The Art of Building a Home: A collection of lectures and illustrations

by Barry Parker; Sir Raymond Unwin

In the domestic branch of architecture, each commission presents to us a fresh problem, full of human interest, the right solution of which demands that we shall consider it from many points of view. We must look upon the task primarily as the providing of a suitable setting for the life of our client and his family. In this connection, not only his actual wants but his ideals of life have to be taken thought of; nor must we overlook our possible influence upon him through his house.

Again, each house appeals to us as a new creation of our art. We are in much the same position as the portrait painter: the likeness, truly, is that of the sitter, but the interpretation of it, the setting, and the colour—in short, the art of the picture—belong to the painter. So, too, the house as a habitation belongs to and must satisfy the client, while as a work of art it belongs to and must satisfy its designer. In this matter we stand as guardians, alike of our reputation and of the general interest of the public as beholders of the building. The right of the public to be considered is much clearer than many seem to realize. No one who might add to the joy of life by building something comely should add to its gloom by building what is ill-looking.

I do not anticipate that these considerations, or those to which we shall presently come, are new to you. But it is probable that they would appeal to each one in a different order of relative importance, so that in no two of us would our attitude towards the problem be exactly alike. In no house can every advantage be obtained; each must be somewhat of a compromise; in each there must be a sacrificing of what we deem less important to secure what we esteem of greater value. It follows that the variety of our attitude must produce individuality in the result. When, therefore, you did me the honour to suggest that I should bring this subject before you, I felt that the best response I could make would be to try to give you, as from one fellow-workman to another, some account of the way in which we approach our domestic work, hoping, that in comparing this, and the results which we shall show, with other methods and results, you might find some little interest.

Suppose then that we have received a commission for a dwelling house; that we have made ourselves sufficiently acquainted with our new client’s wishes, his mode of life, and habits, by getting him to write to us very fully of everything he would like to be specially considered, discussing points with him, or visiting his home, as circumstances may suggest; and further, that we have made full notes of all the instructions and information thus gathered for our own use; the first thing is to visit the site and devote some time to thinking out the problem on the spot.

The site is the most important factor to be considered, for it usually suggests both the internal arrangement and the external treatment. If the site is a large one the position of the house upon it must first be determined. In past times the house was regarded mainly as a shelter, and this greatly influenced the choice of its position. But we do not to-day so much build shelters for people who live out of doors, as dwellings whence they may occasionally go forth. A primary consideration then must be, to so place the house as to afford its occupants the greatest possible enjoyment of such beauty of adjacent country or grandeur of distant view as the site can command. While doing this, however, we must place and design the house in such a way that it shall not stand out as a disturbing excrescence, but shall look at home in its site, in harmony with its surroundings.

This consideration of the house as a detail in a larger picture will bring us to a determination of its general form, its treatment and its colouring. Some positions demand a lofty building, while others seem to suggest that it be kept as low as possible. And in the country, certainly, the low house is more successful, more in harmony with the scenery; perhaps because it is suggestive more of man’s dependence upon Nature, less of his defiance of her powers. In the choice of materials and colouring, harmony rather than strong contrast should be sought. There is only one sure way of obtaining this at all generally, which is, of course, to keep to local materials and local ways of using them. At any rate I think we may lay it down that strong reasons of use or economy are needed to justify a departure from these. Where a departure is made, let the contrast with what is usual in the district be as slight as may be. We do not enough consider when we introduce for the first time into some valley a bright red roof, how it will haunt the eye from every point of view, and may go far towards marring the beauty of the whole scene by destroying its restfulness. We should let the surroundings which are to constitute the picture suggest the colouring as well as the form of the new object we are about to introduce. Some definite scheme suitable to the position should be adopted, and colours of paint and any enrichments made to contribute to it.

Greatly as must the site influence the external treatment of the house, its internal arrangement will be even more definitely dictated by it. The position of each room in relation to the points of the compass & the outlook should be determined on the spot. It is now pretty generally realised that no sacrifice is too great which is necessary to enable us to bring plenty of sunshine into all the main living rooms. In the South of England perhaps some moderation must be observed in applying this rule, there being no inconsiderable number of days on which a too sunny room may become unbearably hot; and, where the size of the house will allow of it, to have an east and west room is often a great boon. But over the greater part of our country, certainly in the Midlands and the North, the importance of arranging for the few days when the sun is oppressive is small indeed compared with that of planning to suit the many days when every hour of sunshine is of the utmost value. The general rule, then, would seem to be, so to contrive as to get the sunshine into a room at the time when it is most likely to be occupied. Let a study or breakfast-room be east or south-east, a general living-room or drawing-room south and south-west. A good western window in the room we most occupy during the latter part of the day, gives us many an extra hour of daylight; while the opportunity it affords us of habitually seeing the bright colour of sunset is a privilege which is worth some effort to obtain. A kitchen is best north-east or east, for the first coming down into the fireless house may well have its cheerlessness reduced for the servants by what sunshine is to be had at an early hour; later in the day, when the kitchen is hot with cooking, the heat of the sun should not be added. A bath-room and bedrooms, too, are pleasant with an eastern aspect, though some cannot sleep in a room into which early sunshine can come.

Next only in importance to such considerations of aspect, and certainly important enough to modify them somewhat, is the question of prospect; for a pleasant outlook is a boon only less great than a sunny aspect. We must not ignore a fine view even when it can only be had to the north, and much less must we allow any trivial conventions, like the old commonly accepted idea that the front of the house should be to the road, to betray us into sacrificing such solid advantages as sunshine and a pleasant view. In fact, to produce a good plan, one should go to the site without any preconceived conventions, but with a quite open mind, prepared to think out each fresh problem on the spot from the beginning, and to receive all the suggestions the site can offer. I hope you will pardon me if I seem to insist unduly on the importance of so elementary a principle as that of building to suit each site. But one sees the principle so commonly disregarded that it is needful to emphasize it. Not only do we find houses perched uncomfortably on the shoulder of a hill, or thrust into prominence one way or another regardless of their effect on their surroundings; but, in arrangement, the disregard of the site is carried so far that semi-detached houses are even built with their plans just reversed, so that a plan designed for the north end is made to serve for the south, or one arranged to suit the east side allowed to pass for the west. Before leaving the site one should be able to carry away not only detailed notes of drainage, water supply, levels, fine trees, views and aspects, but also a general idea as to the best arrangement of the rooms of the new house, an ideal plan to be aimed at, and a sort of mental sketch in block of the general form the new creation should take externally.

It would be only tedious to you if I were to go through all the items of a house, trying to deal with them in a general way. I will therefore now take one or two definite examples, and explain how and why we worked them out as we did, trusting that the interest which attaches to any actual problem solved may come to my aid and redeem the details from tediousness.