South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-06-08
Home Making Helps

In company with the one-time
guest room. the formal parlor has
been banished to the land of unnec-
essary things, and has no place on
the blue prints Of the modern home
builder. Buildings materials are
high, room and help scarce, so we
cannot honestly pretend to grieve
over the loss Of either room. The
former meant a lot of extra work
with only a modicum Of occasional
pleasure. The latter was an uncom-
Portable possession, too nice for
daily and continuous use, and not
as nice for special use as we often
wished.
The telephone has, in many cases
superseded the old custom Of call
| ing. Other "parlors" take care Of
funerals and weddings in most in
stances, so the home parlor has SER
we'd its day.
In place Of the parlor enters the
delightful living room or dining and
living room combined. This is but
a return 20 former things, for in old
en- times this was quite the order Of
building. necessities being OF first
Importance. If a parlor was added
TO the home it was rarely used ex-
cept on great occasions. so why have
one at all?
One delightful combination in a
new home. recently finished. is Un-
usual enough TO be most interest
Ing. and may furnish ideas adaptable
for other home builders.
The front door opens into a very
shallow hall. At each end are set
tees. under which are closets. One
is used for rubbers, and the other
for umbrellas. Against the wall are
clothes closets with hat shelves.
The doors into the main room are
sliding doors. running back of the
closets, loaded in soft, sunny, cathe-
dral glass. The room runs entirely
across the front OF the house. OPP
posite the doors is a wonderful old
fireplace. deep enough for large
logs. There are wide settles on
either side. To the right is an old
fashioned wood closet, with a goody
closet above il. To the left is an
old semi circular bookcase running
TO the ceiling just in reach of those
sitting on the settle.
Peeping around the corner Of the
shelves into the dining room we find
a deep and delightful china closet
with linen drawers. There is a ser
vice window, with a drop shelf be-
meath II. opening into the pantry. IN
the pantry the refrigerator and sink
are placed. AT each side Of the
room are deep semicircular bay win
dows The east one contains a
high boy and a lowboy. a settee for
two in the center, and three chairs
disposed about a commodious drop
leaf table. Silken curtains conceal
this spot when desired. The oppos-
ite bay has low settee running
around II with bookshelves above.
the top forming a shelf under the
yellow loaded glass windows. In
the centre there is a round table
with a lamp and four chairs that r.
under q when not in use
The windows on either side OF the
front door have window-b boxes filled
with vines. The porch does not shut
out the sunshine. for IL is narrow in
the front. on the west Il IS wide
enough 20 allow privacy for the out
door dining room I'm the summer.
A small back hall has a convent
ent lavatory an entrance 20 the
kitchen. and a wide door on 10 the
side porch.
In the centre or the big living
room there is a long chemin table
The lights Of the room are so ar
ranged that several coy spots are