THE DINING ALCOVE.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19644, 13 June 1929, Page 4

THE DINING ALCOVE.

BECOMING VERY POPULAR. Writing i* the "Australian Home Beautiful" of the development of the dining alcove, Mr D. W. Gale, A.R.1.8.A., observes that the popularisation of this feature has been one of the most rapid growths of the pres-ent-day architecture. "It v.-as firtt introduced into domestic and apartment house planning as a means of saving space." he adds; "and consisted simply of a folding tabic and benches, placed in a convenient position in the living-room or kitchenette. Here the leaser important meals of the day could be served. At lirst this alcove was planned as part of the livingroom or kitchen; but it has now developed into a special small room with doors and windows of its own. It serves either as a complete substitute for the dining-room, or as a spare dining-room. This latter use is its true function, although many people with smail families prefer to dispense with a dining-room altogether to save space. "The amount of room to be occupied by people sitting at the table must he carefully studied in designing an alcove, because the furniture, being definitely (ixed. determines the dimensions of'the room. The width of the table should not l>o so narrow that there is no room between the plates of the persons on either side of the table. The amount of space required for the benches is best ascertained by actually sitting at the table and measuring the space occupied. It will be seen that when a person i.s comfortably seated to eat, the front edge of the chair is directly under or one inch inside the edge of the table. If the benches, however, were fixed in this position it would be difficult for a person to 'sidle' into his seat at the far end of the table. It is necessary for this reason to allow two inches between the table edge and the front **lg© *>i the bench. A greater spacing will result in an uncomfortable position for eating. A width of five or six feet is therefore the most suitable.

"It is not convenient to have more than two people on a bench which is only open at one end; therefore, the length of the alcove need not exceed seven feet. It is also well to remember that dining alcoves are used mostly by women and children, who, being smaller, prefer lower tables and benches than most men make. "The design of the benches of dining alcoves has in most cases been fashioned after the interesting old benches which, in Gothic and colonial times, were placed near to the kitchen fire. Their interest lies chiefly in the exquisite and droll carving of the bench ends. A bench for a dining alcove, however, i 3 preferable without ends, as they interfere with the access to the seat's. Types which are designed primarily for the purpose in view are really far more suitable than any copied historic style ''Another interesting scheme is to plan an alcove with a table in the corner of the living-room, with benches against the walls. There would be lixed seating on one side and end of the table, and loose chairs may be added when desired. A favourable point in this scheme is that the table may be used for other purposes between meals or completely moved, making an attractive corner for reading."