HERALD AND NEWS. KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON
SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 1953
THE HOUSE OF THE WEEK
Women Call the Tune for Ideal House
By DAVID L. BOWEN
PAGE SIX
I
Eighty women from all sections
of the United States traveled to
Washington recently to tell the na
lion's homebuilders what they want
ed in a house.
Here is a home designed to their
specifications.
It has eight rooms, two and one
half baths, a glamorized center
hall, both a balconied dinette and
a formal dining room, a fireplace
a centrally located work or hobby
prea plus a family room off by
itself at one end of the house.
The plan, X-41 in the House of
the Week series, is a composite
built on the main preferences ex
pressed by delegates attending th"
Women's Conference on Housing.
sponsored by the Na'ional Assn. of
Home Builders and the United In
dustry Committee for Housing.
This, incidentally, was one of two
women's conferences on housing
at Washington last fall.
One of the moderators at the
three-day conference was Herman
H. York, prize-winning architect
and frequent designer of House ol
the Week plans. As a participant in
the discussions, he was in an ideal
position to get a detailed picture
of the elements delegates believed
should be included in a modern
home.
Here's how he put them togeth
er: Entertainment Area
The living room is in the front
of the house, with direct access
from a domed ceiling entrance foy
er.
This foyer, incidently, connects I ment.
with a flagstoned rear foyer two
steps lower to make a "center
hall" connection so that children
can come in the back door and
go out the front without crossing
a single room.
The living room has a bowed
multiple pane window, instead of
the conventional picture window
which found no approval at t h e
conference. It also has a fireplace,
a luxury feature high on the dele
gates desired list.
The dining room has a "semi
separate location, a compromise
between the totally separate and
the "L" shaped arrangement which
appeared equally popular among
the women.
Informal Living
A special feature of X-41 is a
room in the sleeping section set
aside for study, quiet hobbies, sew
ing or similar activities. Architect
York has further increased its mul
liple use by making provision for
a hideaway bed and a folding
partition, so that when needed it
can serve as a guest sleeping
room.
In addition to this relaxation or
work room, a large family room
or den is located beyond the dining
room. This room is intended for
noisier family activities and con
nects through sliding glass doors
with the huge terrace which runs
most of the length of the house at
the rear. The plans allow for yet
another private family area as an
optional arrangement in the base-
- - " - - .- . .j
LOW FLAGSTONED FOYER and iron railins add to glamor of the kitchen area, which
includes ample space for informal family meals. The formal dining room is visible in
background.
Kitchen Detail
Women at the conference insist
ed that kitchens should be large
enough to provide an eating space
for informal meals. Most of the
delegates also wanted kitchen cab
inets out of sight from the living
and dining rooms. The kitchen in
X-41 not only answers these de
mands but also gives control of the
rear yard, play area. Among other
desirable .features: a built-in cut-
WHAT THE WOMEN WANT: This eight-room contemporary home was designed to the
specifications of 80 delegates from all parts of the United States who attended the
Women's Conference on Housing in Washington, D.C. it has three bedrooms, 2Vi
baths.
; j
lllto , ... m1jp
'. 'IV fAl. , BAlCOUiiD PlP T JiiluX J-!
'..:' DEN c FAMILY RM. DINING RM. ,!. j DINUTt twPallOiM MASTER bED RM. ,-'
iff u.ao u".i3 ,!("" Ii4 Fovea. IOiLJ I4,,n
'4j! J KITCHEN -j m
.H- T J THB1
LIVING RM. 1 : I I-Upim . j "I I
-) '4-" W-l, T.fi "
' . -Iy . .
ffflf j ' r ' ' COVlttED; poa-nco i '! V-4f -" Ilj
y--Tryj)iii A' fi ' Jt;drj' it?
'',,,''' ' s TTTi VI BED RM.
FLOOR PLAN: Wide foyer and hobbies, play or study area in the sleeping wing are
two of the attractive features of X-41. The design includes a luxurious master bedroom,
Urge living and dining rooms, a wide kitchen and dinette area, and a generous
wood-panelled family room or den. The basement plan, not shown, includes an optional
lower level recreation area and maid's room.
ting board, a planning desk, a
broom closet 'often overlooked
nowadays).
Sleeping Wing
The three bedrooms are isolated
from the noise areas. All have two
closets, and both of the two in the
master bedroom are "walkins."
The master bedroom has a pri
vate full bath, and sliding glass
doors lead to a balcony terrace
overlooking the rear yard.
The main bath is "split" with a
sliding door, a practical and de
sirable arrangement when two bed
rooms are served by the same
bath.
The Exterior
On exteriors, women attending
the housing conference expressed
desire for a house which, whether
traditional or modern, retained the
warmth of domestic architecture
They like wood which shows its
grain, or brick which "looks like
it belongs on a house and not a
gas station." Architect York had
this in mind in fashioning a con
temporary exterior with a fresh
clean appearance. Its "homeyness"
was achieved by limiting the exte
rior materials to brick, wood shin
gles and flush boards.
Storage and Dimensions
The garage is generously over
sized to provide for garden tool
storage and work bench. A large
cellar off the optional lower rec
reation room gives ample room for
additional storage.
The habitable area of the house
is 2,193 square feet, not including
the family room which contains
284 square feet. The garage covers
453 square feet and another 1,042
square feet of space adaptable for
finishing is enclosed by the base
ment.
The over-all length is 81 feet,
the depth 45 feet. Minimum lot
width recommended is 115 feet.
The square foot area of the house
is higher than average, but neces
sary to make room for features
delegates desired. Architect York
reports the women at the confer
ence were frank to admit that
there were many things they want
ed which they could not afford.
That doesn't mean they'll never
enjoy them; it just means they
won't get them as soon.
Send this coupon for your STUDY PLAN
YOU CAN GET a study plan for The House ot
The Week by filling in your name and address on
the coupon on this page and sending it with 35 cents
to this newspaper.
This study plan shows each floor of the house
together with each of the four elevations, front, rear
and sides of the house. It is scaled at Vfc-inch per
toot. It includes a guide on "How to Get Your House
Built."
You can take this study plan to your bank or
other mortgage lender and to your builder and get
rough estimates on the cost of construction in this
area, as well as an idea of the cost in relation to your
budget.
With this information you will know whether
you will want to proceed with construction by order
ing working blueprints direct from the architect and
asking for bidsjor the work.
STUDY PLAN ORDER COUPON
Building Editor:
Enclosed is 35 cents. Please send me a copy
ot the study Dlan of The House of The Week.
X-41
Nome
Strtet
Clt,
tpleoM print)