January, i <y 1 6 
43 
FURNITURE THAT IS BUILT-IN 
Types to Consider for the New House and the Old—Utilizing Waste Spaces—The 
Possibilities of Teuton Adaptations 
JOHN J. KLABER AND CHARLES E. SEARLE 
designing- of the built-in 
features it is the effort of 
the good architect to escape 
from the ordinary stereo¬ 
typed styles, he can often 
hnd some suggestion in a 
house of another man’s 
planning which will prove 
acceptable when embodied 
in his own, and as it is es¬ 
pecially true of architecture 
that “there is nothing new 
under the sun,” this adap¬ 
tation is by no means un¬ 
usual. 
The readers of House & 
Garden are, of course, 
familiar with many ex¬ 
amples of built-in furniture 
Figure II—In Fontainebleau is this elaborate 
treatment of a built-in bench, which, simpli¬ 
fied, could be made from pine for a bungalow 
or lodge. Good lines and harmonious pro¬ 
portions, of course, are necessary elements 
Figure I—An enclosure form¬ 
ing the back of a bench next 
to the fireplace utilizes the 
corner and screens the stairs. 
An upholstered seat such as 
this adds to the comfort. Use 
the bottom for a woodbox 
selves readily to the use of built-in 
furniture, although this must be 
used with discretion and in con¬ 
formity with the general treatment. 
This may be simple or elaborate, 
plain or ornate, depending on the 
character of the dwelling. 
Some Examples 
The example from the Royal 
Palace of Fontainebleau (Fig. II) 
shows a decidedly elaborate treat¬ 
ment, and is an excellent example 
of the style of the period of Fran¬ 
cois Premier, in whose reign this 
part of the building was erected. 
The work is elaborately carved, 
bearing the royal arms and em¬ 
blems, as well as decorative motives 
of a more or less classic origin. The 
general arrangement, however, 
might be used for a pine bench in 
a bungalow or lodge, simple sawed- 
out uprights being substituted for 
the carved legs, and plain boarding 
for the decorated panels. The es¬ 
sential is, in all cases, a basis of 
good lines and harmonious propor¬ 
tions, whatever the amount or 
character of the ornament. 
A design for a cottage living- 
room with stairs (Fig. 1) offers an 
arrangement somewhat different 
from the usual type. As a rule 
T HE possibilities of a room, often in¬ 
visible to the untrained eye, at once 
suggest themselves to that of the experi¬ 
enced designer. Features that at first ap¬ 
pear to be eyesores of the most offensive 
nature may often, by appropriate treatment, 
be made interesting and attractive. One of 
the means by which this is accomplished is 
the use of built-in furniture. This may be 
used to lend interest in rooms that are 
monotonous in character, to utilize waste 
space and odd corners of no apparent value, 
and to screen obnoxious features. 
Planning the Furniture 
When the house plans are in the making, 
such window seats, inglenooks, bookshelves, 
corner cupboards and buffets as may be 
deemed desirable should be included, for at 
this time they add but little to the estimate 
as a whole, whereas if they are later figured 
upon separately, the cost runs up decidedly. 
When looking over a completed house in 
which such features are included, and 
where the color and finish of the wood trim 
and the tint of the sand-finished walls are 
harmonious and attractive, the prospective 
occupant will feel that the house as it stands 
is almost livable, and be encouraged to 
think that the trouble and expense of 
furnishing and decorating will be small. 
Frequently when a man is about to build 
the house which will be his permanent home, 
his desire is to embody in it all of the good 
features of his neighbors’ houses, and those 
which he has gleaned from long and care¬ 
ful study of the published plans and pictures 
of exteriors and interiors. It is then a large 
part of his architect’s work to eliminate and 
choose for him the possible features from 
the chaotic selection offered. When once 
the type of house has been determined, it is 
much easier to decide the detail and finish 
which will be appropriate, and while in the 
Figure III-In this library stack the 
section shown is a unit that can be re¬ 
produced around the room. The lower 
drawers may serve for prints and maps 
that have appeared in these pages, but the 
accompanying illustrations may be of inter¬ 
est to them, as suggesting various oppor¬ 
tunities that some may have overlooked. 
These examples cover almost every portion 
of the home capable of decorative treat¬ 
ment, although the more utilitarian types, 
such as kitchen and pantry dressers, have 
not here been considered. 
The entrance and stair halls, where little- 
movable furniture is desirable, lend them- 
these stairs are far too prominent 
a feature of the room, particularly as in a 
house of this type they are generally used 
for all purposes, there being no separate 
service stairs. Here an enclosure forming 
the back of a bench next to the fireplace 
partly screens the stairs, and a curtain may 
be drawn to hide them completely, on oc¬ 
casions when this becomes necessary. 
The drawing of a corner cupboard and 
bench (Fig. V) is of similar character, and 
might be used, with but slight modification, 
