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will readily fall in with the practical arrangement of the house.
What is said about emergency space applies principally to the sleeping
apartments. There is an altogether happy tendency in these days to
simplify the living rooms and to plan them for constant use. We of the
East have something to learn from the Californians, whose bungalows
and cottages are so often models of simplicity without the crudeness of
most small houses in other sections. Our coast brethren have
demonstrated that a four- or five-room cottage will satisfactorily house
a considerable family, and that it may be given the characteristics that
charm without increasing the cost.

PLANS FOR BUILDING
The simplest and in many instances the prettiest cottages are of only a
single story. But more than four rooms in one story makes a
comparatively expensive house, besides using up a great deal of ground.
With the foundation, first story, and roof provided for, the second story
adds little to the cost compared to the space gained. Where ground and
labor are cheap the single story is to be considered; but in most places it
would not be practicable for us.
In planning the house due regard must be had for the dispositions of the
respective members of the family. In any event we shall not please all
of them, but the less the others have to complain about the happier the
rest of us shall be.

NECESSARY ROOMS
If paterfamilias is accustomed to depositing his apparel and other
belongings rather promiscuously about, expecting to find things where
they were left on his return in the evening, it may be better to plan his
room where it may stand undisturbed rather than to attempt the
breaking of a habit which shows that he feels at home in his own house.
Likewise, some place there should be where the mistress may conduct
her sewing operations without wildly scrambling to clean up when the
doorbell rings; the children should have at least one place in the house
where they may "let loose" on a rainy day, and the master should have
somewhere a retreat safe from interruption, as well as a workroom in
the basement in which the tools and implements that quickly
accumulate in a country home may be secure.

THE SICK ROOM
Sickness, too, may come, and the questions of privacy without an
unwholesome curb upon both children and adults, of convenience to
hot water and the bathroom, of saving steps for the nurse, should be

thought of. An upstairs chamber is likely to be best on account of the
ventilation, lighting, and distance from ordinary noises; but frequent
journeys to the kitchen mean an excess of stair climbing. Whether there
be sickness or not, there should be somewhere provision for individual
privacy, where absolute rest may be gained.
A large indulgence in entertaining must have its influence in settling
both size and arrangement. Ordinarily, however, we may expect to be
reasonably hospitable without enlarging our home into a clubhouse. If
we do not consider this matter in building, propriety must compel us
afterwards to limit our company to numbers that we can comfortably
care for.

ROOM TO ENTERTAIN
A good many of us who have contrived very nicely to live in a
six-room city flat seem to think that we cannot get along with that
number of rooms in a suburban house, though the latter would be
considerably more spacious, not taking the basement into account. So
far, however, as absolute essentials go, a six-room house, carefully
planned, will provide for a family of four very comfortably, and it can
be built in an artistic and modern style for $2,500 near Chicago, about
ten per cent. more in the vicinity of New York, and probably for a less
sum in smaller cities. An eight-room house would cost about a third
more, and is, of course, in many ways more desirable. But, generally
speaking, we demand more room than we really need, and then put
ourselves to additional expense filling up the space with unnecessary
furniture.

THE "LIVING ROOM"
In small houses there cannot be great variation in the proportioning of
space, but it is important that the use of each room should be well
understood and that it should be planned accordingly. If that is not done
our decorative and furnishing schemes later on will be misapplied.

Families differ as to their dispositions toward rooms. Most of us would
not think of calling for an old-fashioned parlor in a small house
nowadays, but merely to change the name from "parlor" to "living
room" doesn't change our habits. The living room is meant to take the
place of parlor, library, reception hall, and sitting room. If the family
adjust themselves to it a great saving of space is effected,