Green Meadows—Front ViewGreen Meadows—Front View
The original house, separated from the highway by an old wall of field stone and an elm-shaded dooryard, was built in 1786, and it is curious to note that no deed was ever recorded. It was the usual type of farmhouse, constructed about a central chimney, two and a half stories in height, with an unbroken roof line. Subsequent owners had added wings at each side instead of the more customary ell at the rear. One of these wings is of brick, which indicates that it was probably not built before the middle of the last century, but although the two building materials seemincongruous in the one house, vines have so overgrown this wing that the red glimpsed through them and contrasting with the white walls of the house is very attractive.
The only important alterations in the exterior appearance of the house were in the addition of the long veranda across the rear and the alteration of the frame wing at the right. The old structure was found to be in too dilapidated a condition to restore, but it was reproduced in all its exterior details and joined to the end of a new wing attached to the house and a trifle broader than the old. Two hip-roofed dormers add to the space in the second floor and permit the construction of attractive servants' quarters.
The frame of the entrance door in the center of the front façade is a particularly happy example of the simple Georgian style used in the better class of farmhouses of that day. Its flat pilasters and well-proportioned cornice illustrate the restraint and refinement in the work of even the average builders.
The door itself opens into a small hallway, restored with fresh white paint to all its original beauty.
On this left side of the house the partition betweenthe old dining-room and parlor has been removed to make one large living-room. After the cornices and the wainscoting were restored, the woodwork, including the encased beams in the ceiling, was painted white. The condition of the old floor made it necessary to lay a new one of hard wood. This room admirably reflects the old Colonial spirit in its fireplace and cupboards. The paneling above the mantel shelf presents an interesting variation in the framing of fireplaces. The original wainscot with its molded cap divides the wall surface in an agreeable proportion, and the rather heavy cornice moldings at the ceiling line relieve the emphasis of the great beams. The old hardware is used on doors and windows, the thumb latches are finished in the natural black, and the H and L hinges painted white to correspond with the woodwork. The upper part of the walls is covered with a rose-colored paper reproducing a conventional Georgian medallion design in silvery gray. This rose color has been carried out in all the furnishings of this room; the upholstery of chairs and sofas is in a deeper shade; the over-curtains are somewhat paler, and in the Oriental rugs, rose blends with soft browns and blues. Old-fashionedVenetian blinds or slat-curtains shade the windows in the living-room and throughout the house.
On the opposite side of the entrance hall is the reception-room. The same treatment has been accorded here as in the living-room, and the furnishings are especially harmonious and well arranged. The long, low lines of an Adam sofa, a slender-legged desk, and chairs and table, each one a noteworthy masterpiece of cabinet making, are admirably chosen to add apparent height to the low stud, but the monotony of too much light and low furniture is broken by a tall grandfather clock placed in the corner. The pictures on the walls, old prints simply framed in mahogany, are hung with a similar thought to increase the apparent height of the room, and their arrangement is well worth studying. The fireplace, on the opposite side of the chimney from that in the living-room, is equally interesting. The wall above the white wainscot is papered in a golden yellow of conventional flowers, and the upholstery and draperies are of a golden striped and figured Adam damask that brings out the rich color of the satinwood and mahogany furniture.
In the rear, on the same side of the house, is the dining-room. The old woodwork here wasinsignificant, and it has been replaced with modern paneled wainscot covering two thirds of the wall surface. One could wish that the proportions of the original woodwork had been a little more closely followed, and the atmosphere of the other rooms carried more definitely into this. The old fireplace has been retained across the corner of the room with its flue in the central chimney, but its frame is a modern conception. The chimney cupboard in the side has been turned into a china closet with a new door of mullioned glass displaying interesting old pewter and plates. The upper third of the wall above the wainscot is covered with a reproduction of an old-time scenic paper in greens and grays, and the window hangings are of corresponding colors in damask. The seats of the Hepplewhite chairs carry the same tones in tapestry. The apparent size of the dining-room has been cleverly increased by carrying the decorative motives into the passageway which connects it with the service quarters in the right wing. The same paneling of the wainscot and the same paper above, seen through the double doorway, give the impression that this is all part of the one room, and the placing of a buffet in front of the opening enhances the effect.
On the other side of the dining-room a small hall, paneled with white enameled woodwork to the ceiling, leads into the living-room.
The Living RoomThe Living Room
French doors of glass open from here on to the wide veranda which has been added across the back of the house, overlooking the green meadows and shady vales that stretch away on all sides.
Two Views of the DenTwo Views of the Den
From this veranda or from the living-room, one can enter the brick wing at the left of the house. This originally contained the kitchen with bedrooms above, but in altering it, the entire wing was thrown into one room opened to the roof. With the great old beams and rafters showing, and all the woodwork stained dark, this apartment lends itself admirably to the character of a den or smoking-room. At the end, the old kitchen chimney has been utilized for a fireplace, and old paneling inserted above the high mantel. Seats have been built under the windows flanking the chimney and, with their soft cushions and pillows, add materially to the comfort of the room. The windows in this wing are unusually large,—an indication of the later date of its construction,—and in order to carry the same proportions in their divisions as in the older part of the house, twenty-four panes of glass were used in each.A rich green and brown landscape paper covers the upper two thirds of the walls above the wainscot molding. The upholstery and cushions on davenport, armchairs, and window-seats of brown leather stamp this apartment indelibly as a man's room, and the decorations of old flint-locks in one corner add to the effect.
The service quarters of the house in the wings at the right have been made especially complete. In the middle section are butler's pantry, kitchen, laundry, and refrigerator, with two bedrooms on the second floor; and in the narrower part is a servants' hall and three bedrooms which are open to the roof.
The Old-fashioned ChamberThe Old-fashioned Chamber
On the upper floor of the main part of the house the four bedrooms have been kept much as in the past. Those in the rear have been made to open out, through double doors, on to the second story of the veranda, which can be used as a sleeping-porch. The old white woodwork and the original fireplaces add their ineffable charm. The floors were in poor condition and are covered with matting as a background for the rag rugs. Some very interesting old pieces of furniture add to the atmosphere of these chambers.
The registers of the hot-air heating system whichhas been installed are unusually well selected for an old Colonial house. Instead of the customary meaningless scroll and meander pattern in the grills, a simple square lattice has been used, which preserves the spirit of other days admirably.
City people are prone to think that the country is agreeable only during the summer months, and that winters spent there are unpleasant and dreary. This notion is fast being dispelled, as country houses are kept open longer and longer each year, and the pleasures of country week-ends during the entire winter are definitely proven. There is in reality no more delightful place to spend the long winter months than in the heart of a beautiful country. A never-ending round of interests astonishes one who has never tried it before. Each month brings a fresh phase, and it is hard to determine whether the country is at its best during the summer or winter season.
There is a fascination indescribable in watching the fall of snow, the settling of flakes on the bare limbs, the transition from brown to diamond-covered branches that glisten with every motion and are often decorated with long icicles reflecting all the prismatic colors. If you have never seenthis side of country life, you will find it a wonderful world, where it is intensely interesting to study the seasons in turn, note the coming and going of birds, look for the early and late flowers, watch the melting of snows and the swelling of buds in the warm spring suns.
More active pleasures, too, await the adventurer in the winter country. There are so many sports to be enjoyed that one does not wonder the youth delights to come here for skating, snow-shoeing, or toboganning. What is more delightful than a sleighing party, whose destination is a remodeled farmhouse not too many miles from the city? Start the cheery fire in the huge fireplace, pile on the six-foot logs, draw your chairs nearer while you forget the outside world, and feel a glow of delight that you, too, have joined the throng who know the thrill of country life.
The first thing to do when contemplating an all-the-year-round country home is to look for a house in the right location. In selecting it the problem of heating must be thought of in a different way than as that for merely summer use. Then fireplaces will amply suffice for the few cool days and chilly evenings, and no better method could be desired. But for the real cold of winter,whether for continued use or the occasional week-end, more complete heating will need to be provided.
The cheapest and simplest way is undoubtedly by stoves which can be attached to the fireplace flues. But this necessitates closing up the fireplace and depriving family and guests of all the joys of the blazing logs which never seem more cheerful and hospitable than in the bitterest weather. If the house is to be used mainly for week-end parties, stoves have another serious drawback. They must be kept oiled when not in use, to prevent their rusting, and it takes nearly two days after the fire is lighted to burn the oil off. Then, when closing up the house again, the stove must be re-oiled, and this necessitates putting the fire out and waiting in the cold house until the metal is sufficiently cool to apply the treatment.
The most adequate method is by hot water or steam, and for a large country house these are really the only practical ways. The expense involved will depend upon the structure of the house. In a brick or stone building, it will cost a good deal to have the pipes built into the wall. Sometimes conditions will allow them to be carriedup in a closet or partition. In a frame house that has been built with deep window jambs, as was so often done in the olden times, the pipes can be hidden within this furred framework. The great objection to steam or hot-water systems in old houses, however, is the presence of the radiator, which never can be made to harmonize thoroughly with the spirit of the old building. When it is used, some attempt must be made to disguise it. If it can be made long and low and placed in front of a window, it can be treated as a window-seat with a metal grill in front. For houses of the later Georgian period, grills can be found whose designs are not at all out of keeping with the other classical details. Sometimes a radiator can be placed entirely within the furred partition, and the heat admitted into the room through paneled doors which are thrown open when it is in use.
For small houses, the hot-air system is perhaps the most desirable. The registers are inconspicuous and bring no jarring note into the old-time atmosphere. The pipes require considerable overhead room in the cellar, which sometimes becomes a hard problem in the low foundations of old houses. The fact that it is difficult to drive thehot air against the wind raises a second objection, but if the furnace is placed in the corner of the house from which the cold winds blow, or even a second furnace is installed, the trouble will be largely overcome. And there is the great advantage, especially for a week-end house, that it can be started up or left at a moment's notice without trouble from water in the pipes or danger of freezing as in the hot-water systems.
Whatever the method decided upon, it is an interesting work from start to finish. One feels a thrill of adventure in evoking from the home of past generations one for twentieth-century living with all the comforts and appliances necessary. But to transform an old building that has never even been intended for living purposes into a residence that is not only comfortable and suited to the owner's needs but an architectural success as well, is a still more fascinating problem. How Messrs. Killam and Hopkins have accomplished this with an old barn at Dover and kept the distinctive simplicity and atmosphere of the original building is worthy of emulation.
Nawn Farm—Front ViewNawn Farm—Front View
When Mrs. Genevieve Fuller bought the Nawn Farm some three years ago, it was her intention to alter the farmhouse then on the property.Its location, however, was not entirely favorable; the house was on sloping ground in somewhat of a hollow and too near the public road. Besides this, the rooms were small and very much out of repair. On the crest of the hill was the barn, occupying a commanding position and framed in splendid old trees. The structure was found to be so stanch that it was decided to tear down the old house and convert the barn into the residence.
Rear ViewRear View
The foundations were left unchanged, and an ell on the north side was added for the service portion of the building. The supports and interior divisions are all virtually unaltered. The living and dining rooms occupy the positions of the former mows, and the hall connecting them is the old passage for the wagons. Most of the original studding has been used as it stood, and the beams incased or hidden in the finish of the walls. The roof was flattened on the top, and the gables cut off, but the slope was unaltered. Wider eaves were added at a slightly different pitch, softening the lines of the roof.
Doors and windows were, of course, cut anew to conform with the different usage of the building. Their position was necessarily determinedsomewhat by the existing supports, but they have been very happily placed, whether in groups or singly. Those of the sleeping rooms on the second floor are especially well handled; they are wide and raised well up under the overhanging roof, so that they carry out the broad low lines of the architecture. The openings of the sleeping-porches have been treated exactly as windows, their size corresponding with the apparent dimensions of the windows, and their locations determined by the same factors. They become at once an integral part of the structure instead of the unsightly excrescence which the presence of a sleeping-porch so often proves.
The Living RoomThe Living Room
On the first floor, the living-room occupies the entire eastern end, having exposures on three sides. This has been attractively finished in gum wood stained a dark brown, and the warm tones of natural colored grass-cloth tone the walls. An interesting treatment has been accorded the fireplace by flanking it on either side with a nook, the outer walls of which cleverly conceal parts of the old structure. In each of the recesses is a small window above the paneling and window-seat. The furnishings of the room are appropriately simple and invitingly comfortable, suggesting old-fashionedthings adapted for modern uses. Especial interest is attached to the fireplace fittings; they are of hand-forged iron, wrought by the village blacksmith after designs of the owner. The andirons were made from the tires of old cart wheels, flattened and bent into shape and curled over at the top. The wood-box is of flat strips of iron interlaced.
From one wing of the hall ascend stairs which are the faithful reproduction of an old Colonial design. The other part of the hall, across the southern front, is so broad and cheerful with two big windows and two glass doors opening on to the sunny loggia that it has been furnished with a davenport, tables, and chairs almost as a second living-room. The woodwork is North Carolina pine stained brown, and the walls are gray.
The billiard-room back of this hall, with its attractive alcove and fireplace, is finished in fumed oak, and the walls are also gray.
Two Views of the Dining RoomTwo Views of the Dining Room
Perhaps the distinction of being the most attractive room in the house can be accorded the dining-room with its Colonial white woodwork. The fireplace and the china closet, balanced on the other side by the door into the pantry, are of excellent proportions and charming detail. The mullionedpanes of the china closet and the treatment of the moldings about the frame are especially interesting. On the opposite side of the room a group of three windows provides opportunity for an unusually delightful feature in the long window-box, built by the village carpenter. Its simple, sturdy lines are worthy of notice. The walls are papered in a deep cream, and the greatest simplicity maintained in the furniture and draperies.
The China Closet in the Dining RoomThe China Closet in the Dining Room
The service portion is well arranged both for convenience of labor and comfort of the domestics. The basement laundry leads directly into a large drying yard which was the original enclosure for the cows and is surrounded by the same wall of field stone.
Up-stairs the rooms might be said to be divided into three suites, which can be practically shut off from each other: each has its own bath and sleeping-porch. In the group over the living-room there has been an ingenious solution of the structural conditions. The division of the rooms made possible by the old supports permitted a dressing-room to be placed conveniently between the two chambers, but the fireplace added in the living-room was directly below, so that thechimney would naturally cut off the outside wall. It would have been possible to construct a large fireplace in the dressing-room and allow the light to come through the chambers, but the architects evolved another scheme. The chimney was carried up on one side, providing a fireplace for one of the chambers, and a second chimney was built in the opposite corner of the dressing-room. In the space between, a window was cut, and the two flues joined directly over the window. From the outside of the building this gives a most unusual effect as there is a chimney directly over a window, having no apparent support, or even purpose. The lines of the pyramidal base conform to the slope of the roof.
The remodeling of an old farmhouse is apparently a simple matter; it would at first seem necessary only to preserve the main lines and characteristics of the original in the alterations that are required to meet the conditions of modern life. But when one realizes that the less conspicuous details are also important, in order to maintain the essential harmony of the whole, it becomes a more intricate proposition. One cannot merely study the details already on the building and slavishly copy them for the new parts, because frequently it will be found that doors or windows or shutters have been added by more recent owners and are not really in keeping with the old structure at all. In order to reclaim the house, then, so that it shall have a consistent unity throughout, one must have some understanding of the evolution of these details.
There is no more significant element in these old Colonial houses than the front door. It wasplaced in the center of the front wall and formed the unit of the exterior design. The very early doors were of heavy oak boards placed vertically and fastened together with horizontal strips. These batten doors, as they were called, were made very sturdy and strong, in order to resist attacks from Indians or other marauders. Often they were marked with an awl into diamond and lozenge patterns and sometimes studded with hand-wrought nails. Not for a good many years did the panel door come into use. At first it was a flat panel, flush with the sides of the door and separated from the sides and top only by a small bead molding. This was soon developed into the flat sunken panel, meeting the surrounding wood with several moldings; and then the panels were beveled and raised in the center, and the moldings gradually became more elaborate and delicate in outline. The early doors were solid for purposes of protection, but as the country became more settled, thick bull's-eye glass was inserted into the top horizontal panel to let light into the hall. As the interior plan was changed in its evolution, the hall became larger, and these bull's-eyes did not provide sufficient light, so the transom was introduced over thedoor. For some time a simple top light was used, divided by lead and then wooden muntins. Then side lights were introduced, and the treatment became more elaborate in the beautiful styles of the later Georgian period.
The frame about the door was at first of flat, undecorated boards, the upper one resting on the two at the sides. Then these were molded and mitered at the corners, and later a cap of heavier moldings was put across the top. This hood became more and more prominent and required the use of definite support. Console brackets were sometimes used but more frequently flat pilasters set against the wall. These gradually became more important, developing into the three-quarter round and finally the isolated column. The pediment and cornice were then extended into the open porch that is one of the splendid features of the Georgian style. Here in cornice and capital was a field for the development of all the most delicate and beautiful motives of classic carving.
As this door and porch was the center of the design of the exterior, the windows were grouped symmetrically about it, the same on each side. There were few of them at first, and they wereof rather small size. Casement windows were the earliest kind used, and the small, diamond panes were sunk in lead, as were those made in the mother country. It is probable that most of these windows were brought over from England and not constructed here. After 1700, the sliding sash was introduced, dividing the windows horizontally, and these had wooden muntins. It must have been considered a more elegant type of window, for it was used in the front of the house for a long time, while the leaded casement was still put in rear windows for many years. The early wooden muntins were quite heavy but later became nearly as delicate as the leaden ones. They divided the sash horizontally and vertically into squares.
The window casings, like the door frames, were at first entirely plain and then had a heavier band across the top which developed into a molded cap or cornice, as at the entrance. When sliding sashes were introduced, the walls of the houses were not thick enough to contain them, so the frames and the sashes were built on to the outside, frequently projecting quite a distance. The necessity for constructing them in this way led to the deep jambs and sills which are such a charming characteristic of the Colonial style.
Shutters were used on the outside of the house as a means of protection from the Indians, when the country was being settled, and these were made of heavy, battened wood three or four inches thick, like the doors. Subsequently a small diamond was cut in the top to admit some light when the shutter was closed. Then a shutter with a solid upper and lower panel was used, and finally these panels were replaced with slats.
There was one other part of the exterior which developed interesting characteristics to be observed in the remodeling: that is, the cornice of the roof. This was merely the overhang in the early buildings and sometimes consisted of the framing beam actually exposed. In the Georgian houses, this was boxed and later elaborated with splendid carvings that deserve perpetuation in more lasting material than wood. There was no gutter for rain-water, and the drip from the eaves was caught on flagstones on the ground at the corners of the house. This detail, although not needed with modern gutters and rain pipes, gives a charming old-time touch when retained in the remodeled home.
It is by attention to such seemingly insignificant points that the atmosphere of the originalbuildings has been consistently retained in so many cases. An excellent instance of how this has been done may be seen in a late Georgian type of farmhouse that stands somewhat back from the old Londonderry turnpike on an estate at Hopkinton, New Hampshire. Although it is not very old, having been built in 1820, it is typical of the better class of simple home in the early days of the Republic.
Boulder Farm—Front ViewBoulder Farm—Front View
The history of the building of this old house is rather interesting. In the days when lotteries were still in flourishing condition, and some of the best men in the community were interesting themselves in the various schemes, a member of one of the churches induced Deacon Philip Brown's hired man to purchase a ticket for a paltry sum. Repenting his investment, he afterwards sold it to his employer, who was a clever silversmith and clock-maker, much respected and well known in the community through his yearly rounds about Hopkinton to repair the clocks of the farmers. The ticket proved to be the winning one, that drew a great prize. With part of this money, Deacon Brown purchased the old "Boulder Farm," as it was called from a great rock that still stands in an open field just south of the house.Here he erected the Georgian farmhouse that is standing to-day. The rest of the money, so the legend runs, he buried somewhere in the field, but he probably removed it later, as it has never been found.
He placed the house on rising land, a short distance from the broad highway, built in the same year and for a long time the straight thoroughfare from Londonderry to Concord and Boston. Deacon Brown lived on the estate until 1846, with the exception of the year 1830, when it was occupied by Governor Matthew Harvey of New Hampshire. The property, placed on the market, then fell into the hands of a man named Kelly, brother-in-law to Grace Fletcher, the first wife of Daniel Webster. During his life, the great American statesman often visited there. What happened during the period between this occupancy and the time of its purchase by Mr. Harry Dudley of Concord, New Hampshire, is not recorded, but we can be confident that the house had careful treatment from its state of preservation.
It was while Mr. Dudley was looking around for a home with ample grounds, and near enough to his business to allow him to go back and forthevery day, that he discovered this historic place. Its attractiveness and the healthfulness of the surroundings appealed to him. Very little was needed to bring the house back to good condition and make it habitable. The land was attractive and could be improved. In front of the house was a wide stretch of meadow that was easily terraced to meet the boundary line. To the many old trees shading the house and lawn were added young trees to replace some of the ancient ones that were dying.
The Front DoorwayThe Front Doorway
Although the house was a model type of the architecture of its day, and there had been abundant room for the old-time residents, modern ways of living demanded additional space. A long ell, built at the rear for the service department, and a wide veranda in dignified Colonial style along one side were the two main exterior alterations. The appearance of the windows was changed by putting in larger panes in order to admit more light, but they were still in keeping with the old-time atmosphere. The reshingling and repainting of the house and the addition of the trellises at one side completed the exterior improvements. The splendid front entrance porch with its graceful fanlight, Doric columns,and straight cornice, and the equally interesting though less imposing side porch were left practically unchanged. The old blinds were restored, to give the stately, old-time atmosphere to the mansion.
The new veranda is wide and extends along the whole side of the house. Its flat roof rests on coupled Doric columns that carry out the classical Georgian detail of the entrance porch; the second story is finished with a simple balustrade, in keeping with the fine simplicity of the main lines. During the summer months this broad piazza is a delightful out-of-door living-room, from which there is a splendid view over the green country; and one can, in imagination, picture the old stage-coaches of former days lumbering by on the highroad. The upper part of the veranda opening from the chambers on that side of the house is used as a sleeping-porch.
The path that leads to the main entrance passes through a wicket gate and ascends the terrace over stone steps to the granite block before the door. The pleasant formality of this porch is accentuated by two close-clipped bay trees, one on either side of the step.
The HallThe Hall
This door opens directly into the hall and facesthe long, straight flight of stairs which reaches the second floor without a turn. The woodwork of these stairs is particularly nice in proportion and line; and the carving under the ends of the steps, in a simple but beautiful scroll design, is most interesting. The hand-rail is mahogany, and the molding which follows it on the wall side above the wainscoting is also mahogany.
The ParlorThe Parlor
In the parlor at the left no innovation has been introduced, and it remains almost as when the house was built. There we find the old white wainscoting unpaneled, with a fine carved molding defining the top. The windows, recessed in the Colonial style, retain their original inside shutters that are still used. It is unusual to find these to-day, for in remodeling houses the shutters are almost always removed in favor of more modern conveniences. Shutters were formerly used as we now employ curtains, to be closed at night-fall or to shut out light and cold. The fireplace in this room is a fine example of Colonial work. It shows a central medallion of a plentifully filled fruit basket and wheat sheaves over the fluted side columns; the edge of the mantel shelf has an unusual ball and string ornamentation finely carved. The wall-paper dates back to the timeof the fireplace. It shows a Grecian pastoral design in shades of brown, yellow, and old rose and was hand-printed from blocks made in England. Through all these years it has retained its brightness, escaping the hands of time, and lends a charming and quaint atmosphere to this room. All of the movable furnishings are equally well in keeping; the slat-back chairs and tables conform to the spirit of the period, as does the fine old Empire mirror, resting on its rosettes.
On the opposite side of the hall from the parlor is the living-room. This is similar in character, with a fireplace only slightly less interesting. It has the same old white wainscoting, but the upper walls have been covered with a modern foliage paper which, strangely enough, blends harmoniously with the setting of the room. It is furnished with eighteenth-century pieces corresponding to those in the other parts of the house.
Two Views of the Dining RoomTwo Views of the Dining Room
At the end of the hall is the dining-room, reached through an open arch. The old wall and door here were cut away in the remodeling to produce an impression of spaciousness and give a vista from the entrance clear through the house and into the garden at the rear. The arch was added to finish the opening, but it conforms carefullyto the details found in the architecture of that day. This room was originally divided, and one part used as a kitchen, but the partition was removed and the two thrown into one, making a long dining-room which occupies the greater part of the rear of the house. At the end, the old single window was enlarged, and two smaller ones cut through on either side to make a delightful sunny group which adds materially to the charm of the room. In the fireplace, which was the original old kitchen one, used for cooking and baking, the brick oven was removed to admit the introduction of a door opening into the living-room. Otherwise it was left unchanged, and the white painted woodwork about it, although simple and unpretentious, is beautifully proportioned. The old flint-lock and warming-pan which hang there pleasantly emphasize the Colonial idea. The wall-paper is a reproduction of a Colonial block pattern in soft shades of gray and green. The floors in this room, as all over the house, are covered with matting laid over the original boards, which were found to be in too bad a condition to restore; entirely new ones would have been necessitated had bare, polished floors been demanded.
The DenThe Den
At the end of the dining-room, opposite thetriple window, a door leads into a small room which is used as a den. This retains the old fireplace opening from the same chimney and directly back of that in the parlor. The walls have been papered in a plain green and are sparingly decorated with sporting prints and trophies suggestive of the hunt and the master's particular domain. Doors lead from this room not only into the dining-room, but to the parlor and the veranda at the side.
The ell of the house, opening from the dining-room, is devoted to butler's pantry, kitchen, servants' dining-room, and servants' chambers on the second floor.
The upper story of the main part of the house has been kept almost as when it was built, and the large square chambers are well-lighted and airy. The open fireplaces and the Colonial furniture, four-posters and highboys and chests, give to the rooms a delightfully old-fashioned atmosphere.
The whole house is a fine example of late Georgian architecture, preserved in all its interesting detail.
Few people realize how much thought should be put into the remodeling of a farmhouse, and many fail to keep the simple country atmosphere; they endeavor to establish in suburban surroundings a home that is better suited to city life. A house reclaimed in this way is necessarily a misfit and must always seem inharmonious in its setting. It never carries out the idea for which we are striving: that a house should be typical of the life of the people who live in it. It should express individuality, be a house to live in, to grow in, to become identified with your life; this is a most important fact that cannot be too carefully observed, and it becomes all the more essential if the home is to be an all-the-year-round one and not merely a summer residence where but a few months are passed.
To-day it is a far more difficult matter to select an old farmhouse of sufficient distinction to remodel than it was even ten years ago. Themost desirable ones have already been bought, since the pleasures of living in the country have been realized by so many former dwellers in the city. There are many personal matters to be thought of in the selection of a house for remodeling; one must consider his individual needs in its relation to his daily pursuits. The business man must select a house near enough to the city to allow traveling back and forth every day; but the man whose occupation does not require city life during the time he wishes to be in the country can establish himself wherever he chooses. There is no doubt that the latter is able to find a far better farmhouse, for he can go farther away, where the best types have not been reclaimed, owing to their distances from the large cities.
It is to be taken for granted that a person has a definite purpose when he leaves the city for a country existence, and it is necessary that he educate himself to the point where he makes his ideas practical. This cannot be done without study beforehand. In making a house suit individual requirements, one must follow along its own lines. Do not attempt to transplant into it features from some other house you admire. An Elizabethan gable or a craftsman living-roommay have been very interesting in the friends' houses in which you saw them, but they would be quite out of place thrust into a Colonial farmhouse. If you have a real need for the features that you find in some other house, you should adapt them to the spirit of the building you are remodeling.
If it cannot be made to harmonize with the other motives, it is possible that you are attempting to make a home out of a building that is not suited to your style of life. But it is because these Colonial farmhouses meet the requirements of the average American families so adequately that they are so interesting to remodel. Each house owner must decide for himself what is the main element in his existence and reclaim the house accordingly. In one family, the interests will be entirely domestic; another household will live in the open, occupied with sports; another devotes much time to music; and there are still others who are absorbed in some special craft or work that will require definite accommodations. In many cases the house can readily be adapted to these particular requirements without any essential change in its atmosphere. The success that is achieved by working with theseold-time elements is due to their sincerity and honesty in solving the problems of their own day and age; they are the results of actual and real experience, and we know no better ways to meet the same conditions. So that when we have the same problems confronting us, we cannot do better than accept the successful results of others' experiments.
This does not mean a slavish copying of the old in restoration; to simply imitate old elements would be neither interesting nor commendable, except for the purposes of a museum. Each style is based upon some fundamental principle, and it should be our aim to work with the underlying idea of creating that which will best meet our special needs, not merely to reproduce the old in imitation of itself.
Nature lends itself to the remodeling and suggests many ideas that help to identify the house with the personality of its owner. Everything attempted in the way of improvements can be broad and expansive and not congested, as would be necessary in the city. You should in every particular make the house grow to fit the surroundings and do it in such a way that it will seem to have been so always. Often thehouse has to be moved on its foundations to meet this need, but that is not a difficult matter to accomplish, if the timbers are stanch and the underpinning steady.
If the owner's ideas are carried out, the house in its finished condition will be but an expression of his taste and understanding. In it we will be able to read his likes and dislikes. Unity should be the keynote of it all and should permeate not only the house itself in all its details, but its gardens, lawns, stables, and every aspect of the estate.
Three Acres, from the Main RoadThree Acres, from the Main Road
There is a house that has been given rare individuality in this way at Duxbury, Massachusetts. As one drives along the picturesque country road, he comes to a winding lane that leads by graceful turns to a little brown farmhouse situated on the crest of a hill about three hundred yards from the main road. If the farmhouse alone is attractive, how much more so is it made by the entrance, for on either side are graceful elms that form an archway, disclosing the house beyond like a picture set in a rustic frame. On either side of the roadway one finds meadow lands and flower and vegetable gardens, everywhere dotted with graceful trees and the picturesque sumach. Vines clamberover the stone walls, partly hiding their roughness and giving their homelike atmosphere to the grounds. There are just three acres in this little property, bounded on two sides by delightful woodlands and on the others by rolling farmland and pastures; but there is room in even these small confines for a garden to supply the table all the year round and a bit of orchard where the gnarled old apple-trees are still fruitful.
Originally the old farmhouse was in a most unprepossessing condition. It had been inhabited for many years by farmer folk who took little pains with its appearance either without or within. When Mrs. Josephine Hartwell Shaw, of Boston, was searching for a country seat where she could pursue her occupation away from the bustle of city life and unmolested by chance guests, she was attracted first of all to the quiet little town by the name of Duxbury. As she looked about for a suitable house, she was charmed with the location of this weather-beaten old building, and closer examination proved it well worth reclaiming, both from an artist's point of view and from that of her own individual requirements.