KITCHENS IN THREE PERIODS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2742, 10 April 1916, Page 3

KITCHENS IN THREE PERIODS

In the early Georgian era the kitchen, a cheery., ivood-panelled room, with oaken-rafters, huge chimney-place and cosy inglonooks, was a place ot consequence in the home, states an Australian writer. It was the rendezvous of the family, a place of ninth aud song for festive nights, a for wearied travellers, a comfortable retreat for lonely grandfolk, and the haunt of solitary 'children. A mg bustling place in the. morning, in tlie I afternoon it became the scene of homely comfort, and in the evening lang with gaiety and hearty _ laughter. Then came the Victorian epoch, wit 1 its attendant fastidiousness, which meant the destruction of the solid and robust, or, at any rate, the banishment of it, to a hidden corner of the home. Tho kitchen, no longer a ''temple ot honest comfort, of wit, and s ° un fj sense, and cheery firoside philosophy, began to be' huddled below stairs out of sight, the visitor being no longer entertained midst shining pots and pans by the great fire that made everything glow with warmth. Instead, he was ushered into a place uninviting and I austere, • for when drawing-rooms were first introduced into the homes ot the | middle classes they were cold and desolate in the oxtreme. Then it was that all beauty was banished from the kitchen, and things not considered good enough, tor other rooms were allowed to collect there. This not only gave the kitchen an untidy, dilapidated appearance, but was the cause of a most unhygienic state of affairs. . c But bow different is the kitchen ot to-day! The floor is of parquet, or it that cannot be afforded a substantial linoleum of quiet pattern, and harmonising with .the washable wallpaper or the painted walls. Then there are built-in cupboards to hold brooms, brushes, dusters, and sucli cleaning apparatus, as well as pots aud pans. In the modern kitchen the cupboard also takes the places, too, of the one-time dresser, for of necessity, with the scarcity of "maids, everything must be done to save labour: Any shelves aie covered with white oilcloth that can easily be keyt clean .with a damp clotn. But the main point about the up-to-date kitchen is that it is both light- and 'though our kitchens have improved of late, there is still room for further improvements on labour-saving principles. For the-, matter of that-, not only our kitchens, but the whole of oui houses, will in the near future have to undergo a complete reformation. Maids are scarce; they are going to bo scarcei, and there are no points in having unnecessary household goods to keep in As an example of the trend of the times a recent bride of moderate means makes her dining-room do duty as a drawing-room as well, and a perfectly appointed roonv it is. Instead of using tablecloths (always a big item in the laundry bill) on tlie round dming j table of polished oak slie has pretty doylys put under each cover, and one in tlie centre of the table undor the flower bowl. These doylys she is able to launder herself with little trouble. Instead of putting money into a draw-ing-room,l she spent it on equipping the kitchen with the best labour-savers on the market.. For instance, all the pots and pans aro of aluminium. Though very expensive in the -beginning they are the cheapest in the end because of their woar-resisting qualities and their heat-retaining ■ properties, which • eltect a saving in fuel. Casserole and French fire-proof dishes are also to be seen in this ideal kitchen, likewise a high stove, thereby doing away with the necessity of stooping to and tho oven. In such an cfficiently-equipped kitchen cooking is a pleasure, and if the maid 'does leave, her departure causes uo unduo excitement. '