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Bungalows

The National Builder

1915

Everyone thinks of a bungalow as something a little different. Why should it differ from a Cottage? Or from a House? Or from a Residence? And does it?

One need not travel back more than a few years to see why a Bungalow is popular. The Bungalow idea originated in the West, where Sociability is supposed to be above Society. The necessary adjuncts to Social Duties being absent, there is in consequence a freedom not generally present. It is nearer to being in a Summer Camp year round.

But even the popular conception of the Bungalow fails when the true artist begins to think over the project. An artistic effect is obtained on the exterior by getting away from the conventional materials and finishes. Rough boards and shingles take the place of finishing lumber, while stains replace paint, or even Time decorates the clean surfaces.

In the Interior there is further room for Ideas. Built in Furniture, often Home Made takes the place of movable chairs, tables, sideboards, cupboards, etc. In one way everything is simplified, to provide the maximum comfort for the least labor.

Take this Florida Bungalow for example. Not a great deal is spent on the exterior and yet it is positively not a Cottage or a House. It is a Bungalow and cannot be called anything else. It lends itself to the landscape, and in a few years will appear as part of it.

But if the exterior is satisfactory, how about the interior? The plans show the arrangement while the photos will give one an excellent idea of the finished appearance. The use of disappearing beds is new to many sections, but there is no insuperable objection to their use almost anywhere. The arrangement has the quality of furnishing two extra rooms for very little space.

It is not the number of rooms, nor the size, that makes or mars a home, but their appearance and use. A closed piano is about as effective in subduing conversation as a muffler, while drawn curtains and shades drive company away just as effectively as a Smallpox sign. By all means, let the House or Cottage or Bungalow show what it is and be made for some visible purpose. Then it will be successful from the Landscape, the Artistic and Social view point.

Source:
Excerpt from "The Bungalow as a Home" The National Builder, March, 1915, pgs. 73-74.