Another magazine clipping from my mother’s collection (don’t ask why I’m hanging onto these two, old magazines in the first place). This one from House Beautiful’s Building Manual Spring-Summer 1957…

…why DOES every child need their own bedroom? I’m afraid I’m guilty of this with my own kiddos. How did we get from 1100 square feet in the 50s to the mega mansions of today? Such a practical room and it implies that the inhabitants actually played in their room…no playroom, “bonus” room, rec room for these poor deprived children of the 50s. Perhaps the accordion door is a bit outmoded, but it sure offers privacy. And I certainly would have appreciated that feature when I was twelve and shared a bedroom with my brother. I adore Sarah Susanka and her modern day bid for The Not So Big House. Isn’t it better to have a smaller, more functional house than one with vast, unused spaces? My guess is that the kids of yesteryear didn’t miss a thing.