Studio: international art (36.1906)

The Country Cottage

COTTAGES AT COLINTON R. S.

that of the exterior; indeed, it is perhaps more so,
as our immediate surroundings have a more direct
influence. Family life in a cottage naturally tends
to focus itself round the main living-room fire. It
must, above all things, then, be inviting, hospitable,
and comfortable. Everything should be done to
make its fittings simple, convenient, easily cleaned,
and not easily spoilt or tarnished. Materials that
radiate heat instead of absorbing it, should there-
fore be used as far as possible in the neigh-
bourhood of the fire ; if ornament is added
it can only justify itself by being beautiful,
appropriate, and restful to the eyes that will
perforce be drawn to dwell upon it, perhaps
for many hours together.

In a large living-room or hall, a chimney-
piece of stone or marble has a dignity and
suitability to its place; but in a small apart-
ment such cold and heavy substances are apt
to be oppressive in the mass. Now and ther
a beautiful and richly coloured slab of marble
or of alabaster can be used for a chimney-
piece which shall be pleasant and interesting
to live with at close quarters. It may be
warmly veined with red, or yield those soft
translucent whites in which the firelight plays
more agreeably than in a hard dead white
streaked with grey.

The alternative to stone and marble for a
chimney-piece is generally one of the hard
woods. The gain, from the aesthetic stand-
point, of using a firm, durable, and well
seasoned wood for the setting of the fireplace
is that it brings this at once into relation

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with the furniture of the
room, and avoids introduc-
ing too many fresh materials
into the general scheme,
thus making for a homoge-
neous and restful effect
where space is limited.
Besides the use of wood,
there is still left to us abun-
dant scope for taste in the
use of brick. Adopting
this, and making, as it were,
the chimney itself open
frankly into the room with-
out adding superfluous
“architectural dressings,”
we are following, perhaps,
the most simple and straight-
forward of all methods. The
essential condition for its
success is that the furniture and decoration of
the room must be simple or even primitive in
its character. Plain oak and linen harmonise well
with a brick hearth and chimney, but the latter
are at once felt to be incongruous with much
upholstery and highly polished furniture. Glazed
brick and tiles form a convenient link between
the crude brick of the ordinary chimney and the
decorative ceramics which often frame the modem

COTTAGE AT CHISLEHURST : E. T. MAY, ARCHITECT

INGLE NOOK IN PARLOUR

LORIMER, ARCHITECT