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HALLS AND STAIRCASES
living-room of a small house is that such an arrange-
ment makes it almost impossible to heat the house
properly in winter. I have seen so many bewildered
people whose spacious doorless downstairs rooms were
a joy in summer, shivering all winter long in a polar
atmosphere. The stair well seems to suck all the
warmth from the living-room, and coal bills soar.
Above all, don't try to make your hall "pretty."
Remember that a hall is not a living-room, but a
thoroughfare open and used by all the dwellers in the
house. Don't be afraid of your halls and stairs look-
ing "cold." It is a good idea to have one small space
in your house where you can go and sit down and be
calm and cool! You can't keep the rest of the house
severe and cool looking, but here it is eminently ap-
propriate and sensible. The visitor who enters a white
and green hall and gets an effect of real reserve and
coolness is all the more appreciative of the warmth and
intimacy of the living-rooms of the house.
After all, for simple American houses there is noth-
ing better than a staightaway staircase of broad and
easy treads, with one or two landings. There may be
a broad landing with a window and window-seat, if
there is a real view, but the landing-seat that is built
for no especial purpose is worse than useless. It is not
at all necessary to have the stairs carpeted, if the treads
are broad enough, and turned balusters painted white
with a mahogany hand rail are in scheme. Such a
staircase adds much to the home-quality of a house.
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