How few people who build houses give proper attention to the plan and construction of the kitchen! Pains may be taken to have the exterior of the building attractive, the halls broad, the parlors spacious and finely finished, the dining-room bright and inviting, the chambers airy and sunny, but the plan of the kitchen generally receives much less thought than its importance deserves, if one be seeking to make the house as nearly perfect as is practicable. The trouble is not wholly due to unwillingness to expend more money than may have been at first appropriated. A little extra thought alone is needed to effect many improvements on the average kitchen when a house is in process of construction, but this extra thought usually is missing. Of course, in order to have a model kitchen, one must be willing to pay a good price for it; yet the price will not be so high that one will ever regret the expenditure; indeed, most persons will promptly admit that the money has been used as profitably as that used for any other part of the house. The object of this chapter is to show how a model kitchen may be arranged; and although few people may adopt the recommendations as a whole, it is hoped that every reader may find some suggestions of value, to be followed whether the house be already built or yet to be erected. [Illustration] The first matter to be considered is the size of the room. While it is important to have ample space for range, sink, dresser, tables, and chairs, and for free movements, it also is important to avoid having the room so large as to oblige one to take many steps to and from range, sink, table, and pantry. A good size is 16 × 16 or 15 × 17 feet. Be particular to have the ventilation as good as possible; for the comfort of not only those who have duties in the kitchen, but of the entire household, is in a measure dependent upon it. If the ventilation be poor, the strength of those who work in the room will needlessly become exhausted, and they are likely to get irritated easily. Moreover, odors of cooking will escape to other parts of the house instead of passing to the open air. The room should be high, and have large windows that can be raised or dropped easily. If the kitchen be located in a one-story extension, almost perfect ventilation may be secured by means of a ventilator in the roof or by a skylight; or it may be found easy to have a ventilator placed in the chimney. If expense be no obstacle, it will be well to have a separate chimney for the kitchen, as this is one of the surest ways of preventing odors of food from reaching other rooms. Although the room may be admirably arranged and finished, it will not be a model apartment unless there be good ventilation and an abundance of light. Most kitchens have some dark corners, but there should be none.