54 
House & Garden 
A ROOM FOR KITCHEN STORES 
These Plans Provide for An Orderly and Accessible 
Arrangement to Assist the Householder 
VERNA COOK SALOMONSKY 
T HE smooth functioning of the culinary 
phase of the modern household is in a 
large measure dependent upon the ac¬ 
cessibility and orderly arrangement of the 
kitchen stores. In fitting up a room to ac¬ 
commodate various sorts of provisions required 
in the kitchen, the prime necessity is to pro¬ 
vide a suitable place for everything; this done, 
it will be easy to keep everything in its place. 
In the accompanying illustrations the cold 
closet is, because of its frequent use, but a step 
from the doorway. This is built in two com¬ 
partments, each equipped with slat shelves 
which allow for a continuous circulation of air 
through mesh-covered inlets and outlets at the 
bottom and top of each cabinet. Ripening 
fruits and vegetables, butter, eggs and a host 
of other stores which require a cool current 
of air are allotted this space. 
On the opposite side of the window are the 
cabinets for the storage of cleaning supplies 
such as soap, compounds, brushes, waxes and 
cleaning fluids. Shallow drawers beneath the 
countershelf on the adjacent wall provide a 
place for the keeping of such small necessities 
as screwdriver, hammers and nails, hooks, etc., 
which are required from time to time about 
the household. 
The preserves and jellies are set apart be¬ 
hind closed doors as it is important that they 
be kept away from the light. Below is an 
open space intended for demijohns of cider, 
vinegar, syrups and other fluids kept in more 
or less large quantities, and, on either side, 
under lock and key, the treasured brew. 
For those who take advantage of the econ¬ 
omy of buying in quantities barrels of flour 
and sugar may be stored under a generous 
countershelf. There is a special pivot on the 
market which allows these barrels to be easily 
swung out into the room. After use the con¬ 
tents are protected by a circular wooden cover 
Staples such as sugar and flour in 
bulk can be kept in barrels that 
swing on pivots under the shelves 
and the barrel revolved back again out of the 
way. Above the barrels on open shelving are 
sorted the canned and bottled goods, and, on 
the countershelf are air-tight jars or tins for 
the keeping of cookies and crackers. Along¬ 
side are spaces for a reserve supply of spices 
and other staples. Hams, bacon, bunches of 
bananas and strings of peppers hang from 
hooks in the center of the ceiling. 
A detail which constitutes a necessary fea¬ 
ture is the portable steps, with one side car¬ 
ried up to a height of about thirty inches and 
tapered to form a sort of handle, by which they 
can be moved here and there with little 
exertion. 
A room of this character is not complete 
unless safe-guarded against rats. This can 
best be done by laying a floor of cement or of 
composition and by carrying this - material up 
the side walls at least four or five inches, 
thereby forming a cover base. Above the base 
the wall should be plastered. A strip of sheet 
metal across the bottom rail of the door (which 
should close tightly) will prove an effective 
guard against rodents and other vermin. 
In most old houses the larger supplies of 
kitchen and cooking stores are kept in a cold 
closet in the cellar. This necessitates going 
downstairs. Would it not be simpler, in build¬ 
ing a new house, to include this store closet 
close by the kitchen? With plenty of outside 
ventilation the stores will keep just as cool, and 
certainly dryer, than in the cellar. 
On the kitchen wall side 
are shelves for extra pre¬ 
serves and canned goods 
and hooks for hams and 
bacon. The room is 
thoroughly ventilated 
Pivots can be attached to 
the barrels of staples and 
swing out or in with lit- 
tle effort. Above the bar¬ 
rel rack are shelves for 
canned goods and jars 
Preserves in glass are 
kept in cupboards away 
from the light. The lower 
cupboard affords a 
counter and space for 
vinegar and oil demijohns 
A cupboard for ripening 
fruit has outside ventila¬ 
tion. Below it is a cup¬ 
board where one’s pre¬ 
cious stock of home brew 
can be kept under lock 
