THE MODERN HOME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18197, 16 September 1922, Page 11

THE MODERN HOME.

CALIFORNIAN ARCHITECTURE

LESSONS FOR NEW ZEALAND.

AUCKLANDER'S IMPRESSIONS.

The influence of the California bungalow type of home is becoming increasingly strong in Auckland, and in view of this some remarks made yesterday by a young ' Auckland architect, Mr. H. L. Massey, ' who has just returned fo-om a visit to California, are of general interest. Mr. Massey was the winner of one of the New Zealand scholarships offered to Expeditionary Force members after the armistice, and after studying three years in England he won the first prize in a Daily Mail garden home competition, also obtaining second Slace in a competition last year for esigns for the Bengal Legislative Council Chambers. He has spent the last five months in California studying tho architecture of that State, which, in view of the similarity in climate, he considers is likely to have a growing influence upon tho architecture of New Zealand homes.

| " Many of the houses in the CaliI fornian cities are- very beautiful," he re- ! marked, "and it is not only tho elaborate I and expensive home that is receiving attention, but tho smaller bungalow type of house. Lath and plaster is the most popular form of construction in San Francisco, while houses with shingle roof and walls are also favoured. These are most effective. One hardly ever sees a corrugated iron roof; the Spanish influence is strong, evidencing itself in the low, flat tiled roof and treatment of doorways and windows. Simplicity is the dominant note in the arrangement of the interior. Wall paperings are very little used, tho walls being distempered, in very pretty colourings. The rooms are never overloaded with furniture and ornafrnents, as is the case in so many homes, the decorative scheme usually centring in one or two outstanding features.

Attractive Settings. Another interesting point with regard to home-building in California is the great attention paid to the labour-saving question. America has so long been faced with the Jack of domestio help that the old, inconvenient type of home has been revolutionised; all waste spaco has been eliminated —the long, dark passages, the over-largo kitchens that meant so many extra footsteps. Tlie setting for these Californian homes, continued Mr. Massey, was another point in which New Zealand might take a lesson. Instead of the dusty, tarred footpaths, which were constantly in need of attention, thero were flagged or concreted footpaths, bordered by pleasant grass plots with shaciy trees and flowering shrubs. One charming Californian road which he saw was planted on both sides with rosebushes, which, massed with bloom, made a most beautiful picture. Then, again, the absence of fences was another feature which set off the appearance of the houses, giving th© effect of one extended garden right down the street. This encouraged every house-owner to keep his garden in good order, and competition in this direction produced a very fine general effect. Public Buildings and Schools. In hotels, public buildings, and schools great advances had been made in recent yeans, so far as comfort and convenience were concerned, said Mr. Massey. Certain general principles appeared to have been laid down, and were followed in every case. For iinstance, in hractically every hotel there was central heating, private bathroom, and telephone, even in rooms which were let for a dollar and a-half a day, while hot water was laid on in every bedroom. Offices and shops were well fitted up, all having a central heating system. The Californian schools were considered to be the best typo yet evolved. Air space and lighting were the first points considered. One of the very latest innovations was the building of ramp 3 instead of staircases, which was very convenient in the two and three-storey type iof building generally favoured. Every | pupil had his or her own locker,, these i being fitted up in the corridors, while 'chairs with writing ledges attached were i now being used instead of desks.