STORAGE WALLS HOME ECONOMICS RESEARCH DEPARTMENTAL SERIES NO. JUNE 1963 A3 .co.AGRICULTUR/ AL EXPERIMENT STATION THE HOR ADVANCEMFNT AND AUBURN E. V. SMITH, Director UNIVERSITY AUBURN, ALABAMA o t-0 STORAGE WALLS HOME ECONOMICS RESEARCH DEPARTMENTAL SERIES NO. JUNE 1963 0co FOR THE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION r ADVANCEMENT AND AT IsfIE. ;AUBURN V. SMITH, Director UNIVERSITY AUBURN, ALABAMA CONTENTS Page THE- ORIGINAL SET OF UNITS OVERALL PLAN FOR EVALUATIONGENERAL EVALUATION OF UNITS_ 6 --- 7 7 8 SPACE ADEQUACY ESTIMATES OF CLOTHING STORAGE UNITS U nits- -...............M ethod- -- - Results and Discussion- - -10 - - 8 12 15 15 16 22 22 28 GENERAL EVALUATION BY TWENTY HOMEMAKERS Method Results U SE-T E ST ING ..................................................................................................... The Laboratory -Plan for Evaluation Results SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES CITED .....- 31 66 68 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 69 A P P E NDI X---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------. 69 FIRST PRINTING IM STORAGE WALLS* KATHRYN PHILSON Home Economist HAVING enough storage space for the many items owned by families is as important to domestic tranquility as having enough space for living. Indeed, having storage space and using it correctly is the equivalent of adding to the living space of the home. The need for storage space, especially for built-in rod closets, was brought to light by the Southern Regional Housing Survey of 1948. The report of this survey showed that only one-fourth of the homes studied had as many as one built-in rod closet per bedroom and that more than one-third had no such closets. Recently built homes seemed no better off than older ones (2). After homemakers in the survey had been questioned about special features they would want in a house, they were asked, "What other features would you consider so important you wouldn't want to build a house without them?" To this question 33 per cent of all homemakers, or 70 per cent of those who replied, mentioned storage features (2). An answer to the problem of storage space was sought by the project reported here. Storage walls were designed at the Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station in 1952 and 1953. They were placed in a small house and evaluated to find how well they served the needs of families for storage of various kinds, especially that for clothing. This evaluation was carried on from 1953 through 1961. The idea of having construction features or other aspects of the house evaluated by a succession of families that would live in houses incorporating such features or aspects was suggested at the President's Housing Conference in 1931. At that conference the limitations of surveys were pointed out and the desirability of collecting * A partial report of a study supported by funds provided by the Hatch Act (1955) and by State Research funds. It is a contributing study to Southern Regional Housing Project S-8. The study was begun under the leadership of Mrs. Gladys Garrow, who was project leader from 1950 to 1952. data on activities in family life by observing families over extended periods of time was affirmed (5). 1In 1948 Maud Wilson, in a paper given at the American Home Economics Association convention, said with regard to research in low-cost housing, "We need some experimental houses for which home economists would do the preliminary planning, based on studies of family needs, and for which engineers would produce plans representing the best possible use of materials and labor. After the houses were built, the home economists would use them as laboratories to study the interrelationship of housing and family living with a succession of carefully selected tenants. This study would show possibilities for modifying the original specifications in the direction of lower costs" (10). Miss Wilson predicted this method was not likely to be used because of the belief that needs for housing research were urgent and temporary. (She said the needs were urgent but not temporary.) However, a few years later a study was undertaken at the University of Illinois in which resident families were used as subjects for an extended period of time. Helen E. McCullough, associate professor of housing research, was in charge of the home economics aspects of the project. The technique for this study, devised by the University of Illinois Small Homes Council, was reported by one of its members (4). Families were chosen on the basis of (a) middle class; (b) children (two of opposite sex, one preschool, and one in school); (c) mother not employed outside the home; and (d) age of parents (in their 30's). The families each lived in a house and tried six floor plans, at first for periods of one month. However, this was found to be too short a period; at least two, preferably three, months were recommended. They expressed their reactions to each plan at the beginning and the end of each period and compared the features of each of the six plans. Five of the plans were those to be tested; the sixth was drawn up by the family. Activity logs were used to show actual room use. The report's conclusions indicate that the technique had its difficulties. Although it permited the researcher to hold constant such variables as neighborhood, furniture, room sizes, arrangements, and other features, it was costly in time and money. The cost of rearranging the spaces could be greatly reduced by using five or six houses incorporating designs tested, rather than one house in which the various features (including plumbing) were rearranged. The Illinois study was well underway at the time the evaluation of storage walls was undertaken by the Station at Auburn. Through conference and correspondence, the author learned much that was useful in carrying on the use-testing phase of the storage-wall study. However, because of limitations of this study, it was not possible to take advantage of all the suggestions derived from the space-house experiment. This publication reports the entire storage-wall project including evaluations by laboratory workers and by nonresident homemakers inaddition to evaluations by families who lived in the laboratory with the units and used them daily. For practical reasons, numbers of evaluating homemakers and cooperating families were not great enough to be representative of any population group. The use-testing was essentially a series of case studies. One value of such studies is that the results of problem solving may be carried beyond the planning stage so that resulting satisfactions or dissatisfactions may be observed. Since the total storage problems of these families were not alike, the total solutions were not alike. While some kinds of storage presented similar problems to all of the families, even these problems varied in degree. It will be well for the reader to bear in mind that the storage-wall units discussed in this report were being evaluated during progress of the study. Photographs and descriptions of units, or parts of units, should not be construed as recommendations unless definite statements are made to that effect. The Original Set of Units The original set of 13 units was designed to provide storage space for the clothing and other household items of a family of four. Overall considerations for their design were: 1. Adaptability for assembly as partitions. 2. Interchangeability of units and of parts, for example shelves. 3. Mobility. 4. Capacity for storing clothing and household items. 5. Visibility and accessibility of stored items. 6. Economy of space. 7. Incorporation of built-in features. The overall dimensions of the units were to some extent dependent on the house in which they were to be placed. The 8-foot ceiling was a primary limitation to height of units. Also, the length and width of the house, 24 feet X 38 feet 8 inches, less a corner porch 7 feet 4 inches X 12 feet, suggested the necessity for keeping dimensions reasonably small. The fact that the units were to be movable further influenced the choice of dimensions. Pertinent data from the Southern Regional Housing Survey were used to determine the number of each kind of clothing, household textiles, dishes, silver, and the like to be stored (2). The numbers of each kind of item stored were based on the median numbers owned by families of the low and medium low socio-economic groups for which this information was given in Tables 108-111 of the survey report (2). The dimensions of the items to be stored, however, were the primary consideration in planning the units. The space requirements for these items were arrived at in several ways: dimensions from previous studies by others, dimensions given in trade catalogs, and measurements of clothing in a local store. The units of the original set each had an overall height of 7 feet 8 inches. Each had a top section about 2 feet high partitioned from the rest of the unit by a permanent shelf. Within the top sections were shelf-hanger strips to support an adjustable shelf. The top sections were closed with swinging doors with the exception of those of the wrap closet and the two dresser units; these moved on glides. Original facilities of the lower parts of these units were as given below: Name of unit Units Dimen- Secsions tions Facilities Door support Hinge Hinge Hinge Hinge Glides Hinge Hinge Hinge Hinge None Hinge None No. Rod unit, woman Rod unit, man Rod unit, girl Rod unit, boy Rod unit, wraps Clothing, unit C Bed clothes Bathroom Cleaning closet, pan storage Dresser 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 Ft. X X X X 3 3 3 3 No. 1 1 2 2 1 3 2 3 2 1 3 3 Rod Rod, 2 trays Rod,shelfsec. Rod,shelfsec., trays Rod Rod, trays, small shelves Trays or shelves, drawers Trays, shelves Shelves, sliding board Drawers Shelves, trays Shelves, dropleaf, drawers 2X3 2 X 3 2X 3 2X 3 2 X 2 1X 3 1 X 3 1 X 3 Kitchen-dining rm., unit K Desk-bookcase Except for the open book shelves and the permanent shelves between sections of units, shelves were adjustable and supported by metal clips that hung from vertical strips. Trays were supported by shelves. Most of the trays exactly fitted the units for which they were designed. These were interchangeable among units of like dimensions. Trays for rod units of the man and the boy and trays for napkins and silver for unit K were made to fit into special spaces. They could be placed on other shelves, but fitted only those for which they were designed. [6] Overall Plan For Evaluation The general purposes for evaluating the units were to determine their functional qualities, adequacy, acceptability, and adaptability and to attempt to find means of improving any shortcomings that might be encountered. Another purpose connected with the study was to determine space standards for storage of clothing and to design efficient, low-cost facilities acceptable for this purpose. It was not expected that one set of units could provide adequate storage for clothing at all levels of adequacy. However, it was expected that the study would elucidate some of the practical problems, needs, and choices connected with selection and use of facilities for storing clothing. The general plan for evaluation consisted of four phases. Some of these were carried out consecutively, but some were done more or less concurrently. In this report each phase is treated separately. The phases are: 1. General evaluation of units by laboratory personnel. 2. Space evaluation of clothing storage units by laboratory personnel. 3. General evaluation of clothing storage units by 20 homemakers. 4. Use-testing of units by: (a) families living in the laboratory house equipped with storage-walls, and (b) families living in their own homes. General-Evaluation of Units At the time when an idea has taken concrete form, the concept and the product are ready for comparison. Difficulties not easily visualized in the imaginary product become evident in the real one. At this point a new phase in the development of the original idea can begin. The planning of the original set of units involved bringing together a variety of specifications and considerations. It would be optimistic to expect that a perfect product would emerge at the first attempt. After the space requirements for the units had been studied and the units had been designed, a change in personnel on the project caused an interruption of the study. During this time the units were constructed, placed in a house referred to as the storage-wall laboratory, and were ready for evaluation. Critical examination of the units and a few practical tests revealed problems that may be experienced generally by persons planning storage units. The structural parts that seem necessary for adequate support of units may, unless correctly placed, interfere with ease of operation, use, and care of them. The 2X2and 2 X 3-inch framing of these units presented this problem. The corner posts necessitated having shelves cut to fit around them. Shelves could not be pulled forward for removing; thus adjusting shelf heights was extremely difficult, and pull-out shelves could not be used. The trays extended the full depth of the unit and had to fit between the rear corner posts. If a tray was turned slightly off center, it caught on the posts at the rear and prevented closing the door in front. The view of the interference was obscured by the tray, making the situation puzzling, indeed, to users not aware of the cause of the trouble. To remedy this problem, the sides of the unit were blocked between the corner posts, and the ends of the shelves cut away to make them fit. This permitted easier adjustment of shelves as well as use of pull-out shelves. In the case of using trays, the situation was usually improved, but difficulty was experienced whenever the blocking warped or slipped. When new units are built, it to consider a type of structure without is advisable either to place corner framing or the sides of the unit inside the framing. The difficulty with trays could be avoided by these methods or by placing them on guides L-shaped in cross-section. Trays could also be made to extend only to the rear corner posts. Floors, originally placed below the framework, were 3 inches below the threshold of doors of units. Three electric power use studies in the South had indicated only 25, 5.4, and 7.7 per cent of electrified farms had vacuum cleaners (1,3,9). Therefore, it seemed that the rod units and other units with doors at the bottom should have floors that could be swept out easily. Therefore floors were placed on top of the framework of these units. The units that were 3 feet wide had doors 32 inches wide. These required a great deal of floor space for opening. Also, when a door of this size was standing open, it obstructed traffic and made the unit look unbalanced. Two doors were used on units of this size. Raised handholds on sliding doors limited openings to a width of 13 inches. Use of recessed handholds increased this width to 151/2 inches, which appeared still to be too narrow an opening. The problem was put aside for study during later phases of the evaluation. Conflicting functions were observed in two rod units. In the man's unit, a tray section under the rod was of such height as to interfere with the hanging of any garments longer than a waist-length jacket. The remaining rod space of 16 inches was insufficient for hanging a man's garments on hangers. Also, space above the tray section was wasted. The tray section was removed. In the boy's rod unit, the rod was short to give room for a narrow, tall tray section. This use of space would have served a small boy, but for an older boy neither rod length nor tray size would have been large enough for storing his clothing. The tray section was removed and a longer rod was installed. The last is an instance of failure to consider changing needs of a family member. Another instance was noted in the cases of both boy's and girl's rod closets. These units, designed for use of children under 10 years of age, [7] each had a permanent shelf at a height that would not permit raising the rod to a level high enough for older children. The permanent shelf was removed and a movable shelf substituted. When units are designed, it is important that the person who gives specifications to the designer and the designer himself have an understanding of the space requirements of structural parts. It is also important for these people to understand the space requirements of the unit itself in relation to the house where it will be used. Movable units of ceiling height are usually built in a horizontal position, then raised to a vertical position Hence, such units must be less than ceiling height. In the case of an 8-foot ceiling, the diagonal of the end of the unit cannot exceed 8 feet. Since the largest of the units used were 2 feet deep, the height of these units could not exceed 7 feet, 81/2 inches. In such units as those under discussion, the total height of 8 feet from floor to ceiling is not available for storage. For instance, in addition to the loss of 81/z inches for tilting, the height available for storage in a shelf unit is decreased by the following: 1. Thickness of top and bottom of the unit. 2. Thickness of top and bottom of the framing. 3. Width of framing between horizontal divisions of unit. 4. Thickness of the bottom of each horizontal section. 5. Thickness of all shelves and/or bottom of any trays used. While each of these seems small in itself, the total loss of available height is considerable. The foregoing list could easily account for more than a foot of height. In the units studied, it appeared that the builder or designer had usually subtracted the amounts from the height of the bottom section of units. In the case of rod units, the effect was minor. The intended use of the bottom section could not always be realized in the case of shelf units. Likewise, the widths of units are reduced by the thick- ness of the sides and of any vertical partitions. Also, the widths of door openings are decreased by the width of corner posts. Reduction in width was most evident in the unit intended for use as a combined pan cupboard and cleaning closet. This unit had an outside width of 2 feet. The center partition and lower shelves on the right side were removed. It was then used as a unit for storing cleaning supplies and equipment. Family members do not plan storage facilities often enough to gain experience. However, they should be able to understand their needs better than anyone else. Persons who are able to design storage units know the requirements for structural parts. From the study it is evident that some discussion and cooperation is needed in planning for space requirements of both the items to be stored and the structural parts of the unit itself. When a homemaker or other member gives dimensions, she should make clear whether allowance has been made for shelf thickness, reach-in space, or other components of each dimension. The designer needs to make sure what allowances are needed for the items stored and what space is available for the entire facility planned. Materials and finish of the inside of units have an influence on their performance and usefulness. In clothing storage units, roughness or splinters will pick threads of delicate materials. The wipe-off paint used to seal the fir plywood of the units made a nice appearing exterior finish free from glossiness that could cause unpleasant reflections of light. However, the very qualities that were desirable for the exterior finish were undesirable for shelves and interiors of drawers. Interior finishes need the smoothness that is associated with glossiness. Plywood needs to be sanded. Its edges cannot be sanded smooth. Exposed edges need to have strips glued on to prevent roughness. The dresser drawers tended to stick. At first it was believed that there was some fault in their construction. However, sanding the parts that rubbed together and lubricating them with paraffin made them operate satisfactorily. It was believed that the paint caused the sticking. Space Adequacy Estimates of Clothing Storage Units After the clothing storage units had been examined and changes made to improve their functional qualities, they were evaluated by laboratory workers in terms of capacity for storing clothing. and play was much like the rod unit for adults. It had sliding doors but had no shoe rack and no small shelf over the rod. The dresser unit, Figure IC, was used for storing folded garments of adults and children. This unit had, in addition to the top section above the mirror, two small drawers with inside dimensions 10/2 X 141/4 X 31/4 inches, and three larger drawers 101/2 X 301/2 X 4 inches. Unit C, Figure ID, a multipurpose unit used at some levels of ownership for storage of parents' folded garments, had, in addition to the top section, a mid-section 17 inches high in which shelves 23 X 32 inches or trays of the same size could be used. The bottom section, 43 inches high, was divided into three parts. The two smaller parts, one of which opened to the rear of the unit, had adjustable shelves 91/2 X 101/2 inches. The larger part, 22 inches wide, could be used alternately with a rod for short garments on hangers or with shelves 22 X 23 inches. UNITS The rod unit for adults and children over 10, Figure 1A, was used for storing garments on hangers, shoes, belts, ties, hats, and men's and boys' folded work pants. The rod was adjustable to three heights. The shoe racks and door racks were removable. The small shelf over the rod was adjustable. .The rod unit for children under 10, Figure 1B, was much like that for adults. The blocks for rod adjustment were set lower. Adjustable shelves, two large and one small, were located above the rod in the lower section. A bin-type shoe rack was provided. The rod unit for storing wraps other than those for work [8] - -~u~~u I~saa F .I.. .. ~ i II 1 ~1~- : 1~u--:~p . iXB- il~~s~n ri, p A units atter they were prepared ; y:. og o FIGURE for evaluation of space adequacy: (A) rod unit for adults and u euen over 10 years old; (B) rod unit for children 2 to 10 years; (C) dresser and rear shelves of unit C; (D) unit C. EU I B tf 'V 4 __ x FIGURE 2. In space evaluation by laboratory workers, clothing arrangements for parents are shown here as examples: (A and C) rod closet and dresser for man (age 20 to 39), high and medium high socio-economic group, median level; wraps and boots included, with work pants folded on shelf in closet; gar- ments in dresser drawer rolled. (B and D) closet and shelves for woman (age 30 to 39), high and medium high socio-economic group; wraps not included, would require 12 more inches of rod space; folded garments if rolled would require more than two dresser drawers. METHOD Space cvilootio;o oI tliws( 1tooits Cailc set. [ 1)] Garments \\as m1ctde I)% placiiig TlW galllclits iis 'd \\ ('1 oostIN old 811(1 Iiscardlcd ((ics. AI1(\v \x (10 1))11 ss o (Iii0 the ouiuiIolitl ijsel Nvr-drobes of Iabo)1ato1y 1)0 otllol 811( others . 1110l dIiscarded (Tar\ 11)1lit011(1( (I to be 1(5', crisp 01lul 10(110(1ic thall those \11101] spccified S'ts of Talrilwilts ill tlc1in x1(1 judl(Iil)1 tilO li)it)s 1150( \5('1C ldeqltOe for sto0illg tlii (TM-1ctt s of regularly in use. Thus, they may have required less space for storing than newer garments. However, if spaces were judged inadequate for these garments, there could be no doubt of the inadequacy. The numbers of garments of each kind used were based on the inventories of garments owned by 751 owner-operator farm families in the South as reported in the survey of housing needs and preferences in 1948 (2). Sufficient numbers of garments were collected to make arrangements for all age, sex, and socio-economic groups at the median level of ownership. Not enough were available to make arrangements at the third quartile level. 1 rod length requirements of one person to estimate the requirements of two persons. Also, since it had not been feasible to collect enough garments to make arrangements at the third-quartile level, requirements for rod length for each kind of garment at the median level were extrapolated to give rod requirements at this higher level. Evaluations Using.One Rod Unit per Person When arrangements of folded garments were made, it was assumed that for the low and medium low socio-economic group the dresser and two rod units would constitute the entire bedroom storage for all garments for two persons. Since men's work and boys' play pants were too large to store in the dresser drawers, they were stored on the shelf over the rod. The drawer space was very limited; such small garments as underwear were rolled in order to fit the garments of two persons into the three larger dresser drawers. The two small drawers were reserved for items other than clothing. In spite of these space-saving methods, the dresser was not adequate for storing the folded garments of two parents of the high and medium high socio-economic group. Two arrangements were made. For the first arrangement, the garments of men 20 and older were placed in dresser drawers except for work pants, which were stored on the shelf over the rod, Figure 2A and C, and folded garments of women 20 and older were placed in one dresser drawer and on shelves of Unit C. For the second arrangement, the garments of both parents were placed on the shelves of Unit C. (For example of an arrangement for a woman, see Figure 2B and D.) For unmarried men and for girls 11 to 19, all arrangements of garments not on hangers were made in dresser drawers, with the exception of the men's work pants, which were stored on the closet shelf. Estimates of adequacy of storage space for folded garments were then made on the basis of whether the dresser would hold the garments of two girls or two boys. Garments of children under 10 were stored in the rod closet and in dresser drawers. Folded garments for children were stored in small trays and on the small shelf of the rod unit, and an alternate arrangement was made, using dresser drawers and the shelf. Examples of these arrangements are shown in Figure 8. Placement of Garments Sets of garments were arranged in the clothing storage units by laboratory workers, who made decisions in each case as to the adequacy of the units for storing the garments. Some garments, such as coats, men's trousers, women's skirts and dresses, are regularly hung by homemakers, but a choice is made about whether to hang or fold garments, such as men's shirts and work pants and women's sweaters. In some instances, the material of the garment is the factor that determines the method; in others the relative amounts of storage facilities for hanging and for folding determine the method used. When shirts are sent to the laundry, they are usually returned and stored folded. For this part of the study, after arbitrary decisions were made about what items to store folded and what ones to put on hangers, the same division of garments was used for all sets. Some of these decisions were based on the capacities of the units for each type of storage in relation to the larger sets of garments. Men's shirts of all kinds were stored on hangers. Work pants were folded. Coat sweaters were stored on hangers. Pullover sweaters were folded. Garments for each age, sex, and socio-economic group at the median level of ownership, were stored. For men and boys over 10, shirts, suits, extra trousers not used for work, extra jackets, coat sweaters, top coats, and work coats, jackets and raincoats were stored on hangers. Shoes were placed on the rack. The garments on hangers were arranged so that the short ones hung over the shoes. For persons over 10 in the high and medium high socio-economic group, a second rod arrangement without wraps was made, since families of this group would probably have separate closets for wraps. When arrangements were made, the capacity of rod units was given special study. First, one rod unit was used per person, as this was the basis on which the units were designed. Next, one rod unit was used for two persons of the low and medium low socio-economic group. This was done because the original study had indicated that only one-fourth of the families had as many as one rod closet per bedroom (2). Also one closet per bedroom and 86 inches of rod length per closet had been recommended as a minimum standard. For children's units limitations in numbers of garments available and the number of age combinations made it necessary to extrapolate the ' The third quartile level of ownership may be explained as follows: when the numbers of a given kind of garment owned by the individuals of a group are arranged in order, the third quatil lvelisrepresented by the number owned by the individual three-fourths of the way from lowest to highest. In such arrangements, none is considered a number. [ 11 ] Evaluations Using One Rod Unit per Two Persons Garments on hangers for parents of comparable ages were placed in one rod unit. This was done only for the low and medium low socio-economic group. In each case the garments could be placed in the unit, but they were crowded even though the man's extra trousers and the woman's extra skirts were hung on multiple hangers. Next the work wraps Were removed. If the closet was still crowded, as was the case of two age groups, the other wraps were removed. Each time a judgment of adequacy was made and the rod requirement of the wraps removed was estimated. For estimates of adequacy Of the closets for use by two children, the rod lengths required per child were used in calculating rod requirements, using various age combinations. When the calculated requirement was in excess of 34 inches, of rod space, the unit was considered inadequate for storing the two sets of garments. V ) l Vt r C FIGURE 3. In evaluation of space by laboratory workers, clothing arrangements for children, high and medium high socioeconomic group, median level, are shown here as examples: (A and C) rod closet and dresser drawer for boy (age 6 to 10); closet contains entire inventory; drawer is an alternate facility for storing garments in trays on closet floor. (B and D) rod closet for girl (age 2 to 10) with play suits and blue jeans on shelf; garments in drawer are rolled. deteiniatt OVAX t ai ot ) \r i' ~dtri(l tll l(, IJ\, tj ill( noi it X (r (i Si n(A( 01W i' dCS(T Ii .(1l ut, '('dv been(A ass;i ((Acd to niltic ait this tilict. Extrapolation to the Third Quartile Level mt'it fori call soio i RESULTS AND DISCUSSION sex, alii co loi( lit £gI inp ait thienid I 11 kin ti of garint' t fi- e'ach ail ievc ii aac g Rod Length t' .igt at XX s Ilt';i sili id. id soioliltinlnit g'rillps inr XXtut a rod unlit arc (A iiiiit' (ill ciX I hlA I. Ihis t lilt wXichAl ilsio shioiXX 1i iX ho the iiiit XXas csi iv e bit oil iistaiitts ili jtldgtd to ailso bitonit' (AX dint that the lists of' tnh1dd gaiwi its ais [ 12]1 TABLE 1. ADEQUACY OF 36-INCH ROD UNITS FOR STORING SPECIFIED SETS OF GARMENTS FOR ONE PERSON' All garments on hangers Socio-economi ic group Family member Age Exclude work wraps Socio-economic group Exclude all wraps Socio-economic group Men H2 20-39 40-49 50-59 60X x 0 20-29 Women X 0 30-39 x X 0 40-49 x X X 50x X 2-5 Boys x X X X x 6-10 X X X 11-14 x 0 X X 15-19 x 2 0 X Men NH 20-39 X X Girls 2-5 0 X 6-10 X X x X0 11-14 X x X 0 0 15-19 X 0 1X indicates that the 84-inch rod space of the family member of the age, socio-economic group, sidered adequate. 2H indicates head of family; NH indicates not TABLE 2. ADEQUACY Low and High and Low and High and Low and High and med. low med. high med. low med. high med. low med. high Level Level Level Level Level Level Median 3rd qrtl. M edian 3rd qrtl. Median 3rd qrtl. Median 3rd qrtl. Median 3rd qrtl. Median 3rd qrtl. X 0 X 0 X X X 0 X X X 0 X x X X 0 X X X X X X X X X x 0 X 0 X X X X X X X X X x X X 0 X X X 0 X X X X X x X x X x X 0 0 X 0 X X X X X X X X X X X 0 0 0 0 0 X X 0 0 0 X 0 0 0 0 X X X X 0 0 0 X X X X X X X X x x x X x X x X X X X X X X X X X 0 X X X 0 0 0 unit was considered adequate for storing the specified set of garments for the and level of ownership designated. 0 indicates that the rod space was not cona head of family. Two PERSONS' x x x x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x 0 X x x x x x x x x x x x X X X X X X X X X X X X 0 0 0 0 X X X X X X X X X 0 0 OF 86-INCH ROD UNITS FOR STORING SPECIFIED SETS OF GARMENTS FOR Persons using unit Exclude all wraps Exclude work wraps All garments on hangers Socio-economic group Socio-economic group Socio-economic group Low and High and Low and High and Low and High and med. low med. high med. low med. high med. low med. high Level Level Level Level Level Level Median 3rd qrtl. Median 3rd qrtl. Median 3rd qrtl. Median 3rd qrtl. Median 3rd qrtl. Median 3rd qrtl. 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X X X10 2 Two Parents ..... Two Boys. Two Girls 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X3 X' X7 07 X 0 0 X8 X 9 09 X 0 '0 indicates that the 34-inch rod space of the unit was not considered adequate for storing the specified sets of garments for any combination of ages of the socio-economic group and level designated. X indicates that the 34-inch rod space was considered adequate for the combination of ages to which the specific footnotes refer. - Man 40-49, woman 50 or over. SAll combinations except those with women 20-29. 'Two persons 2-10. SAll combinations except those with both persons over 11. 6 All combinations except those with both persons 15-19 or one 15-19 and one 20-39. 'All combinations except those with both persons over 11 or one over 14. 8 All combinations except those with both persons over 14 or unlikely combination of 2-5 and 15-39. ' Two persons 6-10. "0 Two persons 2-5. It may also be noted that, for a given family member within a socio-economic group and level of ownership, the rod unit was considered adequate for some but not all age groups. For example, the rod length was considered adequate for a man of the low and medium low socio-economic group at the third quartile level for only the age groups 40-49 and 60 and over. It is practical that each user have a unit that continues to be adequate for the entire period of its use. The implications of this idea was the basis of the concept, lifetime requirements. That is, rod length and other dimensional requirements for storage should be based on [ 13] maximum requirements for the time the person is expected to use the storage facility. The idea of expressing requirements on a lifetime basis saves time and effort, since fewer dimensional standards have to be determined and the statement of requirements is simpler. However, the application of the lifetime requirement standard reduced the number of persons for whom the rod unit was considered adequate. Adequacy of the 3-foot rod unit for storing the clothing of two persons is indicated in Table 2. When the lifetime requirement standard is applied, the unit cannot be considered adequate in any instance. Since adequacy was dependent in most instances upon the separate storage of wraps, the rod length requirement for storing work wraps and the adequacy of the 3-foot unit for dress wraps should be mentioned. A 3-foot unit was considered adequate for storing the work wraps for a family of four in all instances except for the high and medium high socio-economic group at the third quartile level, for which a 4-foot unit was required. A 3-foot unit was considered adequate for storing dress wraps for a family of four in all instances. However, little or no rod space remained for guests' wraps in a unit of this size. After the adequacy of the rod space in these units was judged by this method, it became evident that a statement of rod space requirements of family members at various levels of ownership of garments was needed. This statement of space requirements needed to include requirements for storing on hangers items that were folded by some women and hung by others. It also needed to show three-dimensional space requirements rather than rod length only. Such an expression of the space requirements for storing garments on hangers would have a wider application than the statements of adequacy of the units. These more general requirements obviously needed to be determined in an unrestricted space that was not available in the units. However, the work done with the units was useful as a basis for a further study that is reported in a separate publication (7). level only. From this table it may be inferred that when shelves are used for storing men's and boys' outer shorts, slacks, jeans, and work pants, the three larger drawers of the dresser will hold the rest of the folded garments of two parents or two children with one exception. Two girls 11-19 would require four dresser drawers. This evaluation of the space for folded garments was predicated on methods that have definite limitations. It was necessary in many instances to roll underwear and sleeping garments in order to store the garments in the spaces provided. Rolling was not known to be a common practice of homemakers nor was there any assurance that it would be an acceptable one. No shirts were stored folded. If they had been, the dresser drawers would not have been considered adequate for parents, or boys over 10, at any level. It was apparent that many items of clothing worn by women and girls had not been included in the check lists of the original survey. There were no estimates of requirements of this kind of storage at the third quartile level. In view of the lack of standard dimensions for drawers and shelves and the nonadditive nature of space requirements of folded and rolled garments, it seemed impossible to extrapolate these requirements to higher levels. In order to apply the results of this evaluation to the general situation, it is necessary to assume that trays and shelving are available for the storage of folded garments in rod units. Thus, the evaluation is not in all cases of dresser space only but of dresser, shelf, and tray space in the available units. It was concluded that a method of stating these requirements at various levels of ownership of garments needed to be devised and that this method should not be based on the components of the units. The perspective gained by this attempt at evaluating the space in these units was advantageous in a further study of the problem of space requirements of garments not stored on hangers. This study is reported in a separate publication (6). Storage Space for Folded and Rolled Garments The facilities required for storing folded and rolled garments of two parents or of one child at various ages are given in Table 3. This information is for the median TABLE 3. FACILITIES REQUIRED FOR STORING FOLDED OR ROLLED GARMENTS OF FAMILY MEMBERS AT THE 1 MEDIAN LEVEL OF OWNERSHIP Garment 2 Parents Man's work pants Other garments or All garments 1 Boy 2-10 Outer shorts, jeans garments Other Socio-economic group Low and med. low Shelf over rod 234 Dresser drawers High and med. high Garments Stored on Racks and Hooks 3 4 Shelf over rod Dresser drawer Shelf over rod Dresser drawer Shelf over rod Dresser drawers or Shelves, unit C Shelf over rod Dresser drawer Shelf over rod Dresser drawers The wooden slanted shoe racks in the rod units were not wide enough for three pairs of men's shoes of medium width. This inadequacy was the depth of the unit rather than any defect of the racks. Although the racks were not suitable for boots, it is probable that most families would find it undesirable to store boots in the bedroom rod unit. Women and girls usually had more than three pairs of shoes, which was the greatest number that could be stored on one rack. Space for children's shoes depended on the age of the child and the number of pairs owned. However, on the basis of lifetime requirements, one rack accommodated the shoes of a child of the low and medium low socio-economic group at the median level but not one of the high and medium high group. Men's hats could he stored on shelves. However, it would be necessary to place them on the bottom shelf of the upper section when work pants were stored on the shelf over the rod. Hat racks at the top of the door were acceptable when lower rod levels were used. Use of racks fastened to the ceiling of the lower part of the rod unit interfered with the storage of garments on the shelf over the rod, Figure 2A. Therefore, such location of the rack is not recommended. Women's and children's hats could be stored on shelves, 1 1 1 Boy 11-19 Jeans, work pants Other garments 1 1 Man 20-39 (nonhead )2 Jeans, work pants Other garments 1 1 Girl 2-10 11/2 All garments or 1 All garments 1 Girl 11-19 All garments 1 Underwear and work pants, slacks, 2 Nonhead means 11/2 Shelf over rod Dresser drawer Dresser drawers 11/2 11/2 Shelf over rod dresser drawers dresser drawers or Small tray and shelf over rod Dresser drawers or Small tray and shelf over rod 1 2 11/2 Dresser drawers sleeping garments rolled; garments such as and outer shorts folded. not head of family. [14] 1bult ill the cast' of siiall elliltdleli tilt hats Iliglit hlaveI to b~e stoitei ouit of thiit re'(achi iiiiet's honks (li tihe dhoor )x ti Lloxx'ex e, space tClllt deeper. Mxieni lbt the (1001 %\,it closed, thecse gainiclits list't. suti 'Iliti e \X'a5 11o))1 oil tile dloor foir storilig hells, ties, alild ll thing as 1 i h t xxeai and iii ierga rnl'l its that iad miltdc adequ(jtate' ()ill\ b inakiiig the unit General Evaluation by Twenty Homemakers t \ hxlomnema keris xxeri' asked t) commenl tt ol ll] but especialix to evaluate the elothing stor-ale lilits nis of tile in num1bliller's ofI garbciits oxxiil 1~ ix al iid boxs ox er 10, all xx omenc and (rids oxer 16, iall 2-10, and ll] (rids 2-I10 as rixven in tihe rc(port of tic' Ilolisil i surx ev (2). Since it had beeni siioxxthat at rod nit for xx 1)1k aps xxi xxas e ss elitial to a lt'ijiiate anit pioper stoia e of' the ftr dx,'s ciotiiii suhll a unit xxas conistructed pilx'iohis to tis ex'iihiatiiiii. It xx-ias located ol tilebaick porchei ixeause Ill lack of' roollill iithii hou~ise. Alsio thleire are o~teii obijtetionsi to stii ligyill the houlise olnter elotiiii thait l)its beenl xxorii ill th iltlii iid feetl lots. Thie s pace exvaluiatloll indica~tedi thiat ti1 e .3 110 t r od 1n1i xx as ]lot long eiioiigi foirtilt cliothling of, o(ill' peisoil it liildil'r le'xees ofI lxxiiei ship. A 4 Iloot unit xxas pliannied fo~r this ireason, as xxtil ats to taike adx aitage of the 4-toot plvy xxoo ((11corinoillx lstci. AUt 1 il less tilai 4 Itet ofir11( i leiigtii\\-ias ri reyii~d for- stoinig xx 1k xxi ips, spatce xx-ias 1Ciedt forl stoi il tI i\ ai it toolds th at aire iist't out(Ifdoors. ''li t iiit, Figir' 4, xxas dt'sigiied oil tih' basis ot dirtiisills supplied, aiid xxias biljt byx stiltits xxho hald [x linits il tei mien box's xxitli r('atill groove ts. Tis to tiraffic tirlgi the plorchl, move it iiixxood( l xxas nolt at saltsfactorx, iinstailiationl aid tiie tdooIIrs xx e later 111111 il ovxc ii a tiaek s. IT'e shelf xx-ias o at fiirst rt'novaxleit. I loxsexer, tilt1liijt liecel bil eng. Sio thet shlf xxas st'curel fxastenetd iiith tiunit toIpi mxide stat b~ilitx. METHOD FIGURE 4. for chores. (lilt' at tillie. Soiie xxet accompani~iiiedl at x a itiitd xxho v i xxas nolt pairticipaiting ill tiltexviliuition, but \\]til lax haxvt 1lit' Back porch unit planncd for storage of wraps worn , nti gilel ofidere10.2 'lb pai t'iits' eotililig xx'y a ,dx a5stili t'irhist. lix ct at tielt' ,1)11',t IIi silt ret'plit'd to at ( Iliestioillireiit rents 11thbnil, tii ' W\i ci tiltevaluaitor xx\tiot in tol tilepattliilg flor tile uuil iid xx iail had Netxt, sllexxas shix iiilits: a rod tile xVaioiusstorag' units, ats xxt 1 lbut hetr ils 11Sii i rod.i 'l The t kce the budlt 15 ilos iiitl i' 'i oilllli p iti ra flil 55 i t lh ii iii5 bed liortst f irsid\ok iix)weePae l iii tic's, Soliix ilfle cothiis of, ~Uit i t'ittfor lch ily illeirlibr, l ifa lI it o ' thise iii ,,s i [15]1111es Silt' xx s tihti a skedttol storil f(ailns ptl c~l vls p l~lllc tit the n11its four1 St'tsofI ga' I' ~ ~ as to fulfill riiliieilcltx itsii ginial Hoiisbii Slirx cx * No rllitll satiplIc. siill((at lalboi toi\ iistatice wil allii x i j ili ill thet Souither'n Beaittcipt x\,its mnade to select at xxl i\llil had to t'olii( tol thei ] impoitaiit ('illsjie'tilli. Niiieteecii of tile tvxaltiatois xxerc iiiarieitt. Mne of these' 1110in lived'( li(1 father's, fai 01 s did( thei oil 1 iii i' of tiio hid pai t-toll' i-mploi lItoll leriakiiiw. iiit i ev aliuatori. ill addiitioni to Of tile IS operatorl ilisblids. 165xweire (Tell an ceipatoiiiiiadditiill to ho oig.li Th hulsbandi~ liv ing le oil his tatlicr ili iaxx fail had f( 1 ill] ci1plio mlit off the 'ley cxxxcrc ino t asked to state thieiages. bu1 .ilpl re tl r t ages railrc ftion the 2 0's toi the 60's. Tell ]iall lixved oii ge ltin alltic lives; 4, itiiist of thieiir aiid 6, fr om :3 lives; to 28 x'ears. T\ lxe had1( xx childlreni at homei. Numnber of' thildi-cot 1 lil ii gd Iill (111iiit tio three i it' i llttex ioliiil had1( txx c il dri li and tsx o gi .oideliildi cii. Childicit's agYes triiigt't ft om '7 inonltb s to 24 years. Oth er hi ii 5(1old in t ci s N vere: pat cots of' hlimiakei or- hiusbanid, sister ofi lifiittilakei' atl neit bii ets. Houtsehold siz(catig(etl front 2 to 7. A\itage si/c x\ias .75. FIGU RE 5. Types of hangers provided for the 20 evaluators to use in storing garments. thec bid to I ciilil i' lIt(i to moake a choice lo'txx ceii liltigiti aiild lolilor tbt'tii. Other s, 1 ic.,., skir'ts aiid trlousersxxci placed theie toi requfiirt' her tio chioose at liaiger. Thei gYal inetits o the( potablet racks were hiiiig oii wxiire hlaiets, itwas 5(rovlidx'ed'(, Figiiie 5. Sh1 r p iof iwit gil bt it a rit toldl that shte shoiuld folid or. ]fli(i each itito ats she' chose, rcg~ii dless ioi xxlictil it xxias Ilx jo oil the lied or 111ii11 i0 hlangers isod that she( miight choose ft om the( special filiiigt'is oided tholse tha~t slit pro xxished to i se' fr- hIlnilig aliy Oat itict it. \X l i tit' ciothilti for thte pat cots had bleen stotred(, the evaluiatotr xxit iki'd (fuestiiilis to hilog ilit as heri ipitioos ahotit theite(,''~ iild'(fttcv a11n(other ftiiictiolill (fllitit's iot tihe storage uinits ill thecpai cuts' iooiii. She xxas also asked to roake sluigstiiois aloit the' nliits. Altt'r i rest p'riod, she xxa.s aisked to stot c the chil~die('s irarililts. lic\ xx trt' plact'd is those iif the parenits. Of the gaillmelits tha~t xxe(r(' hut Iiitig otil the portaihle rod, the ilox'5 55 (I t plae i oi( onte 1ed, th l liairl's ol tilt o tihier. Thle lcitions ofi theit' o sxx xx\eire alt'itilattel tio ax'iid all post sible iififlielc( of piisitiool of' clothes oil chiiice of rod Uniits Alter tilt chlfdreni's gaimiits xxei'e stiirt't, e'xvaluatori the xxas asked (Ijocstiiiiis about the foiictiial qfua~lities iif' thit unlits. Illt adlditiilli, she x\\its isk(' tii staite her oiliiiii albiout cetin ulst's iif' the childreni's iloo tha~t mright ippiv to tie situiatioii ill tht' stol.ig'c xxa.ll ladborao.it WXhiile the xxluto l~ieti thet giiii('1t, alcii \\its cx~i~lito tt illcl torx xxiiiker use t'( ifeck s i cit ti roI 11( the locaI ci itin ofi eachi kiiid iof gal lt it, anid kept i xxiitte'n record~ ofi her coilil(iis. Hiiwevxer, it xxits iiot alxxax s posxsiile( tt ''i'l i ex'ei x t'limioetllt xxicii the ('xalt iatiii talked rapi(Il\i. Cohn trg aiiisO Ev HomemakeStrag alu it s nd b O ndb tatlilv H m m krEautr The tintillotr of bulilt fil rod closcts per toolged Iioio 2 toi 6. ix ci'age 3A. Numbehr of ix vall irod closets riiged fti ti 0t to 4, ax ('lge for il]] famrilies 1A3. Totail iiolet of rod closets pter faijl iiinged fronil 2 to 9. axCi .ige 4.4. D~raxxer untits toiclothlinig ranlged frot 2 tii 9 pit titnilx, aixeragt' 4.45. Thfis, oi it pe'r-lioilliibsis tIt(' flimlilieS iif these hulmt'tiak'is xxer b'etter t'jifi t 1 pcdl wxithi clothinog storaige units thlnt thoste ill the Siouthern Riegriolial SliuxVe (2). Oili a pci pei-son hasis, ovxtr halt ofi lhe hlotes repre1 seiited xxerc as xx - billhttt'i suipplited xxithi stch fitifltit's as xxax the stiitage xx ll laibiiiatoiv x w xhichl xxas pliuiuet1f iti fainils of' o~r Mvethods of Storing Garments at Home and Choice of Facilities oi- folditig spifiedtt gatinclits lit loilc xxere' iisi'f iiiii dctirloililigl~ spa.cet' t'f I ie let ll'its foii stiiragt' tficiliiets. Theste rclifiirell'iits hiaixe ili'llx beenl re(poted( (6.7). Ownx rhip olifI and p1( 'I('itis li loti faucilities fllt storitig foldedt~ gal iilts wer ci cri itilelit. sinice is cx.Ilatolus of thet )t' toficii ci lihi 'othing stillage unlits they muih 1Yroos eilflcidb experieinice's ait liie. AI] ot the Iluill(inalke's used (draixxers ttlgsm knso oddglnilsli~ illx l prod i (1etlciii. Foiuri ailsii usetd slicx f ot soiicii kfitds iii gall iltits. Of tihese', tiiiec~ preteirretd usin~g shitlxet. Oile fi rod iltiits anit iiit tihl re'iords ii tinl oi ht tin' cieiiit xlii tx iiid ti gfarlmetits adonlg thie roid. (C. 'The phiotogra.phs xx rc usedt to xci fx shiiix till iitiili Locations for Storing Garments Evaluators' Homes thir hocaitiun preilei s for(5til stoiring in RESULTS Homemaker clothinug ait Ilorn Evaluators and Their HouseholdsalolsdilPioifgpcer-urlen at hetie f-ha benhoncderiostatoi el ;1(11iiiseit iior lit' i'iili''s, i l( otsoig iit'i of 111h'inerts andit ILee coitIties. l'li t'x xx ei oti \c.iars ot age ait ii ofi x iiii waxx.s i liomiiiakci aut li'ist 16( elaPtd toi tic operaitior or hetrse'lf the op'eraor. [ 16 ] TABLE 4. LOCATIONS USED AND PREFERRED FOR STORING GARMENTS AT HOME-NUMBER 1 OF EVALUATORS USING AND PREFERRING EACH LOCATION GarmentsNumber Garments Locations Number reporting Owner's bedroom Guest room Hall a 1 (8) 1 (1) 2 (2) 2 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (1) 0 (0) 1 (1) 1 (1) 0 (0) locations; the H Back porch Near back door' Other 2 (1) 18 (10) ----- 20 (18) Dress wraps ------------2 (1) 18 (11) 18 (15) Man's dress hats--------------4 (1) 13 (14) 20 (17) Woman's dress hats-----------0 (0) 5 (2) 20' (17) Work wraps ----------------0 (0) 7 (4) 19 (15) Raincoats------------- -0 (0) 3 (2) 18 (18) Work hats and caps 0 (0) 1 (0) 20 (19) Overshoes and galoshes 0 (0) 2 (0) (14) Boots -16 0 (0) 20 (15) Man's work shoes ----------------------------9 (7) 0 (0) 17 (17) Man's work shirts, pants .................- 20 (20) 0 (0) 10 (5) 19 (16) Aprons number in each column indicates the number of evaluators using 1 The first dicates the number preferring locations. 2 Not on porch or in hall. ' Of these five stored in kitchen and eight preferred kitchen. 4 (4) 0 (0) 0 (0) 2 (2) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 4 (1) 5 (7) 4 (6) 4 (2) 8 (2) 5 (7) 8 (1) 6 (8) 6 (7) 2 (1) 9 (9) 7 (8) 2(1) 5 (6) 7 (7) 6 (8) 2 (3) 2 (1) 2 (2) 8 0 (0) 0 (0) 9 (11) 0 (0) 0 (0) second number within parenthesis in- garments. The evaluators' use and choices of locations for storing selected garments at home are given in Table 4. It was believed that their home practices and their preferences might influence their selection of storage spaces at the laboratory. However, from conversations with the evaluators after the questionnaire was completed, it was evident that in many instances stated preferences for storing items at home were associated with situations existing at home and were not abstract preferences. Eighteen evaluators showed a preference for separate bedroom rod units for each person, but one placed the work clothes of both parents in one bedroom rod unit and their good clothes in the other unit. Another one selected separate units for the parents, but said that it would not matter much whether two parents or two children shared a unit or each had a separate unit. From the remarks recorded, it seemed that the evaluators had the woman's interests in mind when choosing bedroom rod units. Eleven used the rod unit nearer the dresser for the woman's clothing, although there was a tie rack in it that might have influenced them to choose the unit for the man. Several mentioned that the woman should have the unit nearer the dresser, but three said they gave the man the other unit because it was nearer the door and would be handier for him. Fourteen of the 20 evaluators gave the girl the unit nearest the dresser. ROD UNIT BY GARMENTS Splaosatrte c To AND FACILITIES Storage of Garments in Rod Units at the Laboratory The evaluators' use of the six rod units at the laboratory is given in Tables 5 through 10. In addition to the information in these tables, remarks of the evaluators revealed their reasons for choices of storage units and other information not reported in the tables. Garment TABLE 5. EVALUATORS' USE OF MAN'S usinar a omltd twste 1 Number placing in unit Rod All of each Part of each hlfoe Shelf over rod Number using for each kind of garment Floor Hooks Top Special racks section 0 0 0 0 0 12 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 kind 20 Su its -------------20 Extra jackets ---------------Extra trousers -------------- 20 ----Ties --- --- - - --- kind 18 18 B e lts ----------------------------Dress hats --------16 13 Shoe s---------------------------Overcoat_ .......... 18 12 9 7 W ork shirts ------------------ 7 4 Work jackets 2 Work hats__------------------2 B o o ts _---------------------------1 Socks ---------------------------- Work sweater-_ W ork pants ................ _ Dress shirts ------------------ 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 6 1 0 8 0 0 20 20 20 1 1 0 0 18 12 9 18 7 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 5 2 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Nightwear__ Good dresses, woman Good coat, woman 0 0 0 1 0 0 The total of these two columns does not equal the total of the next six columns when one or more evaluators stored part of the garments of one kind in one facility and part in another. For example, two evaluators had placed some of the shoes on racks and some on the floor, and one had placed some shoes on the rack and some on the shelf over the rod, [171 TABLE 6. EVALUATORS' USE OF WOMAN'S ROD UNIT By GARMENTS AND FACILITIES Numbcr placing in unit' Number using for each kind of garment Rd Garment House dresses Blouses- - - Skirts ---- -- Suits-- - - - - - - - All of each 'Part of each kind kind 20 20 20 20 19 192 17 12 Rd Special racks section Top Hooks Shelf over rod Floor Good dresses Robes-- - - - B elts-- -- - -- - Good coats Work sweater ----Shoes----------- -W ork coat --------Good sweater-----H ats ----------Raincoat---------Nightwear--------Purse----------- -- Work sweater, man_ Aprons - ----- ---Work shirts, man ---- * 1 0 * 0 1'The total of these two columns does garments of one kind in one facility and the dresses and some on racks. 2In -addition one evaluator hung the robe in the bathroom on a hook, hut stated she would like a closet in the bathroom. - 0 0 20 0 20 0 0 0 20 0 0 20 0 0 19 0 0 17 0 8 7 0 0 16 0 0 7 2 16 0 0 0 7 0 0 7 0 0 0 00 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 not equal the total of the next six columns when one or more evaluators stored part of the part in another. For example, two evaluators had placed some of the belts on hangers with Six of them said that she should have that particular unit because of nearness to the dresser. It was probably natural for the evaluator to identify herself with the woman and the girl. .'This wish for having the dresser and the rod unit near each other has implications about preferences for room arrangement. It may be considered a vote for having centralization of the clothing storage facilities for each person regardless of sex. This is in keeping with management principles. TABLE The data in Table 9 show that few of the 20 evaluators chose to use the living room rod unit for dress wraps. One remarked that she did not like the location of this unit because of tracking mud into the living room. Another said she would like to keep infrequently used clothing in this unit. There was no room for this unit in the hall, but if it could have been there, a greater preference might have been show n for it. Also there was not a large enough number of garments to crowd the bedroom rod units, so ROD UNIT By GARMENTS AND FACILITIES 7. EVALUATORS' USE OF Boy's Rod Garment Good shirts --Trousers Good jacket--ShoesGood cap----Play shirt----Overcoat Blue jeans---Play jacket --Play sweatersB elts -------- Number placing in unit' All of each Part of each kind kind 20 20 20 20 20 19 19 19 18 17 17 15 15 13 12 10 9 8 7 1 Number using for each kind of garment Floor Special Hook Shelf racks Top section 20 0 0 20 0 20 19 0 0 0 14 0 0 1 0 19 0 1 0 18 0 0 11 8 0 1 17 0 12 13 0 2 0 0 12 8 0 7 0 8 Outer shorts 0 10 5 0 Play cap 7 0 0 0 Boots------ -0 8 0 4 Good sweater_ 0 0 10 0 Nightwear---0 0 1 8 Raincoat ----32 23 0 0 Socks------ -0 0 0 0 Underwear --0 0 0 II~~ Play hat, girl-r C( C~AV~~r IlhTTm DV ~IAD'h 0 A'C~ TIATTTArFADL~~ KAT\ ' The total of these two columns does not equal the total of the next six columns when one or more evaluators stored part of the garments of one kind in one facility and part in another. For example, two evaluators had placed some of the shoes on the rack and some on the floor. 'The garments were in small trays on the floor. The bin-type shoe rack was used for socks only. - -- - - / --- 2 CZ ------ -- - --- - -- --- [18] TABLE 8. EVALUATORS' USE OF GIRL'S ROD UNIT BY GARMENTS AND FACILITIES Number placing in unit Garment All of each kind 20 20 20 20 19 Part of each kind Number using for each kind of garment Rod 20 20 20 20 19 18 Shelf Hook Floor 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 12 12 Special racks 0 0 0 0 0 0 Dresses Blouses Skirt Good jacket Good coat Play jacket Shoes- 19 19 15 15 Slacks --------Play hat Good sweater Play sweaters 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 12 7 8 0 6 0 1 1 0 11 0 7 3 8 14 10 9 Raincoat Nightwear. Socks- 0 Underwear 0 Underwear, boy The total number in the last five columns is greater than 20 because two evaluators each used two facilities in this unit. 2 These were in a small tray on the floor. TABLE 9. EVALUATORS' USE OF LIVING ROOM ROD UNIT By GARMENTS AND FACILITIES 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Garment Evaluators using unit for All of Part of each each kind kind 7 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Evaluators using facilities Top Hat rack section Rod 7 7 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 garment needs also to be considered; some hangers may be better adapted than others to preserving the neatness of the garment. Storage of Folded Garments at Laboratory The evaluators' use of the dresser unit and unit C for storing the parents' clothing is given in Tables 11 and 12. There was a tendency to use the dresser for the woman's garments rather than the man's and a somewhat less pronounced tendency to use unit C for storing the man's garments rather than the woman's. The small size of the dresser drawers made them inadequate for storing work pants and barely adequate for storing the man's shirts and pajamas. The choice of unit C for storing these larger items (when they were not stored in the rod unit) was perhaps made on the basis of sizes of the facilities and not because of a preference for shelves for storing men's garments. In unit C the sliding shelves were used more often than the other facilities. The evaluators had a tendency not to pull the sliding shelves forward, even though they knew they could. Some indicated that it was hard to reach into them and some even removed shelves to make the remaining ones more accessible. During discussions after the arrangements were made, the evaluators usually said these would have been easier to use if they had been pulled forward, but that they were not accustomed to pull-out shelves. The evaluators had a selection of trays and shelves that they could use in the center section of unit C. Only 10 of them used these. Nine others used the section without trays or shelves, and one did not use this section. The dresser unit and unit C together had more space than was required for storing the set of parents' folded garments that was given the evaluators. Most of the evaluators had a tendency to spread the garments over a larger area than necessary, although they were told that the object of the study was to determine adequate storage space and that it was not desirable to recommend more space than was needed. Overcoat, man Good coat, woman Goodhat, man Raincoat, man Raincoat, woman Raincoat, boy Raincoat, girl Overcoat, boy Good coat, girl that storage of wraps in the bedroom was not a problem in most of the arrangements. More evaluators used the back porch rod unit than the one in the living room. Results in Table 10 show that there was, in general, a greater tendency to store the man's rather than the woman's work clothes in this unit and adults' garments rather than children's. The evaluators usually expressed approval of the unit for work wraps. One expressed doubt that men would use hangers for work wraps, and suggested that there should be hooks. Most of the evaluators seemed unaccustomed to using special hangers such as those supplied. From their comments it appeared that they usually used wire hangers for trousers and skirts, either folding them over the horizontal part of the wire hanger, or fastening them to the hanger with pinch clothes pins. The latter method was frequently used at home for skirts. At the laboratory, the evaluators did not always assemble suits on the hangers. Such practices as folding garments over the hanger and storing parts of suits separately tend to increase the requirement for rod space without providing more satisfactory storage. It may be well to consider whether the extra cost of special hangers is greater than the cost of the space saved by their use. The effect of special hangers on the [19] A few evaluators stored some folded garments in the top sections of the rod units. Some of them indicated by their remarks that they did this to get the folded garments of one of the parents near his or her garments on hangers. The evaluators' use of the children's dresser unit and the small shelves at the rear of unit C is given in Table 13. They had a tendency to store the girl's rather than the boy's folded garments in the dresser. This was less proTABLE nounced than their tendency to use the dresser for the woman's garments rather than for the man's. The small shelves in unit C were used for storing small garments. However, the combination of the dresser unit and these small shelves did not provide sufficient space for storing all of the children's folded garments. The shelving in the rod units was also used for this purpose (Tables 7 and 8). A few evaluators placed some garments in small trays on the floor of the rod unit. ROD UNIT BY GARMENTS AND FACILITIES 10. EVALUATORS' USE OF BACK PORCH Garment r r r Number placing in unit All of each Part of each kind kind ,r 20 19 18 16 15 15 13 12 10 10 7 6 Number using for eich kind of garment Rod 0 19 0 16 0 15 13 0 10 10 0 0 0 4 0 0 3 2 1 0 Rack 11 0 Shelf 1 0 0 0 16 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 Floor Hook Galoshes, woman Raincoat, man Boots, man- Work jacket, man Work hats, man Raincoat, woman Work coat, womanWork hat, woman Raincoat, boy. Raincoat, girl Boots, boy Work shoes, man .. Shoes, woman ...... Work sweater, man Play hat, girl Play cap, boy. Work sweater, woman Play jacket, boy. Play jacket, girl Play shoes, girl TABLE 11. 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 EVALUATORS' USE OF PARENTS' DRESSER UNIT BY ITEMS AND FACILITIES Item 1 1IIII -- I CI I C osmetics ........... Number placing in unit' All of each Part of each kind kind Small drawers Number using for each kind of item Large Surface of drawers dresser 0 0 0 0 9 9 12 7 9 9 9 5 8 6 4 5 3 3 Top section Brush . . . M irror (hand)........ C ombs ............. Hankerchiefs, woman Scarf, woman ....... Hose, woman ........ Gloves, woman Slips, woman Panties, woman Brassieres, woman Purse, woman Nightwear, woman Good sweater, woman Handkerchiefs, man Socks, man--Aprons, woman Nightwear, man 17 20 20 19 15 13 13 11 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 13 12 13 6 4 1 4 0 Belts, woman------Work sweater, womanUnderwear, man ..... -----Ties, man-------- --Dress shirts, man --------- 3 3 2 2 0 0 1 0 the items of one kind in one facility and part in another. For example, one evaluator placed some cosmetics in a small drawer and some on top of the dresser. [20] 0 2 0 1 1 L AI II1 YII C-~ ~ni ~-rii 'The total of these two columns does not equal the total of those next four columns when one or more evaluators stored part of ------- 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 )17 3 2 TABLE 12. EVALUATORS' USE OF UNIT C BY GARMENTS AND FACILITIES Number placing in unit Number using for each kind of garment' Sliding shelves Garment Underwearman Nightwear, man Handkerchiefs, man -Socks, manWork shirts, man Slips, womanPanties, woman Brassieres woman Work pants, man Nightwear, woman All of each kind 18 16 15 14 12 11 11 11 11 11 11 9 Part of each Small shelves Center section Trays Top kind Shelves 2 2 0 0 3 10 1 1 5 0 1 0 section 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 12 11 1 3 8 10 6 6 6 10 0 0 0 8 2 0 6 0 .0 1 1 1 11 9 0 0 4 4 0 0 9 0 0 5 0 5 3 6 Purse,woman Gloves, woman Dress hats, woman----Dress shirts., man-----Hose, woman--------Scarf, woman--------- 7 5 1 0) 4 0 0 7 Good sweater,. woman-Handkerchiefs, woman_ Work sweater, woman_ Shoes.,woman -------Aprons, woman ------Work sweater, man---Shoes, m an----------Belts, man--------Ties, m an ------------ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 S 3 2 2 1 1The total of the last five columns does not equal 18 because one evaluator placed some underwear on the sliding shelves and some on the small shelves, and one placed some in a tray and some in the top section. TABLE 13. EVALUATORS' USE OF CHILDREN'S DRESSER UNIT AND SMALL SHELVES IN CHILDREN'S ROOM By GARMENTS AND FACILITIES Dresser unit GarmentNubrpaigidaws Numerplcig i dawrs All of each kind 19 Underwear, girl---------------14 Socks,girl --------------------- 13 Nightwear, girl-------------10 Underwear, boy------------------------9 Play sweaters, girl--------------------------8 Nightwear, boy-------------------7 S ocks,boy--------------------------------Part of each kind 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 Number using for each kind of garment Large drawers 16 Small drawers 3 Small shelves Number placing in shelves All of each kind 3 Part of each kind 1 6 15 8 0 4 0 0 4 5 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 10 9 3 7 Goodsweater,boy--------------------------Good sweater, girl --------------------- 6 0 0 7 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 1 4 Slacks, girl------------------- ----4 0 4 Outer shorts., boy------------------3 3 Play sweaters, boy ----------------------------------0 2 1 1 Playpants,boy--------------------------0 10 Belts,boy----1 1 0 Play shirts, boy-------------------0 0 0-----------------------Caps,boy Evaluators' Comments, Opinions, and Suggestions Evaluators usually expressed surprise at finding so much storage space in so small a house. They seemed favorably impressed with storage walls as a means of providing space for storing possessions of all kinds. They were asked questions about the clothing storage units in each bedroom after the garments were stored. Their replies to questions, which were phrased to elicit [21] short answers, were frequently qualified by comments. To questions about adequacy of units for storing the specific sets of garments, most of the replies indicated that the spaces were just right or sufficient. Exceptions were that the dresser and unit C together were judged to provide more space than needed for storing the parents' garments by 11I of the group and to be too small by 8. The comments of the latter favored more drawer space. However, several comments were that this set of garments included fewer items than most people would own or that one never could have too much storage space. Similarly, when asked if all the spaces in a unit were filled, some evaluators were reluctant to admit that obviously empty space remained. Some protested: "You would find things to put there." "You would really have more than this." Or, in the case of children's units, "They will eventually need more space." Such comments may have been prompted by personal experience with inadequate storage. Some may have reflected practical attitudes toward future needs of growing children. Comments were unfavorable to the use of shelves and trays in the children's rod units for storing folded garments. About three-fourths of the evaluators thought the dresser tops were large enough, although several of them indicated that they were of minimum size or that larger ones might be preferable. Others said they were not large enough. Opinions about space on the closet doors for storing garments that had been used and would be used again before laundering were in the same proportion. About three-fourths thought the space sufficient. In response to the question, "Are there items for which storage is unsatisfactory," items most frequently mentioned were hose and socks, shoes (especially men's), more drawer space for children's folded garments. The responses to questions about provision of bedrooms in the storage-wall laboratory for two children of opposite sex indicated that in a house of this size no truly satisfactory arrangement could be provided. Discussion As a method of evaluation, that done by the 20 homemakers has certain limitations, but unexpected values accrued from it. The evaluators were faced with a rather difficult situation. They were familiar neither with the units nor with the clothing to be stored. In the course of 2 to 3 hours, each was asked to do a task that was physically and mentally trying. They were asked to make decisions in a situation that was not a real one to them. They were told before they started that the things they were doing and their opinions about the storage facilities were needed in the evaluation of the units. However, many of them seemed to think they were taking a test. Such remarks as "I don't know whether I can do it right" were common. Whenever an evaluator made such a statement, she was assured that there was no right or wrong way, but it was useful to know how she would use the units and how she preferred to store garments. In spite of this instruction, some of them may have been trying to give the "right" answer. Many of the unsolicited remarks of these women were very helpful in giving the laboratory workers insight into some of the problems of storage and the methods the homemakers were using to solve them. Because of the value of these remarks, many of which could not be recorded, it was decided to use a tape recorder later in interviewing the mothers of the families who lived in the laboratory. Use-Testing The use-testing phase of the study was expected to have the value of being more intensive than the other phases. The cooperators would have sufficient time to study each facility and to make considered judgments as to the relative values of each. However, the use of so few families as subjects gave a relatively high value to the discrimination and experience of each adult imember. It would be impossible to have a sufficient number of cooperating families to make their judgments representative of those of the population who are interested in using storage walls or other storage units in their own homes. However, acceptance and preference of facilities by these families after having used them would probably be more representative of the attitudes of the general population than the opinions of the workers who were endeavoring to devise acceptable facilities or of people who had not the opportunity of trying them. Certainly use of the facilities should bring out any defects and positive values. Getting users to be aware of these and to communicate their observations clearly to the workers was anticipated as a difficult task. for retaining the locations of the bathroom and kitchen placed certain restrictions on arrangement of the units as partitions and on the size and number of pieces of furniture that could be used. However, the storage units were intended to be used instead of such furniture as dressers, chests, buffet, china cupboard, and desk. This was expected to reduce the total space requirement of the house. The original set of units 4 was arranged as shown in Figure 6. The wall between the children's bedroom and the living room could be shifted toward the living room for a distance of 1 foot to increase the size of the children's room. Doors to the living-room rod unit and the small shelving at the back of unit C limited the distance of the shift. The units had been mounted on platform casters to facilitate shifting them. To stabilize them in desired locations, they were mounted on bases that lifted them just off the floor. The bases were made in two L-shaped parts. The short leg of each L fit the end of the unit; the long leg fit the front or back. Because the bases raised the units very little, it was easy to slide the L's under the units. The first piece was slid under the front of the unit by one worker while another tilted the unit slightly toward the back. The second piece was then put in from the back. For discussion and description of these units see pp. 8-9. [ 22] Units THE LABORATORY The units were arranged in a house known as the storage-wall laboratory. It had outside dimensions 24 X 38 feet, 8 inches, which included a porch 7 feet, 4 inches X 12 feet. The dimensions of the house-and the necessity HEATER PAR ENTS* BEDROOM RE FRI GERATOR KITCHEN RANGE DINING PIARE NTS' DR ES§ ER Qc-l RAC K PORCH UNIT OH ILDR EN'S -TEN INCH DROP LEAF DRESSER UNIT LIVING ROOM PORCH HEATER SCA LE FEET CHILDREN'S BEDROOM 2 4 FIGURE 6. Plan of storage-wall laboratory, original arrangement. Unevenness of the floor required that each unit be leveled with wood wedges. In setting up a row of units, the first unit was placed against the house wall or other stable part. When it was leveled, the second unit was placed against it and leveled. Next, the two units were fastened together with carriage bolts. The next unit was then put in place and the process continued. Sections containing doors had hollow end pieces, which were fastened to the adjoining units with toggle bolts. After a row of units had been mounted, leveled, fastened, and straightened and all the walls forming a room were in place, the top of the row of units was finished with a strip of molding to close the gap between the units and the ceiling. Because of the baseboards and moldings at ceiling level on the permanent wall, a vertical molding was used to close the gap between the end of each row of units and the adjoining permanent wall. Alternate units were designed and constructed to use instead of the parents' rod units, unit C, and the two dresser units. Another unit used instead of the original desk unit had, in addition to desk and book case, some storage space for items used in connection with the kitchen and dining area. Each of the alternate units was constructed on a 2 X 4-foot floor plan except for the three used as dressers and for storing folded items. This group fitted into a 2 X 4-foot floor space; two of them were built with horizontal dimensions I X 2 feet, and the third, 1 X 4 feet. Another unit 1 X 2 X 6 feet high was constructed to use as needed for storage of canned food or other items used in connection with kitchen and dining area. The arrangement using the alternate units is shown in Figure 7. Each alternate unit was built in two separate parts, the lower 6 feet high and the upper section 1 foot 101/2 inches high. This was done for two reasons. It made them easier to handle and the necessity of tilting them was avoided, since they could be brought through the door in an upright position. Because of the need for light and ventilation in the kitchen and dining area, no upper section was used on the desk unit at the laboratory. The alternate units were built with neither corner posts nor framing at top and bottom. However, the rod units each had a fixed shelf above the rod and triangular wood strips glued and nailed along the inside corners where the back and sides met the floor of the unit. These served to brace the unit. This type of structure did not permit attachment of casters. The units were placed directly on the floor. The alternate units had hinged doors with the exception of one rod unit, the lower part of which had sliding doors hung on overhead tracks. Since there was no skeleton framing, the doors came near the top and ends of the unit. Hence molding could not be used near the ceiling and where the units met the permanent walls, except at the back where there were no doors. When these units were installed, strips of wood were fitted in the front at places where moldings were used with the original set of units. The shelf units were equipped with wood cleats / inch in cross-section placed at 1l/-inch intervals on centers. In the unit used in the parents' room, the side intended for the woman's use had a mirror attached to. a shelf about 81 inches above the floor. This shelf could be pulled forward to use as a dressing table. There were shelves above the .mirror and below the dressing table. In the side planned for the man's use, a tilting mirror was mounted on a movable shelf 49 inches above the floor. This self was intended for use as a dresser top. Adjustable shelves were placed below this dresser top. Eventually lamps were placed beside the mirrors in these units. Some of the units had alternate facilities. For example, shelves alternated with trays and two kinds of racks were available for storing the same kind of item. These, with the alternate units, provided the cooperators with choices of facilities among which to express preferences. A listing of the alternate choices is given in the Appendix, page 69. The kitchen cabinets were not designed for this study but were purchased ready to be assembled. Extra shelves were cut and added to the wall cabinets as needed. To make a cupboard for hanging pans, a shelf was removed fromn a base unit. A slide-out pot rack was installed at the top, and hooks were added to the sides of this unit. Lid racks were made for the doors. Hooks and racks for spices and for towels were installed at other places in the cabinets. To allow access to the water heater and to give a work surface with knee room, a counter top with no cabinet beneath was placed in front of the water heater. To provide space for storing 25 pounds of flour, a large canister was placed on a caster dolly that was rolled under this counter. For general views of the kitchen see Figure 8A and B. Furnishings The furnishings were simple and in scale with the small size of the house. The dining area was furnished with an oak table and four chairs. Living-room furniture consisted of two divans, a corner table, and two easy chairs. To save space, wall lamps were used instead of floor and table lamps. A fiber rug was used. Views of one end of the living room are shown in Figure 8C and D. The parents' room was furnished with a double bed, Figure 9. The children's room had two small cots, Figure 10. Plastic mattress covers, cotton mattress pads, feather pillows, and cotton bedspreads were supplied for the beds. Small cotton chenille throw rugs were furnished for the parents' bedroom and a fiber rug like that in the living room was used for the children's bedroom. Draperies in all rooms except the kitchen were hand drawn and were used instead of shades. Appliances Kitchen appliances: consisted of a standard model electric range, and a 10-cubic-foot refrigerator. Also in a corner of the kitchen was a table-top water heater. The semi-automatic washing machine was equipped with casters. It was used at the kitchen sink. A hose with faucet adapter was used for filling it. A pump drained it through a hose that hooked over the sink. A tank vacuum cleaner was also supplied. Heating Equipment The propane gas heater was: located in the living room in order to effectively distribute the heat in the house. Having it in the living room was not desirable from the standpoint of furniture arrangement, since it interfered with use of other furniture in the corner where it was located. [241 Pr~A-PENTS' BED POOM KITCH~EN PANC7E CLEANING DINING cJI PORCH UNIT UNITS TOY SCR~EENED POP&Z-H SCALE FEET LIVING ROOM CHILDREN 'S BEDROOM 2 4 FIGURE 7. Plan of storage-wall laboratory., alternate arrangement. 44. it 44' ~ 044*4 * 4 - I or I wrc C, "7 0 '4 itt' 41 1 2 41B 2 I 4; I' tA - i FIGURE 8. Kitchen as seen from dining area: (A) left end of U; (B) center of U, rear of range in the foreground. End of the living room; (C) the divan corner; and (D) the desk at the right of divans helped to screen kitchen from living room. r 1HIi *s 1," FIGURE 9. Gcncral views of parents bedroom: (A) from door, and (B! toword door to back hall ond kitchen. tI L i' I ii '1 PI Iq ........ i ir; I i B1 o ;-l*"C~ - a I IR: t-1UuL3 I U. ojcnroI or U,,Iircn s ocroom from door: A, to left, and (B) to right of door. [:27] PLAN FOR EVALUATION Purposes The general purposes of use-testing were to find how the units functioned in use by a family, and to estimate their acceptability. More specific purposes were to learn: 1. Whether each unit had dimensions suited to the purpose(s) for which it was designed. 2. Acceptance and preference of these families for various facilities for storing items. 8. How well the units and facilities operated mechanically or could be made to operate in daily use. 4. How well the units functioned as substitutes for furniture. 5. How well the units functioned as sound barriers and otherwise as substitutes for walls. 6. Whether units were adaptable to the needs of the family at various stages of the life cycle. (This could be done only to a limited extent.) 7. Whether units were adaptable to seasonal requirements of the families. 8. The values of movability and of modular dimensions. 9. The relation of house design to the functional qualities connected with movability. 10. Any problems connected with movability. 11. What items for which storage was not provided in the units were owned by the families. when a qualified family willing to cooperate in the study was found, their home had to have a large enough space for placing and using the units, and a floor plan that permitted the units to be moved to this space. This requirement was a factor that could and did prevent participation of an otherwise qualified family. Also, distance from the storage wall laboratory was a practical consideration. On the other hand, composition of the family, age of its members, and storage of furniture and appliances were not limiting factors to the extent that they were in the case of selecting families to live in the laboratory. Program Before each family moved into the laboratory, the homemaker was given general information about the purposes of the study and plans for accomplishing them. She was shown the units, told the intended uses of each, and how to adjust the movable parts. When the family moved in, they were permitted to store their possessions as they chose within the limits of the general plan. The parents' clothing other than wraps was to be stored in the parents' bedroom and children's clothing in the children's bedroom. They were not required to use the living room and back porch rod units for wraps at first unless they wished to do so. It was suggested that they use such units as bed clothes unit, bathroom unit, desk, and cleaning closet for storing the items for which they were intended, plus any other items for which there was no special storage unit. Soon after the family had moved in, the project leader visited them to help with any problems that might have arisen in connection with orientation to the house, units, and appliances. At that time the homemaker was told what kind of observations she and other family members should make and report about the units. Alternate facilities or units for storage were available for nearly all items except kitchen and dining room utensils 7 and supplies, and cleaning equipment. When each family moved into the laboratory, a calendar of changes was made by laboratory workers. This calendar was not the same for all families. It was planned to require a minimum of changes in the walls. It also depended on family make-up, since some facilities were used alternately by different family members. The calendar was not always followed to the letter, but it served as a framework for planning. When trays were being tried for bathroom linens, shelves or drawers might be needed for storing bed linens. When one family member was using a certain shoe rack, it could not be used at the same time by another family member. In order to get a small child to express a choice between shoe racks, two kinds might be made available to the child at the same time. When the original units were being used in the laboratory, their counterparts in alterniate units were sometimes being used in a home and vice versa. Working out the calendar was necessary because the exchanges had to be made both within the laboratory and between the laboratory and the home in which the units were being evaluated. Units were planned as alternates to the desk and to those in the wall between the bedrooms. It was antici7For a list of alternate units and facilities, see Appendix, page 69. Criteria for Selecting Families It was considered desirable to have for cooperators families that would fulfill the eligibility requirements used in the regional housing study. 5 However, when families were selected to live in the laboratory, owner-operator farm families were of necessity excluded. Therefore, families in which one or both of the parents had previous farm experience and were Southerners were selected. In order to evaluate the children's units, it was considered desirable that the families have a boy and a girl. However, there were only two bedrooms. For this reason, and because the children's bedroom was quite small, it was necessary to stipulate that the older child should not be more than 10 years of age, and to seek families with two children of age-sex combinations that would make it possible for them to occupy the same room with a reasonable degree of accord. Besides the qualifications of residence, farm experience, and family composition, other requirements were inherent in the situation. The family needed to have a car or some means of transportation, since the laboratory was located 8 miles from town and no public transportation other than school bus service was available. They had to be without furniture or to provide some means of storing their furniture and large appliances. 6 They had to be willing to bring all their personal and household items requiring storage to the laboratory. The mother needed to be a full-time homemaker. When cooperators were selected to use units in their own homes, owner-operator families were not necessarily excluded. On the contrary, they were sought. However, See footnote, page 16. were allowed to bring such items as freezer, sewing machine, and television set to the laboratory. 6 6They [28] TABLE 14. CALENDAR OF EVALUATION OF UNITS BY FAMILIES Original set Dates 1- 7-56 1- 7-57 4-15-57 10-26-57 10-26-57 10- 5-59 10- 5-59 3- 1-60 6-22-60 11-30-60 1 Alternate set Units Dates Family Location Units Family Ir-- --- In Location I II Laboratory Laboratory Home All All Rod (adult) Rod (child)1 Desk Dresser (adult) All Rod (adult) Rod (child) 8-29-57 10-26-57 10-26-57 4-15-58 5- 1-58 11- 1-58 6- 1-59 10- 5-59 10- 5-59 6-22-60 II Home Laboratory Rod (adult) Dresser (adult) Desk All III IV Laboratory Laboratory All All Rod (adult) Rod (child) Dresser (adult) Dresser (child) IV Laboratory Home V Home Added 10-27-58 Voluntary comments offered by the homemaker were assumed to be of greater importance to her than those given in response to a question. However, some homemakers seemed more aware than others of functional values of the units, comparative usefulness of facilities, and reactions of other family members. Some of them prepared lists of comments to offer at interviews. Others had to be questioned to evoke their reactions. After a homemaker had volunteered her comments, she was questioned as necessary to bring out other aspects of the situation. When approval, disapproval, or preference was expressed, the reason for it was always sought. When an evaluation was rather general, such as "My husband likes this unit," the part or attribute that was liked was discovered, if possible. When disapproval was expressed, or when improvements were suggested, an attempt at improvement was made whenever it seemed appropriate and practical. Bases for expressions of preference were provided by having the cooperators use alternate units and alternate facilities. A list of those offered is given in the Appendix, page 69. Other items discussed at interviews were: (a) relation of each unit to general traffic patterns and to use of other units, (b) method of using units and facilities, and (c) changes in use of units and facilities. Inventories were taken: 1. As soon as the homemaker considered she had the items in the units arranged to her satisfaction after moving into the laboratory. 2. Before exchanging units. 3. After exchanging units and rearranging items satisfactorily. 4. Just before moving away. 5. At other times when change of season had caused considerable change in arrangement of stored items. The inventories were considered useful for: 1. Indicating what items the families wanted to store or were willing to store in each location. 2. Indicating what combinations of items were acceptable for storing together. 3. Showing seasonal variations in storage requirements. 4. Indicating how much the families would crowd the various items. [29] pated that each set would be used for 6 months by each family. The alternate set was not ready in time to be used in the laboratory by Family I, but this family used three units of that set in their own home. Family III terminated their residence after 6 months, and did not use the units of the original set. Family IV terminated their residence after 9 months, but made their plans known in time to permit the use of the two sets for approximately equal periods. The schedule of use of these units is given in Table 14. Obtaining Data Methods of obtaining data were: (a) interviews and other communications with the homemaker, (b) complete inventories of the items stored in each unit and in the kitchen cabinets, (c) photographs of the units in use, and of other items and situations that had a bearing on use and adequacy of the units, and (d) observations made by laboratory workers. Interviews were tape recorded. The typed transcriptions served as records of the interviews, which included assignments to the homemaker as well as her reports on the units. In reporting on units, the homemaker gave her own reactions and those of other family members. These included the following: 1. Expressions of approval or disapproval of units, parts of units, or facilities. 2. Expressions of preference between (or among) units or facilities used for the same purpose. 3. Suggestions for improvement of units or facilities. 4. Comments on various general aspects of units such as a. Units as substitutes for furniture, b. Units as substitutes for walls, c. Items for which storage in units was lacking or inadequate. When interviews were made, the homemaker was first asked to comment on the units and to report comments made by other family members. In the case of children too young to make pertinent comments, the mother was asked to observe how well the unit was serving the needs of the child, whether the child could reach items that the mother wished to have available, and how consistently and well the child put away clothing and other items. TABLE 15. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON FAMILIES THAT EVALUATED STORAGE WALLS Item 1/7/56-1/7/57' I Resident families and dates of evaluation III II 5/1/58-11/1/58 4/15/57-4/15/58 Alabama Lifetime 32 3 Non-resident family IV 6/1/59-3/1/60 V 10/26/57-11/30/60 Husband Birthplace . Years in South_ Years on farm EducationPresent occupation Wife Birthplace-. Years in South Years on farm EducationYears of homemaking_ Child, first 6 Age Sex Child, second 6 Age Sex Previous storage space Number closets Total rod length Number drawer units_ Total number drawers S. Carolina Lifetime 13 High school Labor dairy dept. See below' 12 5 2 yr. college 8 6 Male 3 Female 2 7 Iowa Eleventh grade Labor beef unit Alabama Lifetime None Eleventh grade 12 10 Female 3 Female 2 10' 7 6 18 College ETV ProducerDirector Alabama Lifetime None 5 College 5 4 Female 21/ Male 6 25' 6" 3 Alabama 28 28 3 yr. college File clerk Alabama 26 26 31/2 yr. college 2 Female Alabama Lifetime Lifetime College Farmer Alabama Lifetime 6 College 8 6 Female 4 Female 2 2 7 19 4' 1 5 'This family also evaluated a 4-foot rod unit, the 4-foot shelf unit, and the 4-foot desk unit in their own home from 3/29/57 to 10/26/57. 2 This family had had a cow, chickens, and large garden, which they continued having while living in the laboratory. 3 Lived on grandfather's farm, and helped with the work but had occupation other than farming. SFather was an engineer connected with the Army. Family lived "all over U.S. and Territories." SParents always had a cow and chickens, and a large garden once. 6 At beginning of evaluation period. ' Less than that provided at the laboratory. 5. Indicating the quantity of each type of item owned by families. 6. Suggesting problems for discussion at interviews. Photographs of units in use constituted a record not only of items stored, but of method of storage. They had an advantage over inventories in that they were more qualitative; for example, an inventory of a rod unit might include 10 dresses, but a photograph gave an idea of the style, material, and size of each dress, how crowded they were, and whether they interfered with storage of other clothing. Photographs of rod and shelf units were much more useful than those of drawer units. Photographs of children using units helped to show how well children of various ages could reach facilities and how size and conformation of garments operated in context with size and reach of the owner of the garments. They also indicated how the children were using the units. Other photographs were taken to show the general appearance of the units, members of cooperating families, use and appearance of various areas of the house, use of various facilities, and items for which storage was not provided in the units. Observations were made by laboratory workers when they visited the laboratory to conduct interviews or make photographs. Items noted were problems in use of units, methods of storage, things not stored, and other pertinent details. Occasionally these observations suggested topics for discussion at interviews or served to clarify comments made by the cooperators. Analysis of Data Data were analyzed by storage units and by parts of units. However, in the case of clothing storage, use of space in one unit sometimes released space in another, and use of a unit by one occupant of a room affected the space available to the other occupant. Thus, there were limitations on analysis by units. For purposes of analyzing, certain categories were used and terms defined. A glossary of these is included in the Appendix, page 69. Data from each cooperator were analyzed as soon as possible after they were obtained. After these analyses were completed, information for each unit or group of units was combined. The Families Five families participated in this phase of the study. As indicated in Table 14, Family I participated both in the laboratory and in their home; Families II, III, and IV participated in the laboratory only; and Family V participated in their home only. General information about the families is given in Table 15. Other information pertinent to this study follows. Family I had been living in a 2-room apartment. They had kept their possessions to a minimum. Large items brought to the laboratory were: television set, tablet arm chair for boy, and table and chairs for eating on back porch. The table was brought into the bedroom in winter and house plants placed on it. While living at the laboratory, this family planted, cultivated, and harvested a gar- [80] den, did little food preservation. The mother did some sewing. Family II had lived in a 6-room house where they used one room for storage. They were inclined to collect things for future use. Large items brought to the laboratory were: television set, large freezer (chest), sewing machine, older daughter's desk, and several large items of play equipment. While living at the laboratory this family raised a large garden, and kept a cow and chickens. The homemaker canned and froze a great deal of food, did a great deal of sewing. Family III had lived in a house with more storage space than they needed. They were inclined to get rid of items for which they had no immediate use. Large items brought to the laboratory were: large console with controls for television set and record player, upright freezer, sewing machine, several rather large toys and play equipment, table and chairs for outdoor use, and lawn mower. They raised a garden and froze a small amount of food. The mother did some sewing. Family IV had only one child. The mother was a home economics student. She had agreed to carry a small academic load in order to cooperate in the study, but found this not in keeping with her long-range plans. She had a maid to care for the child for a while, later she put the child in a nursery school during the time she went to classes and library. The University requirements made substantial demands on her time which competed with observations and interviews. This family had relatively few items for storage as well as only three members. Large items brought to the laboratory included television set, rocking chair, bedside table, and child's bed. During their residence they had a garden. The homemaker did a small amount of food preservation and a little sewing. Family V evaluated some of the units in their own farm home. The homemaker in this family was a college graduate with a major in home economics. Besides the parents and two daughters who used the rod and dresser units, the family included a boy 5 years of age, a baby, the husTABLE band's mother, and a young woman who was living with the family while she attended college. This family was able to evaluate the units because their home was large enough and so arranged that the units could be moved in easily. They were quite willing to participate in the evaluation because they needed more storage space, and the units helped provide it. RESULTS Woman's Rod Units Rod length. The most objective evaluation of rod length was that obtained by applying the rod space requirements of individual garments to the inventories of garments on the rod reported by cooperating families, and comparing the estimated requirement with the available rod length in each case. This information is given in Table 16. As soon as a homemaker became aware of a crowded situation in her bedroom rod unit, she usually began to remove garments that were not often used or were out of season and to store them in less crowded places, usually in the living room rod unit. In spite of this, the 3-foot rod unit was always crowded and the 4-foot unit crowded for about half of the inventories reported stored in it. Also about half of all inventories reported in Table 16 would have crowded the 4-foot rod unit. The comments of the homemakers reported in Table 16 indicate that they were not especially critical of the rod space. It was evident to laboratory workers that the women often based their estimates of crowdedness on the conditions of their most recent previous storage space; that is, when one moved her garments from, a small rod space to a larger one, she tended to say she had plenty of space at least for a while. However, when the move was from a larger to a smaller unit, she was more likely to say that the rod was crowded. Table 16 reports use of rod units by women only; in addition Homemaker V and her husband used one 8-foot unit together. She reported it as satisfactory for storing their best clothes including wraps in winter. In summer she OF INVENTORIES REPORTED 16. WOMAN'S ROD UNIT-ESTIMATES OF ROD LENGTH REQUIREMENTS Family 1 . Duration of use Months Days Three-foot unit (34-inch rod length) I 6 I 4 10 I 11 6 II 10 II 2 14 6 2 II IV 8 21 Estimated rod length reauirement Inches 57 45 Excess requirement over length Inches 23 Comments by homemaker 40 40 62 11 6 6 28 22 5 4 8 0 Plenty of space. Crowded. Crowded. No complaints. (Used 15 in. rod length in unit C also.) Crowded. Still crowded. 56 39 IV 4 28 88 Four-foot units (46-inch rod length) II 2 4 54 46 II 5 63 26 III 68 3 28 III 49 18 IV 46 IV 8 16 'Based on requirements for individual garments as given University Agr. Expt. Sta. Bul. 825. Winter garments heavy, crowd rod. Full. Comfortably full, more would crowd it. No complaints. Might use a little more rod length. Somewhat full. Rod space fine, would hold more. 15 22 3 0 Rod length all right. in Rod Closets for Southern Farm Homes, Table 2, page 44, Auburn Wil AJ FIGURE 1I1. Three-toot rod units Used for sitorog winter; (B) Homemaker 11, sur n mer c of v/omon Ix garments: A Homemoker (C) Homemaker IV, winter. 1, iid out of scalsonl (oainl'iits ('c ilthici aind saitd the unit dlid lint st'iiO croxxd(ed. After using tile 4-foot uit, sbt', said ste lhati not realizedi thieilidit ildi of the smaller untit. Site stol et inl 4-loot imit 1)0th Stilli the (lafit ( i 0l x N , elav garmIlents toi twoI iillidlig spiilt Coats hut nto hoaxl~x xxralS. All cooper'iatiirs \\]ho tie bo(hith pirefecrred the lonlger rod lcngth of the 4-foot uiiit. fhis ilcluidls IHomema'iiker 1I whoii used at 4 loot iiiit inl her hoine for ]li- husbland's clothingr aiit soicl of herI iixx. Hiiiieimakei III iistt ioil]\ 4-to iiii ts, but site icpoiiitedl iieii ( ioiic riid silt( thau this, adtluough shec saidI s ) ita ueiita slum tei' rod leiigth finr ]er- ct'hilli4 ill 1101- (lxxii hliri. 110d iiiiitS for' St~i(ii tile iiiiitlirS' Cilluili~ ii] C SliOxx I f iii Figurets 11 iuth 12. stoired thir Cii~is il('l 5 ( a-inililits to theuro 1col(igtli, Luid eicon-uiited oi( i1 g1reat dcal. lt'ngtiio utillit xx'its Hoimmaker Ill said theiset' oits wxere (otit s deep ats site wxas usced to aid that tilt cloiij some)n(times xwas caughlt (i fte shdclng doors. Shi neiltiiiiedi at the( final it little deepeitr. Hoimemi~aker IN' sid silt' woul l011ike' tile. fin rod( iiiits to leit' lit tle deepe~tr. in Fiue 12C, the plettiof thi(10( fur gireate'r de'pthl. 2oalt is Lot1exalet Rod height. xwithl llitlcs tio priox ite fir Thet rods xxere suppoiritted byx tiiti bloclks thirtet heigh~ts. iTese he'ights Decpth of uniit. No xvariationi iii depth xxas pl~ii ed, hecauise the' units had to 11ejoiiiicd tio imake xxails. liox ocr, I slidliil dioor units had sligllitix less ax\ailalc depth licaiisc the doors xx c ciiitaiicd xxifuiiithe (iiit. Fi'ailx I useti the 4 loot uiiit xwithi slidiiig (ois5itll tir (\\xo hoiii just alter tile iiit \x ats ciioipleted1. 'I'luc hliiiii maker si ti the door1) mlbe 1101 wain st co at sleevex s. lii x esgatiolli showxxed the rod( ciitere o'ii thc dethtl of fluc, I xxhoie unit rathecr thii the depthtii (isitle dois After ile tiic r(1d xxas centcircd propjely wxxith icier (cc to thie usillie iiixide dep' ifill elilt. tile hlrciliiker saidl thle (10(11 gax c' u 1 tih liflier ti illilic. iii tiistiissiilg it ifll ooks oil Iiiiigcel diiorx of thle (((( un it. Homlemnaker I sauid item oil th) (ioolr pr essed( agiiiist ~e cl1othe o5 the rod. A t ainiother0 time xwh en sit cxa asked'( l i if flu, :3 loot closet wxas deep ciiougil site silit slit' diit hu know, bumt it xxit noS(ht huog ci~igl). T his is all examiiple ol all apparteit t('uidellc no(t toiisuss prolemsio fir xx liei tihtre xx-,ax no soluion~. s IHiomlemiakersxcould adjuost fte noiml Iiilill tilte fliiii iof tilt' loult) xxmt, fir tile' foot lunit .. ) 3 58, alit 6'1 itiche; fo)1 4-foot unit. 51, 5-1, and 57 inithets. Til' hiii 2 kt'i wxas til bef21ort'e ix oin 4 to ft' I ahiliatorv that site shoiuld chioose thit height thlat sce-ild( hest. \Vht'i floor or xxall i ucks xxere lise't, tile l'ohing onl tile ill xxerte ((lt aiiuix theltshioc iLicks. T[his sitioafionl is shilx( I ifs jlriu'ii plce 1 11(1itii iil 1 i2. rode iT ilhe conil~tit of theno to thgne 1111) iiiig soi th ti rthe ore l\ aiixtd hec\-tsfeuct l t tlt'ng ,y~lcrti l1 it x i r lent sof oil iig xaxsllet rt's ts i'to tbe th o i lack. ll ho (4 tI igtistat t'i xtll ut iuThi wtt'th oic ofig i 1113 ix tometaieix Ito trx all ied ehtliv ")-oo uits.x tit' 101e iiitlhiglofterdb [ 32 1 Shoe storage. Some s1hoe racks heldi only three pairs of sh ioes. '1'l hiomemnakers tendtedl to Own nloire shoest' ti ll i tlle other,] finjix mieilel 5. so n1iaii ini fact that chioce of, x ot' rack sct' ct to be in aldc il th bas1 of xxi je is \,its lilre en'ough to hold the shoes. The Otte that hold the lii gest liinhicr of shoes (ninle pairs) witas pret ci cd bv thive ho(menmakers. This %viic loot)i floo l ack xt( red the shot's molt' comipactly than racks that 1hol( slios illi aminre ,I1le siiall shlvsillinunit C xx c piefci let for storingT sihoes 1)x il \iHomemaker 11 and giv en second prei'cience hx 11(11(icina ker 1. 1These shcelx werxcie inoit ax ai iaIde to Ho memake~c] ill. Belt storage. Stiorage of 1bel ts x\ axsi ecoi i id axs pi01) at 1cm oilx l~x Iv Homeimaker 11, wxho had at litige ililidor. The three hooks oii the dlooi, xxich had oxo id atieijiatc stor age f'or tihe llelts of Hoineiakei 1, did not loginl to piixide einoigh storage for tinose of I oiieniaker 11. After xli' hoad tried ]looks, nadls, a rointl ait tic ilack xxith xxx ixcfi cliii hii gers 00l the (loot- i oinwein ak i It deecded xh e liked th e rxx of natils hest. She al so iiceded at rod( abo0ut a loot beilow ixxa ix oIt these hang(ers to pi cx cot thel' bel tx iicar tile edge (If the dloot- firintxx ig-ili (ilot atid pitx tnt iii thle (11111fnoin clo~sin g. The belts xwere sli pped iii (dcl till intl. Aftei Flinmakel 11 tie ita pull out tic rack aind 1 nails oii the end (If at tiit. she salt xht' titi it'tl stolr ing lbeltx ii the door. She did not like the pull-oit iack. Toi I loiiaker Ill hreight ofi stoil ge xt'tmtll illi t in)piiitlit tllilty pe oIf stillrage. She xx iilted the hctt ilbii5 Shelvxin g. A ii ii n is atljiistal itsh1elf xxas pl acetda ixoe t thle r-ca r iif the iiiiit to iut ii ie 5111 c tif the space that xxas ixaiilablce iti the mitle antd lixxest roit atdjust ments xxere useti. It xxas iiot ilactical to use xxleuiite rod xx',is at ft(, h igl ext atlji stinlci it. 'Thuns, it sinittiiits lht' Caime t t'actii iii d'rtwghx ethler to uise the high i rod a~djuxtint'iit. Sllulltilues iiif-it'ititl uisetd items xxcit xtiiitet 1111 exeli x it ie tiite lrot adjustment xxax uised. H omic high oiakci 11 xxanit't to stoie t'iiimerxxear onl this shelf xx beii the rod( \x s high. bit hat 1 to gTixe it lip. Othei itemls storeti on thIis slol Ii lI IcII Itltl p tII sex, hIats. I irlts. gi mo til iigcis ll all ili 1. A\t tiiits tis SlIt xxax not used. Also the -1-fiiit i od units tci th a ful it/i s/ic/f 22 niics thetI alios ttheioit. It xwiax 62 iiiches aiiiix the t'lllh ro i v fo trs.sm used 4iit l' uiiiit pi its xxc liirli hd 'it iotwnat hined tiii her r tt1~ sfl-1lit ingts (alls tt'Hiuss t t' htols e~ igt iAi51 toe l ht eins t'.im itd it'i xxl mid gix IN tltiiel~ t t' txxs edi th ie: o slil iil i out ofniti tliiiiiin striitg purseslirol tfior Ilict its.iii5x t' ltits iitiiis Allrs tlit Thf oneiiiu riuii'diat ithed hingetd u it tht' thou s, thsoi'l tdiiirs. t-otil ilig tle limekse feti'stliig chitel o doost'iii haiigiiig bits fill] length oil1 thet (111111 all)it] illmic ct that inhost' Ii the oiuter edge (If the (ti iintetit'tl iilrod i)t'iati tai' the haiigers to keelp the belts ill place. tiits so tit i se c ixihe t1 two K d t'1is ofa lamtiitoimil suc av iigtx pei' ntd sis. u, it(''lvlvr low i' [ rdo unit, il heiomeereIll, summern (C) miltaer IV, summer.ihtos piru slidin f h -f -doorHoe uis l:fte3:3acr rfirdtehiirddor.Te FIGURE 12. Four-foot rod units used for storage of woman's garments: tA) sliding door unit, Homemaker 11, foil; (13) hinged- important to most of them was the fact that hinged doors made items on the rod more accessible and visible. One, who had a great many garments to store on the rod, declared that the unit with sliding doors did not hold as many garments as the one with swinging doors. Another said that the doors should slide into the wall instead of overlapping when open. Also it was noted by two homemakers that the doors used some of the depth of the unit, making it too shallow for wider garments. One homemaker said that she had a tendency to leave the sliding doors open, because having them open did not interfere with traffic. It may be that the sliding doors were more of a problem because of limitations of the length and depth of the units. However, the problem of the doors seemed to be extremely important to these women. They recognized the values of sliding doors, but believed that the disadvantages by far surpassed the advantages. Homemaker II said repeatedly that she would like to store more shirts and work pants on hangers. When the 4-foot unit was in use, she did not do this, but she may have thought that there was not enough space to hang all of any one kind. While using the 3-foot units, Homemaker IV kept her husband's short-sleeved sport shirts on the rod all winter because there was room. All the homemakers except Homemaker IV preferred the 4-foot unit for the man's use. Homemaker III thought her husband needed even more space than that provided by the 4-foot unit. Except for Homemaker III, each indicated that she needed more rod space than her husband. The 3-foot rod units as used by husbands are shown in Figure 13,, the 4-foot rod units in Figure 14. the Depth of unit. Not much was said about depth. Husband III hung a great many used garments on the door. It was noted by the homemaker that when the door was closed the garments on the rod were pushed back by the ones on the door. A problem of depth is shown in Figure 14D, where garments are touching the sliding door and the short sleeves of sport shirts are pressed against the next shirt. A similar effect is shown in Figure 13B and C. The garments were often crowded against the doors, but the users seldom mentioned it. Rod height. Essential considerations in determining height for the man's rod were length of robe (if one was owned), whether trousers were hung full length or over the hanger, and length of trousers if hung full length. The problem of a long robe over shoes is shown in Figure 14A. Since long coats (if owned) were stored elsewhere, they did not have to be considered. Choice was sometimes based on height of rod previously used, most families having had relatively higher rods. Two families had previously stored large boxes of little-used items on the floor under garments on the rod. One seemed to wish to continue this practice even though other storage spaces were available. Often the rod was used at whatever OF INVENTORIES REPORTED Man's Rod Units Since each husband's reactions to this unit were relayed through the homemaker and perhaps some of the husbands were not greatly concerned about the units, there is less to report about the man's unit. Also the opinions of the husband may have been slightly modified by the wife when she reported them to the investigator. Rod length. Rod length requirements as estimated from inventories reported for husbands are given in Table 17. Analysis of the inventories showed that the larger ones included both winter and summer clothing, the smaller did not. Homemakers usually moved out-of-season clothing to the living room rod unit or stored it folded. However, Husband III did have more clothing stored on hangers than the others, even when his out-of-season garments were stored in other places. One reason for this was that all of his woven shirts, except a few that he never used, were stored on hangers. Also he stored all of his pants and outer shorts on hangers. TABLE 17. MAN'S ROD UNIT-ESTIMATES OF ROD LENGTH REQUIREMENTS Estimated Family Duration of use rod length requirement' Excess requirement over length Comments by homemaker Months Days Three-foot unit (34-inch rod length) I 7 11 .I 6 II 7 II 11 II 29 IV 7 28 IV Four-foot unit (46-inch rod length) II 2 4 II 5 13 26 III 28 III IV 18 IV 16 Inches 512 39 41 31 474 48 46 Inches 17 5 Satisfactory. Fairly crowded. Adequate. Had been removing out-of-season garments. Was using multiple hangers for pants. 7 13 14 12 84 36 95 69 42 41 49 23 Clothes crammed together; needs more space. Based on requirements for individual garments as given in Rod Closets for Southern Farm Homes, Auburn University Agr. Expt. Stae Bul. 825. 2 Both winter and summer garments stored. Removal of unused items would reduce to 38 inches. Rod lacks 3 inches of being full. SAlthough multiple hangers were in use, requirement is calculated on basis of individual hangers. [34 ] Bv FIGURE 13. Three-foot rod unit used for storage of man's garments: (A) Husband winter; (B) Husband 11, summer; (C) Husband IV, winter. 1, height it happened to 1)e until some probllemn arose. Ioi some instances, the P0o1 X5as (ropped to at lo\s cr lev el inl 01rder to take ads antage ot the small shelf ahlos e and he1hind( the irod for storing frequently used folded garimen ts. Usuialls the loss est adjustment ini the 3-foot tiniits or tile riddlie a1jlstinnt in the 4-foot units xx0111( not have lbeei tool losv to use for these mnen's clothing. Higher adiostinenits 55ere sometimes used. ThelrC sceemied to he no special pref'eice for height. Shoe storage. The small shelsves in unit C ss ere too small for men's shoes and xxere not ev aluated by men. A similari p)roblemi existed xxitli relatin to tile slanted xx 00( rack. It Nvas made to fit algainst the end of the unit. Beeaiuse of limitationis of the depth (If the unit it held 91/ pairs of loeos shoes. One of' the men preferired it ovei xx ne Iracks blecau~se he( (lid not ss ~ait tol take the troulie tol fit thle shoes over the xxire lops. In fact, it appeared that he ss Iuld he satisfied ssith no( rack. The other mren preferred xx ile racks. One (If them chose the xxire lack that fastened tol the xxall hecauise it took less space and accommodated his thlee pafirs of shoes. The rack that stood on the flooi xwas cholsen 1)" tssoin ell xxho thought it easier to reach. Thes did not need all of the loops since it held 6i pirsi. One of the men xxho found hie could( not stoic his high-topped shoes on the xxire rack used the xxood rack. Belt storage. Storage of belts xxas not mulch of a 15(01) 1cmr ats these men (lid not hasve many. The greatest ionm her reported xxas five. Other s repoirted from ole tol tillee helts. The most satisfactors method of stor age 1fo1 helts xxitm tongue huickles xxas to hang them byN the butckle on hooks, natils, or 111 the tie anod belt rack. , hey could Iilt [ 3 5] he folded (15 r at wxire rod. These racks, hooks, and nails fo~r b~elts and ties xxeire locatted on the iniside of hinged dooirs or ini the end of1 om~its xxitli sliding (11101. Tie storage. Tihe nuimber (If ties (155ned inifluenced choice iof rack. The txxo (i en ssho oss ned the largest nuimbei (:32 and 33 ties) liked the purchased irack that wvas fastened to the closet door. One xxho had a less (6 or 7 ties) liked the expaoding tie 1rack that wxas attached to thle end of' the unit. It held lesser ties, hut could( he pushed baclk (o(t of' the \Xity. The (other 1)5.111 (lid not expr ess at Choice hut did Complain that his tics fell o1ff tile larger rI lck. A xxii e 1(od 5505s p~laced blo~I5 tile rack so) that lie could slip the ties ildel it, buli e dhid ioot uise this 111(. 01ne of the mn. wxho littei cholse the larger rack, used the 1iliils that svere flIlt 10 the( (lollr foi thle xxomanris saidl thley vc re it]] rigrht foi sto~rin~g ties. belts. He Shelving over rod. A gireat dlifference xx as noted amonig hlushands1 in their use o~f the shelving ovei the rodl. Most ofl them usedl it for emp~ty ing pockets and for sim-ilal mnisceillil cons purpos)11es. 1-oss ever , oioe homemaker xxIo irlst tilled tfhe 3-foot i od units \\as placing her hiushamnds xxhite shurts its the\, camle fI om- the Lannodrx on the smlll shelf ovei the rod, Figure 1 313. 111 the top) section lot thle lillit, she( stoired his pajamas, Suindaiy shiirts, wxor1k shirts, anld xx(lik pants ats x elI ats some Ilut-lOf seaso~o elothIlig. 'When sise xx as tisii g the 4-foot uliits iod hlad a gr eat (leal oIf space in time shelf unit, she still used the ro1( init shles( fo1 xx(Iik palnts, xxIk jackets, (iudelshirts, xx(rk sliits, ilnd xxhite shir ts. She saidl he liked to havxe alll of ils clothing ill loe plice. lils cxer, she xxais ti sing to find( shell spae for sess iog aind meiiding items aond ti i choice ily axllve K7--. 1r V -. n ii i II1 I II ~ , i i i FIGURE 14. Four-foot rod unit for man's garment storage: (A) sliding-door unit, Husband I (few of wife's items at left), fall; (B) hinged-door unit, Husband II, fall; (C) hinged-door unit, Husband IV, summer; (D) sliding-door unit, Husband III, summer. [36] been a part of a pin to shift things ab~out to prov ide such space. Onl the wxhole it seemed that wxhen space was at a premnium. the shelving xxas fully uised. When there w xas plentx\ of space, the shelv ing wxas either unused or used as at sort of catch-all tor incidentials, such as extra haiigeis, clothes b~rush, items from pockets, andl things forilch noi other place could lbe founid. Doors. Three mnen preferred hinged door s rather than sliding doors5. lie fourth pr efer red sliding clouis. His xx thought it xvas because he ohjected to so many doors ife stan din g open and iii the wxaxy.Other s seemed to recogize the space-saving( feature of sliding (1o))rs,c xven though they disliked them hecauise of poor accessibilitx to the unit. Children's Rod Units iinits. S in ce the ch il drn aiedina(Tes fromi 2 to as the heigh ts of i od and other facilities we re adjusted to their needs. These children had all been tusilig riods at adult height. Except for the oldest line, thex, had not participated inl the use of rods fior hanging clothes. Rod length. TI e chiild ren usedl only :3-foot 1(o( Rod lencgth reupliiirments as estimated frm fi ) children aire gixe ciii Tahble 18S. The twxo boxys r equired less rod space thaii the gilIs. Factoirs other than sex max have b een responsible to soime extent for this dliffeirence. Rod units used bx biiys are shoxxni in Figure t5. The mother of the 2i 2 x car old boy indicated that she dlid mit have x'erv inanx clothes fill himl because hie x\,as gfroxving apidlx . This familx lixved at the Ilaboiratoryx from \ ax I thronugh N oxem 1 cr 1. Moi st oif the time the xveather xxas (Iilite \\,arm and the child xwoire verv little. Also it appeared that the mothier wxas placing a~s fexx garments as possible on the 11od because she thought the child xxould take them dowxxn to play xxith them. Even though his jackets xxcrc stored onl the rold the estimated rod length eliiremnent for this boy ranged fr om 12 to 1.5 inches. The 6 cear-old boy requiiredl greater rod length. At first hie reqIimed onily 15 inches. Hoxxexer, aifter his mother found hanugeis enoughb to hanga his shir ts, hie used moilre space, but there wxas still eioiugh rod space to hang his xvraps in this unit. His mother preferrIedl haxving them there. DurIing the summer, xxraps wxere iem-iovcd from his tinit. lin her final evaluatiiin, his mnother said she thought a little boxy's riid unit shoiuld be longer, since mrany boys xvotild have mnoie clothes. Rod units in rise by preschoiil girls are shoxvn in Figure 16A, B3, and C, those in uise by girls of elemeuitai v schoiil age iii Figure 16D aiid E. Thie rod lenigth iin the gills' units needed to be greater than ;34 inchles. liuxentiuries dlid not alxxays indicate this because gilIs' garinewis Wxere sometimes stoired folded because of imsufficiciut rod sp~ace, and inventories dlid mit take into account items that xxeire lont for laundcering. In the case oif smnall children, sometimes a gireat many garments xxere out fuor laundei ig. Since invenitories did lot alxxax s indicate kinds of dliesses a factor o~f 2' 2 inches per dlress xxas used iii estimuatinug rod invxen to~ri es replorted FIGU RE 15. Boys' rod units: and (B) bay 6 years aid, fall. (A) boy 21/2 years old, summer; L "37 1 TABLE 18. CHILDREN'S ROD UNITS-ESTIMATES OF ROD LENGTH REQUIREMENTS OF INVENTORIES REPORTED Family Sex of Age of Duration of use child III III III I I IV IV IV IV I I II II II II II III III II II II II II M M M M M F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F F child Years 21/2 Estimated Excess of req. over rod length requirement 34-in. length Comments by homemaker Months 3 4 11 3 21 2/2 6 7 2 21/2 2/2 21/2 Days 26 28 2 7 6 18 16 Inches 13 12 15 15 30 52 51 54 34 41 43 86 41 46 47 56 47 50 48 46 39 36 44 5 9 11 2 5 8 11 3 2 3 4 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 10 10 11 11 11 11 3 7 6 7 11 29 15 24 26 28 7 11 5 8 11 29 15 24 Inches (-21) (-22) (-19) (-19) (-4) 18 17 20 0 7 9 2 7 12 13 22 13 16 14 12 5 2 10 Fairly crowded. Crowded. Rod space fine. Winter coats removed. Pretty well filled. Long enough if winter things removed. Also garments in living room unit. No blouses listed. Satisfactory. length requirements for girls. However, it was noted that little girls' starched full dresses seemed to require a greater amount of rod space than adult dresses. Longer dresses are pulled down by the weight that comes from greater length. Hence, they do not stand out and require as much horizontal space. The mothers wanted to keep small girls' wraps in the bedroom rod units. Even when they said that the rod length was sufficient for a small girl, they usually indicated that it would not be large enough for an older girl. Depth of unit. This dimension needed to be greater. The mother of the 6-year-old boy said that the short sleeves of his starched shirts were pushed in by the door or the garments on the door, Figure 15B. The 11-yearold girl indicated a need for greater depth. Because her rod unit was crowded lengthwise, the garments were pushed out widthwise and the problem of depth was evident. The storage of a great many items on the doors accentuated this problem, Figure 16E. When bouffant slips were stored on hangers, they too were pressed out widthwise. Rod height. The rod was adjustable to any height required by the children. The younger girls who used the unit had sashes sewed to their dresses. These sashes set the rod height requirement, Figure 16A, B, and C. The small girls were able to reach their garments, take the 1 hangers off the rod, and replace them. Even the 2 /Vz-yearold girl could do it, Figure 17A. To make room to hang a garment, she cleared a section of the rod by pushing aside the garments already in place. Very young children stepped into the unit. Since the rods were adjusted to suit the needs of the users, problems were caused by length of sashes, which required the rod to be higher than was convenient for the girl. Also higher rod adjustments usually put shelves out of reach of small girls. [ 388 ] Shoe storage. Three kinds of shoe storage were available: a wooden bin, a slanted board, and a wire loop rack. It was assumed that the bin would be best and easiest to use for small children and that the slanted board would be easier to use than the wire loop rack. The two youngest children took little interest in shoe racks. One of the 3-year-olds liked the slanted board best, but needed a cleat at the toe section since she had practically no heels to hook over the cleat intended for that purpose. Figure 16A shows the rack with the toe cleat. Without the toe cleat her shoes slid off. The other 8-year-old girl, the 4year-old girl, and the 6-year-old boy liked the wire racks. The two girls seemed to amuse themselves by fitting the shoes over the loops. It was the 11-year-old girl who preferred the bin. She liked to throw the shoes in. Her mother did not approve of this, and the girl admitted it was hard to find the shoes, yet later gave the bin as her first choice and wire loops second. Shelving. Shelving in the rod unit was usually required for storing part of the folded garments when two children used the room. The 3-foot dresser did not provide sufficient space for storing the folded garments of two children. When the 4-foot shelf-dresser was used, other items requiring shelf space crowded out part of the folded garments. The usefulness of the rod unit shelving for storing children's garments depended upon the height of the child in relation to the shelf height. Not all of the children used the shelves over the rod. The mother of the 8-yearold boy preferred that he not have access to all of his folded garments. The girl under 3 was the only one storing clothing in the bedroom and did not need these shelves. The children stepped up into the unit in order to reach the shelves when they could not reach them from the floor. The 8- and 4-year-old girls were just able to reach the first shelf over the rod when it was 46 inches .rr I: j i;li &a Iy FIGURE 16. Girl's rod units in use: (A) by 2 /2-year-old girl; (B) by 3-year-old girl; (C 4-year-old girl; (D) by two girls 6 and 8 years old; and (E) by 11-year-old girl. 1 by [ :39 ] 'I - -I,' 44 FiGUkk ti7. Gris rod unit: A after stepping it unit, the 1 2 2-year-old girl could place hanger on rod, but her mother had to put dress on hanger; (B) on tiptoe the 3-year-old could just reach itern on shcl 46 inches abov unit floor (C the 8and 6-year-old girls, respectively, could reach shelves 51 and 46 inches above unit floor without stepping in. Living Room Rod Unit it' livilig 11)1)11 ro titi it \\'its, iiit't'l for stora)we of finiilx xxiaps other tian tihose liset for wxork tiil 1 plit itd itan. Sia( I'lith st a xt9 ' st-lits ab ietht'ioo oels i th e11ith i01 gilet's xxi aps. ForI txxo rei asonsx tilte iiitt'i tied iixi' of Firtt the oiih, ace(ptal place forita telex lsitol set xxas tilt spact' ili trouit of tiledloor of' this unit, Figtiur 18I. The pill-eitits did no~t xx itilt tile elIlilirl to1 se tis rodillit for i IB T t illthe . \it li, l 'I'iti' xxv ltitirs itt' Ito a xx hiti i ]itott reach ttt ittioli tii elfe lx i iiii ilt d xx rllp )x illixi' tiui'x Itligit dilligi the tcevisnii set xxi ell if \\,iax itvth itimeiii h tejstltlt'i tox iist xx se btoit t h tlilt' fixl]. The4ltx vearit 1 in iiitiogiliio]u of the dhoor. 01nc lin jix c.oln the door to thle plliiuteii tihat thle te lexvislin tutu xxit acraossx rodluinit, ani that thet xs'thadl to ibe discoiiiiieti'd ill order to (,Is thle iiilit. i\\ (Il x('I(' supplied aii i'\tt'isiiill Cord.) hicate'dill otit t St'ellii, need for ro ex1' t cotil l 'ten spl face inl the iv toin i ibeiloi ilii Iul l its xx-is flv'eIin t t it'its. lit(gili] lit' nai fldetd a xi-iwt' itildxiiri Whoi tseitd' x or outi'r glil t'it l t l l t'c st -too tosin ittlIt ii -sittif ii'11t and spiiaee of lilt it Fluinil ' xxi aps xx lt tuitalix l suiflilit onily for thtse foi xet (rittgiexts, xwiaps. ill ix ttt eIlibers i 1i na~iil (iilx Ill platet'i tiletelexvixionl tll the iett lit the toiiit. L-lixxexc it a ir xx\,is reiovix to(( tilte btedroom Sillet' Failyx IV ihad i il ii tilchiild ani siht slept ill the Hod ientgth. \X l all' oixtu taliicis the xx.its using tilt thu ilt [40]1 t'xt't'trtd tillt' i~~tl\ Io itts til', thet.odleiiixi xxlln ksh i tf r- i : 1- s% :~ r I\ ii Li FIGURE 18. Use of living room rod unit; access limited by placement of television set: (A) Family II, summer; (B) Family IV, used unit for out-of-season storage; (C) Family III, doors of unit closed, chair was later removed to give access to unit; (D) Family I, winter. Doors were removed in (A) and (B) to show contents of storage unit. [ 41 ] they used the unit for both wraps and out-of-season storage (or for out-of-season storage only by Family IV) the unit was crowded, needing 7 to 22 inches more of rod length than was available. It is probable that the use of this unit relieved the crowding of the bedroom rod units to some extent. However, if this unit had not been available, some of the homemakers might have stored part of the out-of-season garments folded. One mentioned that some people might store some of their out-of-season garments in boxes if they needed rod space. Depth. This rod unit had sliding doors that decreased the usable depth of the unit. As in the case of the 4-foot rod unit with sliding doors, the rod had been centered in the unit without regard to the doors. The homemaker of Family I discovered this, noting that the doors rubbed coats stored on the rod, although there was less crowding at the rear of the unit. Even after the rod was properly centered this unit was evidently too shallow. One husband said his coat sleeve stuck out of the door when it was closed. Rod height. All of the families used this rod at the highest adjustment. Little was said about the height, but when asked the homemakers all said it was all right. Probably storage of boxes of garments on the floor and use of large garment bags on the rod required higher rod adjustment. In order to make this unit suitable for children's use, a low rod of adjustable height was added before the families occupied the laboratory. The low rod was designed to hook over the adults' rod by means of two metal arms bent into hooks at the upper end. Since it obstructed more than half of the upper rod, the low rod was turned at right angles to the upper one and hooked into screw eyes fastened under the top of the lower section. This allowed more space on the rod for adult garments. However, the mothers did not want the children to use this unit for a wrap closet. The 11-year-old girl was an exception, and she did not need a low rod. Perhaps if the television set had not complicated the situation, the low rod would have been tried. It was not kept hanging in the unit when its use was refused. Use for guests' clothing. When families moved into the laboratory, it required a week or more for each one to arrange their garment storage. They tried to arrange garments other than wraps in bedroom rod units. As they unpacked all of their garments, the bedroom rod units frequently became crowded, and some garments were moved to the living room unit. When families had an overnight guest, they either stored the guest's clothing in the living room unit or gave the guest space in a bedroom unit. A family member then used the living room rod unit or hooks in the bathroom for currently needed clothing. All would have liked extra space in the living room unit to take care of the occasional requirements of guests. However, all preferred to use the living room unit for out-of-season and infrequently used garments rather than further crowd their bedroom units. Doors. The sliding doors of this unit permitted an opening only 15:1/2 inches wide. Little objection was made to this width, probably because the television was more of a problem than the doors. Homemaker IV used the living room rod unit for out-of-season storage and the extra rod unit in the child's room for wraps during the summer. With the coming of cold weather she exchanged units. She remarked that the unit with hinged doors was more convenient than the one with sliding doors for storing garments in the large plastic bag. The sliding doors were grooved at the top and bottom. The bottom grooves were fitted with ball-bearing glides that moved on metal ridges on the floor of the unit. The top grooves fitted over wood guides. Two problems were evident. First, the plywood at the bottom of the door had a tendency to split apart and the glides slipped into the split, with the edge of the door supported by the floor of the unit. This made the doors stick. Second, the doors had a tendency to warp enough to make one door rub against the other. An advantage of this type of support is that the doors are easily removable. The same kind of support and glide system worked well on doors to top sections. Probably the doors to the rod section were too heavy for recessed glides to be used successfully with plywood. Back Porch Rod Unit The back porch unit was originally intended for storing wraps for work and play. During the residence of Family I, it became evident that storage space for these wraps was less in demand than space for other items. Among the items for which storage space was needed were: window awnings (winter), packing boxes and lockers used in moving, a pup, folding lawn chairs, large tool chest, garden hose, garden tools, pails and foot tubs, laundry basket and tub, cases of empty bottles, feed for ducks, paint, kerosene, and root vegetables. On a farm some of these items would be stored in a shed or other farm building. Other items would be stored in an attic or basement if available. Awnings, boxes and lockers were stored elsewhere, the pup was given other quarters. Most of the other items were provided with hooks or other supports and stored in as orderly a manner as possible. Before Family I completed their residence, plans were made for dividing this unit below the shelf into two equal parts, one for wraps and one for other items. During the interim between the residence of Family I and Family II this was done. Pull-out shelves were installed on the right side and a short rod on the left. The garden tools were to be stored between the end of the unit and the wall of the house. Use of rod section. Each of the families used the rod section in a manner quite different from the others. During the residence of Family I, only the husband and the boy stored their wraps in this unit. During the summer they did not have much use for the rod. It was removed to make room for the various other items for which storage was needed. When wraps were needed again, a short rod was put in the unit. In very cold weather the husband brought his coat into the house at night in order to have it warm in the morning. In moderately cold weather, both he and the boy stored coats in the unit even at night. This family did not use rain boots and overshoes. All members of Family II used the rod section at some time or other, but the husband used it most. He had to work out of doors even in rainy weather and used raincoats and even rain pants. The latter were hung over the [42] rod and required a great deal of space. Hooks provided for the pants were used for hanging a saw and an umbrella. Later he decided to leave the rain pants at the barn. As the cold weather approached, the older daughter did not want to have even a raincoat in this unit because her father's work clothes were so dirty and smelly. The homemaker decided that only the husband's work clothes would be kept there. Besides using the rod for jackets, raincoats, and rain pants, the husband stored his work pants there when he intended to wear them the next day. The homemaker also kept his soiled work clothes there until she washed them. This kept the other soiled clothing from getting dirtier. As it became colder the husband began placing fewer garments in the unit until only his boots were left there. Sometimes he took the garments to the unit after he had removed them, but finally in the coldest weather he did not. When the weather moderated he again used the unit. Homemaker II said she would want a unit like this if she were building a home of her own. A boot rack was made of wood slats and placed on the floor of this section. It was used by all the family for boots and shoes that were soiled. So much mud and water fell through this rack that a piece of vinyl plastic floor covering was fitted in this part of the unit to facilitate cleaning. The whole family used the boot rack throughout the year, but used it during the summer more than any other time. Items other than clothing stored in this part of the unit were: saw, clothespin bag, flowers drying for winter bouquets, small mop, extension cord, fishing pole, and pants stretchers. The pants stretchers were awkward to store until a device was made for this purpose. Four L-hooks were screwed into the partition of the unit and spaced to fit the four corners of the stretchers. When the stretchers were being stored, the hooks were turned outward from the center. To remove the stretchers, two of the L-hooks were turned inward. This device held the stretchers in a very small space and they did not interfere with other uses of this part of the unit. In the case of Family III, it was difficult to keep the rod section of the unit free for storage of garments. Among items other than clothing stored there at various times were: child's car seat (hung over the rod), pants stretchers, can opener, two TV tables with trays, step stool, clothespin bag, car-carrier bars, saw, broom stick, plunger, level, insulated bag for soft drinks, extra clothes hangers. Only the husband's clothing was stored there. Apparently there was enough rod space for him. However, the homemaker said that there was not enough space for his boots and shoes. Since this family did not live at the laboratory in winter, their use of the unit in cold weather could not be studied. Homemaker IV decided to put in this unit all of the husband's clothes of the type used for gardening and outdoor work. These included shirts, pants, belts, and coveralls in addition to wraps, boots, and shoes. Nothing but clothing was stored in the rod section. Husband IV would not use hangers for any of these garments. He flung over the rod all garments for which he could find no hooks. Only his clean clothes were on hangers. The homemaker said this unit was not large enough for these garments, but there was plenty of room for shoes. When the weather became cold, the husband objected to having his clothes outdoors. Homemaker IV said she did not think she could designate any of her clothing as work clothing, since she did not do such work as to require special garments. On at least two points, the families seemed to agree. None of them wanted to use this unit even for coats in the coldest weather, and all of them were more interested in its use for men's clothing than for women's clothing. Perhaps if the porch had been enclosed, the men would have been willing to store coats there all winter, even if it were not as warm as the rest of the house. Also in a real farm situation, other family members might find more use for it as did the children of Family II in the summer. Rod Units in General Families who lived in the laboratory were not at the peak of their requirement for rod space, since their children were too young to have reached maximum needs. However, the living room rod unit and the one on the back porch were used mostly for parents' clothing. Had those two units been used for parents' clothing only, a total of 124 inches of rod length was available when 3-foot units were used in the master bedroom, and 148 inches were available for parents when 4-foot units were used. When this is compared with the rod length requirement as set forth in Rod Closets (7) either set of these units would have provided total rod space for parents at a level between moderate (114 inches) and liberal (159 inches). However, some of the husbands' dress shirts were stored on hangers. When all shirts are stored on hangers, the total rod space requirement for husband and wife becomes 123 inches at the moderate level and 170 inches at the liberal level. In case of hanging all shirts, the 3-foot units would barely provide space for parents at the moderate level and the 4-foot units would meet their requirements at a level about halfway between moderate and liberal. When only the rod requirements of the master bedroom are considered, 3-foot units meet the minimum requirement (66 inches), and the 4-foot units almost meet the moderate requirement (98 inches) when dress shirts or work shirts are stored on the rod. Thus, the shifting of clothing between master bedroom and living room might be expected in the case of families with moderate numbers of garments. It appears likely that future needs of the children would not be met by these units. The children would soon be competing with the parents for use of the units that were planned for coat closets but which were also absorbing the overflow from bedroom rod units. The older daughter of Family II was finding her rod unit too small. Some of her coats and dresses were stored in the living room rod unit, although the parents could have used all of the rod space there. The parents of Family IV were the only ones who were not using all available rod space. They had the extra rod unit in the child's room. Storage for Parents' Folded Garments When 3-foot units were being used, folded garments for parents were stored in dresser drawers and in unit C. Some of the families also stored folded garments, especially those of men, on shelves in the rod units. The sliding shelves in the lower section of unit C were used more than the other parts of this unit for storing folded clothing. These had been improved first by using [43] .. c~-s~ 4 ^-- * 9 2 ~c -$k IMF- B FIGURE 19. Unit C in use: (A) Homemaker I folds shirt to store on pull-out tray; (B) Family II used middle, top sections for sewing supplies, lower section for homemaker's garments and accessories; (C) Family IV stored little-used items at top, middle for hats and purses, lower section for husband's garments, except top tray used for homemaker's clothing items. [ 44] two pairs of cleats for each shelf so that they would not tip when pulled forward, and next by adding rails at the sides and back of each shelf. Unit C as used by families is shown in Figure 19. Plans for the 4-foot dresser unit were developed while Family I was using the 8-foot units. The husband was very enthusiastic about the pull-out shelves in the lower section of unit C. The homemaker liked them, especially for storing his garments. She thought that if a shelf unit were developed, the division should be a vertical one so that neither parent would need to have all low shelves. The 4-foot dresser unit in use by parents is shown in Figure 20. Only Families I, II, and IV used all three units (3-foot dresser unit, unit C, and 4-foot dresser) for storage of folded garments. The 3-foot dresser and unit C were offered at the same time. Each homemaker placed her husband's folded clothing on the sliding shelves of unit C and her own in dresser drawers unless she was specifically requested to do otherwise. Each resisted storing her husband's clothing in dresser drawers. One placed her husband's work clothing on the shelves of his rod unit or in the top section of it, rather than place them in the drawers, Figure 14B. This was probably because the drawers were not large enough for men's shirts and work pants and because the women wanted the dresser drawers for their own use. In general, the use of sliding shelves in unit C for women's garments was resisted. Also when the 4-foot dresser was offered to Family IV before unit C, the narrower shelves were not liked at first. However, in general, the narrow shelves were first tolerated, next well liked, and sometimes finally preferred. Preferences for units and facilities for storage of parents clothing were stated by the homemaker. It was difficult to tell whether the preferences for facilities for storing the man's clothing were made by the man or determined by the woman. The sliding shelves of unit C were the reported preferences of two men, the 4-foot shelf-dresser of one. The two men who reportedly preferred unit C gave the 4-foot dresser as second choice. In the case of the fourth man, it was difficult to tell whether the sliding shelves of unit C or the shelves in the 4-foot rod unit with hinged doors were the true preference. The homemaker once indicated that if the rod unit shelves would pull forward (which would be difficult because of their size) they would be preferred, because using them would enable her to have nearly all of her husband's clothing in his rod unit. For themselves, two of the three women who used all three units chose the sliding shelves of unit C and one chose the 3-foot dresser. However, the last. one said she preferred her own dresser at home to the 8-foot one because the drawers were larger. She also mentioned that the 4-foot shelf-dresser was roomier than the 3-foot dresser. The two who preferred the unit C shelves seemed to like the 4-foot shelf-dresser second best. Family III had no choice but the 4-foot shelf-dresser for storing their folded garments, except that shelves in the rod unit could have been used. They did not use the latter for folded garment storage. The homemaker reported that her husband liked the 4-foot dresser and was satisfied with shelves. She liked it and liked the shelves. Family V had only two dressers to compare, and they could compare them with their own dressers. Only the homemaker used the dresser units. She said the drawers of the 3-foot one were not large enough for her husband's clothing. As to the shelf-dresser, the parents used only a 2-foot one, since there was only a 6-foot section of wall available for rod and dresser units. Only the homemaker used it. She said she liked the shelf unit about as well as the 3-foot dresser. It held more garments than the dresser, but she liked the dresser drawers. The drawers needed to be deeper vertically but she liked the shallow horizontal depth. She said the back row of items in a large drawer was "lost to her." In general, the choice of unit C shelves seemed to be connected with their size. Such statements as "they allow me to spread out," "I can have the different kinds of clothing separated," and "I did not have to change the way I folded the garments" were evidence of this. The choice of these shelves rather than the drawers of the 3-foot dresser seems also to be connected with size. The women did not want to store men's shirts, jeans, and work pants or women's shorts, slacks, sweaters, and sometimes shirts in the 3-foot dresser. The dresser drawers seemed to be admirably suited in size to women's undergarments, men's summer undergarments, and summer nightwear for men and women. The advantage of the shelves of the 4-foot shelf-dresser seemed to be visibility of garments, greater storage space, and adjustability. However, it was often necessary to teach these homemakers to take advantage of adjustability. Some would say that more space was needed, but they had to be reminded that they could put in more shelves or adjust the spacing of those already in place. The advantage of more convenient arrangements of garments had to be pointed out to some homemakers. Usually this was in connection with the husband's garments. When frequently used garments were raised to a higher and more convenient level and when garments were sorted as to kind (as dress and work socks), the husbands usually made some remark about the increased convenience of the arrangement. Husbands usually liked the visibility afforded by using shelves. It was probable that the husbands found better visibility especially helpful because the wives stored-the garments. The center section of unit C was used for storage of folded garments, but apparently it was not liked as well as other facilities. It was sometimes used for storage of infrequently used garments or for large folded garments of the woman when she was using the 3-foot dresser. Trays at the higher levels were considered a little harder to use than those at the lower levels. Full-size trays were considered cumbersome by some homemakers, but one said they held so much and she liked them for that reason. Pull-out shelves were preferred to fixed shelves. In the case of Family II, the homemaker wated this section for storage of sewing materials and equipment. Another family used this section for storing hats and books. The small shelves in the lower section of unit C were found useful by some homemakers and scarcely used at all by others, Figrure 19. Items stored in them included handkerchiefs, men's socks, purses, and women's shoes. Parents' Mirrors and Dresser-top Surface The large mirror of the 3-foot dresser unit was well liked. It was not usually recognized that the large size of [45] "4 (1) IBYP£44~ -~y-~ ,I v. (I" r ---- ~lj~Z: a . I" a "" ~ .. 31~9 Pe; I * 1: 1L 1'4 "~a~- (7 P, st \laL~ il; '" )sslsl~/ a. % L~L: .i f-. \L icl~i~a~8~io~~n~ n [i 4P1II- h "_ :1~. 4<- r;;~" FIGURE 20. Four-foot shelf-dresser as used by homemakers (left side) and husbands (right side): (A) Family I; (B) Family II; (C) Family III, two trays and bottom shelf, left, used for sewing items; iD Foamily IV, husband objected to shelves as arranged on right side, and when items were more conveniently arranged he liked them. [46 1] the mirror reduced the space available for storage in this dresser. The sit-down dressing table shelf of the woman's part of the 4-foot dresser was not used much. Most of the women either had not enough time to sit down or had small children who picked up the items kept on the dresser top. One homemaker said she used this dressing table only while her daughter was asleep. The homemakers usually used the mirror intended for the husband and he used the mirror in the bathroom. When it was established that this was the case, the low mirror shelf was removed and shelves were used in the space thus released, Figure 20. Since the homemaker was then left without a mirror to check her hemline, a long mirror was placed on the wall of the room. All of the dresser mirrors were recessed. Those in the 4-foot unit were also inside the unit and the door had to be opened to use the mirror. There was some objection to having the mirror recessed because of the lighting. However, there was much greater objection to having it behind closed doors. The homemakers all said that they did not wish to open a door in order to use a mirror. Much use was made of the wall mirror when the 4-foot dresser was in use. When a lamp was placed beside the mirror in the shelf-dresser, Figure 20, the homemakers said it was better, but they still objected to the door. Storage of Children's Folded Garments The combination. of the 3-foot dresser and the 4-foot shelf-dresser were available only to the children of Families II and IV. Children of Family I used the 3-foot dresser only, those of Family III the 4-foot shelf-dresser only, and two girls of Family V used a 2-foot shelf-dresser. The 3-foot dresser unit did not provide adequate space for storing the garments of two children. Homemaker I said it might be adequate for one child, but not for two. She managed to store the children's folded garments in it and on the shelves over their rods. These shelves were not as acceptable as the tdrawers. The problem was greater in Family II. The older daughter was a pre-teenager. Jewelry, cosmetics, and items used for personal care were of great interest to her in addition to the dolls and other toys of childhood and the collections and possessions of a teenager. Family II also had a great interest in clothing. Inventories of the two girls were large. Dresser, shelves over the rod, and small shelves at the rear of unit C were not adequate for them. For the one child in Family IV, the dresser provided sufficient space. None of the users would have liked to give up the mirror or the lower part of the mirror in order to have more adequate drawer space. The drawers were shallow front to back. The children soon learned how far out to pull them. The vertical depth of the drawers was not as great as most of the users and mothers would have liked, yet none of them thought they would like two deeper drawers to replace three shallow ones. The 4-foot dresser unit in use by children is shown' in Figure 21. Evaluation of the shelf-dresser was affected by the need for storage space for other items of Families II and III. In the case of Family II, provision of storage space for toys helped the situation, but it did not entirely free the dresser space for storage of clothing. Items such as jewelry, cosmetics, dolls, and collections of the older girl still required storage. The children had become accustomed to storing clothing on shelves in the rod unit. Either habit or unwillingness to make the effort to rearrange items seemed to rule out the use of the shelf-dresser unit alone for storing folded clothing. Her mother said, and the inventories indicated, that the older daughter wanted some of each kind of item in both places. If her rod unit had been nearer the dresser, this might not have been the case. The older daughter liked the shelf-dresser because the high shelves could not be reached by the younger daughter. However, the items placed there were purses, cosmetics, jewelry, and other non-clothing items that she wanted to keep out of her sister's reach. The 3-year-old daughter had begun to play with her clothes, so her mother placed folded garments she did not want her to have high on the shelving of the rod unit. Panties, undershirts, and socks for everyday were placed within her reach. It was noted that her folded garments were at one time stored in two trays, a box on a shelf, and on one shelf. Evidently her mother thought that she needed drawers or something with sides for small items. The mirror in the dresser unit also complicated the evaluation of the shelves. It was placed on a shelf about 30 inches from the floor and had to be used while sitting. The older daughter of Family II liked to use the mirror with a chair, but did not want to move the chair and shut the door. Since the shelves usually were not tidy, her mother objected to the open door. The children of Family II used both drawers and shelves, but no clear-cut choice was expressed. The large mirror of the 3-foot dresser with drawers was preferred, but the shelves were liked, probably for their height and greater capacity. The combination of small mirror and shelves was not desirable. Evidently the problem of sufficient space for storing clothing and other items must be solved before a choice of facilities is meaningful. In the case of the girls in Family V, the problem of insufficient space for storing clothing also complicated the evaluation. This family had an even greater problem in that the two girls were using only a 2-foot shelf-dresser with a mirror. They did not have enough space. Their mother said she thought their own dresser drawers were better for them. However, she thought that if they had had more shelf space they might have done better with shelving. The children of Family III initiated the shelf-dresser by climbing up the shelves. Their mother then removed the bottom shelves and the mirror on one side, and used the lower part of that side for tall toys. Toys were kept on the lower shelves of the other side and clothing above on both sides. At first the clothing was placed out of the reach of the 2 /-year-old boy, but the 4-year-old girl's underwear and pajamas were placed within her reach. The girl was givenL the low shelves when she learned to use them and the boy learned not to pull out clothing left within his reach. There was enough space for both clothing and toys in the shelving, but not enough low shelves for both. The mother liked shelves; she thought they were easier for children to use than drawers. [47] is A '5 _' rOtt ,r-Lk L -'5--' ~- ,~- r err "~t&4"' c~xat~rttihf FIGURE 21. Pour-foot dresser unit as used by children: (A) Family II, the 11-year-old girl stored her cosmetics, accessories, toys, and collections here, and lower trays and shelves at right were used for the 3-year-old girl's clothing; (B) Family IV, the 5A 21 i-year-oldl girl's clothing was stored on the left side only after the mirror was installed on the right; and (C) Homemaker Ill at first placed the toys rather than clothing within the children's reach. T he child( inl l'aiilx l\ sse thes shell (resscl tar loldcc[ clothlji oiil]\x It xxas nioic than adequai~te 11)1tlax piirpae . The ch ild wvas able to gect ouit the [olieci garimeats that her mother xx idecd her to xxeai. Shi xxas ex ci able to puit a5\V\ WI)31 itht~at had I ctil l aund1(1ered. Nout all otfii fol(ed her (iafonnts xx' placted Nv tini her reach f'or tear she wxouldi ye pls> xxith them. Amirror had heeo placed high inl this nnit because the mother tiosaht tie child did not need arc . Whetsi tic child siioxxed interest inl her snlothei s Ioxx' moirior, slis xxax gTix en a lo\\-m iiiio for ber oxx il dresset . She liked this mirro verxci much. Hoxx exer, as inl the cise at othei cld(Ireis. she did inot xx,ult to shult tie door, xx hich displeased heir urnother. Ex eli thix t gh it x\\its not a ccexx rx to ]lax(, clatlsiiig oil the exposed shicx. the door interifered wxith ulse and1( care of the roi i. Hoimemaker I\V thoughdt shle \x re boittei thail draxxx eix for log(e itemos of the child's clothing; dr-ixx( a traxs oi. xveic bletter tar small things such ats panties and socks. She tliuuzit hai gei pull-oult shsic-c xicl axsthose ili the hixxci psirt at unmit C xx ohd lie lattet . Howevcxer, Siice thei child hasd inot used these, the i itlset s ststcliciit xxas iii t inade onl thc basis at experience. [ 48 1 Li3 Storage for Items Pertaining to Sewing and Mending Space requirements for storing items pertaining to sewing and mending varied from family to family. Two who owned and one who borrowed a sewing machine kept it in the parents' bedroom and used it there. However, during some very cold weather, Homemaker II sewed in the living room because she did not want to heat the bedroom. The sewing machine was left in the living room during continued cold weather. Homemaker I tried several ways of storing things used in sewing and mending. First she stored them in the middle section of unit C. She used the shelf (23 X 82 inches) as a tote tray for carrying a cut-out garment to the living room where she was basting it. Later she used a tray (22 X 31 inches) for this purpose and stored it in the center section of the bedclothes unit. Both of these were awkward. She then tried two smaller trays (21 X 15 X 6 inches). She liked these very much, using them as tote trays even to carry sewing with her when visiting, Figure 22. They were easy to carry, and using two helped in keeping her work sorted. Homemaker II had an unusual interest in sewing and a large variety of materials and supplies. At one time she had 68 dress lengths, 108 patterns, 2 bags and 1 suitcase of scraps in addition to smaller supplies, equipment, and garments to be mended. At first she stored these in various places in her rod unit, unit C, and the bedclothes unit. They interfered with plans for storing clothing and bedclothes, so an attempt was made to collect these items in one place. The top and middle sections of unit C did not provide enough space. Two boxes were placed under the sliding shelves of unit C, Figure 19B. The facilities of unit C were crowded. Homemaker II kept adding to the materials to be made up. During the fall and early winter she made garments for Christmas gifts. A collection of scraps and patterns that could be kept in a less convenient location was placed in the top sections of unit C and a rod unit. This arrangement was the most satisfactory one. When the 4-foot units were in use, she used the top sections of her rod unit and the dresser unit, the two shelves over the rod to some extent, Figure 22C and D, the bottom of her side of the dresser, Figure 20B, and one drawer in the bedclothes unit. She would not try to concentrate all of the sewing items in the bedclothes unit. She would have had to move some little-used bedding to the space used for sewing items; the bedclothes unit was not as handy as the bedroom units to her sewing machine. In the evaluation session, she said unit C was better than the top sections of 4-foot units, and that it might have been better to have used the bedclothes unit for sewing items rather than the top sections of the 4-foot units. Homemaker III had a sewing machine and sewed in the bedroom. At first she kept her materials and equipment in the top section of her rod unit because she wanted them out of the children's reach. After fasteners were placed on the doors, she placed them at the bottom of her side of the dresser. She kept a carton and a sewing box there as well as two trays above them for sewing supplies, Figure 20C. Altogether a space about 2.0 inches high was used. The trays were taken out as needed. She kept her patterns in a desk drawer in the living room as she had [49] done in her own home, and did not wish to change. She liked having the other sewing things in one place. Homemaker IV did not sew a great deal. She used a portable sewing machine in the dining area, and stored it in the bottom of the 2-foot unit by the bathroom door. Her sewing items were stored in one 11 X 82-inch shelf in unit K, which made them convenient to use in the dining area for machine sewing, and in the living room for hand sewing. While she was trying unit K for storage of bed linens, the sewing items were moved to the bedclothes unit, which was a little less convenient and the shelf was deeper than necessary. Three of these families had no difficulty in finding space for storing sewing items, but one could have made use of a fairly large sewing center. Since this homemaker seemed to enjoy viewing television while sewing, she might like having a sewing center in a family room. Bedclothes Unit The bedclothes unit had at the bottom three drawers, each 10 inches deep vertically, an upper section 25 inches high in which trays or shelves could be used, and the usual top section like all units of the original set. As far as possible, the homemakers were expected to try drawers, trays, and shelves for storing bed linens. In order to try narrower shelves, they were expected to use also the 11inch-deep shelves of unit K, which stood beside the bedclothes unit. All of the families used this unit for other items than bedclothes. The kinds and amounts of other items varied among families. All agreed that it was good to have a unit for this purpose, and that, if used only for linens and bedclothes, the unit used would be large enough. The two homemakers who stored bed linens in unit K liked the shallower shelving better, because the linens were more accessible. However, these shelves needed to be a little deeper than 11 inches. Shelves in general seemed better suited to storage of linens than trays or drawers. Trays were especially disliked at high levels. Drawers were tried only at low levels. Pillows, blankets, quilts, and comforters were often placed in the top section of the bedclothes unit or other units because of the need for convenient space for other items. The top sections were not liked for this purpose, however. Items that are bulky yet not very heavy are more easily stored in top sections than smaller or heavier items, but drawers and shelves were perferred to the top sections for the large bulky items. Items other than bedding that were stored by each of two families in the bedclothes unit were kitchen linens, doilies, sewing materials, clothes that were washed but not ironed; one family stored table linens, cleaning rags, curtains, ironing pad, and rug in this unit. Also one homemaker liked to keep one shelf free for temporary storage of items, such as gifts hidden before Christmas and party decorations. She said the house lacked places to put things down and she liked this reserved shelf. In general, the homemakers needed help. in planning arrangements of items in this unit. They recognized that some items were stored in rather inaccessible parts: of the unit. However, they had trouble deciding which item~s were needed more often; once things were placed, they did not like to rearrange them. U 41 t - I~J ~ I> -A - I FIGURE 22. Storage of items pertaining to sewing and mending: (A) Homemaker I kept two trays in the bedclothes unit for such items; (B) she carried them wherever she was mending or sewing; (C) Homemaker 11 at one time used tap sections of the 4-foot dresser and (D) of the clothes closet for storing sewing items. At the time photos C and D were made, Homemaker 11 also stored a box of scraps in the lower part of the dresser. (See Figure 2013.) Bathroom I) c h1thlooi had1)1, Unit )111 i uli is, sliii'',ii inii s 111 in5 1 ur ~ 241 3. il14 ll (IllipiIcllit. 1 1IIatci41 411(1 Ci iploco t for carc Cof was1 It Also) usc) lor 1 sin1 OItlliiict 1 lcdiS~ iCCtiOil12 ',toi jl'iiiilCom 131. adiil HiCIICs toiC', top41 scith thi cik 11th1r secili of CJ inet, Y :)) 31. _22 the iore14oiiia X 4 iic'lis doid Oit05 16 inlics loss 17 cr, bigle. \\ ith tlllvi iilitkc ope 1 5 jiochCs blihiid thiC 011r o~ each side. It \\ as usedcby ilo'4 ill 150]1 of the i 111))5 I iit' " siolli ho ttits old) it) iii ll" lo tt ii tal l. th f ~cdtoestc Ii lt\ s ols 1lc TIhuis, thet upper19 ztvill l t -( s an po set'iton of tiit IIIit %% not the as 0in ic,1 pilace \x hatl tn ( ko Onelt tXc i'Iistilit it co tit'p 1 1 ket s~t ilt liniitls. sici- toyl thet 5 pplia stio xashuld~si Iskt't to 119 ii l\\r gii/ii! lIst' a loii storig ti 1 iiaiiiiw't cltingii. Silt XXas1 plastic ha~g llt thlis Silt 1eportt't thalt ]ill aiiii ill iit tis ltt'iked i deep.t tOne sit d i ot' aix not tiw had)1 iot 1ill' t it ll t'XXt illll. cltheIs. si Te siee lli t ii' st 'i tls an stt't gc l l eti \\-]to1 \tit illti o~l'i'5- the \ah 1 e isht' t's. l o\c hNasie silitioit. ilal It] it wXldit ht tIIIIX t'liit toll hill. blit ts ths \\s ( it t th eti t Iladd it'n th~is faXl i' fi!4t hO tii l XX115 (lilt ick X l)01 c tiet' 1 its.T t fai hl t's i t' 55 tolls. llt' hiiiillllkt'l 5 XXti illtt'l'tstt'i l it)i haill! 4 this pa11 I ft 17' FIGURE 23. Bathroom in use: (A) Family Ill; and (B) Family IV. [51]1 FIGURE 24. Cleaning closet in use: 1 (A) Family 1, (B) Family III, and (C) Family IV. spell this part XXLIS tt'ipo-riN crode CisX ll' eI'' \X .,11li. . Iii geilieral, tilt baithroI 11 itt Xi C'ht e h~lli pli) iIIit \\Lis likedt. All ilil('lakliig saitd tilt' XX 1)11(1 \X Li1t'lel atlililt tllt' \cr it XXt'()ali Cleaning Closet space linder t1w Sit(']\ cs. This hook \\ Lis Liter placed oil the I.i(,Ilt \\Lill Lind it hook \\as placed 1111dur the bottoill shelf to limig the mop pail. The imit was located just illsidc the door from hac poich to kitcheii. A lillit tall clioll(Th to store loll-IlLtildled tools is tit(, right height lol- storilig other loog items, sliell Lis tLll)](' boards, irollilw hoards, and step stools. Table boaids ]lot Llproblem ill this liolisc, but Llstep stool was licecssary to reach the top sections of file imits. This inift had illslifficiclit space for both step stool alld iloiling board ill additioll to cleal)ilig, Slipplics aild equipment. However, a unit 3 fect \\idc and 2 feet deep might accommodate Lill irollill(T board, table boalds, alld step Stool. Olle lalllil\ that llsed the step Stool as Ll high Scilt for the Nolill(Tel* elidd kept it ill contintious use. '1'\\o families kept it oil the porch becatise thcY (lid 1)ot Its(' the top sectiolls often. The other lailli1v (lid liot use a le('111al jrollilw board \\ith le(fs and (lid hamy tit(, Stup stool ill the lillit. All of' the filloilies stored their il-ol)s ill the shclvilw of this 1111it. Some of, thell) lised sliukes it) the top sectioll. 0b\iotvlv there was not intich waste space. Most of' tit(, lloljlclll Aers had to learn to iiiLinage the space. All of them liked this imit. Thev had not had such a storage facilitv before. All ])tit oiie sceined to flifilk it was large The olie N\llo (lid not, said that, w1lile the sp tcc lof Clach iteill was just ri(flit, the lillit Lis Lt whole secllwd siions 1111 im 2 X 2 size feett. TIhu', tilt XXilelt'init for) aLi. linig \\a abouilflt tile mini-1 Cellterl tloa t'- tlit spacedi - pictjil closeXtt. liht XX VC 1llo c IeCd tit ioi spaIce anti aElilitie oC,1il t lefit 111 t'e accessible. The fou)Ir siltiX tSoil tite rigiht wXere 1112 ilt 1 no~t rtinlI 6 ililes Ct. aipart. These'Xwere all Til'he ItS XX itie aioit Tihe top s1ell' was 2X"3 iliets Cle kIt coIllIt! dieep aid thec othlers 111 iliches tietep. LIt tihe [rolt pernI oll his stallei~t call inlg head ll forIXXaitd iinto a~lglst tis cllil till a tile illit I hei lttit'tid t'tl mligh~t str ike tiht top tit ColiI IC r wXas a11( Cu~t 11f, XiliICC Xhelve CS XX IX XXc tie IX X el -iIlllike]Y suiti tihat their rt'illX .l Xwouiid sihIeivin II 1 tie ICright, a 1)11ii I lilt pot! lek wXaX ill stil d to) crowdcd. Sliccesslill lise of it (lid require proper storage shelf fl' tilt titist pall, bult tiis illtedce i('l(ti XX 1 s o111'(f tilt of each item. One homemaker said she had emptied it gal52 1 lull of liqid W~ilSI;1Ii 05OIll"4 the it alb madeI th i IIit )1( 501 Il Oneo 1111(Ii,1ake1 usully but Iiooded( this at oi110 1II II timel lii it (Iltirlv fo)r jouiiles1(s cross (1Q1. elealle oill 111115\ \otualix iiht hisc 1) bee d1iffic-lilt Solt i iti- 1)01110C0IIil foodl was able)1 collltililll s to use' tN5 0 tillic 511(15 th is tiIIlit. W1 II IliN le 0 oJeiio iln fil1111 1001(s 1in tilt( it is~ f01 1110i ,5 v 11(55X (5 o111 Sltitidas 011( lm' disllos. 11he ollit 55.15 silt isitltl N vhao Storor 04 ood. It 261 at (lil uot 11.150 ii 5 ,01111ouli 1\is to 0111(10 space for stilig 11)l0 phiois 11011505 01 it) re1(lfhI1ill) pjtols that Iiclude it dloiiit eoset. .10(1 (oIlies, it \\its llS pliies, ti filled. All1thlr l~i1e it lost of1 Unit K Hor1izontal \\ it,; plimedioc orI (llillag (lillill for 3 feet. It the( storage of kitohoji it(1 dii ig roli sioois of )Illit ssClv K I X 1)111did( llt 11001 all oIf theo sphile( forI this purpo)1se. Aniother tied( it for kitello ittid1( tale linoois i111 C (Irya (dishes, but1 deid~ted tol store (Srva i dI~l sheiiis Ioaii-r tile 5111k .111 tol store( Sudis v(dislhes ill theoir laev. cloiths. Wkeo(1 ill tJIl kit~holl. tile silver tOO 55(1 Sht Is I itlleI titll os 101)10 iteiris for \vhiolli 10 to thet top 1 other storiwe \\.its i1\ itl . it 110(1 anll 1p1)C sec0 tioo IT 111(110 hkiit middle(11 seetlill 1:3 inc~hes 1h1gh, itil it 11)55 r sectiool 28'2 fidICS io~11h1. All Of t1105( SCt tIlIS had( 11105 01)1 shlls supplor tedl hs ioetil dlips filsteliod ill slottedl strips. Hew m1idle sectionil d( t\ 1 ta" ".1 vs I/ 10i)1., X ') iiiolis fori stol (11) titll clothis, and1 four trals 15a i ltli additionI seetiol tiwdtl the ,s 5( ov kept v tini5 s( ll((l sitisfile S wit5.e re STillu oltle(011 foIell~es l itsl~l 1)1to]ll1 I~v ti)\s folille (51 11(1i1 2 01 I tnd s t1 hC(I ms fo r0 sotin(iml l Ill(5 this liii it lot Stoi loss sootitili loii ,i- o41 h I11 lii(llis. stonll 04of after Chistma~s 11111401 o~l(f (11(111 lIs(lb the (11( (]i 10 e5111Ctrit. toy Spacebl \ er sit is fi Itois ilng tile 1)01 tioll list Ierelit tillies. Bo1th thel ilst gtItI r d'sii IlblIfor ti S, It s. l oC1115(f Yut theo tlb 1010 I e55011 ill t1he kitclloide 01 and tile spilc o1((f tile 4-tott des5k iluit that \\is used1 lioit I'it) itim is 5111155 ill Figivi 25. "11w1 lbllot,1l111s x511: tIlls- No"o. 2, (hilts. 50 No.l :3 glass jars- 18 ilali-ltit 78111 quitt 2S a ~ .4~ '-,' & -~ 7 Lu IT~r-i~ FIGURE 25. Unit K in use: (A) canned food, empty jars and Sunday dishes stared by Family 11; (B) bed linens stored by Family IV; IC) catalogs, items pertaining linens, and toys stared by Family IV. ta sewing, table [3.3]) thlan 8 ttnclies. 100111. iloX eX et somle abouiit argttlsle I112, Original Desk Unit T[he toriginail desk ball hizon'L~tal dilltiellsills ot I X 3 fetet. Ill atdtition to the top) secttion, it badt( il tippet- Seetion with opet shelves.. dtcesk sectino w tih a it doplia wXritiog MO iLfie, 0)1(1 a bow ti seetioli svidb tillee hli th dlw ('15. It \\itas ltslj(1 at thet lliot atoiX 1)5 Families 1, 11, anid IV, aliits used at homte of Fatojix V siteeessixe I)\ itS u lege (ridl iod twoX'li gl s iti ti t' oco t aXselloo 1 Tbe e sk lil use is shoXXn il II imire 26. t te wl itilog surface of tie aoiaes. The center diX idet XXas not likedi. It took c10)11gb spa)ce liii out' o boo1)0k, 1 lstrk t(ti possib~le inaollgemients of atrticles o11 tihe shelves, llid ittliferlli withi aiitit' aiii- iii etlcn ts. T1e tiid jll 1)1o1)abl\\-itas ulseti ordeIr to hits t\\to badl sbelvt's slopedl ill lot- 111iataiiiles. Tese' slopiutg ,hlvcs 1'' te not likedi. \la wouldII The shelv es wie liked and( il0,t'. have iell t' liscl to siutot' s~oedlook eiiltll 1liltllcldren i the l l famlies'5 \lot-(, open) skitl spaec 5111(1 tXX o ot where it'it esk (' tihei XV \tt')) Wthtn tei 11)11 ed l il. to setil' thatg thel s plati p'ieet scthool.ii 1thi liot~ is they returte 1101)5 had.sk iliit matI petol. elilt' tos cttilll rsg ty is tXheilot \\,it0 perhaps tt (Xr XXlfsitriSt oil thill~lg it(' foittl Shelves. TIhet shielves iiX 5,theml'li m 3 toot desk had( eci taii dit'ads ak nt titt it 111. in Weli iaio of h elt det to lvl uss '0 pil s ot empi ty t esC Iti ion. ofiX te o et i iL'ii) f t \or tit' ei'i I ile l' a s a h lil t tte t id ltittg.'t \\its Another djtht'oltXv was tbat \\]btell)books 81- inches tall wer tit' d oil~~'1 thel top s1helf1 thev 'il taught oii tihe filnl(' 1 work ablove)Xxdieii ie ) (1ed1'igii 26. \i. 'I'll( onlv she1lf 111 spaee \\ ell sulitedi to b)ooks ove ti itielies till \\-ias tbe left li~ilf 01 tile tto 011C. Sio(C Y~2 ileies is 01dinai v b)ook size, 11 siThit alitetration iof tbe shell spaleilig XX1u11( ]iaX e ile these shles(' fliolt t1512t1. Th' deptih o)f tihese shlve ts, 1 [12 it It'biiS. Wits gi'Ciltel' t tim thlat reqirc e foli books, Silte ess of thil .leX tidut ltgt 1 rv iltlit'0).otf i 1 sl~ tlilg ~ew ic. S m sdt'sX piiosh o f' hite stilt \\']11 (15(1,itc tlit tt I to usedw infher hoe rit e it but ts ied sh I prabl tpew could h I FIGURE 26. Original desk unit in use: (A books when removed from shelf were caught by frame obove; (B) children bl. e ot eough knteearoo feeringmfort. [ 5I I it was necessary to disarrange the work on the writing surface in order to get items from the drawers. One homemaker thought that one drawer would have been enough, and would have preferred shelves instead of the other two drawers. Users liked to close the desk to get their work out of sight, but some mentioned that there was not much space inside when it was closed. One family said they were not using the desk much because they did not have a chair there. It developed that they did not want to keep a chair near the desk when it was closed, yet they did not want to leave the desk open. With all the criticism of the desk, all the families that used it liked the idea of having a place to write and to store books, writing materials, check books, bills, and other business papers that are often used. The comments about the open shelves seemed to be related to the desire for more and better space to display art objects, plants, and flower arrangements. Such space is not incidentally provided by storage walls as often as it is in the case of storage furniture. ers and he had to trim them. The drawers had been constructed so that the sides were set in from the sides of the space for drawers. This was not according to the specifications. Later the drawers were rebuilt according to specifications that gave an interior width of 12/4 inches or an inch greater than the length of a letter-file folder. Kitchen side. On the kitchen side were shelves. At the top a large space, 14 inches deep and 21 inches high, had vertical dividers at the right end. This space was intended for storing large kitchen utensils such as preserving kettles, canners, small electric appliances, platters, trays, and large lids. At the bottom were shelves 4 inches deep for storing canned food and small items. -The kitchen side of the desk is shown in Figure 29. The shallow shelves were used because the desk surface did not seem to need to be deeper than 19 inches. The 4-inch shelves offered an opportunity to try this depth for canned food, for which space was insufficient for one family. In other situations it would be possible to design a reverse side to accommodate whatever items might require storage. In the event a reverse side were not needed, shelves on the desk side could be stacked vertically at the rear of the writing surface. The large shelf was liked for storing the items for which it was planned. Only one of the three families who used this space had a canner. One had a fairly large blancher. The space in this section would usually have been more effectively used if another shelf had been provided. The vertical dividers were considered useful. None of the homemakers had used this kind of storage facility before. They were used as planned. In addition, one family used them for storing 12-inch phonograph records, Figure 29C. This family had a large number of records and tape recordings. Small record albums and tapes were stored on the large shelf and large recordings were stored between the vertical dividers. This family later tried this section for kitchen and dining room equipment. The vertical dividers were taller than necessary for items stored between them. Eighteen-inch trays were the tallest items stored. The dividers were 21 inches high but only 14 inches deep. Thus, they would not accommodate 21-inch trays, which are 16 inches wide. However, none of the families owned trays of that size. Round trays of a diameter larger than 14 inches could not be accommodated between these dividers. However, round trays up to .21 inches in diameter could be stored at the back of the large shelf. Although not usually recommended, a tray stored at the back of the shelf was easy to use, when only a few items were stored on this shelf, Figure 29B. The small shelves were liked and used, not only for canned food, but for decorative items, vases, napkins, facial tissues, and small items used on the table at meals. Homemakers with small children were reluctant to place glass jars of food on. these shelves until hooks were placed high on the doors. However, they liked the idea of having cans one row deep. One homemaker said that, while these shelves did not provide enough space for storing all of her canned food, they would make a convenient place for keeping a few jars, both filled and empty. Thus, they would spare many steps to a homemaker whose main supply of canned food was stored in a basement or other distant place. The top of the desk was used by some families to place Alternate Desk Unit The alternate desk unit had horizontal dimensions 2 X 4 feet. It had facilities on both front and back. Drawings of front, back, and a section are given in Figure 27. No top section was used with this unit. It was planned as a kneehole desk. Above the writing surface were shelves for books and other items. Under the writing surface were: right side, an open paper shelf; left side, three drawers each 13 inches wide. One of the drawers was intended to be used as a letter-size file. The desk in use is shown in Figure 28. This unit was used at the laboratory by Families II, III, and IV. It was used at home by Family I, but they could not use the reverse side of it because it had to be placed against a wall. They used a top section with it. This desk was well liked. The three families who used both desks preferred the 4-foot one. It had more shelf room above the writing surface. One homemaker found that she tended to bump her head on the top shelf when she stooped from a standing position to pick up an item on the writing surface. Others were questioned about this problem, but none of them reported noticing it. The writing surface was larger. This surface and the open paper shelf beneath it were not objected to on the basis of appearance, but the two families that had a child less than 3 years of age said that items in either of these two places were not safe from children. The writing surface was large enough for men and the knee room was ample. The surface was satisfactory for typing. The open paper shelf was convenient to use when doing typing. The homemaker who felt cornered at the 3-foot desk placed the 4-foot desk in her home so that its left end was in a corner, Figure 28A. She did not report having the cornered feeling, yet she did use the desk. Drawers. The drawers at the side were liked better than the ones under the dropleaf of the 3-foot desk. Not all of the families used file folders, but all thought the file drawer would be useful. One homemaker pointed out that there was no support for folders unless the drawer was full. One of the men who used it with folders said that the drawer was not quite wide enough for his fold- [55] a 4'- " 2-" 4 A "PLYWOOD DI' 2"CLEARANCE BETWEEN 9 0 16" i,, 0 A- LIVING ROOM 51DE SECTION A-A "A KITCH EN SIDE FIGURE 27. View of 4-foot desk unit showing living room and kitchen sides, and vertical section. 4 p 5- A I x"-4 p i~ ii .4 .4 4 FIGURE 28. Four-foot desk in use: (A) Family 1, who used it in their home, needed a top section for books; (B) Family 11 used it for storage and as a study center; (C) Family III stored items high enough to be out of reach of the children; and (D) the homemaker of Family IV, who was a student, used the desk as a study center and for preparation of class materials. [ 57]1 w t, 41 r-: VARIETY ii r --. ~iYftPW~ - ii it t ia ~ . ~. r -~ - ~wq #'~ ~ I iEJ J[9 I _ h~~1it0Ih FIGURE 29. Kitchen side of 4-fact desk in use: tA, Family 11; (B) Family IV; (C) Family III first used upper port far record albums and tape recordings; UD later Family 11 tried it for kitchen items. itemls ouit of thu eagre, 55ON of siali chjld(vi). It was ise others for tlemlratise iteomls planits. alit1 i eu (li by(1l) piarakeet's bo0th t1wttIoIld am11 tltOftise reVautiouis to (lie greater size. It s\s ,AsoI Fiure 2813. (ired a grea~t dutal inl(It tioor spate flu 4-IIA t tdesk requ thanl thc S tfoot onle. 01nls 01w of thu titOlilius 55 ho tisto uising flit lirei onet. Altou~gh tlhe lontotmllk fimo4 none Hoot- spate i ld tteser iloots to ctn the oils tfainil\ ss101 IlsetI thle sboialltr desk ulter liked hasw115itth, sihu prtt etrmed tht li( get lsk. L[58]1 Shelves in Back Porch Unit lillit to mfee't the I''pI ssed iieed for stoiwae of, ittlis that did( not Seeml tol~ blow ill the 101115(. 11)125v l5 asvailiot able' to Fimililv 1. 'I'(1 were1 isedb tilt' otheri fitililies' f701itemiis that 'iioigit illa It11 101111' holsee storclt Hi kitclv 'I '0 SN'ik r oom atlid fo- ituse 1(1(lit of1 door1s, i( gule 30. Ill the( cals' oilo of ioix v tht've s as ot sufiitent spat t' ill tieit' s for151all hii 1 possessions. Iiill' cls5C of tilt oither' two faiieos, thelse sliScks prov5itded spit')' for dis55.155 K, poigof iterrs ats oIlle entere ''oait tierniald for spate illit'. f'ilte house. There \\-ias aiThe hlolmemaker s had( ((11) mieet sonic11 that till51 it(11) sholdil piocldstiilt' hlomem'akers 1room il~k(, follotheitemttis lllicd i Itill t' bel plaiced ill tilt holisu, allulit mos ill''111111(1to for w iich tiies 1)111stated( space it' sa lil lit. aO u11 sedi. OnIC lio (11111aktral~sio inlteede 1 spaIce for stmll 0 mug triax tilts. alit tile step) Stol, w ichi slil dlid ]lolt SS llIt ill thie t'ieailiig close't. Storage fol- thiese \\-Los prov idedt lo FIGURE 30. Shelf section of back porch unit in use in summer: (A) Family 11, (B) Family Ill, and (C) Family IV. This seemed~t tol beC a piracticl \\-it\ oIf' stoili tihese item~s, LlStliisl \ 55 tit ier ittlt' JliSei. So lethioeS spi.CC ill tilt' top 7 S'CC requliredi storage o)11 tile porch. fi~r ii 1 11 ilihil. cielliiwlg illiil t .11(1 iind1g rid ssiiik 551101(prof tl\i ill. stolred toils u1sed tio \\itt i.1oe SSIl lls even o\iel Itt oit't ll\CtIclr f i Siigat' HoSeer CSC 55111k 111111. Ii t fews sf1ipi sitiltillil, ill.' be iiiit kitthii oiI ecals at farmn n ibaskets itst,) 1tre (1r .111(1 otiher cl.'itilililr lisedl. colictinlg (fo01 houltsehld~ ill rit, .111( floss lms toc i de tiig'.e sii thaff't sh it oit m l tlbte bs Itils, oc iii. I detieltpis t pit.iifeas Cistmatiis fre~e 6e 1 grI iIestI cI rgCoIll ig itl ilCit's o 1t is'th sill u lig' shlltilr' tlli (ilth s coul ((itill Spie( 1sorisi it is fin stIllc( ~illi) ) ITmor Whcich Stfore Spice inr wl Utni W1as e Lacig, InadbfoeChrat, ors Poorly Situated d g mtin 5SItefms cill l vt'r s t't Nii lliOh li i tls stllll t't feee 1trd55 cltlils t11ill .' (Iftils tui of11 l'tl llitc 1( thse eio lllsiSbu~t t'l fereltfoghiv 55 oi mos~It foIe 1.1 t'tike~~ iiti55d1 tI well t(iIl i 55 (15 sd.Il\ce beIC liltt etoself.15 h to ill tidic l Il Top1 stein~s, 'tllggcigt' as i used oil a ms ih ill ttilt matellk'sssth'rC Ilitid bterccee 1(1 gt as axfoote mslit 5he'gts. i toikl rep olace bovelg d ite s il tht'st petclli 5(t'atll rI -tlI top l rh ofte 1 iCo ithetlltl' illt lillit. fisildigffiltoC i 1 lw sipit ieirgi' ifeeltiicvij g 111s it stol is. iisof. s Ailssot iiild us he for ' I is'l ledorlitt'C '' os IeilIslllC Rinistii. hiiit' ilt's lgidc tue hat ort'i on a i x s ill ji toi ille 115olit', 1 59] iiiii foo ft xi ihe ii liingi oit xllt to ilk rit l t tdix i Imtit. Thi 1 stli ii mmiil( t aii i foot r iIiS\ iiut FC xiid ite ll ti li tci11 iiiitx TIIi cS i' I ax IItI h ia iil thtii siti. i I' ii viildi tll shtelvesx and \iiiii iiitt c coiiti (i ii ii t ltiu b ilto xlithi Iieniii i x xe i 11rsu to ic )did itlt ti t i tel t cile food- iil( f m tiiidiii b~it ktii f14 n ti ut iii~ er use lofit.x il)1111 11( till) \it thai t siiiie d i ]o \lt t o ia it tillsm t heiiti xiixj sheili t44 ititllii 1 )1 il' orx txxii jl \iligie tofx s s gi oI'llli 22l c X Io1 (I iit ll(5 dil.hi x practice xilx l)S 5 ii xl(iu Lil siltiiiiit xo toa rogix is itsmii. txaxiiiit soiml FIGURE 31. Two-foot unit used for canned food. shi> ' I hui llai lita f oill t iini tixc xxuish xi hxiaii ntadil c o s t xxlt i hil~r hiaid ' o xxcl ax lot ae ii \\a t i tiiii l ll ii alsx 14 iIi i diot' liiii i notx itxiiiii'iiic oix c tio itiii andi i xi a li il t Lii in xxoiiii \lod , ixliii id o\rii laslil itic (in ii illis Io iic ta ii c~ii couldii ia 1ii of sin Stuuaot \v ta ii't xx isiitoe .il iuuiduui bli tii xx iii t ll' iifuvtil tu xxiti a esit e iitix 1111 cihu ho e tii or lo dill t'iti. lixlt ii lii ith i ili itiitli f t 4he ihouse il iii tit(ax ill iiilbxaiid flocpiip1 opcli listoatt Iilii ille tiix ilits Ill tilitl i a Lii ixtail eix tialx areas of xpt\'' xx lx iiitic iiitis stii i i o e a ertfit.il lb b ,\]it( o ~c it giiiitgo lig t xI a x ip~i S etllxliilit i ag l i t- iiiliiii th s c otisptdooax \~i ailali o al xoo \ pile Ileiii l ilx foi. ii itpo l iu tio Iis iiiiot liptx o lot xthraie t ii iiii Thxiill'ix x un olt I it Ilit~ i 23 sc .l oti lxti tilil iii xhtii iiig ofii~s fx the ttil) siit' tiu' i-t't'tx ii'ti thelo11 i i t\io~ii' of x.r x pafiiet iilkteii litrl xa ~iit' iixti ixxtt a aml l Il Illo 2 N tha lt ot ix'l flilith lit' xi s i iiitt foo i ao xxme ilo]x itixn a t 1 1i iill)-N lilil tosit i Ic es xill-Ilultt'i lxx Thist Lho uu' .3ik i I x axepat~ili ' Use t 111 l he xxax 11t flit xti iiiiiiii. ill' bforii eith xx iti m 6iuntx usil kiuiui it xxr' itiini trit tiauiul1 il iil'r ti of lli'li Years thuxi ,v l ix utu lat'ti cilixito t mitoite ix l'ii' xxaxi ir' [ (itt] to ' N lor a prchoo XWerie those'LIi( ti i' lot-hlping" tleildren1 'I 1lildi. ch9)1 Ill each is sI ome of tile toXN IlThCSC Chli(lren alXso car11 cd to -\ footedi that \\]Xt 111oiilX 11(11 to tiltparents bedroonil 0 wXithl cooking. peaI'lt ihiiXm toX X. Ilin d '~lIil1 had t Some (1111(1 Xwas pingi tiltre was OXi siiclt 1iits p~lannedt forl Xtoi'agc of foldetd £ilr-nlnt. T10 pirepare for the use oll the 3 tfoot tii cX(cr XX iech thev were expecctedi to tr,\ later, a Xct ond shel cimuit, 12 X 24I X '30) inchcX 1igdi was placcd linicr a int ilo ill the chlidre (' rooi. Siincc two hildi r1u of tenl lliX(9( sepliate'X tih' gil II wasX~l triel tis un(it and( tbr' bo\ kept thet lii Xl('if nui11olit, Figure :3211 and C. The girl's laIrger t((X X (Icr gi01npc(d arond 1r icX boar. I~ A be X I Irtdtt\ Icililr gt tiMI XXe ('t er XI lt ildlc ltgt'e to tov wer Iltei plv XXo OX( lle t ha toxhellit tiiioft l XI lth 11(1 tile. 't 11 (IX0 Ch '1 l tX'l \\ere (I ptho vl 01 IititXX di 10(1 conized ll ou t at ttl) X act t that1(1l slaidi tl lil lk I'11 t lI'll (111(att lo fV '~' ~ ,I' ~ I I I Now- -~ VI' w'' 19, FIGURE 32. Toy storage and play areas: (A) corner used by pre-school girl of Family 11; (B) corner used by pre-school girl af Family Ill; (C) corner used by pre-school boy of Family Ill; corner of bedroom used by child of Family IV in summer; (El in winter child af Family IV was given space by the heater, where she did not like to ploy. IDI [ 61 ] patterns of the disorderly storage afforded by top-opening storage chests or boxes. It appears that toy storage requirements vary greatly from family to family. If storage walls are used, toy storage space must be provided to protect other storage space. However, the toy storage should be of a type that may be used for other purposes as the child grows older. Units in General As walls. In addition to their storage function, the units had to serve as walls. Thus, they might be expected to form a stable structural barrier between rooms, to provide privacy as needed, to provide part of the space for hanging decorative and useful items, and to serve as covers for wiring and plumbing. As structural barriers they seemed to serve well most of the time. However, one family used a gate on the door of the children's bedroom to prevent the children from awakening the parents and to keep them in their room without closing the door. These children must have swung on the gate or tried to force it, for it was noted that the wall on which it was fastened moved several inches out of line. It could be pushed back into line, but if older children should engage in rough play, it is assumed that it would be possible to push the walls further out of line or damage them. Although the units were bolted together, light could sometimes be seen through the joints. No complaint was made about this, and it could have been remedied by batten strips. However, such strips would not have enhanced the decorative aspect of the wall, and their use would have interfered with moving the units. Nothing much was said about usefulness of the walls as sound barriers. Homemaker I was asked a few times about this and said she hadn't noticed. However, when her parents were visiting, she found that when they talked quietly in the master bedroom, it was possible to hear them quite clearly in the living room. It then became clear that the homemaker and her husband had always retired after everything in the house was quiet. They had always been on the side of the wall where the noise originated and so had not been bothered by it. The sounds of the bathroom were clearly audible in the parents' room. None of the walls made up of units was even a moderately good sound barrier. The fact that these families did not complain of the problem of sound does not indicate that families with older children retiring later than parents would find them satisfactory. No problem of hanging decorative or other items was encountered. Mobility caused certain problems in electric wiring. Wall switches could not be used for ceiling lamps in the bedrooms because walls on either side of the doors were movable. Wiring to locations along the movable walls or in the units had to be placed either under the units, on top of them, or in wiring strips outside of them. It was foun~d expedient to place wires on top of these units. Whenever a wall was changed or a lamp added to a unit, it was necessary to do a rewiring job. If units of this kind are to be used. as movable ones, each one should be equipped with its own wiring set and each set should be fitted for connection to the set in the next unit or to an overhead wire. However, even if this were done, changing [62] the orientation of a unit might require the reversal of connectors. It is probable that approval of such wiring would depend on the perfection of the connecting system. These problems would not have existed if the units had been built in. Because of the permanent nature of plumbing, it is obvious that its inclusion in movable walls is out of the question. With proper planning it might be used in some permanent storage walls. Units as substitutes for furniture. The qualifications of the units to fulfill the functions of dressers, chests, bookcases, desks, and other furniture have been indicated in the discussions of specific units. Homemakers noted also that because the units were arranged in straight lines and extended to the floor and ceiling there was no problem of cleaning around them, under them or on top of them as in the case of furniture. They also commented that the rooms looked larger and neater than if separate items of furniture were used. The homemakers remarked on how much storage space was available in so small a house. This was because nearly all of the floor space occupied by the units was available for storage from floor to ceiling. In addition to the amount of space, the space was efficiently used or had possibilities for efficient use. Shelves and trays were in several instances more closely spaced than in many purchased storage units, and a number of the trays and shelves were adjustable to the items stored on them. However, there were few exposed surfaces on which to place miscellaneous decorative items and to make artistic arrangements. The lack of such surfaces prompted homemakers to reserve shelving in units, such as the bedclothes unit or unit K to put things until they were needed. It is probably a good idea to keep such items out of sight since this helps to reduce clutter in the house. ,The complaint noted by people who had just moved in that there were too many doors was perhaps an expression of their confusion at locating stored objects before they had learned where they were placed. Usually these complaints ceased after the families became oriented. Movability. It was assumed that movability-might be a useful feature of storage walls. It should lend flexibility to the shape and arrangement of rooms and thus help to make the house adaptable to the changing needs of the family cycle. Movability would also be necessary to interchanging units. Experience with the units showed that these values were not necessarily inherent to movable storage units. In the laboratory the only feasible changes in room size were to increase the length of the children's room at the expense of the living room and vice versa, and to move the 8-foot desk toward the living room or back toward the kitchen. In both cases the move involved a distance of 1 foot. One homemaker who wanted to re-plan the layout of the house by moving the units was asked to first make the plan to scale on paper. The plan she made would have placed the children's bedroom at the other end of the living room. The light switches at the front door would then have been behind the end of a unit. The ceiling lamp would have been next to the wall. Other problems of electric wiring have been mentioned. In attempting to make other plans for change of room shapes and sizes, laboratory workers were confronted with plumbing that was not movable, outside windows and doors, electric lamps, and outlets that also restricted location of partitions. Perhaps in a larger house these permanent architectural features might be less limiting, but there would be restrictions. It is evident that any relocation other than exchange of units must be planned when the house is built. Otherwise relocation of a partition may involve major changes of house structure, plumbing, and wiring. Moving these units was of little help in providing for the increasing needs of the pre-teenage girl. When she needed more space in the bedroom she also needed more space in the living room. Interchangeability. Exchange of units of equal size is possible. However, in the case of the walls studied, moving any unit that included a light fixture or a wall outlet involved a change in wiring. Also, because of the ceiling molding strips and the bolts that held the units together, exchanging units was not a simple task. In the case of the 3-foot units, moving them through a door could not be accomplished with the unit in an upright position. Because of the specific functions of most of the units, it was not feasible to move them from one room to another. The only feasible changes that could be suggested were exchanging unit C with the 8-foot dressers and exchanging the 3-foot desk with unit K. When two units were used back-to-back, such as the two dressers, or when a unit had facilities on both sides as unit C and the 4-foot desk, any exchange of units was limited by the requirements of not one but two sides. It was noted that the small shelves at the back of unit C interfered with moving the wall between living room and children's room any farther toward the children's room. When unit C was exchanged for the dressers, the same problem was noted, but it was the dresser that limited the movement of the wall. Problems of interchangeability involved both depth and width of unit. In order to have all units fit into all walls, they had to have a common depth or be made in combinations that would assemble to make such depth. Considering the various uses of these units, it is easy to understand why a common depth may not be at all satisfactory. The 2-foot depth was not deep enough for rod closets or for two dressers, yet it was too deep for bed clothes and bathroom units. One foot was not deep enough for a desk unit, yet 2 feet was deeper than required. It is undesirable to have one wall of a room made up of units of different depths, yet there is no need to let the depth of one wall set the standard for depths of all the partitions in the house. If the walls are permanently built, it is often possible to use on one side of a wall the space that is not needed ont the other. However, if the planner must consider the possibility that a unit of a wall may be moved to another location, he is restricted by this requirement. The result may be that the walls are less useful than they might otherwise be for the original purposes. The problems of common widths or modular widths are evident. The 8-foot width was not great enough for rod closets for some individuals. However, this width may be greater than is needed for some other purposes. Even limiting width to modules of 1 foot does not neces[63] sarily make the best possible use of space. It seems doubtful that the advantages of interchangeability are great enough to warrant the restrictions on widths that are required. Interchangeability of parts of these units was limited to units of equal width and depth. Such interchangeability had limited value in relation to its disadvantages and costs. If a part is to be moved from unit to unit, there should be an exchange of parts, otherwise space and materials will be wasted. It is doubtful that the advantages from interchangeability of parts are worth the price of restricting units to like dimensions. Kitchen and Dining Area Study of kitchen space was not included in the purposes of the project. However, it seemed advisable to provide an efficiently planned kitchen and one with sufficient storage space so that the demand for kitchen storage would not interfere with the study of the storage wall units. The kitchen used was supplied with cabinets obtained from a major mail-order company. The floor plan of the kitchen is shown in Figures 6 and 7. This kitchen rated 85 according to the kitchen score sheet published by the Small Homes Council (8). This is considered a good rating. The points on which this kitchen was lacking were enough storage space in wall and base cabinets. The scoring of this storage space was based on frontage of the storage cabinets. This kitchen had a lazy susan in the corner base cabinet. Another base cabinet was provided with a row of pull-out pot hooks. The wall cabinets were each provided with extra shelves. None of these was taken into account by the score sheet. Also there was a storage drawer in the range that the score sheet excluded, although two drawers would have added to the score. Thus, the kitchen must have deserved a rating between good and excellent. The homemakers often discussed problems related to the kitchen. These were sometimes connected with use of unit K, back porch unit, cleaning closet, shelves at the back of the 4-foot desk, storage of canned food, or of items pertaining to food preservation. At other times the discussions were not related to these things especially, but simply stated as problems or as comments. As a result of these discussions and the procedures and further discussions that followed them, insight was gained about homemakers' abilities to see their storage problems and to solve them. The problems of the kitchen seemed to be of greater concern to them than those of other areas. Thus, they often wished to do something about them before attacking other problems. Some problems were not recognized as such. As far as the mixing area was concerned, homemakers might fail to store all of the needed items together or they might store these items on one side of the kitchen and do the mixing on the other. They recognized the values of centralizing the process only after trying it at the suggestion of laboratory workers. One homemaker was keeping her best dishes and glassware between the sink and dining area, and her everyday dishes and glassware in unit K in the back hall. She recognized the fact that she was walking too much because of this. At the suggestion that she reverse the two, ?I I , -~ 4/ i41 V A homemaker' chair, FIGURE 33. Use cf the dining area: Family 1, is crowded against panel back of range; (B) Homemaker I took advantage of the arrangement in serving family t. -amlly iI from range, work surtacc, and w~all cabinA; pushed the table against the wall to gain space; and (D) Family IV needed only three sides of the table. SheC at fir st ut feiided (\CIIJIlgc. Ier chie, sc Niot X oiitai cl SheC XXa XXIII AX itli hiiaig \v1.5(1 jiX tli till (,( the sitiiatiuiii i Imiik of thic ~og. Tlis Iairigcmulllt IthC aIloXX Som ~ace sp111 tll( l11191 111119( solvXe thet Jpiohlcmu herself. to \\lirii th19 tallic gi n11)11Tl. The1 diiiinly aia(U xiX not 1.0(, ill the' -coitt- of thet arca. thici.(C XXas ba~liXk XXa Ils111 VII f11~tl11btIl)C C( tnllC rt1) ili ('110l1(il SI)ICC to Sit(1\Ii 1( Sml~l. LIVar ones Could scarl\ 01)1 tloiolid tile (hirsX X 510019 failicI( have b)19(1 11519( \X itl the tale1 C1iCIterC(1. I too1k '33B. ICadvatage O gCIiICI' MTMIarrC1fliclt tilr cuIJh1)1 i ito-ale and r(aInlge-til tl)( ill 1110111 XsIXvice is sIIiXX II1 attii. 11l1iw(ilclit r 11519( h\s Etilvi 11, ill XXlivl tl Xsi1IXX11il FamliX Figui h IV\I isIX :3C. lIW iiXltilii4 3.31). M-.11algC Il1t~lt 11519(1li ixill 1040119 inl Fire* :3A. The inothici' chir is ag ills) the 1 Xaildc [I641 I House in General dhit' oittit, t'\tlof X unt til and t X teii alu atioi 'Ast Ziltiit 12 oft hIs. t Ilwt titIlfloor sI)ito fIi-t. TII pZ \\i X 1'2 ttt't .i anl ilt-a that the hotuse was1. altit 82-1 stZla i' ht be tiisidcri d sinail four iX n t\\o-p stun wouttld~ tritaiI, Ntt hid to in I addithnt tht(' Ti spZath' tl occialliit' IiX loctated ill thei iilT I tutil. and it lt'ititi'id at latrui flor a ll si ite o f tisiX th re oftti I igt stiti lustialiX ill allttl it'.f m l e i l t (Io t il iliti ite a.ZL it XXas sfpacei wa s retpotedi I)\ thi spati fpossibltot titpi 1 pleniilit it XXitli saitisfattt' ii . One 1 ott Inlt'r ofi a taf tiiaii ai\ space't. ( Thfits hailii sX ill Ittli \itsX1 ilX , h0\\X fl~iitj1 I ot tilt fNad itianiv tihar acteristits \\ i1 FIGURE 34. Back parch as used by Family 11. i .ill iXv alit otthit tit( liiest Tis otf t'stahtlisiltt thotse ftailitiX sCCItIiti ttifaI'ZN iii tilt stiids . Faitt tlioiliataentX lot- tstc tXXili l te'rOfoti- tiltu aii ailij t' sltati 1ti iii tu t itl i ittu tits ntt itt t. acces HtXXc t'Xw chIidco'. ticllt iiim tile tiX isf pl urn tatil t it lii'tti s XZfu tiIlte itittt X itis XXt expes ifntt liii perit spac oilt i of l fp it thel i-p It't Z a F 'it tailis, or att itit towl 1 ltiu Iathe~giitr34 sI ile theticio nit iti 5tii tilti't xitt ttitl aitd htiii Z~sIC..111t I li it ullfaitiliess o ttd'ti of fiiidii i jtit't'oo- ut' Th5111e il(T tl t XX 11 otitit XXbeitwee tdort keittin h1initsb ltt XXiii\ w1t pi'tiut tsi e d ti ime ion XXfi Thrfaititlints. e hoa kt u s ert'ti i tX evdlitX IXC-ls 'i' lloti ('to XXIay f ee for XX Xor Xpc ti 1 ~.tih stoag tiit XX t i eiiiis tilehpittt t Xi. Is flit'iiitiy space t fith ril IItX flo tr tiit her p iil'iii (5ln li 7ll tiit amt s ait Fiti t ise HoweXvtt r, ii tilt t heretitit ht- XXitifiI t4 facitor XXvl iv ingt(il iit tii Fitirt' sem.5o. euie tiitiX s iihiila t'iZt ik wa idec of cd o yos. lorsae [6(5]1 0 ~til I Y ok ~ h ~ *ffe ~ II S 4 FIGURE 35. Family 11 used parents' rocm fcr many purposes, including sewing and a place for the freezer. Summary and Conclusions 'I he \ait sitslIXl of thits stt411d Its. ill seX 11l ii ft hits a~sllittot 1av fitl( itisiglits ilciulti lit )(v(il possihlc to Its (stigYAtO to iiiiiottijitl to stot iwc wXails somOw of the ftttits t Somne of titoto(Stilts fitis (iiistt Lt(tioti. and utsc, of stot io ititplicatiolls fot dcsti,l plait stot ao. ho ltoX uttlits, lit fot toadcityIg loll ucitkert the.it tisetlitoss \\ill hbe of itirst [holl mto ds tisc itd iiiti tiltlbifit of stor age XXalls. matni\ titit 20t 115)1 Aige'c l\ tt ct slthe holuse. The thof st~fit torcnikclwho~i1 s at isito ) (datotih i i 5coto ht (1(0)sa tl(,l htkaio lv ocj)(d hI lilt ceas as] 111sloi as to) reeac wXII Xorkers. ( titliisiott s il)olit itiidua stotriog svarious un11(ttits alid abtout space fot C kioids of items have hooti stated A appr ii Motro- (_(Flio Movability of Units thanl tt a ( it of Ittildlttig mtovXable ittitsrthertii Thet of 0) fixedi olws sttgfftsts that thO (11( h ics IltoiblitN andit the M\IXitilitv (d 1(slifi t XXall pr1 ato plact s ill thtis reort. 1/01 hti. stimiltatie l (-tttillisiotls il111 Usefulness of Storage Walls thtX lusc 1111tho- spitzo XXalls ate cttilptct. Weli Stttia It otl floot tot ceilitng, thox ilkec t'Oeltt liso of floor "pace. 1 d f 5 5 the duatl putpsc of patttitittiiig ilt fleatiso thev setrve ni r \XO1wXX blttel ose of spitco. Jlttss stttt tug. tluc\ matlke o 1 hiffrioTS, tlo h tlioki it s~ 1 tIttill this ti) tst S(TCit15sit itti It ft r sIl is lIo t id Ilit 1tXh gri~ter that I X I il there1 uts pern-iits chinoging the sizit loXtXCr1at i)hgtt The ild m c tpce it I alls atittlI wXitht its floor sizititud shape. the stioil wXills, ill p)(t iititttit ittstilliihtiolis such XXirillui hitiiit ts plaimedt h avet to 1w0 lovilbtilit N cawithil itN Thits. lhhii~e5. 1)efo1e bltiiiig tite house,( ial ltgtaiiulit\ tihal lcs of, tim l(,ltt 1 is pl~tofbitg tlt XX wotuld ilost chilt( 1)at I1ict Stonw to ittot 5ist((55O xtr(Jitit tXIv torc huit iter- ildvtittaos ox 01 1)portatle tiilt wta lls LIX 0 X t Litilrt ittan(ntitlt tof liiits at d Collstoritage fitt11ttirc. of oitt iili lppioit1.( floor tto o iltt ig giXe flit 11 sttttctitt 1 ttf nlore pioollis. Pt (IXisitl (lotltuss alit iti-(lttCti celiiiig thlti tho lisiail itltttitt of icadilX, as 1itlthl sttonago slptiw Itotkes it pttssiltlt f or hitttocmlkt is to koeep itlot coXvei (6] 6! dhoubtfulf if' tftt X gtcilt cootgh to oh, tulfts. 1f sigi Il 1 litsillXv there is it. It iX lbiljtv i11 tls oft or 11(0(1 hot itittli 1ili hitlilic the t tistt iitioiis it lalii(s ol dea 10 lit is do(sigi td lor t sp etfic pot pose. of sutjtaleI0 loationl lot tot 101101) elofoi oI thei basIis of beo (h(Xigtt0( ffhoont storitgo shlodi 1)1(1 C 1005 ,iitv the dimensions and other attributes of the items stored; thus, units designed for one purpose are not usually suited to other purposes and they cannot be advantageously interchanged. Versatility of individual units is greatly limited if interchangeability of the set of units is required. Problems of Movability Houses in which movable storage walls are used should have level floors. Slight variations in floor level are emphasized by the height of tall units. Such houses should also be built without baseboards, moldings, or other projections on the walls if it is planned to move the units. Since stability is considered desirable in walls, movable wall units need to be anchored in some way once they are in place. Movable wall units require special electric wiring systems if a source of electricity is needed where they are located. The movable units used in this study were not good sound barriers. It was believed that sound was easily transmitted because of the thinness of the material and the spaces between the units, which although quite small could not be entirely eliminated. Movable units are more costly to build than fixed ones. They require considerable duplication of materials. They must have rigidity built into them rather than take advantage of the rigidity of the house. faults of the original set of units but also to pursue possible reasons for the occurrence of these faults. Thus, some positive suggestions for design of units could be made. Attempts at space evaluation of the clothing storage units showed that the most useful approach was to determine the space requirements per garment and apply the results to the inventory and unit in question. This method has wider application and is on a sounder basis than arranging specified sets of garments in each unit. Also the concept of lifetime requirements is recommended as a basis for dimensions of storage units, especially those for clothing. By this is meant designing on the basis of the period of maximum use. The evaluation by 20 homemakers was useful in showing what methods of clothing storage are used and preferred by homemakers, and where they like these storage units located in the house. Their choices of facilities at the laboratory were somewhat limited. However, a greater variety of choices might have been confusing. Their choices might have been changed if they had had longer experience with the units. Thus, their validity might be questioned. The unsolicited remarks made by these evaluators was an unexpected source of information. In thinking aloud as they arranged garments, they revealed the reasons for their choices. Tape recordings of their remarks would have been useful. The use of photographs was considered a good method of recording the 20 evaluators' placement of garments. Evaluation by resident families was time-consuming and expensive. However, it had the value of allowing evaluators time to test their choices. Initial choices were sometimes changed. Communication was sometimes difficult. Cooperators sometimes talked around the subject, sometimes could not decide what was liked better. Cooperators chose without regard to cost of facilities. This may have been a good idea in some ways. However, if facilities are made or purchased, cost is usually a factor. Sometimes cooperators refused to consider other costs, such as when one would like deeper drawers but would not like to have fewer in order to have them deeper. A cooperator might express a need for more space, but would be unwilling to adjust shelving to get it. The use of movable units made it possible to evaluate two assemblies in the bedroom-wall and two desk units for the living room. However, because the bedroom units were part of a longer wall, Figures 6 and 7, different depths could not be used in alternate units. The size, shape, and construction features of the house limited the number and arrangements of the units that could be studied. It would be advantageous in such a study as this if all arrangements necessary for projected evaluations were planned in advancee and the house and units constructed accordingly. However, the inventories of resident families cannot be anticipated and it is often profitable to take advantage of discoveries made during the progress of a study. Thus, any advance plans for such a study should have some flexibility. Evaluation of units in homes had certain disadvantages. The units became a part of the total home storage situation. When other storage for a given kind of item was available in the home, the unit provided for that item might be used for only part of such items. On the other Implications for Design of Storage Units Many of the findings of this study are applicable to design of storage units in general, and storage units that fit together, as well as storage walls. In making specifications for design of storage units, if one expects the completed units to be functional one must allow space for items stored, for reaching-in space, for cleaning space if needed, and for the structural parts of the unit itself. The user, the designer, and the builder need to have a clear understanding of what allowances are included in each set of dimensions. When units are designed for multiple uses, care should be taken to allow sufficient space to prevent one use to interfere with another. Storage units should be designed to provide for the future needs of the family for both the short run and the long run. For instance, they should provide for differences in seasonal use and expected future needs of children for greater space for the same kinds of items. If the first use is a temporary one, provision should be made for other possible future uses of the unit. For instance, toy shelves might later become bookcases. Framework at the ends of a unit should be located with regard to the facilities of the unit. When adjustable shelves or trays are used, corner posts should not be so placed as to interfere with the operation of the shelves or trays. It is recommended that trays move on cleats or other gliders rather than on shelves. This saves materials and prevents unnecessary friction. Methodology The various techniques used in this study may he of interest to others doing similar work. The initial study of the units by laboratory workers made it possible not only to correct some of the obvious [ 67 ] hand, when storage of a certain kind was scarce in the home, the unit might be used for storing items for a greater number of persons than that for which it was intended. However, in the case of units of the kinds studied, it was useful to find how well they were adapted to use in houses other than the one used as a laboratory. Also the pressures of expanding families on the storage space of the home was made evident in the course of evaluations in homes and in the search for cooperators for such evaluations. The use of tape recordings was considered good since the project leader was able to analyze the information at a later time. However, transcription of the records was time-consuming. It is believed that a dictating machine might be easier to use than a tape recorder. The latter proved heavy to carry and difficult to start, stop, and reverse when transcribing the records. Photographs of use of space by resident families make excellent records, since they register many details that might otherwise be unnoticed. Often a question that a photograph can answer arises long after the photograph has been taken. However, photography in occupied houses is often extremely difficult. Floodlights were used. Perhaps flashbulb photography might have required a less elaborate setup. Implications for Teaching Experience with the cooperators and evaluators in this study suggests that women need help in resolving storage problems, in planning storage of personal and household items in existing facilities, and in designing storage facilities. Because of increased housing costs and resulting tendency toward smaller houses, homemakers perhaps need help in making storage compact yet adequate and in balancing cost of storage facilities against the need for and value of items stored. This seems to imply that home economics classes in secondary schools and colleges might well emphasize storage principles in their curricula. Study of storage principles might also be emphasized in extension programs. References Cited (1) BONSER, HowARD J. AND DAVIS, JOE F. Electricity on (6) PHILSON, KATHRYN. Folded Garment Storage for Southern (2) (3) (4) (5) Farms and in Rural Homes in the East Tennessee Valley. Tenn. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bul. 221. 1951. Farm Housing in the South. Southern Coop. Series Bul. 14. 1951. GAINES, J. P. AND DAVIS, JOE F. Electricity on Farms in the Clay Hills Area of Mississippi. Miss. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bul. 493. 1952. MUNSON, BYRON E. An Experimental Approach to Housing Research. Jour. Home Econ. 50:2, pp. 99-101. Feb. 1958. The President's Conference on Home Building and Home Ownership. Vol. X, Homemaking, Home Furnishing and Information Services. Washington, D.C. p. 45. 1932. Farm Homes. 1962. Auburn Univ. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bul. 341. Rod Closets for Southern Farm Homes. (7) ----...... Auburn Univ. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bul. 325. 1960. (8) The Small Homes Council. Kitchen Planning Standards. Univ. Ill. Circular Series C5.32. 1949. (9) STEANSON, OSCAR AND DAVIS, JOE F. Electricity on Farms in the Upper Piedmont of Georgia. Bul. 263. 1950. (10) WILSON, MAUD. Ga. Agr. Expt. Sta. Jour. Home Econ. 40:9, pp. 502-504. Nov. 1948. Planned Houses-a Review of Research. [ 68 ] Acknowledgments The author is grateful to many persons who have helped with this study and who have given advice and encouragement in its planning and pursuance. She acknowledges especially the assistance of the following: Miss Helen E. McCullough (retired) and Prof. W. H. Kapple, University of Illinois; and Dr. Byron E. Munson, formerly of the University of Illinois, who shared their experiences in evaluation by resident families. Miss Exa Till, Home Demonstration Agent of Chambers County, who obtained the assistance of Home Demonstration Club members and served as coordinator for scheduling their visits. Prof. Walter Grub, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Auburn, who assisted in the design of the alternate units and supervised their construction. The 20 women of Chambers and Lee counties who served as evaluators. The families who lived in the storage-wall laboratory and evaluated the units, and the families who used and evaluated the units in their own homes. Appendix Choices in Facilities and Units Rod Units for Parents 9 Original set (3-foot units) Shoe racks: Slanted wood, wire loop, wire loop on floor. Belt storage: Hooks, wire rod, nails with wire rod. Tie storage: Door rack with swivel hangers, expanding rack on end wall. Rod storage: Three adjustments for rod. Small shelf above rod: Usable with the two lower adjustments. Alternate set (4-foot units) Swinging doors and sliding doors in addition to other facilities as in original set. Storage for Parents' Folded Garments and Other Items Original set (8-foot units) Dresser (1 foot deep), drawers only. Unit C Lower section: Rod or pull-out shelves. Middle section: Trays of various vertical depths and two widths, or shelves. Alternate .set Four-foot shelf unit (1 foot deep) Adjustable shelves (11 X 22 inches) used with or without pulling out. Trays of varying vertical depths. Dressing table with mirror, or shelves in mirror space. Rod Units for Children Three-foot unit Shoe racks: Slanted wood on floor, bin on wall, wire loop on wall. Belt storage: Hooks, nails, wire rod. Rod storage: Three adjustments; also movable supports (attached with screws). Small shelf above rod: Adjustable. Large shelves above rod: Adjustable (fewer adjustments for older children). Width of unit; unless otherwise stated, depth of all units is 2 feet. Storage for Children's Folded Garments and Other Items Original set (8-foot units) Dresser (1 foot deep) drawers only. Shelves at rear of unit C, adjustable. Alternate set (two 2-foot units) Shelf units (1 foot deep). Adjustable shelves (11 X 22 inches) used with or without pulling out. Trays available in varying vertical depths. Dressing table with mirror or shelves in mirror space. Living Room Rod Unit Three-foot unit Rod adjustable. Low rod for children available. Back Porch Rod Unit Four-foot rod unit (Originally a rod unit only; this unit was divided vertically into two equal parts below the high shelf between evaluations of Families I and II. Left half was used for rod storage, right half for adjustable pull-out shelves). Rod adjustable. Hooks added as needed. Shelves adjustable, removable. Cleaning Closet Two-foot unit No alternate choices of facilities. Step stool or ironing board, not both, could be stored in this unit. Bedclothes Unit Three-foot unit Upper section: Trays or shelves. Lower section: Drawers only. Bathroom Unit Three-foot unit Upper section: Small shelf optional. Middle section: Trays or shelves. Lower section: Cartons or basket used for soiled clothes. [ 69]