People moved into the 885 homes understanding that the rooms would be small in order for the rent to be as low as possible. Hunter gives an example of a two-story home with a 12.5 x 12 living room, 10 x 11.5 dining room, 7.5 x 12 kitchen, and three bedrooms size 10.5 x 12.5, 10.5 x 11.5 and 8 x 9 (pg. 119). That's awfully small considering the fact that a foot is approximately the length from your wrist to your elbow. Ladies, imagine your kitchen being seven forearms deep by twelve forearms wide! In fact, this reminds me that Sharif is just beginning his tour specifically about the kitchen. You will be fascinated by some of the artifacts from the time and his conclusions.
So, back to the furniture. The only problem that these grateful tenants would have with these small rooms is that "ordinary furniture would overflow from wall space and block doorways and windows" (Strayer). I think this is a funny dilemma! Imagine the excitement of moving day, with the bed at the foot of the stairs and realizing that there is no way to get it up there! Fortunately, the Resettlement Administration didn't let that happen. The Special Skills Division decided well ahead of time that "furniture should be made available at prices the tenants could afford to pay" (Warner, pg. 120). "Expert craftsmen" designed the sturdy pieces and Danish family operated factories provided them at affordable prices.
