After defining architecture to be “the material expression of the wants, faculties, and the sentiments of the age in which it is created,” Owen Jones, in his “Grammar of Ornament,” said that “Style in architecture is the peculiar form that expression takes under the influence of climate and the material at hand.” Accepting this definition, we see the absurdity of copying buildings erected under totally different conditions from ours. Although an Italian villa is more adaptable to our wants than a Greek temple (and our country-houses have often copied both with lamentable results) it does not readily submit to be Americanized. Italy may give us suggestions, and France, England and Germany offer us many and valuable ones, but in adapting them to our country houses we must show discrimination. And our own wants and sentiments, if well and naturally expressed, take forms that are not displeasing, even if Corinthian columns and Gothic arches are absent.
The question of color is an important one, as an unfortunate selection may spoil the (otherwise) prettiest house. We have discovered that considerations of cleanliness do not require us to paint our houses white, which, even with the addition of green shutters, is hardly satisfactory. The staring, conspicuous effect of these white houses is what we should avoid, and the tints we choose must be those that will blend harmoniously with the surrounding landscape. The pearly gray that shingles become after exposure to the atmosphere has a very good effect if relieved by contrast with some other color. A good treatment is to give the house a coat of crude petroleum, and, if desired, a transparent stain may be mixed with it which will show the grain of the wood. A range of soft yellows, reds and browns, may be so obtained. Messrs. Rossiter and Wright have published a book entitled “Modern House Painting,” which gives excellent directions and examples.
XI.
If we strive to give to the exterior of our houses a pleasing appearance, how much more reason is there to beautify the interior.
It has been claimed that pretty and comfortable homes exert a decided moral influence. Be this as it may, we are all interested in making our homes attractive. And there is no reason why they should not be so. We are apt to think that costly things must be beautiful, but this is by no means true, nor is it true that inexpensive objects must be ugly. The same materials used in the construction and decoration of an ugly apartment might, with the exercise of a little taste, be so employed that a graceful combination result.
Low ceilings give an air of comfort, while very high ones have a cold and barren effect, and increase the cost of the house.
The ventilation of a room should be quite independent of the height of its ceiling, that is to say, a room with a low ceiling may be well ventilated, and one with a high ceiling may gain nothing by the extra height but greater facilities for retaining poisonous gases and foul air. Gwilt gives as a rule that the height of the ceiling of a rectangular room should be the same as the width of the room; but since the apartments on a floor are of unequal size and the ceiling commonly of the same height throughout, no such proportion can be kept. Nor is it necessary for a small cottage. From 9 to 10 feet is ample for the first story rooms.
The proportion of a room may be modified by the treatment of its walls. Vertical lines give an appearance of greater height, and horizontal lines make a room look lower. Accordingly, the division of a wall into horizontal bands by means of the dado and frieze, now in such favor, has a tendency to make a room look lower than it really is. This division, however, is a good one. The dado is simply a substitute of a cheaper material for a paneled wainscot of wood. The wooden base board and chair-rail should be retained, as they serve to protect the wall. A broad frieze is an excellent decorative feature. It should be separated from the wall surface by a picture-moulding from which the pictures will hang.
The excavations at Pompeii have shown many beautiful examples of harmonious wall decoration. The walls are divided by dado and frieze, the dado being generally darker and the frieze lighter, than the intermediate surface. We will do well to follow this arrangement even if we do not adopt the Pompeian colors.