THE ROBERT SPENCER HOUSE
The prospective house owner generally has little or no idea of how to go
about designing his own home. If he chances to see some other house that
strikes his fancy, he realizes that it approaches, at least in part,
what he has in mind. How to accomplish his desire, however, he has no
definite knowledge. He hesitates to call in an architect who is a
stranger to him and knows nothing of his needs and habits and
preferences; he fears that an attempt to combine his own ideas with
those of the architect will result unsatisfactorily to both of them. To
such a man as this, the remodeled farmhouse comes as a boon. From the
old house he is able to determine what type his home will be; no matter
how battered and worn it is to start with, he can get some impression of
the possible room space and arrangement by studying other old interiors
and their relation to each other. That is one of the reasons why the
movement sweeping through the country to-day has become so extensive.
It gives a substantial foundation upon which to develop an artistic home
under one's own supervision.
When a man purchases a weather-beaten farmhouse, it is evident that he
is up against a real problem in remodeling, and the task demands plenty
of time and a wide-awake, ingenious brain. If he consults his friends
and neighbors across the way, doubtless their opinions differ so
materially from his own that the result is worse than if he had solved
the questions in his own way. We all have ideals, but it is not always
easy to express them; they need to be developed in order to be made
practical and require thought and diligent research if they are to be
concretely embodied in the altered home. Paper and pencil are good
friends at this stage of the game, and even a rough sketch drawn
carelessly on the back of an old envelope, as an idea occurs, gives
subject matter for larger schemes and more realistic results.
Few people who are planning to spend the summer months in a new house
realize how much their comfort depends upon light and space. It would be
foolish for you to buy an old farmhouse and make the rooms small and
cramped in size. You would lose a great part of the advantage of coming
to the country to live, the pleasure of being as nearly out of doors as
possible. Most of the old houses were cut up into small rooms, for,
owing to the limited heating facilities in olden days, large rooms would
have been freezing in winter; accordingly one or two bedrooms were
invariably crowded into the first floor to receive the warmth from the
kitchen. But it is almost always possible to tear out the partitions
between some of the rooms and make them into one large apartment which
can be used for living purposes. This can usually be done without
weakening the structure; the floor above will be found to rest upon a
great beam, or a new girder can be put across.
If the stud is low, do not change it, or you will spoil the whole
atmosphere of the place. A low stud and large rooms are good
developments, so try to achieve them when you are making over the house.
Have plenty of windows; in the old days, many windows meant a cold house
in the winter, but if the farmhouse is to be used only as a summer home,
the cooler the better. If for a winter residence also, modern systems of
heating will counteract the difficulty. Windows of the long French type
are especially desirable; they are more adapted to the requirements of
country life, as they admit abundant light and air and are entirely in
keeping with the style of the farmhouse.
The house should represent a unit; the porch should be planned so that
it leads into the living-room, and by throwing open the windows, will
seem to become part of a large airy room. The dining-room should either
be part of the living-room or open conveniently near. The service
quarters must immediately adjoin the dining-room. If there is other
space on the floor which cannot be used to increase the comfort of the
two main rooms, well and good; it may then be devoted to whatever
purpose you desire. But when the removal of partitions will make a place
more pleasant to live in, it is always wise to make such a change.
We know that there are few of these old houses that have not been cut up
and divided; but the conditions which made that necessary in the earlier
days have been changed, and for a simple country house one large living
and dining-room is far better than divisions which shut out light and
air. Many people look at these propositions from a limited view-point
and do not stop to consider the complete idea. We all learn from houses
that we visit what is right and what is wrong to do. If we look deeper
into the subject and go farther afield, we find it pays to carefully
develop the plan before commencing to rebuild. The requirements of
elaborate modes of life, liveried servants and much entertaining,
demand, of course, many apartments; reception-room and drawing-room,
library and den seem essential in the house plan, but for those who come
to the country to simplify existence, these are not needed. In
remodeling your house, let three things be uppermost in your mind:
convenience, comfort, and light; if you follow these, you will not go
far astray.
Even a very small house need not be devoid of these qualities. It may be
very tiny and yet most attractive and complete in every detail. With
careful thought and a broad conception of the whole, it is quite
possible to make a place where it is a pleasure to visit and where even
the casual guest realizes the application of small and interesting
details in making a harmonious whole.
Do not let your mind wander from the fact that the interior is of as
much importance, and even more, than the exterior, for it is there that
we live much of the time during the season, and it should therefore be
harmonious and in good taste. The development of one room for common
family use, and the elimination of the shut-up parlor for company, have
brought about an atmosphere of simplicity that goes to make a perfect
and livable house.
[Illustration: THE ROBERT SPENCER HOUSE ON CAPE COD]
This one-room idea has been charmingly carried out in a small house that
has been remodeled for a summer home by Mr. Robert Spencer of New York
and South Yarmouth. It is most attractively situated, standing far back
from the road, with a background of pine trees that give a picturesque
touch to the little cottage. Originally it stood on the opposite side of
the bay, on the shores of Cape Cod at South Dennis, Massachusetts. Its
possibilities seemed to the present owner worth developing, and he had
it "flecked" and brought over the water to its present site. This was
not a hard task to accomplish, as the timbers were stanch and in a good
state of preservation.
[Illustration: THE ROBERT SPENCER HOUSE--FRONT VIEW]
It was a typical fisherman's cottage, with a wide gable roof sloping
down to the first story and four small rooms about a central chimney. To
meet the needs of the new owner, it required considerable enlargement. A
two-story building was added at the rear and side, meeting the main
house only along the corner. Little attempt was made to have the two
harmonize, for not only are the roof lines of widely different types,
but the frame of one is of white clapboarding and of the other weathered
shingle. At the angle where they join, the roof of the old building has
been raised to accommodate the higher stud in the new, thus making a
break in it near the ridge.
Two dormers have been cut in the main roof to give extra room in the
second floor; these are flat-roofed and well spaced, with two windows
occupying the entire front of each. A porch has been added across the
whole front of the house and half of it is roofed over. This breaks with
the slope of the main roof, but follows that of the dormers. A detail
which adds much to the appearance of the exterior is the simple,
square-posted fence that surrounds the porch and encloses a quaint
little garden in the square formed by the angle of the two buildings.
This same detail has been adopted at the side of the porch roof in an
effective way. This fence, and the clapboards and trim of the house, are
white, and the shutters and shingles are green.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: Two Views of the Living Room]
The front door opens immediately into the living and dining-room
which occupies the whole right side of the house and opens at the rear
on to a grassy terrace. A triple window has been cut along the side to
allow ample light and air. Small panes are used in these windows, and
the French doors have glass of corresponding size. The feature of this
room is the fine old fireplace at the center of the inside wall. It is
very simple, with slight attempt at ornamentation, but the proportions
are good, and the lines rather unusual. Over the fireplace is an old
cupboard that used to be called a "nightcap closet" from the hospitable
bottle which was kept there to be passed around among the men just
before retiring. At the left is a cupboard with upper and lower doors;
in the panels of the former, panes of glass have been inserted. This end
of the room has been treated as the living-room and the opposite end as
the dining-room. The woodwork is all white, and the roughly finished
plaster is tinted a deep cream.
Straight stairs lead to the second story along the wall at the dining
end of the room. Here, about the walls, a wide molding has been carried
over doors and windows, which serves as a plate-rail for numerous
interesting old family plates and jugs. Beneath it, in several places,
shelves have been bracketed to the wall to hold other pieces of china.
The glass door at the end opens on to the terrace, and the paneled door
beside it communicates with the kitchen and servants' quarters in the
addition.
The furnishings in this room admirably accord with the building in both
age and simplicity. The older furniture has been supplemented with
modern pieces of straightest and most unpretentious line and character.
Clocks, mirrors, pictures, andirons, and fire-set are family heirlooms.
The coverings on the floor are large and plain rag carpets; at the
windows are simple muslin curtains, with overhangings of Colonial chintz
in soft colors harmonizing with the cheerful and sunny atmosphere of the
room.
At the left of this room, occupying the other side of the house, are two
bedrooms. One of them is the children's own room and has been furnished
very attractively; fresh white tables and chairs harmonize with the
older mahogany pieces and lend an air of distinctive charm to the
apartment.
[Illustration]
[Illustration: The Attic Chambers]
The space up-stairs is divided into large and small rooms under the
eaves. The slope of the roof allows room for many built-in drawers and
closets, and every inch has been utilized. The white paint and the
simple white furniture arranged with a care and precision that is worthy
of emulation contribute to make the effect of these rooms light and airy
and inviting. The Japanese crepe or gay cretonne curtains at the windows
add just the necessary touch of color.
The lighting fixtures in the house demand especial notice, as it is so
difficult a matter to attain a distinction in them when a house has not
been wired but must depend upon older methods of illumination than
electricity or gas. A number of simple candle brackets attaching to the
wall have been purchased, and these are placed symmetrically in pairs,
balancing each other on either side of a fireplace or mirror or window.
The candlesticks for shelf or table have been arranged with equal
precision, and some are given all the more importance by attractive
hand-made shades. An occasional simple, square, candle lantern hangs
from the ceiling to contribute to the effect. The table and reading
lamps have been chosen with equal success.