Food and freedom

A dining-alcove will add a note of quaint, happy charm, and can be most useful. 2i6 FOOD AND FREEDOM The food-pantry, with an outside window, should be located on the coolest, yet somewhat protected, comer or side of the kitchen. It should not be too far from the dining-room. If this pantry can, at the same time, be at that end of the kitchen where the work-table and sink are also located, conditions are ideal. Where ex- posure and general convenience must be consid- ered, however, this is not always possible, and a compromise must frequently be made. This is true in other planning, too, when single con- venience must sometimes be sacrificed for the greater convenience of the whole. Moreover, in planning do not let us forget that beauty as an intimate part of convenience deserves considera- tion, too. That which is harmonious and cheering in effect can rest the nerv^es and prevent fatigue in quite as definite a way as any step-saving floor plan or labor-saving device. It is wise, further, to remember that living requirements are not alike in all families, nor is kitchen-work neces- sarily the same from day to day, and, just to this extent, with even the most approved suggestions to follow, individual adaptations must be made and the real efficiency come from the heart of the worker. Unless one can afford porcelain tiling, a good quality washable paint, on hard plaster — or on metal tiling — in deep ivory, light buff, or a soft,' A KITCHEN THAT WILL HELP YOU 217 cheerful gray is the best wall finish, with enameled trim in the same color or in a rich cream- white. This finish is not extravagant and may be re- painted when neces- sary at a reasonable price. While light painted and enameled surfaces may "show the dirt," they are easily cleaned, and there is always the in- centive to ' ' keep them clean" because of the buoyant satisfaction that follows the ef- fort. Surely the rest- ful, inspiring joyous- ness created in the spirit by white enamel paint cannot be the new "flush" or "sani- :„^^^^^ All ..r^r^A TARY" door; THE GLASS PUSH- ignored. All wood- p^ate saves cleaning and a work, doors, and window prevents accidents shelves and any built- in equipment should be smooth and free from grooves, crevices, and corners where dust and dirt may collect. The new kitchen doors that meet this requirement are variously known as sanitary, flush, or slab. The possibilities of metal trhn and construction are receiving attention. 2i8 FOOD AND FREEDOM Door and dresser knobs may be of white por- celain or glass. A good quality linoleum, or floor oil-cloth, at- tractive in color and pattern — to harmonize with whatever picture scheme one has in mind — properly laid, stretched, fitted, and cemented to the floor, is still considered the most sanitary, practical, and comfortable floor at the price. To preserve it, and to make the cleaning easy, lino- leum should be rubbed, when laid, with a good floor wax, and the waxing renewed, as necessary, after the floor has been thoroughly washed. A thin coating of shellac can also be used with good results, and if it is renewed three or four times a year, even an inexpensive oil-cloth will wear without a blemish for several years.