absolute essentials go, a six-room house, carefully planned, will
provide for a family of four very comfortably, and it can be built in
an artistic and modern style for $2,500 near Chicago, about ten per
cent. more in the vicinity of New York, and probably for a less sum in
smaller cities. An eight-room house would cost about a third more, and
is, of course, in many ways more desirable. But, generally speaking,
we demand more room than we really need, and then put ourselves to
additional expense filling up the space with unnecessary furniture.



THE "LIVING ROOM"

In small houses there cannot be great variation in the proportioning of
space, but it is important that the use of each room should be well
understood and that it should be planned accordingly. If that is not
done our decorative and furnishing schemes later on will be misapplied.
Families differ as to their dispositions toward rooms. Most of us
would not think of calling for an old-fashioned parlor in a small house
nowadays, but merely to change the name from "parlor" to "living room"
doesn't change our habits. The living room is meant to take the place
of parlor, library, reception hall, and sitting room. If the family
adjust themselves to it a great saving of space is effected, and the
home life is given added enjoyment. Not all of us, however, can fit
ourselves to new ideas, and it is better to suit ourselves than to be
uncomfortable and feel out of place in the home.

[Illustration: A homelike living room.]

The living-room plan in a small house reduces the reception hall to