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--------------- Above left. A compact dining area has been provided by
building banquette sealing in one corner of the lower deck. The boiler heats
both the water and the houseboat. Above right. Beyond the wrought iron spiral
staircase, the bright red kitchen is enclosed by a hanging shelf which holds
cookery books and casseroles.
Above. The bathroom, tucked in beside the kitchen, has been given the atmosphere
of the ocean bed by swirling green and pink marbled paper covering the walls
and doors.
[...] As the plumbing on a boat should really all be at one end, the kitchen and bathroom are next to each other, below the water tanks. A green swirling marbled wallpaper makes the compact bathroom look as though it is on the ocean bed-the only wild diversion from conventional décor the owner allowed herself.
The kitchen is separated from the dining area by a hanging shelf suspended on chains from the ceiling. This holds cookery books and casseroles, and swings gently with the rocking of the boat. Bunk seats fitted in one corner of the dining room are a practical and space saying idea. These are supplemented by ladder-back rush-seated chairs standing at the pine dining table. The whole dining and kitchen area is painted bright red, which glows warmly at night, the pure white spiral staircase in the corner standing out like a beacon.
Houseboats are clean, civilized dwellings, but all the same, deep pile carpets would be out of place on the river. Instead the floor is covered throughout in rush matting, which provides no opposition to all the gay colors used in the paint and upholstery.
Candy Colored Tangerine is owned by a young woman, and its decorations are undeniably feminine, proving that floating homes do not have to have a nautical look. Throughout, small items like shells, cameos and enamel boxes give away the hobbies and interests of its owner. There are always fresh flowers in the living room, complementing the purple, turquoise and yellow of the furnishings, backed up by pretty patchwork cushions.