You are correct that our den was integral to the house, not an add-on. But it was really really small; maybe 7X8 or something like that. My mother once told me it was supposed to be a breakfast room. But even if you took the diminutive couch out, the room could only fit such a small table our family of four would really be squished to try to eat breakfast there.

The playroom/familyroom was a knotty pine finished basement, with a bar.

neo-neocon Says:
August 7th, 2014 at 2:29 pm

DNW:

There was no room in the kitchen for more than one of two people to eat. You could squeeze three, but it would be extremely tight and uncomfortable. There was almost no counter space, either.

I don’t think I have any pictures.

In the den, my brother and I used to eat there as children sometimes when our parents were out. To give you an idea of the size of the room, we would sit on a small couch at one end. The TV was in a small bookshelf built-in-nook at the other. In-between was a folding card table on which the food was placed. Once the card table was opened, that filled the entire space of the room.”

Re the kitchen. I don’t know what the heck I was thinking. Minus the slate roof, my “significant other” had a house more or less like that. A brick garrison colonial, square in plan. The whole ground floor was nothing more than a very large living room with fireplace (a baby grand hardly filled it), and a dining room, bath and kitchen. I loved visiting the very civilized and somewhat upscale neighborhood, but would get claustrophobia after a couple of hours.

Re. your “den”. It sounds as though that was built right into the original design. However, she, and many in the area have smallish – I don’t know what to call them – four season day rooms, or breakfast rooms maybe, built on the back of the houses. They are add ons, but constructed of the same materials as the house, not out of aluminum frames and panels and and jalousie windows.

Usually small; about 10 by 12 or something on that order. They are a good idea and on small lots don’t use up all the backyard. They are used as small “dens” or places to view television and let the kids mess around.

” neo-neocon Says:
August 7th, 2014 at 2:26 pm

DNW:

Brick colonial, built in 1930s, very solid. Slate hip roof, of the rectangular type. Small tiles on kitchen floors in basket-weave tile pattern. Quite a bit of wallpaper throughout house in bedrooms, painted walls downstairs in front-to-back living room, wood-paneled dining room with a bow window at one end.”

Cool. Very Grosse Pointe-y.

Course there are subdivisions/neighborhoods of that type all over: Nashville or Hartford for example; even Charlotte.

Years ago I was surprised to find that London, Ontario had neighborhoods with those 1920’s Tudor style houses with the two street facing gables, flashed face brick front, and the high front porch with wrought iron railings. High ceiling living room and typically a couple of smallish stained glass windows on either side of the fireplace.

Hey! “Just like Grandma’s house.” The city grandma, anyway.

Always felt a bit like I was going into a church.

My round dining room table is very pretty, and it has a removable matching lazy susan that can be placed on it if needed, because the table is quite wide.

There was no room in the kitchen for more than one of two people to eat. You could squeeze three, but it would be extremely tight and uncomfortable. There was almost no counter space, either.

I don’t think I have any pictures.

In the den, my brother and I used to eat there as children sometimes when our parents were out. To give you an idea of the size of the room, we would sit on a small couch at one end. The TV was in a small bookshelf built-in-nook at the other. In-between was a folding card table on which the food was placed. Once the card table was opened, that filled the entire space of the room.

Brick colonial, built in 1930s, very solid. Slate hip roof, of the rectangular type. Small tiles on kitchen floors in basket-weave tile pattern. Quite a bit of wallpaper throughout house in bedrooms, painted walls downstairs in front-to-back living room, wood-paneled dining room with a bow window at one end.