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 by the draft of the open door.  A standing screen may be made by any carpenter, and painted or stained to match the woodwork of the room.  A straight bench or settle placed against it will make the screened space seem more like a vestibule.

Another objection to the staircase leading from the living-room of a small house is that such an arrangement makes it almost impossible to heat the house properly in winter.  I have seen so many bewildered people whose spacious doorless downstairs rooms were a joy in summer, shivering all winter long in a polar atmosphere.  The stair well seems to suck all the warmth from the living-room, and coal bills soar.

Above all, don’t try to make your hall “pretty.”  Remember that a hall is not a living-room, but a thoroughfare open and used by all the dwellers in the house.  Don’t be afraid of your halls and stairs looking “cold.”  It is a good idea to have one small space in your house where you can go and sit down and be calm and cool!  You can’t keep the rest of the house severe and cool looking, but here it is eminently appropriate and sensible.  The visitor who enters a white and green hall and gets an effect of real reserve and coolness is all the more appreciative of the warmth and intimacy of the living-rooms of the house.