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During my last few posts, we have toured an electrically marvelous mid-century house. We’ve discovered the joys of the kitchen, the living-dining areas, the bedroom and the perfect bathroom. According to “Living Better Electrically, beautiful areas aren’t relegated to the upper portion of the home. Places like the basement and utility rooms can be just as nice, if the homeowner used a little imagination and a lot of electricity. Take a look.

First off is a beautiful basement. I love wood paneling and in this painting it is everywhere. This basement has been turned into a recreation or playroom. Here Junior can set up his electric trains with a lot of help from dad. Or there’s plenty of space for a workshop, or a cozy den. All of this is centered around a new heating cooling unit, that brings refreshing cool air in summer, or cozy heat to the entire house. Here the utilitarian device is inconspicuously hidden behind louvered doors. Out of sight out of mind.

Next the brochure offers various modern heating and cooling equipment configurations, depending on what type of house or space you have.

One was a cooling unit in the kitchen hidden behind a door. It let you breeze through “hot work “on sizzling days and cooled every room of your home.

Next was a central air-cooling unit in the basement. This one was called a “upflow” unit plan. It blew cold air to registers in other rooms. The brochure said it was easy to install.

If space was limited horizontal units were available. A corner of your attic could become a source of year-round comfort.

Or you could plan for an installation with no floor space at all. Compact horizontal units fit easily into a crawlspace.

If you have no basement, a few square feet in your garage could be a convenient location for a central air conditioning unit

But this last suggestion is a little far-fetched. The pamphlet claimed that modern equipment was so compact, clean and quiet, you could even install it in your living room. Sorry I don’t think I want a furnace in my living room. Nice try electric brochure.

If you like to eat, and who doesn’t, here are a couple of suggestions for extra freezer space. One is a horizontal freezer unit that you can have in your basement. This is perfect for long-term storage, like all those beef steaks that everyone loves.

Or you could put a small freezer in the kitchen in addition to your regular refrigerator.

Here is an interesting suggestion. Radiant cable heating installed right into a ceiling or the floor. My aunt lives in Minnesota and she chose a similar option for her floor. It’s very practical for cold climates. The pamphlet says this is an especially good idea for bathrooms. The choice is yours!

Wondering where to put your washer-dryer? Many modern kitchens provide space for laundry center. Or set up the appliances in another area next to an automatic water heater.

Here is a combination play and utility room. This adds flexible living space to your home. An electric water heater supplies all your hot water needs, and there is space for an iron and board. Of course, since the invention of wash and wear clothes, I haven’t touched an iron in decades. Let’s keep it this way.

There’s also an idea to put the washer dryer in the bathroom, one I personally do not care for at all. I won’t be having that in my mid-century mansion.

The last idea is to get a heat pump, which would draw heat out of your house in the summertime. This sounds great, but there’s just one problem. The pamphlet suggests that the reverse is also true. In WINTER the pump would draw in WARMTH from the outside and pour this heat into your house. I don’t know where you would find this elusive OUTSIDE WARMTH. Perhaps I’m missing something. It also says the pump is perfect for homes of any size and needs no chimneys, fuel storage tanks or cooling towers. It claims the pump would fit beautifully into any decorating plan. There’s too much pink in this room for me anyway, so I think I’ll skip the pump.

That’s it for the service and basement areas. Next up we look into special areas of your home, where you can “Live Better Electrically!” Always. remember GVS is your home for Glorious Vintage Stuff!