ECONOMY OF SPACE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3864, 3 April 1928, Page 67

ECONOMY OF SPACE.

By

Phillida.

lhe extent to which economy of space shall t t exercised is always a matter for individual taste, but much may be done to mi.ke the most of the available space at the time when the plan is being drawn for the new building. There are ways of providing the necessary comfort without occupying too much space, and, therefore, with economy. By careful attention to planning it may be possible to reduce the amount of space wasted by the staircase, passages, and entrance hall. These parts of a house or flat are generally quite useless unless, as a means of communication, and except where stately processions are made from drawing room to dining room, as in very large residences.

Some architects make a very definite study of this subject, while others have given the principal attention to houses and other habitations having grand and impressive proportions. In earlier days in New Zealand little, if any, thought was ever given to the construction of a house with a view to comfort and to the economy of space. This is why so many of the older colonial houses, although built of well-seasoned kauri timber, and still in an excellent state of preservation, have now to be remodelled to bring them into lin e with up-to-date requirements. In some of these old twostoreyed houses it is possible to utilise part of the waste space of the passage or entrance hall by forming storage cupboards in the awkward angles of the wall, and under the stairway or on the wall accessible from the landing. The accompanying illustration of an “ under the stair ” linen press, will possibly help to solve the difficulty experienced by some of my readers

in improving, in a practical manner, and at the same time, with little expenditure, the appearance of an entrance hall or passage having an ugly walled-in stairway. Where a passage or entrance has to accommodate outdoor clothing a shallow cupboard could be made instead of the rows of shelves. A brightly-coloured drop curtain accentuating the colour scheme of the hall would give an original and an artistic touch. Another good idea that I have seen carried out with much success was an “under the stair” library. In this instance part of the wall some distance up from the floor was cut away and a back and book shelves were introduced. Yet anotner idea is a china cupboard witn shelves inlet in the same manner as that for the library, only for the china cupboard the shelves and back would be painted in a vivid contrasting shade with that of the colour scheme of the hall.