onto it. Tapestry paper may often be found successful in this
situation
]
[Illustration:
Another stairway that divides on the way to the upper flight, but a
treatment particularly fit for houses in English style of decoration
]
[Illustration:
This view shows to good advantage the value of an archway between
living-room and hall. Woodwork, simply carved, frames in
delightfully the stairway which is so appropriately treated with a
forest frieze. Curtains would be objectionable here
]
[Illustration:
This hall is of generous width, and the stairs rise straight with
but one landing lighted by a large window. A window is almost a
necessity in the hall as it permits a free circulation of air
throughout the house
]
[Illustration:
A use of the Colonial flat arch which separates this stairway from
the living-room and makes a small room of it
]
[Illustration:
Simplicity characterizes this Colonial stairway that is very similar
to the one at the top of page 114. There is, however, a baseboard
treatment which, like the banister rail, is crowned with mahogany
]
[Illustration:
In the recess made by the vestibule the stairway is economically
placed. The hall serves the double purpose of entrance and reception
room
]
[Illustration]
Planning the Kitchen
There is a growing and altogether proper tendency to treat the kitchen
as an integral part of the house, which was almost entirely absent in
English and American houses of early times; in fact, until within the
last twenty-five years very little thought was attached to it. A
century ago it was regarded advisable to have the kitchen occupy a
separate building somewhat removed from the main building or located at
a great distance from the dining or living rooms, ofttimes the whole
length of the house. The principal reason for this was the primitive
methods used in cooking and preparing foods which were very
objectionable at close range. Odors, noises and unsanitary appliances
made the kitchen a place to be abhorred and to be kept as far away as
possible. The present-day intelligent methods of dealing with the
kitchen, particularly in America, have effected a complete
transformation in this old idea. Our modern successful architect of the
home attaches great importance to the planning of the kitchen, with its
adjoining pantries, closets, storage rooms, etc.; and rightfully he
should, as it goes more towards making for the convenience, help and
comfort of the up-to-date household than possibly any other feature of
the home.
The modern English kitchen with its relation to the dining-room is
interesting for comparison with those here in America, chiefly because
the early English settlers constitute the original source from which we
obtain our start in house-building. The English kitchen's adjuncts
practically comprise separate departments, such as the scullery,
larder, wood, ashes, knives and boots, fuel, etc. This condition
naturally requires the employment of considerable help even in the
smaller homes. On the other hand, the compactness so noticeable in
American homes--requiring perhaps one-half the space, thus reducing the
necessary help to a minimum and obtaining the maximum of
convenience--has brought our kitchen to a standard, nearly, if not
entirely, approaching the ideal. The American architect has based his
idea for this compactness upon the same reasoning as is exercised in
fitting up a convenient workshop, for truly a kitchen is the workshop
of the house. Again, the peculiar custom of medieval times in placing
the kitchen a considerable distance from the dining-room still survives
in the English homes, while in American homes a marked difference has
long prevailed. The kitchen here is usually placed as near as possible
to the dining-room, only separated, if at all, by a china-closet,
pantry, or butler's room.
[Illustration:
The model kitchen has developed considerably from the
higgledy-piggledy arrangement of Colonial times. Supplies are
limited to the most necessary articles, and these stored away in a
handy location
]
[Illustration:
Such a kitchen _de luxe_ is expensive, but not extravagant. The
built-in range, tiled wall and floor, together with the open
plumbing, give the highest degree of sanitation
]
Convenience, cleanliness and ventilation are three essentials that must
be paramount in arranging the up-to-date kitchen and its accessories.
While there may be differences as to minor details, the principal
features to be obtained in establishing a modern kitchen may be found
in the various suggestions herein contained:
1st. The kitchen should be roomy but not excessively large. This
applies to any size of house, as too large a kitchen is maintained at
the expense of convenience and labor. An ideal size for a kitchen in a
house measuring 25 × 50 (containing living-room, reception room,
dining-room and pantry on first floor) would be 12 × 15 feet.
2nd. The general construction of the interior is of the utmost
importance. The floor may be of hard Georgia pine, oiled, or covered
with linoleum or oilcloth. As a covering, linoleum of a good inlaid
pattern, while more expensive than oilcloth, proves the best and most
economical in length of service. In a house where comfort is demanded
regardless of cost, an interlocking rubber tiling is suggested. This
flooring absolutely avoids noises and slipping and is comfortable to
the feet, as well as being of an exceptional durability. Other floors
of a well-merited character are unglazed tile, brick, or one of the
many patented compositions consisting chiefly of cement, which is also
fireproof.
The wainscoting, if adopted for the kitchen, can be of tile, enameled
brick, or matched and V-jointed boards, varnished or painted; but in
any event should be connected with the floor in a manner to avoid
cracks for collecting dust or dirt. This is accomplished (when a wooden
wainscot is used) by means of a plain rounded molding which is set in
the rightangle formed by the junction of the floor with the wainscot.
While seldom seen, because of the expense, a kitchen completely tiled
or bricked on walls, floor and ceiling is indeed a thing of beauty and
necessarily an ideally sanitary room.
[Illustration:
The sink should have a drainboard space and be located where the
light may fall directly upon it. The row of hooks for utensils saves
much walking
]
The doors, window frames, dressers and other necessary woodwork should
be plain, made of medium wood and painted some light color or enameled
white; or finished in the natural state with a transparent varnish.
[Illustration:
The butler's pantry should have an indirect connection between the
kitchen and the dining-room. The two doors here keep out odors,
noise and heat from the dining-room. The refrigerator is in the
cook's pantry and opens out on the porch
]
The walls and ceiling, if not tiled or bricked, should be finished with
a hard smooth plaster and painted three or four coats of some light
color--light yellow, green, or blue making a very agreeable color to
the eye. This manner of treatment permits the walls to be washed and
kept free from dust and dirt, which latter is a disagreeable feature in
the use of wall papers.
3rd. The proper installation of the various furnishings of the kitchen
is worthy of much thought and consideration. Of all these, nothing is
of more vital importance nor appeals more strongly to the household
than the range. The size of the range is largely governed by the size
of the house or the number of persons it is intended to serve. However,
it is advisable to have a range not less than three feet square for a
seven or eight-room house. It should be of a thoroughly modern style,
with a hood over it, either built in or of sheet iron, an excellent
provision for drawing away the steam and fumes of cooking. And, by all
means, the range should be placed so that direct daylight falls upon
it. Most present-day houses also have either gas or electric ranges
installed in them and these should be near the coal range so as to
confine all cooking to one part of the kitchen; and further, especially
in winter when large gatherings are entertained, they furnish a
combined service. Some large establishments, in addition to the range,
are especially equipped with "warmers."
[Illustration:
The modern kitchen may be neat and clean if all of wood, with
V-matched boards varnished or painted. The space under the
drainboard here for a table is a feature worth adopting. The
cupboard over the shelf is also an attractive feature
]
The sink, being so closely allied in its usefulness to the range,
should be placed near the latter and under, between or near windows,
but never where the person using it would have his back to the light.
It may be of galvanized iron, copper, soapstone or enameled porcelain,
and provided with an ample draining-board; two being much preferred. If
there is a special sink for vegetables required, it should be
immediately adjoining the draining-board to insure compactness and
convenience as well as economy in plumbing. The draining-board may be
of hard wood or of wood covered with copper or zinc. The best are made
of enameled ware similar to the sinks. Draining-boards of copper or
zinc should be given only a slight slope to prevent the possibility of
dishes slipping therefrom.
[Illustration:
A feature of this plan is the sliding door connecting the kitchen
and pantry. This may be closed when cooking is in progress and
successfully keeps all odors from finding their way into the
dining-room. Opposite windows provide a cross draft and excellent
ventilation
]
The refrigerator should be built in or placed against an outside wall
in order that the ice can be put in easily from without through either
a small opening or window. If it can be avoided, the refrigerator
should not be placed immediately in the kitchen, but rather in the
entry, pantry or enclosed porch.
The kitchen of the small house which sometimes has no communicating
pantry should have built therein dressers of such proportions as will
accommodate all the necessary dishes, pots, vessels, bins for flour,
sugar, etc., cutlery, and other things essential for obtaining the best
results under the circumstances. A dresser of commodious size is always
a blessing. The top portion, of plain shelves, should be enclosed
either with doors or sliding glass fronts; the lower portion, first
lined with zinc and enclosed with solid wooden doors so constructed to
fit nearly if not airtight. If an exclusive pot closet is desired, it
should be handy to the range and at the same time be under cover for
sanitary reasons.
[Illustration:
This German kitchen is a model of neatness and cleanliness in its
white enamel furnishings. The cupboard provides space for china, the
long shelf beneath being a great convenience, while the various bins
and drawers provide proper places for everything
]
Frequently in a small kitchen a counter or drop leaves against the wall
are substituted for a table, but in most kitchens a good-sized
substantial table, preferably in the center of the room, is found
indispensable. The table should have a smooth top that can be easily
kept clean. Although costly, a heavy plate glass fitted perfectly with
rounded edges makes a splendid top for the table.
The service part of the house, of which the kitchen is the central
room, should fit together just as parts of a machine and form a unit in
themselves. The pantries, store rooms, etc., should be placed so as to
afford easy access one to the other.
In a house, which has two or more servants, a dining-room or alcove
should be provided for their use. This may be a part of the kitchen or
immediately adjoining, and merely large enough to seat comfortably the
servants around a table.
[Illustration:
A kitchen in a large country place that is equipped with every
possible convenience, sliding doors, built-in refrigerator, clothes
chute, dumbwaiter and a revolving drum between kitchen and butler's
pantry. There is also provision made for a servants' dining-room,
advisable wherever possible
]
The cook's pantry should contain cupboards in which are all the
necessary paraphernalia for preparing pastries, puddings, etc., such as
bins, bakeboards, crockery, pans and supplies, and should be lighted by
at least one window.
The butler's pantry, or china-closet as it is often called--generally
located and affording direct communication between the kitchen and the
dining-room--is essentially a serving-room and should contain a sink
with draining-boards, cupboards and shelves to accommodate the fine
china, glassware and other requisites for the table. With such a plan
the door between the pantry and kitchen may be either sliding or double
swinging, but between the pantry and the dining-room, a noiseless
double-swinging door. A slide, with small shelves or counters on either
side, between the kitchen and pantry, for the passing of food and
dishes, saves time and steps. It is well to have the communication
rather indirect through the pantry to prevent in a measure the passage
of odors or a direct view of the kitchen by those entering the
dining-room or seated at the table. This can be partly accomplished by
not having the communicating doors directly opposite each other.
[Illustration:
The kitchen need not be large, if it is compact. In the house 25´ ×
50´ the ideal size is about 13´ × 15´. A work table of this sort
does away with many unnecessary steps, the lower shelf being a
convenient place to put articles that are in constant use
]
The outside entrance to the kitchen should be so placed as to
facilitate the delivery of provisions, preferably through an entry or
an enclosed porch.
The laundry in many houses is combined with the kitchen or immediately
adjoining, in which latter case it often serves as an entry and a place
to store certain articles, such as brooms, buckets and possibly the
refrigerator. The very best plan is to have the laundry in the
basement, with separate outside stairs. In such a case, a chute for
sending soiled linen, etc., should run from the kitchen or pantry to
the laundry.
[Illustration:
The butler's pantry or serving-room should be equipped with a
cupboard and sink in order that the finer glass ware can be stored
and the more fragile articles be washed without finding their way
into the kitchen
]
[Illustration:
A rather unusual plan, in which great economy of space is made by
building the service stairs about the chimney. The pantry is
exceedingly well arranged in that it takes up no room from the
kitchen or the dining-room
]
[Illustration:
Plaster walls should be finished with a hard surface and given
several coats of a waterproof paint. The shelves beneath the sink
here provide a place useful and easily accessible
]
The kitchen should above all be well ventilated and have plenty of
daylight. The necessary fumes and heat arising from the cooking should
be taken care of in such a way that none of it is carried to the
dining-room or to other parts of the house. This can partly be
accomplished by the hood over the range, but plenty of fresh air is
required. Generally in country homes, the living-rooms are given the
southern exposure, so the kitchen usually faces the north. The best
location is either the northern or eastern exposure, as the cooling
breezes in the summer generally come from that direction, especially in
this part of the country, and combined with the morning sun, make the
kitchen cheerful and cool. If possible there should be exposure on at
least two sides, opposite, affording cross ventilation as well as an
abundance of light. All windows should be well fitted with screens in
summer to keep out flies and other insects attracted by the odors of
cooking.
The best artificial lighting is obtained by a reflector in the center
of the kitchen, possibly with side brackets where necessary, as at the
sink or at the range.
[Illustration:
A very novel kitchen cupboard is this, with the shelf space in the
doors giving almost a double capacity. The bread board slides
beneath a shelf and is provided with handles
]
In a large house the service portion may be situated in a separate wing
and if so the stairs should be in a small hall, centrally located and
near the kitchen, especially the stairs to the cellar. This hall may
contain a closet for brooms and a lavatory for the use of the servants.
It it well not to have the stairway ascending directly from the
kitchen, as it lessens the valuable wall space. The rooms directly over
the kitchen can best be utilized in most cases for servants' sleeping
rooms as they are often objectionable for members of the household, or
guests.
JAMES EARLE MILLER
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes: Italic text is denoted by _underscores_, bold text
by =equals signs=.
End of Project Gutenberg's A Book of Distinctive Interiors, by Various