The Luxury of Sliding Doors. 95 raw umber are also much used. Hard per and afterward to a plating of woods are best finished in water, for gold. then they can be kept clean with a damp cloth. When finished in oil they become cloudy and are difficult to polish. Finishing in water means rubbing by hand with water and powdered pumice after the varnish has been applied. This finish is less brilliant than the oil, but its durability commends it. Since the return to the light effects in woodwork there has been a demand for something more elegant than painted wood in some parts of the house. Enamelling seems to be the preferred finish for drawing-rooms where a white trim is desired. The process is an expensive one, but satisfactory, not only for the moment, but for all time. The wood underlying it is never of the soft varieties, but cherry or white mahogany are chosen as being close-grained and hard. If in future years, when the fashion changes, it is desirable to have a varnished wood, the enamel can be removed and a suitable material found beneath. According to the decorations of a room, the enamel is white, cream, or of some darker tint. When finished it is almost as smooth as porcelain, and is as easily washed. Painted wood requires three coats. It is well to go over all painted and enamelled work before the workmen have left, as something is sure to have been overlooked or shirked. If balusters are enamelled, pass the hands over each one to see if it is smooth, open the inside blinds to see that they have been finished on both sides, and have an eye to the door lintels, lest the tops have been neglected. It is only the owner of the house who has sufficient interest in these things to investigate them. A very beautiful process has just been adopted for use in high-cost houses for small balusters, newel tops, etc. The design is made in wood, then subjected to an electro-plating of cop Mantels are frequently ordered from firms who make a specialty of that branch of work, but cost far less if designed by the architect and included in the cabinet-work contract. Marble and tile facings and hearths are, of course, out of the province of wood trim and must be supplied by another contractor. Doors form another part of the wood trim and likewise an important feature of the house. Handsome doors Doors. are expensive, especially large double openings, like those between the drawing-room and dining-room, and in many houses are omitted for the sake of economy. A pole with portières takes their place very satisfactorily, except on cleaning days and on some rare occasions, when isolation is desirable. One reason for the expense of doors in wide openings is that the cheap light folding-door has been abandoned for the sliding-door, which is hung from above and moves with a touch, has no ugly sill or running groove to trip the unwary, and slips silently out of sight. The hardware with which it is fitted is flat or recessed, so that it offers no obstruction. Such doors as these are a luxury and never interfere with draperies or furniture. If the appropriation for building the house is large enough, have them by all means, not only at the double openings, but at the smaller ones on the second floor. As in other wood trim, avoid very large panels for doors on account of warping, and choose designs that have been proven to be in good taste by years of trial. Novelties fatigue the eye when used as its daily food. The door between the butler's pantry and dining-room should swing both ways. Instead of a knob let it have a plate of glass screwed on where the hand comes most in contact with it. This will take all greasy finger-marks, of discouragement and inconvenience which can easily be wiped off from the glass. The hinges of all swinging doors should be large and strong to bear the door without sagging. Brass hinges are suitable for all kinds of wood trim. The front door of the house is one of the most important features, the design for which should be drawn by the architect. A vestibule is a great protection both from weather and intruders, and is advisable. This will allow of a more tasteful entrance door, protected by an outer door of solid wood or of wrought iron. The use of to the woman who is obliged to open and to clean it. Windows that are of a single pane, and swing on a pivot top and bottom, are likewise difficult to clean if of large size. The old-time two-sash windows of moderate size are the most practical, and beauty and richness may be produced by the manner of glazing. Leaded glass transoms over windows may add much to architectural effect, but one who has sat in their uncompromising glare will never introduce them, or will end by obliterating their trying effect with heavy draperies. Light window-sashes are glazed with American sheet glass in single or double weight. Heavy sashes are supplied with French plate glass. The price of glass varies according to the size of the pane, but in a comparative table, American sheet glass ranks lowest in price, and is followed in an advancing scale by sheet glass of double thickness, then by second quality of French plate, and, lastly, by first quality of both American and French plate. Crystal plate is as thin as sheet glass, but as clear as only plate glass can be. Its price is the same as that of the thicker grades. Second quality in plate glass means second hand, that is, old window-panes repolished or carefully washed and cut in First floor of house shown in Fig. 15. A piazza that adapts itself to the necessities of the seasons, and that finds favor in suburban houses, has a wide platform roofed only half way from the house, the intermediate space to the piazza being fitted with posts and a light trellis, which support a growth of vines. In summer, when shade is needed, the vines cast a deep shadow, and in winter, when the leaves have fallen, the windows are exposed to the sun. A porch or small piazza outside the kitchen will be found a great convenience. In winter it is a place for tradespeople to divest their boots of mud and snow before entering, and in summer a pleasant spot where the cook can prepare vegetables, away from the heat of the stove. There is a popular idea that windows mean ventilation. In their usual closed posiVentilation. tion they are far from effecting it, and as one is not apt best way is the most attractive, but unfortunately, is not open to all on account of the labor entailed—an open fire in every room. By this means the air in the room is drawn up the chimney and replaced from outer sources. In the case of a room having all the doors and windows closed, it might at times be necessary to open the window a very little to create the necessary draught, not only for ventilation, but for combustion on the hearth. In summer the fireplace should never be stopped by a board and paper covering, as is sometimes seen in old houses. The best mode of ventilation yet tried is a roof opening near the centre of the house, over the stair way and main hall if possible. This is effected by means of a skylight, with a ventilator in the top. The skylight, not being a thing of beauty, is usually protected from view by a sash of stained glass, especially in city houses, where it is very much en évidence. make ventilation perfect this should be raised one or two inches, to allow a free passage of air up through the skylight, To to sit in a room with open windows on otherwise it is useless, save for lighta cold day, the question arises, how ing. By this means the air of the house shall we ventilate our houses? The is constantly changed without endan The Principles of Ventilation Applied. gering health through draughts, but there is difficulty in making this roofopening except in city houses. Windows in bedrooms should be so placed that a through draught can be obtained. In suburban houses it is quite possible to do this without having a direct draught on the bed. In opening the window at night it is desirable that the air reach the middle or upper parts of the room, and that it be gradually distributed in cold weather. A very simple contrivance for children's or invalids' rooms is to have a low board fitted to the width of the window and lay it across the aperture made by opening the window. This closes the original source of fresh air, but leaves a space at the middle of the sash where air enters in sufficient quantity and without the force violently to lower the temperature of the room. It is to the cupboards or closets that one consigns all clothing that is not in Some may have been taken off after exercise and some is soiled from long use or contact with the streets. Details for house shown in Fig. 15. When all this is known it is strange that one never sees a ventilated cupboard or clothes press. A square of 99 wire netting set in the door would not be unsightly and would certainly contribute to pure air. Details for house shown in Fig. 15. As the engine-room to the steamer, so is the kitchen to the house. It is quite impossible to run the The kitchen. house smoothly unless the kitchen has been planned with an eye to the convenience of its usual occupant. To know its requirements demands more than a knowledge of carpentering and plumbing. It demands a practical knowledge of the work to be done in the room after its completion. An elegant kitchen finished in hard wood and marble, having a tessellated. floor and a tiled sink with showy brass pipes and hooded range, may seem beautiful to the eye of man, but a woman will instantly see that the shelves of the dresser are so far back from the wide counter and so high above it that only a very tall woman can reach the lower shelf, and the others are an impossibility without a step-ladder; she sees also that all that unnecessary display of polished metal requires hours of frequent rubbing, and that the dripboard next the sink is of marble, upon which every dish or glass that might slip from soapy fingers would meet its destruction. The range is placed where a direct draught blows over it from the hall to the laundry, and the refrigerator |