9 § 
House & Garden 
Harmony in lighting 
Riddle fitments are individual and 
are developed in harmonious color¬ 
ings and designs, permitting an entire 
lighting installation without a dis¬ 
cordant note. 
The Riddle Fitment Booklet 
shows the unusual Estofado Decor¬ 
ation in actual colors, illustrating 
nearly fifty styles in ceiling and wall 
fitments, floor lamps, table lamps, 
torcheres and novelties. Copy, with 
name of dealer, sent on request. 
The Edward N. Riddle Company 
Makers of lighting fitments since 18,92 
243 Riddle Bldg., Toledo, Ohio 
Table lamp below, No. 652, with shade, $37.50 
Chair lamp. No. 041 , with shade, $35 
Three Barns 
( Continued, from page 61) 
The first step in the process of reju¬ 
venation was the substitution, where 
necessary, of new timbers for old. 
Only native oak, adzed by the local 
carpenter, or wood from an old Revo¬ 
lutionary barn, demolished for the pur¬ 
pose, was used so that harmony of 
materials and the old-time atmosphere 
would be retained. New oak floors 
were laid and new windows put in. 
Of the latter, some were double-hung, 
others of the casement or folding type. 
MAINTAINING THE PRIMITIVE 
There was no attempt to alter the 
outward appearance or to interfere 
with the lines of the primitive archi¬ 
tecture. The building was made hab¬ 
itable and weather-proof, by apply¬ 
ing a layer of building felt to the old 
walls, with new boards laid over it, 
and the whole then given a coat of the 
familiar red by which the ancient land¬ 
mark had so long been distinguished. 
The architect followed Colonial meth¬ 
ods of construction and used the same 
type of primitive joinery as that which 
made the earlier work quaintly inter¬ 
esting. To-day the big barn presents 
much the same aspect as it did origi¬ 
nally for nearly every detail of the 
ancient craftwork is to be seen, from 
the massive summer beam that spans 
the center of the studio to the small 
wooden dowels that pin the parts to¬ 
gether. 
The main part facing south became 
the studio living room, its great barn 
doors being retained to be thrown wide 
or kept closed, while for general pur¬ 
poses a single door was cut through 
the larger one, to be used when work 
or weather would not permit of the 
wide open hospitable effect. 
The west wing, which once domiciled 
the patient Dobbin, became a glorified 
kitchen with a maid’s room and bath 
adjoining. The old stalls were removed, 
the interior paneled and ceiled with 
wood. Lighted on three sides and by 
an outside door that affords an en¬ 
chanting view of a low-browed hill in 
the foreground and rolling meadows 
beyond, the kitchen is one of the most 
appealing parts of the house. 
UNDER THE GABLE 
The quaint gable overhead, reached 
by an enclosed stairway from the 
studio, became a master’s bedroom and 
bath. Open to the roof, with the 
secrets of the ancient rafters laid bare 
the room possesses both romance and 
charm. It is abundantly lighted by 
English casements, and windows that 
fold back upon themselves, form¬ 
ing practically an outdoor sleeping 
room. From the waste spaces under 
the eaves closets were envolved, while 
back of the huge chimney a corridor 
leads to a surprisingly ample attic 
space. Opening off the narrow hall 
is a small window that gives a unique 
and wholly unexpected view of the 
lofty studio. 
To the east is the open shed that 
once gave hospitable refuge to visit¬ 
ing carrioles, and which has not even 
now materially changed its guise, de¬ 
spite the fact the roof was raised to 
allow of sufficient head room to make 
it habitable. The result is a guest 
room, with an ingeniously contrived 
bath and clothes press adjoining. A 
new concrete floor was laid under th< 
open arches of the shed and rude 
benches built around the sides to carry 
out the owner’s purpose of making it a 
casual resting place for friendly visitors. 
On either side of the old barn were 
the usual hay-mows. One has already 
succumbed to the expediency of the mo¬ 
ment but the other, although converted 
into a most inviting hanging balcony, 
still suggests a measure of its former 
origin. The latter, once suspended 7' 
from the barn floor, is now elevated to 
a height corresponding to the level of 
the guest room with which it communi¬ 
cates. The primitive ladder by which 
the hay loft was reached, still remains 
to lend a touch of realism to the scene, 
but for practical purposes a new flight 
of steps of rough hewn oak and simple 
construction was built. 
THE BIG CHIMNEY 
In order to accommodate the massive 
chimney, the hay-mow on the left was 
entirely torn away and this necessitated 
a corresponding structural change, for 
since the original post supporting the 
roof was removed, a truss with two 
new 3" x 6 " beams was substituted to 
strengthen the fabric. The fidelity with 
which the architect carried out the de¬ 
tail is typified in the lighting of the 
studio. An old cart wheel, fitted with 
electric candles is suspended by chains 
from the roof, and wrought iron side 
lights of a primitive character are hung 
at intervals against the exposed beams 
about the room. 
From whatever aspect ‘‘Three Barns” 
is viewed, the chimney composed of 
field stone in which the native soil of 
Connecticut abounds, is a striking and 
effective feature, not only by reason 
of its being a good example of local 
masonry but from artistic aspect, 
since it is thrown into sharp relief by 
the deep red color of the walls. 
Within the studio its charm is no 
less apparent, for apart from the hos¬ 
pitable atmosphere, which a fireplace 
of the old-fashioned sort invariably 
creates, its treatment here forms one of 
the most salient points of architectural 
interest. Composed of both stone and 
concrete, it measures 14' broad at the 
base, with an 8 ' fire opening-, capable 
of holding the great logs of Elizabethan 
days. 
At either end of the chimney the 
stone walls have been extended into the 
room to a depth of 8' and the piers 
joined by a slab of reinforced concrete 
to support the chimney and also to 
enclose an ingle nook of generous pro¬ 
portions. Tall oaken settles flank the 
sides and the fireplace furnishings are 
those of Colonial days. 
CONSTRUCTING THE FLOOR 
In an alteration of this sort the little 
tricks an architect uses to accomplish 
his purpose are always of interest, and 
notable among them is the method he 
employed to get the look of age in lay¬ 
ing the wood floor. Since there was to 
be no cellar under the main portion of 
the house, a layer of ashes to the depth 
of a foot was put down to prevent 
dampness from seeping through, and to 
keep the boards from warping. The 
oak strips were then cut tongue and 
groove on the under side with a quarter 
inch opening on the surface to which 
filler was applied to simulate the wide 
cracks seen in old Colonial floors. 
OQI ODI 
