Evening star., 1936-08-16

continuity writer -
and Jane - his equally successful young wife
who is editor of decorating department in a
woman's magazine The letter is written by
Jane with occasional interlardings by Jim.
Dear Mrs. Post It's true! At last we
are going to build house! Not a very big
house; not very expensive house; not any
thing too hard to keep up; but anyway, our
home
'Oh yes. we own the lot It's a hundred
by hundred, and it's on corner, the south
east corner - this is rather sad because wrong
for the sun and the breeze, but there are no
high buildings at the back.
And now choosing the style of architecture
is something We just can't do without your
help. The modernists among our friends are
positive that anything not fat-roofed with
round corners is too old-fashioned for words!
And our conservative friends are just as
positive that we couldn't feel at home in
floor spaces with halfway wall partitions and
odd floor levels and unexpected steps.
THE more we talk it over, the more modern
Jim gets, and the more old-fashioned | get
In fact have been to Salem and to Fredericks-
burg and I've seen what Mr. Rockefeller has
done to restore that lovely old town of Viii
liamsburg.
But Jim says that modern architecture
and modern painting and modern sculpture
are coming, and have come, and modern
furniture, too But my question is, can one
live with it? That's the burning question.
Ap6 hov fOO 70 e\
build the original and unique house he'd like
it to be, who knows when Jim might be sent
to live somewhere else? And we might have
to sell out.
so our question is, shall we play safe and
put up nice, attractive Colonial American
house? Or shall we let the architect go as
modern as he knows how? The real question
which we want your practical sense to answer
is which style of house rs best at the same
cost? And on what can we economize?
Our needs include: three bedrooms. One
for us, one for the baby, and one spare room.
We must have two baths - one opening off
our room and the other for the baby and the
spare room.
I'm both baths we want nice wide wash
basins with both hot and cold water coming
out of the same faucet. And we want wide
tubs, but will be happy with linoleum on the
floor and plaster wainscot painted with
enamel paint. But | do long for colored
plumbing!
And of course we must have two good
closets in our room. One will do in the baby S
room, and in the spare room too, SUPPOSED
But don't let's waste any space in the hall
or in the stairway. I've been measuring
everyone's stairs and three feet wide is
plenty.
AT one end of the first floor we want big
living room with windows on three sides and
with og-burning fireplace, of course, on a
long side. And Jim says it would be senSeless
not to make the garage two-car one and
it must be part of the house.
"Oh, and the kitchen! 1t must be the last
word. Shiny, bright, sanitary to its eye-teeth,
with built-in cabinets even under the sink;
with lovely Ueam-colored range, dish
washer concealed alongside the sink, all
cream-Colored too linoleum floor of gay
squares; gay china and curtains; not foot
more space than necessary, and every electric
gadget that we can think of to make house
keeping easy!
And off the kitchen we must have nice
room with a nice, though tiny, bath for our
Selma
Gn Jim's writing: The cellar must be
deep enough so that tall man won't crack
I. A-I