May, 1918 
19 
THE TERRACE as A PLACE for SUMMER LIVING 
A Garden Room Supplanting the Conventional Porch and 
Capable of Distinctive Furnishing 
THOMAS BRABAZON 
1 
■ 
E ver since Americans discovered 
that gardens were not made 
merely to look at but to live in, they 
have taken more and more to sum¬ 
mering out of doors. Before that 
outdoor living was confined to the 
porch, and the apotheosis of porch 
furnishing was a green rocking chair 
with Turkey red covers on back and 
seat to keep the paint from coming 
off onto the girls’ dresses on hot days. 
Since then the decoration of the porch 
has become a study all in itself and 
we are using such varied mediums as 
wrought iron, concrete, marble and 
wicker to accomplish it. 
From the civilized furnishing of 
porches to the furnishing of the ter¬ 
race or lawn living room was only a 
step. But it marked a great differ¬ 
ence. Iron and rustic furniture alone 
used to be used in the 
garden, and it required 
a great deal of courage 
to say that one was 
comfortable on them. 
They were distinctly 
garden furniture made 
for a moment’s rest or 
to mark some accent in 
the landscape scheme. 
The human occupants 
were only incidental. 
A Garden Living Room 
Approach the subject 
from the angle of liv¬ 
ing in the garden, con¬ 
sider the problem of 
making a living room 
in one corner of the 
garden or on the ter¬ 
race, and you have 
quite an interesting 
task ahead. Human 
comforts are para¬ 
mount; the furniture 
will no longer be part 
of a landscaping 
scheme but the essen¬ 
tials of a living room. 
And whether this liv¬ 
ing room be created on 
a terrace near the house 
or hid away in some 
shady spot beneath the 
A pergola terrace in the rear of the house, set amidst old trees, 
makes the ideal outdoors living room. This is from the resi¬ 
dence of Mrs. J. N. Burns, Pasadena, Cal. 
The fortunate owner whose property includes a high lawn or commanding bluff can furnish 
a corner of it in this fashion. On this Massachusetts estate the terrace is enclosed by a 
high balustrade and includes a quaint summer-house. Harry B. Russell, architect 
trees, the general furnishings will be 
of the same character. 
The terrace before the house gives 
unusual advantages for simple, effec¬ 
tive furnishing. Perhaps its first 
lequisite is a degree of privacy. This 
can be had, if the terrace lacks a wall, 
by placing potted trees and shrubs at 
intervals along the edge; if there is a 
rail, the top can be lined with flower 
boxes of suitable type. 
Awnings and Rugs 
An awning is almost a requisite for 
blistering hot days. The average 
striped awning may not be desirable. 
One can swing an awning out on 
poles, the way they are arranged in 
Italy and Spain, and the material can 
be dyed that remarkably warm burnt 
umber of which sails are made for the 
boats in Venice. A 
large terrace or lawn 
parasol is a good choice. 
These come with a 
table built around 
them, making a com¬ 
plete grouping. 
Of the rugs there are 
legion. The Formosa 
fibre rugs shown on 
page 53 have gained 
popular favor, and 
justly so. Their colors 
and designs are inter¬ 
esting and they wear 
like iron. In fact, any 
form of fibre rug is 
suitable to the terrace 
and will give good 
wear. The Scotch wool 
art rug is also a fa¬ 
vorite, but it must be 
used carefully and 
should not be exposed 
to rain. 
The Furniture 
For furniture, wick¬ 
er, willow, reed and 
rattan are the obvious 
types. Their very 
lightness gives them a 
summery air. More¬ 
over, they can readily 
be moved about, which 
