Download or read book Houses and Gardens (Classic Reprint) written by Mackay Hugh Baille Scott and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-02-25 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Houses and Gardens It might be supposed at least that all this ugly building would be attended with some compensation of a practical kind, and that the modern villa would at least possess utilitarian qualifications. But here again one finds that so far from being in any way adapted to the real requirements of its occupants, it is designed in accordance with a tradition which is based on the life and habits of the occupants of a mansion. The best part of its limited space is set apart to impress the neighbours, and the family is confined in some plastered rectangular cell which is already crowded with unnecessary and pretentious furniture. But enough has been said, perhaps, to show that there is an urgent need for reform in the plan Of the average modern house, and, apart from artistic considerations, it is at least desirable that it should be rationally designed. It has Often been urged that a house should express and conform to the special needs of those for whom it is built. But while this is certainly desirable it may be questioned whether houses of special type should be extensively built. A house has to meet the requirements Of many occupants, and it seems reasonable that one should bear in mind in its construction as to how far it is adapted for general demands. In the design Of houses for various clients of moderate means, I have been led to conclude that it is possible to deduce a normal plan which meets the requirements of the average family, and that variants from this constant type of plan are to be found rather in appendages to the plan than in any essential modification of its central features. Instead of a conception Of the house which presupposes the collocation of a number of compartments which in the smaller houses become each too small for comfort, it is suggested that the house rationally planned should primarily consist of at least one good-sized apartment, which, containing no furniture but that which is really required, leaves an ample floor space at the disposal Of Its occupants. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.