A Small Country House of Ingenious Planning 
AN ANSWER TO THE FURNACE AND CELLAR PROBLEM IN VACATION HOMES—UTILIZING SPACE TO BEST 
ADVANTAGE—A MODEL HOUSE FOR CONVENIENCE AND COMFORT WHERE SERVANTS ARE AT A PREMIUM 
by Cora Parker 
Photographs by the Author 
HE first movement on the part of the American home- summer. Opposite the bay window is the brick mantel seven feet 
maker toward the return to a simple life manifested it- wide, where burning logs not only bring cheer on dull days and 
self by a craze for bungalows. And 
to-day these low, rambling houses, 
with their amazing architectural varie¬ 
ties, are dotted over the land from the 
pine woods of Maine to the orange 
groves of California. Undoubtedly, the 
well-appointed bungalow has much to 
commend it to the housewife who would 
free herself from the bondage of un¬ 
trained servants and elaborate houses, 
but it has its drawbacks as well. It is 
compact and convenient, and best of all, 
it bas no stairway; but, on the other 
hand, it is more expensive to build and 
more difficult to heat than the small 
house of equal size, and the necessity 
of sleeping on the ground floor is a 
serious drawback in many localities. 
These facts and others led us, when 
the building craze came upon us, to de¬ 
cide in favor of tbe small house, and we 
set about making plans that should 
combine all the conveniences of a 
bungalow with the added advantages of 
a second story for at least two sleeping 
rooms and bath. The elimination of 
the stairway was the one impossible 
thing, and this we atoned for by build¬ 
ing steps of only six-inch rise and ten 
and a half-inch tread, which 
proportions will cause the 
least appreciable fatigue for a 
person of medium height. 
The building material cho¬ 
sen was hollow tile, with 
white, rough finish and brown 
trim. Instead of the usual 
veranda we built a brick- 
paved pergola across the 
front, which seemed better to 
unite the house with the gar¬ 
den, which, latter occupies 
about half the fifty feet of 
lawn, and extends around 
three sides of the bungalow. 
The garden extends across 
the entire lot of sixty feet, 
arid is enclosed by a hedge of 
perennial roses. 
From the pergola a Dutch 
door, with its brass knocker, 
opens directly into the living 
room. At one side of the door 
A small bookcase separates the dining-alcove from the liv¬ 
ing-room. A curtain can be pulled across to assure privacy 
The building material chosen was hollow tile, with a white rough finish and brown 
trim. The brick-paved pergola was to tie the house to its garden 
chilly evenings, but making the living- 
room comfortable when the thermome¬ 
ter stands at twenty above zero outside 
and no fire in the furnace. The fire¬ 
place was built under the direct super¬ 
vision of the owner, and is three feet 
wide by two feet six inches high in 
front, and two feet four inches in the 
back. The depth is about twenty inches. 
The back is built straight for about 
twelve inches; then inclines forward to 
the throat, where an iron damper is 
placed. These dampers can be pur¬ 
chased at any builders’ supply store, 
and are invaluable for closing the chim¬ 
ney draft after the furnace fire has 
been started and the fireplace not in 
use. A tile flue ten inches square was 
used in the chimney, and this is the 
most important feature of all, for so 
many fireplaces smoke because the flue 
is too small. 
A small book-case containing a few 
choice books and magazines separates 
the dining alcove from the living-room. 
In the side of the boox-case a bas relief 
of the “Trumpeters” is inset. It is a 
deep ivory in tone, and has furnished 
the key-note for the color scheme of the 
room, the woodwork and ceil¬ 
ing having been painted to 
match, and the walls, which 
are of rough plaster, are 
gilded and toned to a dull 
bronze. A painted chest of 
Danish design does service as 
a wood box and occupies the 
opposite corner of the fire¬ 
place when needed. 1 he top 
is raised for wood, and a door 
in the back opens into the fur¬ 
nace room, of which we will 
speak later, where the box is 
refilled. This saves carrying 
wood through the house. 
From a pole attached to the 
beam in front of the dining 
alcove is suspended a heavy 
curtain, which can be drawn 
when privacy is desired. This 
dining alcove has a corner 
cupboard, which is an unique 
feature of the house, the cen- 
is a bay window ten feet long, in which has been placed a coil of ter compartment being reserved for serving, thus enabling the 
A window seat covers this in hostess to serve a several-course dinner without leaving the table. 
radiators sixteen inches high. 
(457) 
