Beauty Is As Beauty Does

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 86, 12 April 1941, Page 11

Beauty Is As Beauty Does

is a horrible vice—l hate it; but a little self-analysis is enlightening at times. I have quite a few plans that hold more than ordinary appeal for me. I know what they have cost me in thought and erasers; their creation has meant the surmounting of many intricacies of design that are not patent to the layman. When I come to choose a plan for publication I look at them affectionately — for truly they are the babes of my imagination—and I pass them by for lack of courage to part with them.

One likes to have a hand in the physical creation of bis castles built in the air. and the thought of their being fret-ted without all the minute attention to detail that they deserve is something suspiciously like sacrilege. Part with them one does when they are published, and profane hands can wreck them with bad colouring and unwise

"improvements." Yes, I am selfish, but was it not Shakespeare in "King Henry IV." who said, "Self-love, my liege, i« not so vile a sin as self-noglecting." However, the cure for selfishness is generosity, and this week we publish a favourite in the form of a home in cruciform design.

Trapping the Sun.

At Wembley Exhibition a model home was erected to display what was considered the acme of perfection in domestic architecture. The cruciform was chosen for exterior design, and the main principle underlying this choice was the opportunity it gave of providing sun at some time of the day in almost every room. What is. known as the suntrap house is Y-shaped, and I think this is perhaps more practical; it. is definitely the case where first coet is the prime factor. A multiplicity of gables and valleys in the roof provides much interesting work for the builder, but the owner pays. You can excuse the architect for a desire to exhibit his skill in his profession, but if it is at your expense without corresponding practical advantages suitable to youf circumstances, then there is no excuse for his leaving you in ignorance. 1 have heard something about champagne tastes and beer incomes, but as I cannot name the author of this "wise-crack" I will leave it at that.

I have so often expressed my love of the Modernistic tendency in house design that you may feel surprised at my selection of the plan published as a favourite. I am afraid I am truly Catholic in my tastes, and can see just as much beauty in gables and hips as

in the straight lines of modernism. One cannot deny that the all-important attributes ot beauty are form, balance, proportion and symmetry. All these can 1)0 achieved with the use of gabled roof lines as shown here, and if I could affonl them T would not hesitate. Think, however, of the cost of cutting iiimimeiabie tiles to lit the angles of the valleys and you will realise why my choice lie* with the things 1 can have. Designed with a modernistic exterior this selfsame plan would be strikingly beautiful, and the cost would probable be £1.">0 less than as shown.

1 iles make a beautiful roof, and more so in these days of the master craftsman when colour blending has become an art. (!one for ever—except in State houses—are the foolish blue and green tiles that fade so badlv and look so

freakish, and their place is being taken by delightful colour blends of dark and light browns, reds and oven occasional buffs that are a credit to the tile maker's art. They are quiet, dignified and beautiful; quite a welcome change from the great '"blob" of one colour. And what is oven move important, the cement tile, as now designed, can be laid at a lower pitch than formerly and still be guaranteed as waterproof.

Keep to the Right. With the cruciform design it very often happens that a lot of triangle* are formed in the interior, and they do not help the builder one bit: on the contrary they add to the co-t. In this ca<-c almost, everything i - done in rightangled form, and a fine spacious entrance hnll is provided. From this. double doors lead off to the living room from whence we set to the dining room, again by double doors, thus giving us a dan- e room fit for the gods and all his little children. Independent access to the dining room is provided bv the litMe passage entered under an arch from the main hall, and another arch would be provided at the entrance, to the little lobby, giving access to the bathroom and bedroom too. Wardrobe space and the linen and coat-cupboards are amply large and very conveniently situated. Once again the lavatory ha* double access, from the bathroom on cold nights and from the back porch through the laundry.

If I could afford this house I would certainly want three bedrooms, ;ind I lie sun-room being 6ft. Oin wide could comfortably take, a bed at the exterior end. This, ill my opinion, would be built in and have two drawers beneath it, and

I would commission the wife to cover the kapok mattress with cretonne or tapestry >~> that in the absence of the visitor it would make an excellent lounge for me on Sunday afternoons ii T could dodge the wife and the lawnmower. And when the odd visitor arrived the bed clothes would be simplv laid over the top of the beautiful tapestry.

I think I might mention that the basin is placed lietween two windows in the bathroom, thereby enabling me to get the light on both sides of my face during shaving operations, and at the same time giving Susie an opportunity nf seeing that she has the correct amount of rouge on each cheek.

Once again the arrangement of the drainage shows excellent grouping. and the back portion is delightfully secluded from the neighbour next door. Thw house could be built in Auckland to-day, well finished and fully equipped for £1900, and it would look charming from every angle.

Article and Plans contributed fry /. L. HANNA.

11l reply i„ 'Weekly Ileador," 1 hiiiedin I am assuming that lie wants to rouy.-.-oast an existing house, and in this case it would be necessary to use building paper or other waterproof material ne\; to the weatherboards. There should be two coats of plaster composed of one part of cement to three parts of tan<l. and the water content should bo between 14 per cent and 1(5 per cent of the total mixture by weight. The exact propoi tion depends on the imount nf moistujiin the sand. The finishing coat should be not less than sin in thickness, and the total thickness not loss than 1 in. Wire netting should bo incorporated in the middle of the first coat. For colour you can use coloured cement, but I prefer lime wash painted on in two coatafter the job is finished. The battenehould be half an inch.

I do not like roughcast, and there are many types of finish infinitely l>etter. f would advise the employment of a skilled plasterer to do the job. and he should lie able to offer *u<rzc*tioiis as to a better finish than roughcast.