The Evolution of Domestic Architecture

Progress, Volume X, Issue 6, 1 February 1915, Page 203

The Evolution of Domestic Architecture

By Basil Hooper, A.8.1.8.A.

(Concluded from January issue) Having sketched out briefly the history and chief characteristics of Domestic Architecture, from earliest times to the present day, I will now confine my remarks to a consideration of some aspects of modern work. 1 think we must all agree that the principles which are being followed out, or attempted to be at

diameter would not stand a hundredth part of the weight put upon it. It is not so long ago that marbled mantlepieces were considered the correct thing, but of course the heat of the fire usually blistered the' poor things. I will not however harrow your feelings further by mentioning any more of our past misdeeds, too many of which, alas, still live in our midst, and numbers are even now being further perpetuated. The characteristics of the ideal house, I take it, should be simplicity and reticence, both externally and internally. The details should be interesting and well designed, and any ornamentation should be of the best, and concentrated, with sufficient plain wall surface to set it off, and form a contrast. The eye be-

any rate, at present, are certainly a great step in advance of what has gone before, even in New Zealand. Who is there among my audience that does not recall the days when “shams” of all sorts were rampant; from the imitation tesselated vestibule floor, that introduced you to the paper marble dado in the narrow apology for a Hall. This paper was usually highly varnished, and looked quite effective until a few rents revealed its true character. Then of course the doors had to be Oak or Walnut, with birds eye maple panels, and so the art of the grainer was called in— lo and behold, your desire was obtained, again brightly varnished. So lost were we all to a sense of truth and fitness, that (although this is out of our special subject) for instance light cast iron columns in a certain church not far from Pitt Street, were grained to represent marble, although a moment’s thought would show that a marble column of that

comes satiated with too much ornament, and is far more pleased and rested when its attention is fixed on a few choice features. Even in quite a small house there is no need to usher your visitors into a narrow and attenuated entrance passage. Careful planning can quite easily provide a small square or rectangular Hall, that suggests cosiness and hospitality to those that enter it. A fireplace in it is an improvement, but of course is not necessary. The treatment of the staircase too, has undergone a change, for instead of crawling along its side, to reach the back rooms, we often find it set back in a compartment of its own, and entered through an open archway, thus gaining privacy and comfort for the Hall. The best type of modern Domestic Architecture, is however, chiefly noticeable for its compact and convenient planning. The servant problem has no doubt had a great deal to answer for in this, as now that people

so often have to do their own work, or are only able to employ a limited amount of labour, it is most important that all unnecessary space should be curtailed, and that all corners for dust should as far as possible, be eliminated. Mrs. Jones does not want to spend all the morning getting the dust out of the twists in the stair balusters, nor will Miss Brown appreciate the necessity of beeswaxing a landing floor that would be large enough for the Town Hall. Similarly Mary Anne, when you are lucky enough to have her, will revolt if she is condemned to carry the dishes from the Kitchen half a mile to the Dining Room. The wise Architect, especially if he has learned wisdom through having a household of his own, will see to it that the Kitchen is within a step or two of the Dining Room, at the same time preserving the dignity of that apartment by making the chief entrance to it from the Hall. He will not forget, either, that at least two

doors should separate the Kitchen from the Dining Room, or the Hall, or the consequences will be that sundry savoury, or unsavoury odours will find their way into these parts, greatly to the annoyance of everyone. Another very important feature in planning a house, undoubtedly, is the aspect of the different rooms. Who does not know the type of house, which has all its principal rooms facing the South, simply because it was thought the correct thing to look on to the street? The consequence is that in the place of bright, sunny, and cheerful rooms you have to put up with cold, and damp ones. How much better would it have been, if, casting tradition aside, the best rooms had been placed on the side and back of the house, thus getting the warmth of the sun, which is surely worth far more than an outlook on to an uninteresting thoroughfare. In some ways a sunny back is an advantage, as it enables you to obtain greater privacy for your verandah and balcony, and in these days of open air sleeping,. that is a point worth considering. A bedstead on the front verandah would not be absolutely ideal, whereas at the

back no objection could be raised to it. It is often difficult to fit in the sun, with view, but in my opinion, the former is the more important, in these cold regions at any rate, and therefore the view sometimes has to be sacrificed. But usually, by a little thought, one or two rooms at least can be planned having windows back and front, so obtaining both desired results. All these little points need careful consideration, and it is in these ways that the architect can show whether he has studied the questions or not. Unfortunately a great number of houses are

put up without the aid of an architect at all, and in that case the employer has only himself to blame if he suffers from the effects of untrained planning, and inartistic design. We live in an age of luxuries, though many of what in the old days would have been considered luxuries, are now supposed to be quite indispensible. Not so very long ago, a bathroom was only found in the houses of the wealthy, and indeed, very often not there. Even now, the tiniest cottage is not considered complete without one; and people will turn up their noses if the bath is not cast iron enamelled. Lighting too, is an all important ' essential in the

home, and the use of electricity has given abundant opportunities for numerous devices and conveniences. How much more comfortable it is on a cold and dark winter morning, to press a switch fixed near our pillow, and flood the room with light, than to stand shivering, like our forefathers did, and vainly try to obtain a spark from the tinder and flint? The position of the lights is a very important point. It is surely much better to consider where the dressing table will be placed, and then put the light over that position, than to place it in the centre of the room, where it is of little use to anyone, and only causes shadows to those using the looking glass. Our fireplaces have also undergone a change, from the early days of the Normans, with their hole in the roof, to' our modern scientific slow-combustion well grates, not to mention the increasingly common hot water heating system, by which the whole house, passages and all, can be properly and economically warmed. I could go on “in ad infinitum” almost, recounting the various improvements, (including the all important cupboards) but I will let this suffice. Before concluding my paper however, I would like to add that I trust the lessons we learnt from the recent lectures on Town Planning, and Garden Suburbs, will bear fruit, and that the public will realise that it is quite as easy and cheap to build artistic, cosy and convenient, as ugly and inconvenient ones, and that judicious placing on the site, will help a great deal to improve the general appearance of the building, not to speak of the charming effects produced by well kept lawn and a few trees in the right place. I also trust this paper will have caused some here to realise, to some extent at least the interest, and the importance of “Domestic Architecture. ’ ’