WITH its modern planning and simple, ageless design, this house is made to order for those who want the functional qualities of modern architecture without startling severity of line. It looks new and up-to-date, but it is softened by a homey window box and a touch of wrought iron reminiscent of the Old South.

The vertical clapboard siding of the entrance porch offers an interesting contrast to the brick walls. The front door opens into a corner of the living room in such a way that the greater portion of that room is free of traffic to the kitchen and bedroom wing. The large picture window, running almost full length of the living room, brings sun and scenery into the house. The fireplace serves as a partial partition between living and dining areas.

The fairly wide entrance to the dining room tends to give added size both to it and the living room. The dining room is amply large for "company" dinners, and its convenient location in relation to the serving cabinets in the kitchen encourages everyday use of the room. A pair of built-in china cabinets on either side of the rear window provide display space for family treasures.

The kitchen is placed almost squarely in the center of the house. It can be entered from the dining room, the central passageway, or the back porch, which leads from the kitchen door to the garage in the manner of a breezeway. The "L" shaped breakfast booth is ideal for quick meals, and is an excellent day-long workspace for Mother. Well-arranged kitchen units, plenty of cupboards, plus easy access to any other parts of the house and grounds make the kitchen the real hub-of-the-house.

The bedroom wing of this house is well separated from the living and service areas by walls of wardrobe closets and other convenient storage space for the average family's accumulation of worldly goods. The cedar closet in the central hallway is a stronghold in the battle against moths.

The bedrooms themselves boast plenty of windows—at no sacrifice of wall space for furniture. Corner windows give the decorator an opportunity to work with interesting drapery effects that are not possible with ordinary windows.

The bath is most conveniently located without being directly visible from any room of the house. It is close to the bedrooms, the kitchen and is accessible from the main hallway. A special small closet for bath linens is placed at one end of the tub.

At the risk of seeming preoccupied with closets (and what homemaker isn’t?), we call attention also to the large linen closet in the hallway and the coat closet just inside the front entrance.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

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THIS house was especially designed to meet the needs of a son-and-daughter family of four. The girl and boy occupy rooms of approximately equal size (no excuse for argument over who gets the larger quarters) at one end of the bedroom wing and share a well-arranged bath that has both tub and shower. The large master bedroom at the opposite end of the wing has twin closets and its own bath. The living and service areas of the house provide plenty of room for family life and entertaining and are arranged to afford the utmost convenience for the busy mother. A small entry gives access to both areas and insures privacy in the living room.

The long terrace across the back of the house and the generous window space in all the rooms make for the indoor-outdoor effect so popular in the South. But the windows are so arranged that every room has sufficient wall space to give the decorator a free hand in placing large pieces of furniture.

The living room features a large fireplace and a picture window overlooking the front porch. A door at the back of the room opens onto the terrace.

A feature of the plan that will particularly appeal to the housewife is the arrangement of the kitchen utility room and service porch. The kitchen is conveniently located in relation to both the front and back entrances to the house and corner windows give it good light and ventilation. Just off the kitchen is the breakfast booth pleasantly located under the shaded porch window. At the back of the house is a long utility room opening onto the terrace and also onto the side porch which leads to the garage.

The exterior, with its broad chimney, large window areas and low overhanging roof, shows the same careful attention to comfort and good taste that characterizes the interior. A careful study of the entire plan will show that every need of the active family of four has been anticipated and provided for.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

THIS plan embraces just about everything the Southerner wants in a small home—long, low lines, overhanging eaves to cut off direct sun, a shaded porch, a living room with fireplace and built-in bookshelves, and plenty of windows to catch the breeze.

The design of the house is thoroughly contemporary, but it is the type of “conservative modern” that wears well and fits happily into a neighborhood of more traditional houses. Its gracious lines belie its actual footage, for while the house has three bedrooms of comfortable size, the overall plan covers a comparatively small space, making it equally suitable for a narrow city lot or a large suburban yard. This has been achieved by compact arrangement, rather than by scrimping on the size of the individual rooms.

Among the most attractive features of the plan are the bricked side porch which extends around the front of the house to form a narrow terrace, the distinctive detail of the paneled front doors, and the floor-to-ceiling bay windows in the living and dining rooms.

The bedrooms are grouped at the side and back of the house where they enjoy greater privacy and a view of the back lawn or garden, and are served by a conveniently located bath. Their windows are planned with full consideration for ventilation, furniture placement and good exterior balance. All the bedroom closets have sliding doors so no wall space is wasted.

The garage is attached to the house—an economy measure which eliminates one wall and a lengthy driveway. At the back of the garage is a garden tool room, opening directly onto the lawn. The kitchen and service areas are well arranged and conveniently located with reference to the living quarters.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

HERE is a large, rambling house which combines an impressive exterior with a floor plan arranged for maximum efficiency. The outstanding feature of the plan is the massive triple fireplace which forms the only division between the living room, dining room and study. This open arrangement has special appeal for the family that has a wide circle of friends and likes to entertain on a grand scale.

In addition to the wood-burning fireplaces, there is a gas-fired central heating unit with ducts to every room. The living and sleeping areas and the kitchen are well separated from each other for quiet and privacy, and a long central hall takes care of traffic.

Other convenience features of the plan are the twin baths, which are located side by side and adjacent to the laundry for economy in plumbing installation; the generous amount of storage space provided by the ten closets; the central location of the kitchen, which places it within quick and easy reach of any other part of the house; and the outside entrance (protected by the car port), storage closet and private lavatory provided for the study.

The exterior of the house is of brick veneer. Its most distinctive feature is the use of twin floor-to-ceiling picture windows—each with a built-in plant box—in the living room and dining room. A large terrace surrounds two sides of the house and leads into a recessed entrance sheltered by the overhanging roof.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

HERE’S a duplex with a good-neighbor policy. In it two families can live side by side without having to listen to every footfall in the adjoining apartment, for a solid bank of closets extends from the front of the house to the back. And besides serving as sound deadeners, just think of the wonderful storage space these closets provide! Each living room has a coat closet; there are china cabinets in the dining areas, big hall closets, and twin closets in the bedrooms.

To give the apartments even greater privacy, the entrances are widely separated, and each has its own walk to the street. These walks and the front yard can be landscaped to enhance this appearance of seclusion. A fireplace provides a decorative center of interest for each living room. Two exposures give these rooms cross-ventilation, and the total of six windows in the living-dining areas makes them bright and cheerful, as are the other rooms. The apartment on the right has one bedroom; the other has two. Each has the kitchen centrally located so that it is easily accessible from the living and sleeping areas, and each has a sheltered service entrance. There is space in each apartment for a central heating unit.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

THE prospective homeowner with a limited budget is often disappointed when he begins to study house plans, for he finds that a number of desirable features must be sacrificed for the sake of economy. But here is a compact little plan which uses every foot of floor space (it has only a little over 1,000 square feet) to such good advantage that it is possible to include many of those extras usually found only in larger homes. For one thing, there is an entrance foyer with a coat closet. For another, there is a breakfast nook in addition to the dining area in the living room. Even a laundry room is included.

The spacious living-dining area is planned for good furniture arrangement. The bedroom wing is compact, but not crowded, and has large closets with sliding doors. The working area is tailored to save steps for the busy homemaker.

A picture window adds to the attractiveness of the exterior, and the large porch provides a sheltered entrance. The attached garage greatly increases the apparent size of the house. If your lot is narrow, however, the garage may be placed elsewhere on the lot or connected at the rear without hurting the proportions of the house.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

HERE is a home with heartwarming qualities and real character. Much of its charm comes from the easy look of hospitality it presents from the outside—a look gained from its picture window, protected entrance and the low sweep of overhanging eaves. Vertical and horizontal wood siding provide contrast, and shutters add a note of color.

This same simplicity of detail and air of informality are apparent inside the house. There are knotty pine walls in the hall and breakfast room; the dining room has papered walls with a knotty pine wainscot. One of the best ways to give an air of spaciousness to a relatively small house is to keep the living areas as open as possible, and the most effective way to achieve this is to combine the living and dining rooms without a partition. Another way to give an illusion of size is to use large windows. This plan employs both devices, and the result is a large and inviting living area with a floor-to-ceiling bay window overlooking the front lawn.

This house abounds with plus features. Note the number and generous size of the closets. There is even a walk-in pantry. The kitchen is U-shaped, an arrangement which is a proved time- and step-saver. The bath is centrally located and convenient to all areas of the house. Adjacent to the kitchen is a handy service porch.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

THE large window area and wide, sheltering roof of this modern brick help to keep it cool during the summer. Yet the house is snug in winter, too, with its friendly wood-burning fireplace in addition to its gas-burning floor furnace.

Although it has a relatively small floor area—1,117 square feet—this plan is arranged so that normal family activities can be carried on without conflict or confusion. The kitchen is centrally located and has a window and door opening into the car port. Walls of closets keep the bedroom quiet and private. The study is convenient to the bathroom and has a large closet, so it can double as a guest room or nursery.

 The placement of the dining area separates it from the living room almost as effectively as a partition, yet it does not sacrifice the open effect and added spaciousness that come from combining the living and dining areas. There is a generous amount of storage space, with a coat closet near the entrance, twin closets in the bedroom, a closet in the study, a roomy hall closet, and a storage wall in the car port for garden tools and other equipment.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

THIS pleasant two-bedroom cottage combines economy and convenience for the small family, with many of the extras usually found only in larger homes.

The recessed front entrance opens into a foyer, which is provided with a coat closet. The spacious living-dining area has windows on three walls to insure good ventilation. A well-placed fireplace adds to the attractiveness and comfort of the L-shaped room, and still leaves enough space for that inevitable large piece of wall furniture.

The kitchen is placed at the front of the house. A portion of it is partitioned off to serve as a laundry room, but there is an ample passageway from the kitchen proper to the terrace for ease in serving outdoor meals.

The covered terrace can be used almost the year round in the South. With entrances from the dining room, a bedroom and the utility room, it is centrally located both for convenience and privacy.

Located at the back of the house, away from the noise of household operation, are the bedrooms, each with triple exposure. The two bedrooms and the centrally located bath are connected by a hall which opens into the living room.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

IN RECENT years the ranch-type house has firmly established itself as one of the South’s most popular and adaptable styles of architecture. The friendly informality of its exterior makes it equally at home in town or country, and experience has proved the livability of its spread-out floor plan.

Here is a plan which strikes a new note in exterior treatment of the ranch-style house. It retains much of the character of the original, yet has the neatness and simplicity of modern design. To achieve greater privacy and an unusually well-balanced appearance, it places small windows on the front elevation. The large windows are located at the back overlooking the garden.

A glance at the floor plan shows that this house was designed for easy management. The entrance foyer and hall provide ready access to the bedroom wing and the service and living areas. The bathroom is convenient to all parts of the house, and the kitchen, which has a large pantry, is centrally located.

The living-dining room and the adjoining porch—reached from doors in both the kitchen and the living room—are made to order for entertaining. The two window walls make one room seem like a continuation of the other, and together they provide an exceptionally large living area for a house of this size.

The focal point of the living room is the brick fireplace which, with a bookcase on one side and a woodbox on the other, takes up an entire wall. Adding importance to this end of the room is the large brick-paved area in front of the fireplace wall.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

 THIS contemporary version of the Cape Cod cottage incorporates the advantages of modern planning while retaining the dignified simplicity to which the traditional version owes its charm. The family selecting this plan should never feel cramped for living space, for the rooms are larger than those of the average five-room house, and there is an abundance of closets.

Light and ventilation are well taken care of by a generous number of large windows (each of the bedrooms has three exposures) carefully placed to leave plenty of room for good furniture arrangement. A recessed entrance and a breezeway to the garage provide protection from inclement weather.

The foyer opens into both the living room and the dining-kitchen area, and the central hall connects all rooms. The bathroom is centrally located, the kitchen compactly arranged. The dining area is as convenient as the customary breakfast room, yet it is large enough for formal dining."

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

HERE is a plan that’s really out of the ordinary, with its distinctive exterior of redwood plywood siding, its extensive window area and its exceptionally convenient room arrangement. Wide eaves add to the attractiveness of the house, while a car port shelters the outside entrance and provides storage space for tools.

You enter the house through a foyer with a handy coat closet. From the foyer you can reach any part of the house without crossing other areas. The spacious living-dining room overlooking the garden offers countless possibilities for conversational groupings with its fireplace and picture windows. Since these window walls are at the back of the house, neighbors and passers-by can’t invade your privacy.

The bedroom wing is well separated from the rest of the house and has ample closet space. The compact kitchen is U-shaped, and the breakfast room has a large built-in china cabinet. Three windows make this area bright and cheerful.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

FOR people who like privacy, and want it in a cottage, this plan is a find. The front door opens into a foyer, which is separated from the living room by a coat closet and from the dining room by a partial partition. A hall opening off the foyer makes it possible to reach the kitchen and each of the three bedrooms without going through any other rooms.

Unusually large for a small house, the living room gains extra footage from the generous bay window in the front wall. A further feeling of spaciousness is provided by the open arrangement of the living and dining rooms.

The basic kitchen equipment is arranged in a modified U, with a bar at one end of the cabinets for serving snacks or writing out grocery lists. The service door opens into a utility room, which houses washing and drying equipment as well as a central heating unit and a hot water heater.

Each of the three bedrooms has a large closet and windows on two walls for cross-ventilation. The bathroom is accessible from the hall, and a half bath is conveniently located between two of the bedrooms. Opening into the hall is a generous linen closet, built wide and shallow so the housewife can get to the sheets without having to reach over the pillowcases. The bathroom has a towel closet of its own. Adding an air of hospitality to the house, the entrance porch provides shelter for people entering or leaving the house and increases the effect of privacy in the front bedroom.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering