Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-02
Really Want

reasonable nuSOan0 can dispute logo ike tnat!
Many architects say that living room in the rear
of the house. away from street noises is quiet
and reStful. 1t allows to sit and gaze at back
gardens But the typical housewife is thinking about
that hectic morning when breakfast dishes remain
unWaShed and beds unmade. Unexpected guests ar
rive. Does she escort them through hall where they
catch closeup of her Uttered kitchen before enter
ing the picturebook living room? place our living
room right by the front entrance, most women said.
Designers (male) often plan kitchens near the front
door, SO that housewives can who's coming.
Some women prefer that arrangement but most
desire rear kitchen where they can watch their
children playing in the yard.
Many suggestions these women made are so logi-
cal wonder why they haven't been generally used
before. For example, youngsters tramping into a
clean house with muddy shoes and dirty hands have
always plagued housewives. Why not mud ROOM
or Decentralization chamber by the back door,
where children = and even fathers = Scrape off
their dirt to avoid tracking it into the house proper?
This room could have floor drain so that all the
dirt and mud could be washed away simply.
Not Gadqets, But Real Convenience
Most housewives probably spend at least an hour
week sorting clothes for the washer. Some clothes
require hot water, others medium, others lukewam.
One woman proposed separate, built-in clothes
separated in the first place.
Another suggested raised bathtub with platform
along the side. Think how much STOPPING that device
would save mothers when they're washing the baby!
The average womanS knowledge about houses
amazed our architects She probably knows as much
about insulation heating plants and sewage disposal
as her husband, and some members of my staff
will bet - great deal more.
What kind of house does this well-inforned Mrs.
America want?
We received 1903 different replies to that question,
but the answers all bascaly the same. She
wants home that is convenient to live in She wants
her family to enjoy their home together She is not
interested in lot Of gadeetS she believes that all
space and equipment in the house must serve real
need And - surprise - she cares less about how
a house looks than how it works.
Here's what she wants in the aIl-American house:
kitchen the kind l remember as boy in Kansas,
evidently filled need. To have the family together
is important And she wants that big family ROOM
right by the kitchen.
z. NZOned living" Almost all women agreed that
every home needs family zone where noise is per-
mtted. Another area = including the formal living
room = for quiet adult recreation = should be a
definite quiet zone
;. plan inst slIuplIlss ISO,sewosi. Despite doz-
of new electrical helpers the 2Ohcenury mother
still works longer than from 'Sun to SUM-. Our
sultantS were surprisingly goCd-natured about most
defects in houses, but they showed understandable
bitterness about planning errors which cause unnec
eSSaTy work.
The typical homemaker prefers dead end" Iiv-
ing room in one corner of the house, which children
won't cross when going from one room to the other.
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