International studio (58.1916)

Art in Outdoor Living

less ease and more apparent effort, and occasion-
ally mistake crudeness for boldness and ungainly
proportions for sturdiness of effect.
The domestic hall is a lineal descendant of the
great hall of castellated architecture, while the
staircase, always a distinct and separate feature
in Latin countries, was even in England cut off
from the hall by some architectural motive until
the eighteenth century when the two were merged
into one. Even in modern days, the architect
frequently re-echoes this original distinction by
the placing of beams or columns in such a way
as to preserve the division between the two. Our
modern hall is still in a state of flux as regards plan-
ning, for the introduction of small reception rooms
leading off it robs it of its importance as a room.
The history of the stairway is illustrative of the
slow and accumulative growth of the art of
architecture. Bound by the fixed requirements
of the human figure its present forms are the
results of centuries of development that have
with patient slowness evolved the present types.
y^RT IN OUTDOOR LIVING
Artistic furnishings and effective illu-
mination with well-diffused indirect light produce

the charming effect shown in the picture of this
Brooklyn home. Powerful silvered glass re-
flectors within the suspended bowl are the cause
of the even diffusion of mellow light which is cast
upward from one or more tungsten lamps and
then reflected downward by the ivory-tinted
ceiling.
The lattice work, the wicker furniture, the
sculptured urn all reflect the restful rays, pro-
ducing a luminous effect which is varied by the
colour scheme of rug, silken curtains and figured
cretonne. Posies, palms and graceful ferns add
the final touch of beauty to a reposeful porch in
which outdoor living is an art.
In installing these lighting fixtures which con-
tain reflectors, the number of feet in ceiling space,
and the power of the lamps, are carefully propor-
tioned so that the room shall receive exactly the
necessary amount of light. The reflectors made
in one piece of corrugated crystal glass and
plated with pure silver are very powerful and
designed to produce agreeable lighting effects.
There is a supposition that such great lighting
value must be produced only at great cost, so
beautiful is the illumination, but this is errone-
ous as no light is wasted and current consump-
tion is not increased. Grace T. Hadley.

THE PORCH OF THE MARTINDALE RESIDENCE, RUGBY ROAD, BROOKLYN


LXXXIII