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"  This intriguing story from our May 1949 takes us back to the days of the &amp;quot;motor age.&amp;quot; At the time, we claimed this home&amp;#039;s smart-but-comfortable style would really stand up, accommodating a family for years to come.  Fast forward 66 years, what do you think? Does it hold up? ------ This house won&amp;#039;t be obsolete 10 years from now. Why?  because it has none of the &amp;quot;cracker-box&amp;quot; look that blights most of today&amp;#039;s small houses. because it recognizes the motor age and turns away from the street. because proper solar orientation has largely determined its planning. because it is designed to harness the sun in winter yet exclude it in summer. because its rooms are gracious and charming, even though the house is small. because its living areas, inside and out, have privacy from the street and neighbors. because the design of the whole house has real character instead of rubber-stamp mediocrity.  In a very real sense, the design of this small house is &amp;quot;self centered.&amp;quot; While it presents a handsome (if sedate) face to the public, its main impact is reserved for the people who live in it. And, considering the small size, it offers a surprising amount of choice of space, inside and out, where each person can do what he likes. Technically, it is equally ingenious.  Economically framed (one simple gable), it rests on a concrete slab heated with copper coils. Ceilings follow the roof rafters (another economy) and, for summer comfort, the roof is ventilated\u2014 that is, spaces between rafters have an &amp;quot;air wash&amp;quot; between insulation and the roof itself.  When you enter the front door of this house, you&amp;#039;re in for a pleasant surprise: a spacious, light-filled living room flowing out to a private view, which you control, and into the sunny dining area beyond. All in all, here are quarters that will make your family feel really sheltered from the noisy world outside. The moral of this small house is: When land and money are scarce, it&amp;#039;s nonsense to try to imitate a country estate. A simple gable has been placed end-on toward the street. This reduces driveway and entrance walk to a minimum and frees the whole interior of the lot for useful development. Distinguished detailing of the gable end, entrance door, car port, and garden fence does the rest.  A combination kitchen-laundry is separated from dining room beyond by breakfast bar and pass-through. Fixed sheet of glass above shuts off kitchen odors. Space over cabinets along right hand wall is used for out-of-season storage.  Brick-paved living-garden faces south with a louvered redwood board fence for privacy, ventilation. A winter sun trap, it has a basic planting of evergreens for winter interest. Handy to kitchen-laundry door, a small, hedged drying yard is fine for drying clothes, airing bedding, etc. graveled for year-round usefulness. A lawn at the rear provides a pleasant outlook for one bedroom as well as a choice of sun and shade for lounging, croquet, and badminton. If there are children, they&amp;#039;d be safe back here. Curved herbaceous border, edged with brick to facilitate mowing, has full sunlight. Along north, it&amp;#039;s protected by hemlock hedge. If you don&amp;#039;t want flowers, use shrubbery. A small vegetable garden runs across back of lot from north to south. It could have raised beds, graveled walks, if you are that kind of gardener. It&amp;#039;s served from the street by a paved service walk for year-round wheelbarrow traffic, and surrounded by a rail fence for grapevines or berry canes. More from House Beautiful:\u2022 From the Archives: A Splashy Cape Cod Cottage \u2022 What&amp;#039;s Next: 4 Home Trends to Look Out for This Year \u2022 50 of the Most Stunning Historic Homes Across Americae "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/house-tours/a3661/house-from-1949/>