THERE'S a lot of talk about traffic planning in our cities, but all too often it's a neglected problem in our homes. Everyone has seen the horrible examples — houses in which you have to cross the living room to get from the bedroom to the kitchen, or where the dining room has to serve as a passageway between the front door and the back.

The plan shown here is a model of good traffic control in a twobedroom house. A T-shaped hall keeps the traffic where it belongs and gives the rooms more privacy than is often found in much larger houses. Another big-house feature is an entry large enough to permit receiving several guests at a time without crowding someone into a corner.

A particularly handsome feature of the living room is the fireplace with flanking windows, which forms an effective center of interest. This room extends the entire depth of the house, and the back wall is a floor-to-ceiling expanse of glass which makes your garden appear to be part of the room. The absence of any division between the living and dining areas makes the house seem larger.

The compact kitchen is laid out in the popular U shape and is separated from the dining area only by a serving counter. There is an adjoining utility room for laundry equipment.

The bathroom has a roomy linen closet and that last word in convenience — a built-in dressing table with the lavatory set into it.

Both bedrooms are large and have plenty of wall space for good furniture arrangement, plus more-than-ample window areas.

An attractive feature of the exterior of the house is the 19x7-foot terrace in front. The house is faced with brick, with wood siding in the gables; the wall by the terrace is wood paneled.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

WITH its large rooms and open living area, this three-bedroom brick rambler is a model of spaciousness. And along with the widespread floor plan go the ground-hugging lines that tie the house in with its setting.

The eye-catching feature of the front elevation is the floor-to-ceiling window wall of the living room. (There is a corresponding wall of glass at the other end of this room.) The roof extends over the front porch to provide a protected entrance.

In the large living area, the center of interest is the double fireplace which opens into both the living room and the all-purpose room. This all-purpose room can be thrown open to serve as part of the living room proper for large parties, and it can be used as a family living room, a game and television room, or a den.

There is a formal dining area in the L-shaped living room, as well as a sizable breakfast area at one end of the kitchen. A bar between the breakfast-kitchen area and the all-purpose room is handy for serving snacks at informal parties.

The U-shaped kitchen has space for laundry equipment. Just off this utility area there is a convenient lavatory, and a small back porch which opens into the double garage.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

IF YOURS is a three-bedroom family, this plan has much to offer in the way of convenient, harmonious living. With two full baths, Father can shave in peaceful solitude in one, while the children wash up for breakfast in the other. All the bedrooms are large — and just look at the usable wall space they afford.

This plan places the efficient, corridor-type kitchen in a step-saving central location, and it provides a variety of eating spots — a breakfast area at one end of the kitchen, a full dining room, and a large terrace for outdoor meals. Situated as it is, the terrace is private and protected.

A handsome fireplace dominates one end of the living room. This spacious room and the large dining room (there is the merest suggestion of separation between them) make it possible to entertain sizable groups without crowding. 

The front porch is protected, and the small entrance hall has a coat closet. This hall opens into both the living area and the bedroom wing.

The simple, straightforward exterior of the house is of brick veneer, while the attached double garage is of frame construction. The garage — note its two large closets — opens onto the terrace, and from there it’s just a step to the dining room. A sidewalk leads from the front of the garage to the porch.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering

ONE of the most pleasant trends in modern home-planning is the return to the large, cheerful, homey kitchen that is the center of family activities. This brings the kitchen almost the full cycle back to the comfortable, all-purpose room of Grandmother’s day. It was the family’s favorite gathering place. Here Father read the paper or talked to Mother as she prepared the meal, the children did their homework, and the family enjoyed a pleasant, companionable session together. The modern version of this room has all the attractive qualities of the old-fashioned one, with the added virtue of a compact, efficiently arranged working area.

The heart of the house shown here is just such an all-purpose kitchen. It can be used as a dining room, den, sewing room, family living room and a playroom for small children. It has a fireplace and two window-walls, one of them overlooking a large covered porch that is made to order for outdoor dining. There is no door between the all-purpose room and the living room, so that when you entertain informally, the party can move freely from one room to the other.

The living room also has a fireplace and one wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. This room is entirely free of traffic, as the entry and central hall divert it to the other areas of the house. The bedrooms are light and airy and both have closets with sliding doors.

WHAT do you want in your new home? Comfort and convenience, as well as good looks? Big-house extras — planned with an eye on the budget? A plan that makes the outdoors a pleasant part of everyday living?

Then consider this house, for it has all these features — and more. A singularly livable arrangement makes it convenient. Over-all floor space of less than 1,500 square feet keeps building costs within reason, yet open planning gives a feeling of spaciousness. (There is no separation between the living and dining areas — though the L-shape gives the effect of two rooms — and only a serving counter separates the compact kitchen from the dining area.)

Two window walls in the living area make the garden a part of the room. One of these glass walls overlooks a spot that is ideal for an outdoor living room, as it is shielded from the street by the double garage.

The kitchen is centrally located, just a few steps from any room in the house, or the front door. A protected porch connects the house and garage, and this porch opens into a central hall from which you can reach any room directly. (No need to traipse across the living room with an armload of groceries!)

One of the house’s luxury features is the twin bathroom arrangement. Note, however, that the fixtures are placed back-to-back to reduce plumbing costs.

The trim, attractive exterior contrasts brick veneer and wood siding in an interesting effect.

GRACEFUL beauty in the dramatic treatment of the living room windows makes this house distinctive and individual, yet it is economically and conveniently arranged for everyday living and occasional entertaining. There has been provided a den with a fireplace directly behind the living room which may be used also as an extra bedroom when required. The bathroom has an adjoining dressing or powder room with a built-in vanity and linen cabinet.

All rooms are large and well planned for the placement of furniture. The breakfast room next to the kitchen is good for family meals and quick snacks and saves the housewife many steps in their preparation. It also serves the dual purpose of a butler’s pantry when serving formal meals in the dining room.

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source: The Progressive Farmer – Distinctive Southern Homes | 1950

Gemini AI Rendering