Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/490

 WOMAN'S HOME 466 may not receive quite the same amount of consideration, since the drawing-room is used mostly in the evening. For the same reason the' bay window is not so essential to comfort and cheerfulness. The plan of the room should be such as to admit of the piano being placed so that it is neither against an outside wall, nor too much exposed to the heat of the fire. Bedrooms First make sure that the bedroom accommo- dation is sufficient for the requirements of the family, and that there will be at least one spare room. Then consider each room as to its special fitness for its purpose. The experienced house-hunter will carry a mental note of what is required — say, principal bedroom, guest room, children's room, and maid's room. It is not uncommonly found that one or two bedrooms are deficient in size, or in other respects wanting in those essentials which make for health and comfort. Every sleeping-room should have a fire- place, not so much for the purpose of heating it as for ventilation. It need hardly be mentioned that all bed- rooms should be well lighted, and it is a further advantage if they receive the morning sun, but this cannot be expected of all. One or more must have a north aspect. Make sure, however, that those rooms which by their aspect should receive the sun are not deprived of it by the adjoining buildings. The good old rule that the head of the household should occupy the largest and pleasantest room still holds good. The second best room, usually reserved as the guest chamber, may well be denied this advantage, for the very good reason that it is only occupied at intervals. East, south-east, and south are good aspects for a bedroom. A seventeenth century worthy has written : " An east window gives the infant beams of the sun before they are of sufficient strength to do harm, and is offensive to none but a sluggard." The sleeper who wakes in a room that receives the early sun is thereby braced in health and spirits for the day. Apart, however, from its tonic effect on the spirits, sunlight is the worst enemy of the deadly disease germ. One of the first considerations is to see To keep out drifting rain Casement windows. Open A when wind from left, B when wind from right Course of cold air entering a room through spaces between badly fitting floor boards that the rooms are so planned that the bedstead may be placed conveniently. Usually there is only one possible position for the bedstead, as windows, door, fireplace, and cupboards usurp more than half the wall space. The bedstead should stand so that it is not in a direct draught between the door and the fireplace. It is preferable also that the sleeper's eyes should not face the window, though individual preference varies on this point. Again, it is well that the head of the bed- stead should not be too nccbr a window. The ordinary robust person nowadays sleeps with the window open, and British weather is notoriously treacherous. The bed -head should stand against a wall, leaving space on both sides. Bedsteads should never be put with a side against a wall, because the sleeper, when facing a wall surface, is breathing stagnant air, in fact, re-inhaling his own breath. Moreover, the " making " of beds so placed involves extra labour. Each bedroom in its turn should be con- sidered with reference to the various points mentioned above. After making sure that the plan in each case permits of placing the bedstead in a way to secure comfort, health, and cheerful- ness, it is well to see what the remaining space allows of putting the dressing-table at a window and the washstand in a conve- nient place. If a wardrobe is to be added, then space for that also must be found. It is not unusual to find that the only possible position for the bedstead clashes with a convenient arrangement of one or more of the other items of furniture, but these are questions which the experienced house-hunter, armed with a list of measure- ments of the principal pieces of furniture and a foot-rule, will settle quickly. Bedroom fireplaces having the old-fash- ioned " register " are to be avoided. This appliance is apt to be closed, either with intention, or by the chimney down-draught, and then the room becomes an unventilated box, and the sleeper gets up with an inex- plicable headache. Authorities state that the adult person renders 3,000 cubic feet of air impure in one hour. An air-tight room containing