 
all; there is no need to shut one’s self 
indoors during a storm, for the cheer 
and warmth of indoors are on the 
living-room piazza. 
The living-room is built about 
eighteen inches below the floor level 
of the old house, so that two steps 
lead from the reception-room in the 
old structure through double glass 
doors to the living-room in the wing. 
Occupying the whole first floor of the 
wing as it does, twenty by twenty- 
four feet, it makes a large and, at first 
thoughts, a rather awkward room to 
furnish. But this has been accomplished with consummate skill. 
Inside the framework of the wing are narrow pine boards stained 
a light gray, and over these, in lieu of other wall covering, is a 
bright green board lattice, with an occasional double diamond 
space left open. 
The ceiling and 
the stairway to 
the bedrooms 
above, which 
twists at an angle 
up from the one 
inside corner of 
the room, are of 
the light bro w n 
wood; heavy raft¬ 
ers, stained the 
s^me brown as 
the stair rails, 
run crosswise of 
the ceiling boards 
every twelve 
inches. The green 
lattice is carefully 
fitted and fast¬ 
ened to the walls 
with screws. This 
is removable for 
cleaning or paint¬ 
ing, but is easily 
cleaned on the 
wall with a vacu¬ 
um cleaner. The 
fireplace is red 
brick from floor 
to ceiling, toned 
down with a thin stain of green, black, and oil rubbed in by hand. 
The fireplace is four feet by six, with a wide hearth. 
One large rug, 12 x 15, covers much of the floor space, smaller 
ones, 6x3 and 5x2, being necessary only in front of the fire¬ 
place and doorway. These rugs are alike, domestic Scotch home- 
spun with green center and brownish gray edge, made by a colony 
of Scotch people settled in Pennsylvania, and the three cost only 
thirty-seven dollars. The effect over the brown stained floor and 
beneath the green lattice work, is restful as well as artistic. 
Part of the furniture is heavy and part light. A large table, a 
low settle and tea table, and a low fire bench, suggested by the 
old Italian styles, were made of whitewood by the local carpenter 
after designs drawn by Mrs. Rice. The wood was very carefully 
sandpapered before the walnut stain 
was applied, the edges being cut down 
and perfectly rounded. The wood 
was waxed after staining, and is 
cleaned occasionally with floor wax. 
The eight-foot table — two feet six 
inches wide — is placed across the cen¬ 
ter of the room and is laden with 
books, lamps, pottery, flowers, etc. 
The settle, heavily cushioned with 
gay India print curtain strips with 
sea-blue ground and design of pea¬ 
cock against a green tree, and the tea 
table are at right angles to the hearth, 
while the low “Polly Flinders” fire 
bench is across the hearth, near 
enough to warm one’s toes at the 
blaze. 
Some of the lighter furniture—two 
hour-glass armchairs and a steamer chair — is bamboo, while in 
one corner stands a round writing table stained a dull light green 
to match the latticework, and four chairs of the same color with 
split bamboo seats. All the windows are curtained with green 
linen and cream- 
colored cotton 
net; and the five 
large, 1 o w win¬ 
dows have gener¬ 
ous green flower 
boxes with thrifty 
pink geraniums in 
bloom. A more 
comfortable, ar¬ 
tistic or useful 
piazza or living- 
r o o m could 
scarcely be imag¬ 
ined. 
The reception- 
room in the old 
part of the house, 
to the right of the 
front entrance, 
suffers by com¬ 
parison with the 
living-room only 
because of its 
comparative lack 
of light. It is a 
normally light 
room, however, 
m u c h improved 
by the removal of 
a partition which 
threw a little bedroom space into the room. This is the space 
where now the double glass doors open into the living-room, by 
the wide window couch. The window couch is long enough for 
a bed. 
In coloring and furnishing this room Mrs. Rice cast aside all 
precedent and brought her own ideas to make a bright room from 
one that is naturally subdued, with only three small, old-fashioned 
1 lie living-room is equipped for fall weather with an 
ample fireplace and steam heat 
Part of the reception room may be converted into an extra bedroom. The couch at the window 
is of sufficient size to make a bed, and a removable partition can be put up, shutting off the alcove 
