Evening star., 1943-07-11

Washington housing problems
have worried more than one out
of-town homemaker forced to
come to the Capital for the dura-
ton. but they held no fears for
Mrs. Nayan Warner of Westport,
Conn, when she came to the city
last fall and beat the problem on
its own premises.
when I heard the trouble my
husband was having finding a
place to live after his arrival at
owl, I came down to Washing
ton, found this house, which was
practically falling Gown, bought it
at once and remodeled it, doing
most OF the painting. papering
and floor scraping myself" she
explained.
AS she spoke, Mrs. Warner con-
Quoted her visitor through the
little house at 1911 Thirty-fifth
street NV, reputedly over 140
years old, explaining how she had
modernized the place while re-
tainrng many interesting features
of the original building.
There was only one tiny bath
room," she said. and now we have
three. How did we manage with
priorities? Every single fixture is
secondhand. 1t was difficult
finding workmen, so I did most
of the work myself"
Mrs. Warner even knocked
down a partition dividing two
small lower rooms, concerting
them into an attractive living
room with a fireplace which still
utilizes the original flu built more
than 100 years ago.
Tiny stairs, worn by countless
feet during the past century or
more, lead into Mrs. Warmers
dining room which. she declares,
is her particular pride.
This was originally a base
ment Kitchen" she commented.
Il retained the old fireplace, but
built up the hearth as you see It,"
The fireplace is the focal point
of interest in the little George
town house. An old wrought
iron crane with suspended pot
is used frequently to prepare
modern recipes, while the raised
hearth, built of original bricks,
which had fallen down when the
place was purchased by the
Warmers last fall, holds numer-
Gus pots and pans when Mrs.
Warner plays cook for her
friends.
Pointing to an attractive seal
loped paneling and mantel above
the fireplace, she said 1t was the
only practical way to hide a dis
figuring pipe leading from an old
furnace standing in a corner OF
the room.
Eve had to keep the furnace
as we could not get any other"
she laughed.
Finding house and remodel
ing it did not entirely solve the
problem of the home, Mrs.
Warner added. The house had
to be furnished and furniture,
she pointed out, was almost as
limited as gas or coffee.
ut didn't take long to find
the answer" she continued. II
just ransacked antique shops,
found all kinds Of odd pieces Of
furniture, which, painted and
decorated, are very attractive"
Although Mrs. Warner never
took an art lesson she won con-
siderable fame as ceramic
artist while living on the West
Coast few years before she went
to Connecticut.
"A few years ago I found I
had quite a gift for modelling"
she said. II started modelling
portraits in clay. These were 10
successful that took up ceramics
seriously"
Several signed pieces were
exhibited by Mrs. Warner at the
exposition in San Francisco 4
few years ago, she said, and
many Of her original designs are
now used by West Coast pottery
manufacturers.
Leading from the dining room
at the Georgetown home is an
attractive brick -f1oored terrace
or patio. Scattered over the
place, Mrs. Warner pointed out
several antiques, which she has
repainted and redecorated. An
ancient milk bench built with
wooden pegs instead Of nails
which had been scraped, an
tiqued and ooiorfuily deoorated