Houses were designed symmetrically with
decorative features instead of a haphazard addition of rooms.
Windows were large and put on the outer walls instead of just
inside the courtyard. A scarcity of timber caused proportionally
more stone to be used for dwelling houses and proportionately more
brick to be used for royal palaces and mansions. The rest of the
house was plaster painted white interspersed with vertical,
horizontal, and sloping timber, usually oak, painted black. There
were locks and bolts for protection from intruders. The hall was
still the main room, and usually extended up to the roof. Richly
carved screens separated the hall from the kitchen. The floors
were stone or wood, and sometimes tile. They were often covered
with rushes or plaited rush mats, on which incomers could remove
the mud from their boots. Some private rooms may have carpets on
the floor. Walls were smoothly plastered or had carved wood
paneling to control drafts. Painted cloths replaced tapestries on
walls. Iron stands with candles were hung from the ceiling and
used on tables. Plastered ceilings and a lavish use of glass made
rooms lighter and cozy. Broad and gracious open stairways with
carved wood banisters, which replaced the narrow winding stone
steps of a circular stairwell. Most houses had several ornamented
brick chimneys and clear, but uneven, glass in the windows. There
were fireplaces in living rooms, dining rooms, kitchen, and
bedrooms, as well as in the hall and great chamber.
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