DESIGNING THE NEW HOME

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 159, 6 July 1940, Page 13

DESIGNING THE NEW HOME

Article and Plans contributed by /. L. HANNA.

If I had my own way, untrammelled by the requests and demands of readers and clients, and with an unlimited bank account, what a house I would build. My only trouble would be in making quite sure I forgot none of the charming results that can be achieved.

There is, however, one thing I would make, quite sure of having and that is an open courtyard enclosed 011 all sides, opc.ll to the sun, the stars, the refreshing rain and all of Nature's other blessings, but entirely protected from the winds that smash and freeze.

I love a garden and I think the beauty of it should be shared with one's neighbour and the. passer-by, but I revel in that quiet corner where I can relax surrounded by beauty of scene and perfume. The landscape gardener can, at times, achieve this, but neve.r in such a way that prying eyes can be so completely frustrated as by the enclosed court vard.

Here I can loaf away the whole of a .Sunday morning in that moat comfortable of suits that has a patch 111 the scat of the pants and no one can say me nay. Even the wife's sense of the proprieties cannot be shocked and this relief adds to my comfort.'

But that is not all. My tender plants can flourish here unbattered by the raging blasts. Sweet- scented specimens can thrive and permeate the whole house with delightful perfumes. I car. put my babe out in the sun with tho happy assurance, that she will be unmolested by man or the elements. And when she grows to the age that I want to give a small dance for her I can festoon the courtyard with Chinese lanterns, opeu wide, the doors of the house and give the kids the freedom of the lot. I did it once and every youngster at that party (2.> years ago) still maintains that it was the best ever.

of the thrill of anticipation your visitor will get as she approaches the entrance gate and ponder what the realisation will be if you are the. gardener 1 hope for.

IJemember, too, that there is still plenty of the section left to work off your spare energy on and whereon to plant all those shrubs, trees ami plants that you arc happy to share with your neighbour and the passer-by, whilst keeping a little shrine for yourself and your intimate friends.

Afternoon tea is delightful in the open if there is no wind, but who wants to make a show in front of the public. Here we can enjoy it thoroughly with none of the drawbacks. Yes, give me a courtyard every time if it is at all possible. The Best of the View. The home illustrated is designed to get the sun 011 the back, the side and the. front. The garage is 011 the neighbour's boundary and the living room and dining alcove arc designed to get a charming view out past the back of the house next door. Tho two bedrooms in front also get tho best of the view just past the front corner of the adjoining home and everyone is happy. To get the best of the. sun in the

home illustrated it should be bui'.t on a section facing west. In such a position the kitchen and the meal alco\face the morning sun and the li\in;t room, the sun room and two bedrol - would each get midday sun. The bedrooms will each get tl'e afternoon sun whilst the sun room would get every bit of sun that shone.

Of special interest is the lack of waste space—this is a very big little house. The entrance hall is almost spacious, but passages are reduced to a minimum and yet every room in th& house has direct access except the meal alcove. This latter is an ornamental feature of a very fine living room. The tendency to live in the living room is growing and, I think, rightly so. As I have said before why keep all those big cosy pieces of furniture for the vicar on high days and holidays?

Not a Costly- Luxury. I have prepared quite a number of plane with open courtyards and I love them. Why this design is not more popular I cannot say, unless it is the foolish imagination that it is a costly luxury. Look at the plan published this week and you will see that only two walls are required to enclose this courtyard, one at the back of the pergola and the other along the front. Just think

Of course, you have noticed the pergola on tho plan, but I wonder whether you had realised what a charming background this covered way from the garage forms to the courtyard. Festooned with roses or other flowering

Charm Of The Open Courtyard

climbers, it could easily form a delightful feature that even the laziest gardener would have in trim. This home, including the courtyard,

pergola and garage coukl be built in Auckland, well finished and fully equipped, for under £1400. Interior Decoration. I would like to mention liere two articles to follow. The exterior of the home, may be beautiful—the cynoeure of all eyee—but, oh, how the interior

can be wrecked. I well remember one case where, the owner knew—in his mind —all there was to know about colour schemes and hangings. On completion of the job I was asked to go along and enjoy with him its charms. Ushered into the dining room I was met by walls of dirty brown smothered with tight ringlets of gay nasturtiums. I gulped and remained polite. 1 was then taken to the bathroom and to this day I wonder if there was something subtle, in the choice of this room as the next port of call. Here the walls were

papered with oilcloth printed to represent white tiles divided with narrow blue lines almost exactly representing the cffect we used to see years ago in butchers' shops. This was apparently so pleasing that it was again repeated in the kitcheji. But there it can rest; I need go no further with the sad story. He was thrilled with his effort, but, as for me, I just can't bring myself to the point of admitting to anyone that I had anything to do with his job for fear they may have seen the interior decorations.

I mention this instance to illustrate the need for guidance in interior decoration. Curtains, carpets, bedspreads, furniture and coverings must all be considered and these can be made to tone or contrast harmoniously. And if someone says your old furniture must be "scrapped"' my answer will be in the next article, which will deal exclusively with the interior.

Another article which I feel demands attention in these pages is "the setting of the home." In few cases is the setting ready made, and fortunate indeed is he who can acquire a section already planned to provide just the right background for his home.