. July 06, 2024.
Robert Louis Stevenson, ""The Ideal House"," Selected Essays of Robert Louis Stevenson , Lit2Go Edition, (1911), accessed July 06, 2024, https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/110/selected-essays-of-robert-louis-stevenson/5116/the-ideal-house/ .
Two things are necessary in any neighbourhood where we propose to spend a life: a desert and some living water.
There are many parts of the earth’s face which offer the necessary combination of a certain wildness with a kindly variety. A great prospect is desirable, but the want may be otherwise supplied; even greatness can be found on the small scale; for the mind and the eye measure differently. Bold rocks near hand are more inspiriting than distant Alps, and the thick fern upon a Surrey heath makes a fine forest for the imagination, and the dotted yew trees noble mountains. A Scottish moor with birches and firs grouped here and there upon a knoll, or one of those rocky seaside deserts of Provence overgrown with rosemary and thyme and smoking with aroma, are places where the mind is never weary. Forests, being more enclosed, are not at first sight so attractive, but they exercise a spell; they must, however, be diversified with either heath or rock, and are hardly to be considered perfect without conifers. Even sand–hills, with their intricate plan, and their gulls and rabbits, will stand well for the necessary desert.
The house must be within hail of either a little river or the sea. A great river is more fit for poetry than to adorn a neighbourhood; its sweep of waters increases the scale of the scenery and the distance of one notable object from another; and a lively burn gives us, in the space of a few yards, a greater variety of promontory and islet, of cascade, shallow goil, and boiling pool, with answerable changes both of song and colour, than a navigable stream in many hundred miles. The fish, too, make a more considerable feature of the brookside, and the trout plumping in the shadow takes the ear. A stream should, besides, be narrow enough to cross, or the burn hard by a bridge, or we are at once shut out of Eden. The quantity of water need be of no concern, for the mind sets the scale, and can enjoy a Niagara Fall of thirty inches. Let us approve the singer of
‘Shallow rivers, by whose falls Melodious birds sing madrigals.’
If the sea is to be our ornamental water, choose an open seaboard with a heavy beat of surf; one much broken in outline, with small havens and dwarf headlands; if possible a few islets; and as a first necessity, rocks reaching out into deep water. Such a rock on a calm day is a better station than the top of Teneriffe or Chimborazo. In short, both for the desert and the water, the conjunction of many near and bold details is bold scenery for the imagination and keeps the mind alive.
Given these two prime luxuries, the nature of the country where we are to live is, I had almost said, indifferent; after that inside the garden, we can construct a country of our own. Several old trees, a considerable variety of level, several well–grown hedges to divide our garden into provinces, a good extent of old well–set turf, and thickets of shrubs and ever–greens to be cut into and cleared at the new owner’s pleasure, are the qualities to be sought for in your chosen land. Nothing is more delightful than a succession of small lawns, opening one out of the other through tall hedges; these have all the charm of the old bowling–green repeated, do not require the labour of many trimmers, and afford a series of changes. You must have much lawn against the early summer, so as to have a great field of daisies, the year’s morning frost; as you must have a wood of lilacs, to enjoy to the full the period of their blossoming. Hawthorn is another of the Spring’s ingredients; but it is even best to have a rough public lane at one side of your enclosure which, at the right season, shall become an avenue of bloom and odour. The old flowers are the best and should grow carelessly in corners. Indeed, the ideal fortune is to find an old garden, once very richly cared for, since sunk into neglect, and to tend, not repair, that neglect; it will thus have a smack of nature and wildness which skilful dispositions cannot overtake. The gardener should be an idler, and have a gross partiality to the kitchen plots: an eager or toilful gardener misbecomes the garden landscape; a tasteful gardener will be ever meddling, will keep the borders raw, and take the bloom off nature. Close adjoining, if you are in the south, an olive–yard, if in the north, a swarded apple–orchard reaching to the stream, completes your miniature domain; but this is perhaps best entered through a door in the high fruit–wall; so that you close the door behind you on your sunny plots, your hedges and evergreen jungle, when you go down to watch the apples falling in the pool. It is a golden maxim to cultivate the garden for the nose, and the eyes will take care of themselves. Nor must the ear be forgotten: without birds a garden is a prison–yard. There is a garden near Marseilles on a steep hill–side, walking by which, upon a sunny morning, your ear will suddenly be ravished with a burst of small and very cheerful singing: some score of cages being set out there to sun their occupants. This is a heavenly surprise to any passer–by; but the price paid, to keep so many ardent and winged creatures from their liberty, will make the luxury too dear for any thoughtful pleasure–lover. There is only one sort of bird that I can tolerate caged, though even then I think it hard, and that is what is called in France the Bec–d’Argent. I once had two of these pigmies in captivity; and in the quiet, hire house upon a silent street where I was then living, their song, which was not much louder than a bee’s, but airily musical, kept me in a perpetual good humour. I put the cage upon my table when I worked, carried it with me when I went for meals, and kept it by my head at night: the first thing in the morning, these maestrini would pipe up. But these, even if you can pardon their imprisonment, are for the house. In the garden the wild birds must plant a colony, a chorus of the lesser warblers that should be almost deafening, a blackbird in the lilacs, a nightingale down the lane, so that you must stroll to hear it, and yet a little farther, tree–tops populous with rooks.
Your house should not command much outlook; it should be set deep and green, though upon rising ground, or, if possible, crowning a knoll, for the sake of drainage. Yet it must be open to the east, or you will miss the sunrise; sunset occurring so much later, you can go up a few steps and look the other way. A house of more than two stories is a mere barrack; indeed the ideal is of one story, raised upon cellars. If the rooms are large, the house may be small: a single room, lofty, spacious, and lightsome, is more palatial than a castleful of cabinets and cupboards. Yet size in a house, and some extent and intricacy of corridor, is certainly delightful to the flesh. The reception room should be, if possible, a place of many recesses, which are ‘petty retiring places for conference’; but it must have one long wall with a divan: for a day spent upon a divan, among a world of cushions, is as full of diversion as to travel. The eating–room, in the French mode, should be ad hoc: unfurnished, but with a buffet, the table, necessary chairs, one or two of Canaletto’s etchings, and a tile fire–place for the winter. In neither of these public places should there be anything beyond a shelf or two of books; but the passages may be one library from end to end, and the stair, if there be one, lined with volumes in old leather, very brightly carpeted, and leading half–way up, and by way of landing, to a windowed recess with a fire–place; this window, almost alone in the house, should command a handsome prospect. Husband and wife must each possess a studio; on the woman’s sanctuary I hesitate to dwell, and turn to the man’s. The walls are shelved waist–high for books, and the top thus forms a continuous table running round the wall. Above are prints, a large map of the neighbourhood, a Corot and a Claude or two. The room is very spacious, and the five tables and two chairs are but as islands. One table is for actual work, one close by for references in use; one, very large, for MSS. or proofs that wait their turn; one kept clear for an occasion; and the fifth is the map table, groaning under a collection of large–scale maps and charts. Of all books these are the least wearisome to read and the richest in matter; the course of roads and rivers, the contour lines and the forests in the maps—the reefs, soundings, anchors, sailing marks and little pilot–pictures in the charts—and, in both, the bead–roll of names, make them of all printed matter the most fit to stimulate and satisfy the fancy. The chair in which you write is very low and easy, and backed into a corner; at one elbow the fire twinkles; close at the other, if you are a little inhumane, your cage of silver–bills are twittering into song.
Joined along by a passage, you may reach the great, sunny, glass–roofed, and tiled gymnasium, at the far end of which, lined with bright marble, is your plunge and swimming bath, fitted with a capacious boiler.
The whole loft of the house from end to end makes one undivided chamber; here are set forth tables on which to model imaginary or actual countries in putty or plaster, with tools and hardy pigments; a carpenter’s bench; and a spared corner for photography, while at the far end a space is kept clear for playing soldiers. Two boxes contain the two armies of some five hundred horse and foot; two others the ammunition of each side, and a fifth the foot–rules and the three colours of chalk, with which you lay down, or, after a day’s play, refresh the outlines of the country; red or white for the two kinds of road (according as they are suitable or not for the passage of ordnance), and blue for the course of the obstructing rivers. Here I foresee that you may pass much happy time; against a good adversary a game may well continue for a month; for with armies so considerable three moves will occupy an hour. It will be found to set an excellent edge on this diversion if one of the players shall, every day or so, write a report of the operations in the character of army correspondent.
I have left to the last the little room for winter evenings. This should be furnished in warm positive colours, and sofas and floor thick with rich furs. The hearth, where you burn wood of aromatic quality on silver dogs, tiled round about with Bible pictures; the seats deep and easy; a single Titian in a gold frame; a white bust or so upon a bracket; a rack for the journals of the week; a table for the books of the year; and close in a corner the three shelves full of eternal books that never weary: Shakespeare, Molière, Montaigne, Lamb, Sterne, De Musset’s comedies (the one volume open at Carmosine and the other at Fantasio); the Arabian Nights, and kindred stories, in Weber’s solemn volumes; Borrow’s Bible in Spain, the Pilgrim’s Progress, Guy Mannering and Rob Roy, Monte Cristo and the Vicomte de Bragelonne, immortal Boswell sole among biographers, Chaucer, Herrick, and the State Trials.
The bedrooms are large, airy, with almost no furniture, floors of varnished wood, and at the bed–head, in case of insomnia, one shelf of books of a particular and dippable order, such as Pepys, the Paston Letters, Burt’s Letters from the Highlands, or the Newgate Calendar. . . .
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Posted by David S. Wills | Dec 2, 2022 | IELTS Tips , Speaking | 1
In the IELTS speaking test, you are sometimes asked to describe a building. I have written about that before several times. However, today we’re going to look at something a little trickier. This is about a building that may not even exist! You are going to describe your ideal home .
In this article, I’ll tell you how to analyse the cue card, pick the right language, and then give a great answer that could help you to get an excellent IELTS score.
Here is the cue card that we will examine today:
Describe your ideal home or place to live. You should say: where it would be how big it would be and what it would contain what features it might include and explain why you think this would be your ideal home or place to live in.
The most important thing about this cue card is the word “ideal.” You would really need to understand this in order to answer it properly.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary , “ideal” means:
In other words, you are describing a home that you imagine living in one day . It may not even exist right now. It’s the best possible home for you, on a personal level, according to what you can imagine.
You should also aim to discuss the three bullet points and the idea expressed in the final line. You do not need to talk about them in order and don’t worry if you run out of time before you cover them all.
After you have read the cue card, you should think immediately of a home to describe. It could be a house that you have seen somewhere or one that you just imagine. It’s best to get a concrete idea in your head, though, so that your description is coherent.
You can find lots of examples of dream homes on the internet. You can see various interesting house designs on Twitter, Pinterest, and Reddit, as well as numerous other places. These can give you inspiration.
Of course, it can be hard to describe architecture, even in your native language. Recently, my brother told me that his house had a mezzanine and I had to look it up on Google. I’d never heard the word before!
Still, you really only need to say what is important to you, so just think of features that your house might have. Try to be descriptive.
These are just some ideas that spring to mind. Obviously, everyone will have different preferences. The important thing is to present your own ideas in the right words.
Here are some related resources:
Now we have seen some useful vocabulary for describing houses, let’s see the names of different types of houses:
There are many types of houses to know. For example:
You don’t need to know all of these but it is worth learning ones that you might want to talk about. For example, maybe you live in a semi-detached house but used to live in a cottage and want to live in a mansion … It would be useful to know these three words.
Once you know approximately what you want to say, you can make a few notes to help you. These can be a few key words that will remind you of important points. Some people use this for vocabulary and others use it for structure. It’s really a personal choice.
I might write:
Do these notes mean much to you? Probably not. However, that’s ok because your notes only have to make sense to you.
My ideal home would be located near the seaside. In fact, it would be right on the beach, so I could sit and watch the waves or go for a swim any time that I wanted. It would be close enough that I could hear the sea at night from my bedroom window.
The house itself would be quite large. I would want a big, open living room that looks out on the sea, as well as a main bedroom on the second floor with a similar view. I would need an office with a built-in library, and a gym alongside several spare bedrooms. The kitchen is important because I really like to cook, so I would want a large, modern kitchen with plenty of counter space for preparing food.
I would want a large terrace for sitting out on sunny days or at night, and ideally it would have enough space to give a view of the sky on starry evenings. There should be a swimming pool as well. In particular, I would like an infinity pool because these look really nice.
Although I like the aesthetic of old buildings, I think this one would be quite new because of my requirements. However, the right designer could make it beautiful and functional. Altogether, this home would give me everything I need to have a comfortable life in a relaxing place.
Listen to my answer in this video:
You can see that I have given a thorough answer that is very visual in its description. Although there isn’t much in the way of specialist vocabulary, it is very topic-specific. That means all my language relates to the idea of homes. This is really important for IELTS success.
Some good vocabulary from this answer includes:
Note that I have used a lot of adjectives here to make it really descriptive. Because of the topic (an ideal house), you have a lot of freedom to use your imagination. That can really help you if you have a good vocabulary.
David S. Wills is the author of Scientologist! William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult' and the founder/editor of Beatdom literary journal. He lives and works in rural Cambodia and loves to travel. He has worked as an IELTS tutor since 2010, has completed both TEFL and CELTA courses, and has a certificate from Cambridge for Teaching Writing. David has worked in many different countries, and for several years designed a writing course for the University of Worcester. In 2018, he wrote the popular IELTS handbook, Grammar for IELTS Writing and he has since written two other books about IELTS. His other IELTS website is called IELTS Teaching.
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Describe your ideal house. Please say speaking IELTS exam
To be honest, I love my home where I live, but since you asked me for an ideal home, let me tell you about my dream home; it should be different from my current one. Where I am living now is a very crowded area because of its location in between urban areas. However, my dream home would be situated between rural and urban areas 🏡🌳. The reason behind this is my love for nature and greenery; if my home were outside of cities, then I would be very close to nature 🌱.
Also, Read Talk About a Famous Athlete You Know: Speaking Cue Card
My ideal home would not be too big, just like a bungalow; it should have all modern facilities in it 🏠✨. I dream of having a kitchen garden in my dream house where I will grow seasonal fruits and vegetables 🍅🥒. Apart from that, it will have a beautiful lawn outside the home where I will spend my leisure time 🌼🪴.
I also want a small home theatre in my ideal home so that I can watch movies with my family 📽️🍿. In addition to it, my bedroom would be perfect with all specific facilities like Wi-Fi connection, beautiful wall paintings, a small library for books, and modern or stylish furniture 🛏️📚. Last but not least, the kitchen of my dream house would be moderate with the latest kitchen tools or gadgets which help me in cooking and baking 🍳🍰.
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I would like to live with all my family in my dream home, and I wish to construct it as soon as possible 🏡💖.
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You should say:
And explain why you would like to live there.
Sample Answer
I had always desired to reside in a Hawaiian palace. This residence would be placed in a tranquil area, surrounded by verdant gardens and offering a breathtaking view of the ocean. The enormous living room of the house would be furnished with comfy sofas and chairs and adorned with a combination of classic and contemporary elements.
The kitchen of the house will be completely equipped with the newest equipment, making it simple to prepare for and entertain visitors. The dining space would be attractively constructed, with a wide table capable of accommodating a large family or group of guests. I would also appreciate having a home theater to watch movies with my loved ones. The bedrooms will be big and equipped with huge windows framing a breathtaking view of the surrounding area. Each room would have a private bathroom with contemporary amenities such as a Jacuzzi and rainfall showerhead. On sweltering summer days, I could rest and unwind in the mansion’s stunning swimming pool.
In sum, my perfect home would be a mansion in Hawaii, complete with cutting-edge conveniences, breathtaking vistas, and a quiet setting. That seems like the ideal spot to kick back with my loved ones and take it easy.
(203 words)
Another Sample:
Describe a house or apartment you would like to live in
Describe an ideal house or apartment you would like to live in the future.
Talk about your last weekend, describe a good service you received, speaking part 2 – 3: describe a party that you enjoyed.
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500 words on my home essay.
A home is a place that gives comfort to everyone. It is because a home is filled with love and life. Much like every lucky person, I also have a home and a loving family. Through My Home Essay, I will take you through what my home is like and how much it means to me.
My home is situated in the city. It is not too big nor too small, just the perfect size. My family lives in the home. It comprises of my father, mother, sister and grandparents. We live in our ancestral home so my home is very vintage.
It is very old but remains to be super strong. There are six rooms in my home. Each family member has a unique room which they have decorated as per their liking. For instance, my elder sister is a big fan of music, so her walls are filled with posters of musicians like BTS, RM, and more.
Our drawing room is a large one with a high ceiling. We still use the vintage sofa set which my grandmother got as a wedding gift. Similarly, there is a vintage TV and radio which she uses till date.
Adjoining the drawing room is my bedroom. It is my favourite room because it contains everything that I love. I have a pet guinea pig which lives in a cage in my room. We also have a storeroom which is filled with things we don’t use but also cannot discard.
Our lawn in front of the house has a little garden. In that garden , my mother is growing her own kitchen garden. She is passionate about it and brings different seeds every month to grow them out and use them in our food.
The fondest memories I have in a place is my terrace. Our terrace is huge with many plants. I remember all the good times we have spent there as a family. Moreover, we play there a lot when my cousins come over. Thus, every nook and corner of my home is special to me.
Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas
I know a lot of people who do not have homes or not as big as mine. It makes me more grateful and appreciates my home more. Not everyone gets the fortune to have a good home and a loving family, but luckily, I have been blessed with both.
I am thankful for my home because when I grow up, I can look back at the wonderful memories I made here. The walk down the memory lane will be a sweet one because of the safety and security my home has given me. It is indeed an ideal home.
My home is important to me because for better or worse, it helps me belong. It makes me understand my place in time and connect with the world and the universe at large. Thus, I am grateful to have a place I can call home.
Question 1: What is the importance of a home?
Answer 1: Home offers us security, belonging and privacy in addition to other essential things. Most importantly, it gives us a place with a centring where we leave every morning and long to return every night .
Question 2: Why is home important to a family?
Answer 2: A home signifies a lot more than a house. It is because we find comfort in our home as it contains memories and a place where our bonds strengthen. It is where we get plenty of benefits.
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COMMENTS
Describe an ideal house. You should say: where it is. what it looks like. when you would like to live in. And explain why you would like to live in it. Band 8 Sample. So I’m going to talk about the perfect house that I would like to live in.
My Dream House Essay in English: Having an idea about a dream house sets up a goal for an individual to achieve. Having a dream is essential for triggering that spark within a person that he or she needs to work hard towards making this dream into reality.
# Describe an ideal house. You should say: where this place is; what it is like; when you want to live there; and explain why you think it is ideal for you; Sample Answer. I’m not interested in buying a home anytime soon, nor do I put a lot of emphasis on my home, but I’m going to tell you about my dream house, which I often dreamt of as a ...
Describe an ideal house/ Describe a perfect house you saw. You should say: when and where you saw it; what it looked like; what special features it had; and explain why you liked it.
A house of more than two stories is a mere barrack; indeed the ideal is of one story, raised upon cellars. If the rooms are large, the house may be small: a single room, lofty, spacious, and lightsome, is more palatial than a castleful of cabinets and cupboards.
Describe your ideal home or place to live. You should say: where it would be; how big it would be and what it would contain; what features it might include; and explain why you think this would be your ideal home or place to live in. The most important thing about this cue card is the word “ideal.”
Describe your ideal house. Please say speaking IELTS exam. Where do you want the house to be? What should it look like? How many people should it accommodate? To be honest, I love my home where I live, but since you asked me for an ideal home, let me tell you about my dream home; it should be different from my current one.
How big it would be. Where it would be located. And explain why you would like to live there. Sample Answer. I had always desired to reside in a Hawaiian palace. This residence would be placed in a tranquil area, surrounded by verdant gardens and offering a breathtaking view of the ocean.
500 Words on My Home Essay. A home is a place that gives comfort to everyone. It is because a home is filled with love and life. Much like every lucky person, I also have a home and a loving family. Through My Home Essay, I will take you through what my home is like and how much it means to me.
Describe your dream home or an ideal house. Sample Answer:- Well, every person like his own home but sometimes, they imagine their dream house. I am not exceptional from them. Many times, I also think about my dream home. I would like to describe it briefly. My dream house would be a four-story building with an attractive appearance.