Property of Mr. and Mrs. Henri Bohenblust | Princeton, New Jersey | Architect Rudolph Mock | Photographer Rodney McCay Morgan

THERE are many of us who, while appreciating the warm charm of traditional things, just cannot reconcile ourselves to a life that includes nothing but reminders of things past. Neither can we go overboard for everything modern, in spite of the excitement and logic behind much modern thought. In other words, we like compromise, realizing that there's plenty to be said for both sides. The gray clapboard house-called transitional design for lack of a better name-seems a pretty successful solution to our problem. Its lines are clean and trim. Certainly, there's a recollection of many of its New England forebears in the gabled ends and refined detail. But there's a difference, too. It borrows from the past without being an unimaginative carbon copy, and thereby satisfies the dual yearning for something that is partly old, yet offers something new. White trim and dark green shutters add spice to the exteriors. The simple entrance treatment is as modern as a well-thought-out Mondrian painting, with its inspiration taken from many an Early American farmhouse doorway. It brightly lights the small entrance hall which so efficiently brings living room, kitchen, and powder room within a few feet of one another.

The south wall of living and dining room is continuous, allowing both rooms to flow together with only the projecting fireplace as division. Mrs. Bohenblust is an artist, and so the north-lighted studio is a most necessary feature of the house plan. A study, too, is located on the first floor-a feature that might well be turned into a guest room, since the lavatory is very conveniently located and, with the addition of a connecting door, would afford any privacy desired. Privacy has been added to the drying yard by the happy location of the garage and its connecting, high board fence. This fence, almost self-effacing in its simplicity, forms the background for some interesting ground planting, and becomes an attractive and complementary feature of the front elevation of this charmingly dignified house.

The second floor is very compact, and doesn't cover as much area as the floor below. Here we find two bedrooms, each with cross-ventilation, one bath and plenty of closet space. Directly over the first-floor porch is an open deck which may be used for lounging or sleeping during warm summer nights. Throughout the house, we find wasted space at a minimum; every square inch has been drafted into useful and attractive service.