THE STATE OF THE YURT

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The yurt owner, on the other hand, will find that his house makes an excellent workshop. Location of the workbench directly in the center, under the skylight, gives both good lighting and space to move freely around the project. (The same relationship holds true for a kitchen yurt: Imagine your stove, sink and counter space placed under the central light in a circular surface, with the bins ranged along the wall. You could call the building your "studio kitchen".)

Incidentally, an English friend came up with the idea of a yurt garage. He maintains that the curved wall is an improvement over the traditional car stable because it permits uncramped opening of the vehicle's doors . . . and also provides a good work space. The yurt needs to be built somewhat higher for this use, though, and the large door opening must be reinforced with special care.

FURNITURE FOR THE YURT

The simpler a yurt's furnishings, the greater its spaciousness and freedom of movement and the less its visual clutter, expense and difficulty in cleaning. Keeping the area above desk height clear of obstructions increases the feeling of openness (this effect is aided if hanging lamps can be removed or lowered during the day). Furniture and storage areas should be low.

Furniture construction is simplified if the yurt wall is used as support. In addition, built-in items are easier to make, less costly and stronger than their free-standing counterparts. I find it helpful to view beds, desks, tables, workbenches and shelves as basically the same. They vary in size, in proportion and in height but are all valued essentially for their horizontal surfaces. If you look at them this way, learning to build one is to learn to build them all.

Probably the most striking feature of the yurt's interior is the floor covering. A good rug with plenty of pillows provides flexibility with comfort.

At this point you may want to reflect on the old Japanese belief that in homes and in temples we should go unshod. Have you considered asking people to take off their shoes in your yurt? It simplifies life greatly, is more respectful of carpets and reduces the labor of housecleaning. Besides, we walk, feel and act differently without footwear, and the atmosphere is both gentler and quieter.

THE CONCENTRIC YURT

In my Plowboy Interview (MOTHER NO. 19) I mentioned that a design was in the works for a concentric yurt, to consist of one building within another. I'd like to tell you a little about this structure, for which plans are now available.

The concentric yurt design was developed to meet the need for more room than is provided by the standard yurt (which is 17 feet in diameter at the eaves). Merely enlarging the basic unit wasn't the answer: As the house's area is increased, the waste space at the top expands rapidly and the lighting gets poorer. There's also the basic engineering fact that when you double the span of a building, the roof members must be made not twice but four times as strong (take notice, all you wouldbe yurt doublers!). I was searching for a way to support a larger span—without using heavier material—when I realized that a "yurt within a yurt" could be 32 feet across at the eaves, about five times as roomy as its smaller counterpart . . . and still be constructed with planks of the same thickness used in an ordinary yurt.

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