ed, and is in no way
an architectural feature, merely a possible means of communication when
needed. This solution of the staircase problem has no doubt brought
about our modern luxury of elevators. In another fine private house
recently built the grand staircase only goes so far as the formal rooms
of the second floor, and a small iron staircase enclosed in the wall
leads to the intimate family rooms of the bedroom floor. The advantage
of this gain in space can easily be appreciated. All the room usually
taken up by the large wall of the staircase halls, and so forth, can be
thrown into the bedrooms upstairs.

The illustrations of the Bayard Thayer hall and staircase speak for
themselves. Here lighting-fixtures, locks, hinges, have been carefully
planned, so that the smallest part is worthy of the whole. This hall is
representative of the finer private houses that are being built in
America to-day. I had the pleasure of working with the architect and the
owners here, and so was able to fit the decorations and furnishings of
the hall to the house and to the requirements of the people who live in
it.

The present tendency of people who build small houses is to make a
living-room of the hall. I am not in favor of this. I think the hall
should be much more formal than the rest of the house. It is, after all,
of public access, not only to the living-rooms but to the street. The
servant who answers the front door must of necessity constantly traverse
it, so must anyone--the guest or tradesman--admitted to the house. The
furniture should be severe and architectural in design. A column or
pedestal surmounted with a statue, a fountain, an old chest to hold
carriage-rugs, a carved bench, a good table, a standing desk, may be
used in a large house. Nothing more is admissible. In a small house a
well-shaped table, a bench or so, possibly a wall clock, will be all
that is necessary. The wall should be plain in treatment. The stair
carpet should be plain in color. The floor should be bare, if in good
condition, with just a small rug for softness at the door. A tiled floor
is especially beautiful in a hall, if you can afford it.

If your house happens to have the hall and living-room combined, and no
vestibule, you can place a large screen near the entrance door and
obtain a little more privacy. A standing screen of wooden panels is
better than a folding screen, for the folding screen is rarely
well-built, and will be blown down b