COMFORT AND SPACE

Evening Star, Issue 23369, 12 September 1939, Page 3

COMFORT AND SPACE

ESSENTIALS OF MODERN HOME MODERN TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENTS STRETCHING LIMITS OF ECONOMY Basic principles in designing the modern home that could be applied with force to New Zealand as well as other countries are set out by Eoghan D. Buckley, an Irish authority, in an article specially written for this page. He remarks that whether we have to build within definite limits of economy or may allow some indulgence to luxurious demands, the basic principles will be friendly relations with the out of doors and comfort and space. “Our lives to-day,” he_ contends, “ are free from the aggression of wild beasts (of the lower orders, anyway), and our daily habits take us into the open air more frequently than ever before. The tendency, then, is to introduce, ns much as possible, the more kindly outdoor conditions into the interior of our homes; sun and air, conditioned as one wills, and uninterrupted visual connection between the interior, the garden, and. where possible, the surrounding land and seascape. “Modern technical achievements allow almost all outdoor conditions to be reproduced at will in our houses. Modern planning and the proper use of large of glass bring garden and landscape right into our rooms MODERNITY THE KEYNOTE. “ The requirements of comfort and space, even, within rigid limits of economy, are to-day combinable. We must not, however, model our homes on those of the past. Then space was no object, and comfort was produced by a host of serving maids and men. The working parts of our houses must now be modelled- on those of the modern sea or air liner and Pullman car. Tlie space thus saved may be used to give a more spacious living room, where, again, built-in furniture, shelving, collapsible tables, and a proper rclation,'ship between the fixed and traffic areas wilt give even a physically restricted room at least apparent spaciousness. (Bedrooms designed to serve as small private sitting rooms during non-sleep-ing hours allow the individual to retire at"times from the family group to read a hook, relax, or,follow, some personal hobby'. ; ; i - ■ - , ESSENTIALS OF CLEANLINESS. “ Implicit in the comfort of a house is the ease whereby it may be kept clean. At all stages in the design of the modern house this question of household cleanliness must bo borne in mind. “ Fundamental, therefore, to present household cleanliness are cleanable surfaces with the minimum of joints; suxfaces resistant to liquids and gases; elimination of dust catchers ; clear visibility of dirt everywhere it may develop, so that it may be cheeked by the eye and removed by the various new and effective cleaning tools. With the resulting elimination of plastic ornamentation, (esthetic satisfaction, is now provided by clean, durable, smooth surfaces of attractive colour and finish.”