VIII.
The first four plates in this book show designs for the simplest kind of cottages. Strict economy has been observed, and the arrangement is as compact as possible, no space being wasted. The first has two rooms on a floor—the living-room containing the stairs. The roof is unbroken, overhanging enough to cover the bay, and merely extending to form the porch. Plates [II], [III] and [IV] show a separate hall for the stairs, and closets and pantry are provided. In one case the upper floor contains two large rooms, in the others, four smaller chambers. Plate [III] shows the kitchen and living-room separated by a pantry with two doors, and in the next design, communication between these rooms is had through the hall, an arrangement quite suitable for such a small house. Nothing could be plainer, or more straight-forward, than the plans and exterior treatment of these four cottages, and the result is interesting in showing that even the simplest house may be planned with some reference to comfort, and a pleasing exterior expression attained without the least ornamentation.
Plates [V], [VI] and [VII], give designs for slightly larger cottages, with three rooms on the first floor. The roofs are boldly treated, and in Plate [V] we see the picturesque effect obtained by an exterior chimney. This design also shows an effective treatment of windows in the sitting-room, and a broad low veranda covered by a continuation of the main roof. Designs [VI] and [VII] are two six-room cottages very compactly planned; the exteriors show clapboards on the first-story, and shingles above.
Plate [VIII] gives a cottage without a kitchen (there is space for it if desired), which may be built in connection with a hotel. This is becoming a favorite way of living during the summer, the inmates of the cottage taking their meals at the hotel, and thus much of the trouble of housekeeping is avoided. Several of the plans in this book could be used in a similar way; the space for kitchen devoted to other uses or omitted entirely. In this plan the two rooms on the first floor open into each other, making practically one large airy apartment, which, with the shady veranda in front, is an arrangement well adapted for warm weather.
In Plate [IX] we have a small seven-room house. The sitting-room has a large fire-place with seats at the side, screened by an arch or transom, and making a pleasant little nook.
Plate [X] is a design of a picturesque cottage which shows in plan a nearly square hall with a fire-place, opening into a broad piazza. At a little extra expense the small bed-room on the second floor could be made wider, or a bath-room added to advantage.
The plan of Plate [XI] provides an entrance hall or vestibule, which will be of special use if the house is occupied in winter. The side door opens into the end of the main hall, and the arrangement of rooms is well studied. The overhanging gables have a bold effect, and the materials used are the same as in nearly all the preceding designs.
Plate [XII] gives plans and elevations for a house, the first story of which is to be built of stone—the second of wood. The stone is irregularly laid, the rough surface contrasting well with the shingles above. The plan provides for six good-sized rooms with plenty of closets.
In Plate [XIII] we have a house planned so that the two main rooms on each floor are exposed on three sides, an arrangement which, if the size and shape of the lot permits, is good for a summer residence. The treatment of exterior also indicates this use.
Plate [XIV] gives a design for a seven-room cottage, with a wide hall and a bath-room. The kitchen is conveniently placed, both in regard to the dining-room and front door. The balcony in the second story adds to the exterior effect by giving more shadow to the front.
Plate [XV] is a design for a sea-side cottage. The hall is so arranged that the stairs are screened, thus making a little vestibule. The dining-room and parlor are only divided by an arch, and may be separated by a portière or thrown into one large room, while the veranda gives the shade so desirable at the sea-shore.
Plate [XVI] shows a picturesque house broadly treated. The second story overhangs the first, covering the piazza. The rooms are large and of good proportion, and each bed-room has its closet.
Bungalows, as the one-story houses used in India are called, seem adapted to some parts of America, particularly as summer cottages.
Plate [XVII] and the [frontispiece] show a house which will commend itself to those who dislike going up and down stairs. This plan provides a hall, dining-room and kitchen, each with its fire-place and closet, and three bed-rooms. The door of the bath-room and that of the bed-room opposite are misplaced, and should open into the corridor. There is a small stairway to the attic, where there is space for dormitories, if desired. The construction of this sort of house is so simple, and the foundation may be so light, that it will cost but a trifle more than if the rooms were arranged in the ordinary way. The bungalow here given is very simply treated, the roof being only broken for the outlook from the attic, and extending to cover the veranda.
Plate [XVIII] shows a house suitable for an ordinary “fifty-foot suburban lot.” The entrance hall is divided by an arch and book-cases, making an agreeable sitting-room or library. The second story contains three bed-rooms and a bath-room. There are accommodations in the attic for servants.
Plate [XIX] is a design for a cottage on a side hill, with the kitchen in the basement. The projection of the stairs in the main hall gives place for a seat opposite the fire-place, and may be made a cosy little corner. The dining-room, hall and sitting-room, open into each other.
The last four Plates are designs for double or “semi-detached” houses. If, instead of building single houses, two persons will combine, adopting some arrangement such as these designs show, they will effect a considerable saving of expense. The houses, although receiving light and air only on three sides, are bright and comfortable. Privacy is not destroyed, as the entrance porches are separated, and windows placed so as to avoid looking from one house to the other.
The exterior treatment in Designs [XX] and [XXI] seems to indicate more clearly than the others that they are double houses, while Nos. [XXII] and [XXIII], though not concealing this fact, have more the air of large single houses. This is a nice question of “expression” which our readers may decide for themselves.
These drawings show different architects’ conceptions of what small and medium-sized cottages should be. They differ greatly from each other, both in plan and exterior design, but the general expression seems to be much the same. They are not pretentious, and no ornament exists for its own sake. Chimneys and roofs are boldly and frankly treated, and a certain breadth and hospitality are expressed by nearly all. Only a few of their special features have been mentioned, a fuller description being deemed unnecessary.