SIZE

Should we be somewhat limited in funds, we may have to make a selection
between a large house finished in cheaper materials and a small house
of the best quality all through. Doubtless much of the "hominess" that
attaches us to some houses is due to their snugness, but not all of it.
Size is secondary to adaptation to the family requirements. Waste
space is an abomination, because it adds unnecessarily to the burden of
the housekeeper; yet to be so cramped that everything must be moved
every day is not a satisfactory alternative. There should be some
reserve not only for emergencies but for future needs that may be
foreseen. As the children grow up they will demand more room, and we
shall want to give it to them. If we do not care to maintain surplus
space for possible needs, the house should at least be planned with a
view to making additions that will be in keeping with the general
effect and 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.