The hall is the first part of the interior seen by the stranger and gives the impression of the spirit of the household and the personality of its occupants. It should be 
a place to pass through conveniently and ought to be pleasant enough to invite one to linger on the way 
The Inviting Hall 
ITS P'UfelSE »‘AND 'P'eR'SGNALITY—THE THREE TYPES OF HALLS—THEIR ARCHITECT¬ 
URAL.', AND DECORATIVE^ TREATMENT—MAKING THE UPSTAIRS HALL ATTRACTIVE 
c ‘ 0 • «\ Abbot M c C l«u re and Harold Donaldson Eberlei.n 
T LIE hall ‘ should kiiw&yL 1 >e \ 1 
inviting. It .is the” filjkt 
part of the interior seen by ‘the 
stranger and gives the first im¬ 
pression of the spirit of the 
household and the personality 
of its occupants. Its function 
is to afford ingress and egress, 
privacy to the rooms from 
those entering, and protection 
from draughts. It is a place to 
pass through conveniently, and 
ought to be pleasant enough to 
invite one to linger on the way. 
Needless to say, it should have 
an aspect of breadth and space 
and give no suggestion of stuffi¬ 
ness. 
There are three 
general 
In the long, narrow hall the less furniture the better. A table and one or two 
chairs are quite enough 
types of halls, and upon the 
type depends the method of 
architectural a n d decorative 
treatment. The hall of the 
first type is a commodious pas¬ 
sage and a connecting link be¬ 
tween the rooms. It is of con¬ 
venient dimensions, of agree¬ 
able aspect, and lends itself 
readily to numerous phases of 
treatment. It is the sort of 
hall we find in so many of the 
broad, old Georgian houses, al¬ 
most as wide as a room, and 
oftentimes running the full 
depth of the house, with a gar¬ 
den doorway at the opposite 
end from the front door. The 
stairs may form a conspicuous 
252 
