Book Description
In her latest book, best-selling author of The Not So Big House Sarah Susanka teams up with architectural design writer Marc Vassallo to expand upon the message that has resonated with over a million homeowners and builders across the country: opting for personalized, well-crafted, thoughtfully designed spaces over superfluous square footage results in a home that comforts and nourishes those who live there.
In Inside The Not So Big House, Susanka and Vassallo focus their lens on the tangible and sometimes intangible details that bring an otherwise ordinary home to life. Incorporating such details as dropped ceilings, built-in shelves, pocket doors, window seats, and well-placed alcoves infuses a home with the character of its owners and conveys a uniqueness that's mising in many homes built or remodeled today. From Rhode Island to San Diego, the 23 homes featured here illustrate exceptional attention to detail. Each offers inspiration for those building or remodeling to transform their home into an expression of all that is important to them. "Detail is everything in design. Sarah Susanka proves it again with this, her latest book."
--John Wheatman, author, Meditations on Design and A Good House Is Never Done
Customer Reviews:
For those who want to dig a little deeper.......2007-09-02
Susanka's attention to detail is awe-inspiring, and probably more information than the average person wants, but the book has great photos and some wonderful ideas that anyone can use. If you've been able to acquire the perfect furniture, best use of space and light, but you're still missing the ingredient to really pull it all together -- balance, aesthetics, personality, etc -- this book may help you.
Full of inspiring ideas!.......2007-03-08
I have been devouring the pages of ideas in this book. I think I have looked all through it a dozen times, because many of the concepts and ideas seem to improve and become more usable as I think them over. We live in a ca. 1970's "split-ranch" house and this book has me thinking creatively about using the space in our house in ways I haven't done before.
Great Ideas.......2006-11-03
Read the book cover to cover and enjoyed a fresh look at residential design. As an architect myself, it made me rethink some of my own design processes. Bigger isn't always necessarily better!
Less is most definitely more.......2006-03-22
In this astonishing book, which is filled with wonderful ideas, as well as being a beautiful coffee table book, we are granted an inside look at a truly new concept in home design in our age of teardowns and mega-mansions, a concept that smaller can be more satisfying than larger, if properly done. Here we are presented with something seldom viewed these days, how to make a house a home. There is something for every taste herein, and it is even multi-cultural, with oriental viewpoints as well on both furniture and flow of the home. Spend some time with this excellent book to see how every size home can be made more personal and beautiful, no matter what the budget.
Great as always!.......2006-03-20
Sarah books are a staple in my books of design collection. I refer to them frequently. She has a wonderful sense of design as it relates to organization, usefullness,and asthetically pleasing. I wish more designers and architects would use her sensibility and we would not be over run with all the hideous, vapid,mac mansions everywhere. I would reccommend all of her books without hesitation.
Book Description
For everyone who craves a simpler lifestyle, not only in how they live but also where they live, The Simple Home features 21 houses and presents six different approaches to creating a home that realizes its full potential both simply and elegantly.
We are living in complex times, in a commodified, virtual, and overstimulated culture. One response to high levels of complexity and overstimulation is to look for yet another gadget or closet organizer to simplify our lives. But the answer lies somewhere else. The road to a simpler more satisfying life begins with a clear-eyed examination of the choices we are making for our time--and that includes choices about where we want to live.
The Simple Home presents six paths to simplicity, each illustrated by human-scaled, unadorned homes with straightforward floor plans and forms. These are open, light-filled homes (with rooms or spaces that are often multipurpose) that express their beauty in their utility and practicality. Simple homes are low maintenance and often green, designed for homeowners who wish to embody a different set of values in their housing choices than the run-of-the-mill starter castles littering the landscape.
The 6 Paths to Simplicity:
1. Simple is Enough
2. Simple is Thrifty
3. Simple is Flexible
4. Simple is Timeless
5. Simple is Sustainable
6. Simple is Refined
Customer Reviews:
Houses that live large for their owners.......2007-08-17
Wonderful case studies about 20 homes with good explanations about material choices, site considerations, and the people who own them. It's a Taunton Press book, so the photos are great, of course. I especially like the floor plan illustrations that support the photos and give a sense of flow through the houses.
Eye-opening book.......2007-08-04
This book is amazing! The pictures are great, and so well coordinated with the text that the reader can truly "see" each house. For anyone dreaming of a second home, or a more efficient first home, this is an ideal volume.
Defines the concept of a 'simple home' .......2007-07-08
Sarah Nettleton's THE SIMPLE HOME: THE LUXURY OF ENOUGH defines the concept of a 'simple home' and offers interior design tips to achieving satisfaction from a basic home design. This involves eliminating non-essentials and practicing restraint: six avenues to achieving a 'greener' lifestyle from this approach blends full-page color photos with comments on designs which refine and simplify the home - perfect for new students of interior design and homeowners contemplating reconstruction.
Great Book!.......2007-05-14
Wonderful pictures! This book has so many great stories of the home and how people really make their houses simple and comfortable.
Hmmm?.......2007-05-12
My copy came with many scratches on the dust cover and a broken binding when I opened the book. As far as the contents...I was expecting more of a layman friendly simple life-style type approach. Instead I felt like I was buying a book a self-contractor could use. My perusal indicated more about architecture as opposed to simplifying home content. Not a happy camper with this book. I returned it.
Book Description
Atomic Ranch is an in-depth exploration of post-World War II residential architecture in America. Mid-century ranches (1946-1970) range from the decidedly modern gable-roofed Joseph Eichler tracts in the San Francisco Bay area and butterfly wing houses in Palm Springs, Florida, to the unassuming brick or stucco L-shaped ranches and split-levels so common throughout the United States.
Customer Reviews:
Midcentury Modern Lover's Porn.......2007-05-05
Page after page of delicious midcentury modern yumminess. Unlike many architecture and design books, this one is actually well written.
Atomic Dressing.......2007-03-21
Eye candy of the past that we loved, environments we create from what we thought were futuristic but now an echo in the past. Great assortment of houses on display to tickle your midcentury fantasies that we can't afford now.
Mid Century Gem.......2007-03-05
I love this book! Every page is graced with mid century ranch homes lovingly photographed and described. If you have any interest at all in architecture, add this book to your collection.
Wonderful book on Ranch Homes.......2007-02-20
As a subscriber of the "Atomic Ranch" magazine, published by the same authors of this book, I had high expectations on its content, which were more than fulfilled, as i simply loved the book. It highlighted many homes that have been previously published on the magazine pages, but it had many others that I have not seen before in print, probably from the earlier issues I missed. The photos are superb, the book format is so elegant and perfect for Coffee Table display and the content is just wonderful. From Amazon, I have also purchased the Alan Hess book on Ranch Homes and the one from Katherine Samon on decorating Ranch homes, but "Atomic Ranch" is by far, my favorite of those three.
Mid century modern for the real world!.......2007-01-26
I have purchased many books on mid century modern style to get ideas for my remodeling project and while they were full of excellant examples of the style the biggest part of them only showed examples of high dollar showcase homes. (example: Frank lloyd Wright's creations) While they are beautiful they are far beyond my means and impractical for my life style. Atomic ranch fills the gap of real world affordable design and livablity that I was seeking. I have gotten many great ideas from Atomic ranch that I will likely use in my own home remodel. The book is excellant to browse, to read, or to use as an example when conveying your ideas to contractors or builders. Atomic ranch is a joy to any fan of serious modern, mid century, googie, or boom generation cold war living and style!! I can't recommend it more. Nuff said.
Book Description
The simple beauty of Japanese architecture and design has inspired many of the world's top architects and designers, such as Bruno Taut, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Terence Conran, to name just a few. The grace and elegance of the Japanese sensibility is reflected in both modern and traditional Japanese homes, from their fluid floor plans to their use of natural materials. In The Japanese House, renowned Japanese photographer Noboru Murata has captured this Eastern spirit with hundreds of vivid color photographs of 15 Japanese homes. As we step behind the lens with Murata, we're witness to the unique Japanese aesthetic, to the simple proportions modeled after the square of the tatami mat; to refined, rustic decor; to earthy materials like wood, paper, straw, ceramics, and textiles. This is a glorious house-tour readers can return to again and again, for ideas, inspiration, or simply admiration.
Customer Reviews:
Low-budget color print.......2007-03-14
Don't expect much content in textual form. The book is a photo book, and there are many excellent pictures of japanese houses and interiors in terms of themes and photographical skill.
What is totaly contradictory to this, is the poor low-budget color printing chosen by Tuttle publishers. The pictures are devaluated by a easily seen coarse printing sreen.
Pretty pictures, but..........2007-01-20
Take the text with a huge grain of salt. It says nothing original about the Japanese aesthetic (terms like "elegant", "minimal" and "harmony with nature" abound); it contradicts itself on a few key points (is the half-height tea-house door for guests, or the host?); and in one caption it identifies a Go board as a "game of mah-jong". Oops.
beautiful photos.......2007-01-09
I bought the book for inspiration in designing my retirement home. It is that. Lovely pictures and ideas for anyone interested in Japanese design.
Terrific.......2007-01-04
The photography is beautiful. This book shows the best of ancient and modern Japanese design concepts.
Excelente fuente para ideas y conceptos.......2007-01-04
Compre este libro para conocer mas de la cultura japonesa en el recinto mas sagrado para una persona, su hogar. La cultura japonesa es sumamente rica tanto en belleza como en practicidad y este libro me ha servido para idear refugios dentro de mi casa y asi evitar la rutina diaria y todo lo "fast" que la vida occidental tiene. Recomiendo mucho este libro para aquellas personas que quieran hacer de su casa un lugar equilibrado, que esten planeando alguna reconstruccion o hacer una casa nueva.
Book Description
Clearly written and profusely illustrated, Patterns of Home brings the timeless lessons of residential design to homeowners who seek inspiration and direction in the design or remodel of their homes. Patterns of Home promises to become the "design bible" for homeowners and architects. The 10 patterns described in the book -- among them, "capturing light" and "the flow through rooms" -- are drawn from hundreds of principles and presented with clarity by the authors, renowned architects who have designed homes together for more than 30 years. Insightful tours of 33 homes also bring the essential design concepts to life. This book will jump-start the design process and make the difference between a home that satisfies material requirements -- and one that meets the personal needs of a home. "Patterns of Home gives us the tools to make our houses truly wonderful places to live." -- Sarah Susanka
Customer Reviews:
Take what you need, leave the rest.......2007-07-04
The architect authors have matured since they wrote "A Pattern Language" (APL), and have made a large effort to extract and apply just the essential rules from the hundred of rules of APL.
True, PoH is a large, posh book of large, posh homes. The cost of the homes are far outside the means of over 99 percent of American families. However, these large designs include truly practical concepts that can be translated into more realistic homes.
Each design is far more useful and welcoming that what you might find in a bool of hundreds of houseplans. We are going to build an energy efficient home under 2000 sq ft, and we will refer to PoH to stay on track with the few essential elements. No, it will not have 30 foot ceilings over a huge common room (just you try and paint it!), but it will show the roofline and include other elements.
valuable information .......2007-05-07
This book provides valuable informaion for those who want to pursue the perfectly built and positioned home. The concepts are fasinating and could be somewhat easy to put into pratice, however, the author uses large, VERY expensivly built homes leaving the impression that only the very wealthy can afford such superior design. This is unfortunate. I do believe that some the most basic concepts can be put into play in most homes it would just take some imagination and determination.
starts the gears turning.......2007-01-09
A good browsing book to get in the mindset of looking at homes with a keen eye. Not overwhelming in details (which is what I wanted at the moment,) it gave me a good basic set of tools to begin thinking about why I liked or disliked the places where i've lived, practical functionality, and alternative design. If you really want to delve headfirst into the subject of patterns of space, the book that this was based off of would be best. If it's just a little nudge towards inspiration, this is a good bet.
Great place to start!.......2007-01-09
This is a great overview for learning the basic principles of home design. We were able to look back at the various places we lived and understand why we loved or hated certain elements which gives us a better understanding of what to aim for in our next house.
Architecture in a nutshell.......2007-01-05
I bought this book while shopping for a house. It contains beautifuly distilled information, and illustrative photographs. There is so much information that it takes some dedication to read the whole book. I don't know if a textbook-educated architect would agree with the info, but it all makes great sense to me. Many of the examples describe homes on very large lots. Living in Los Angeles, I don't know many people with such large lots. I'm sure that in other parts of the country, the examples are more pertinent.
Customer Reviews:
It has great information.......2007-09-27
The handbook provides great information for any drafting classes and more information that you can use out in the field of Design
Great if you want to learn to do a budget and so on........2007-02-09
You ca learn a lot from this book I'm a interior design student and this book it's been very helpful.
Book Description
The phenomenon loosely termed "Bali style" has been the subject matter for countless books on art, architecture, and interior design. In this book, author and architect Gianni Francione showcases the new generation of Bali-style homes, interiors, and artifacts that utilize what he terms a new internationalism.
Even though the timeless, distinctive Balinese balé, open to a panorama of rice fields and the evening breeze, is still there, it may now be made in marble or stone. Similarly, present-day villas, resort bungalows, shops, restaurants, and other buildings are just as likely to use modernist techniques and materials as they are to utilize alang-alang and coconut wood.
Bali Houses presents this new departure in architecture, interior design, glassware, table settings, textiles, furniture, and furnishings in many never-before-photographed locations. It is a fitting sequel to Bali Modern.
Customer Reviews:
This is Bali condensed in a Book........2007-03-28
A beautiful book well balanced in terms of text and pictures. The quality of the pictures is second to none. Compared to other books about Balinese style mostly focused on interiors, this one captures not only the essence of the interiors but also open spaces and gardens.
Sphisticated and Balanced.......2007-02-22
Great photography and awesome scenarios. It really brings the feeling of being in Bali. And the decorations show the artistic side of the new interiors of the open living. It inspires my clients when they come inside my furniture store. Of the books I have from Bali, this is certainly the one with the best pictures!
Bali Houses Design.......2006-11-05
Being a Decorator, this comes in handy for clients who like the look of the Tropics. It's a complete book of ideas, design strategies, and an overall look into another world of comfortable, colorful, Paradise influence to bring a little joy to the reader.
Balinese houses - paradise........2006-01-04
This is a genuinely fine book. The photographs are spectacular, with fine color and resolution.
The text isn't too in-depth about houses in Bali, but the pictures speak for themselves.
I wholeheartedly recommend it, got me?
bali houses.......2005-07-20
Good overall but not as informative as Bali Modern another book by same author. PHotography excellent.
Book Description
Henry Clay Frick, the world-famous art collector and steel tycoon, was a towering figure in America's "gilded age" of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The houses he built for himself and his family exemplify the great residences of the era, with priceless art, cultivated gardens, and interiors by the most prestigious designers of the day. This elegant volume, written by Frick's great-granddaughter and biographer, features the four major houses purchased, built, and renovated for the steel magnate; each is described in exacting detail, with information about the architects and interior designers, furnishings and art, and decoration. Beautiful archival photographs -- interior and exterior, many previously unseen -- and architectural drawings document the residences.
Customer Reviews:
FRICK.......2006-09-23
Henry Clay Frick really knew how to live a gilded age life, and you see the evidence in this fantastic book. The images are crisp and well conceived and the text highly informative. I expecially liked the section on Frick's famous mansion on Fifth Avenue in NYC, he was determined to out build Carneige and he suceeded, it is a beaux-art tour de force and the perfect setting today for his singular collection. If you have any interest in Frick, Guilded Age architecture, or fine books in general, then i can't concieve of you being anything but thrilled with this purchase.
Book Description
Queen AnneÂ-style houses are arguably the most charming and picturesque of all Victorians. In this first-ever book on the American Queen Anne style, noted preservationist Janet W. Foster presents a thoughtful recognition of these housesÂ' place in the history of American architecture.
Built across the U.S. during the late 19th century (The Inn at Castle Hill in Newport, RI, is a popular example), features of Queen Anne homes include gabled roofs; corbelled chimneys; vertical windows; large porches; balconies; and cut-stone foundations. Foster explains distinguishing elements of the Queen Anne tradition as she examines 21 noted homes, many of them not open to the public and never before published. With more than 200 magnificent photographs, this homage to a great American art form will delight anyone who appreciates a beautiful home.
Customer Reviews:
A must-have for architectural history buffs........2007-02-07
Generally, books of this type fall into two categories - either they are dense textbook-like examinations of a particular style of architecture that lack visual appeal, or they are beautifully illustrated with minimal text that amounts to fluff. This book is a triumph in that it combines the best of both. It is at once visually appealing and informative. Both the professional and the layperson will find it useful and enjoyable. What an exciting concept!
QUEEN ANNE.......2006-10-19
Really a well done book on one of the great American house styles. The text is highly informative and the images are crisp and well executed. Overall, I was pleased with the houses chosen, some are quite reserved and some are massive and grand. I do wish the author had chosen one of the great Galveston Queen Anne style mansions, instead of the simple quant home chosen to represent Galveston, the city has some spectacular mansions in this style. Though having said that i still highly recommend this wonderful book, if you have a love for Queen Anne, you will not be disappointed, unless you happen to be a Galvestonian.
Book Description
Author Linda Applewhite shows how to create a comprehensive building plan to turn your house into a home through the magic of finding and using the right bones. Applewhite introduces readers to the creative opportunities that open up when you can actually change a home's structural elements, enhancing the beauty and uniqueness in each room. Architectural Interiors offers creative solutions such as adding a column or pillar to define a space, installing unusual cabinetry to give structure, adding a set of elaborate moldings for extra elegance, or installing French doors to connect a room to the garden.
Linda Applewhite and Associates designs residential construction, remodeling and design projects for a nationwide client base.
Her designs are seen in the rooms and public spaces of the Mill Valley Inn in Mill Valley, California, and in the remodel and redecoration of the Hotel Sausalito and the Cottages of Napa Valley.
Teaches design seminars with attendees from across the United States and Canada.
Featured in House Beautiful, Elle, Bon Appetit, Travel & Leisure, Traditional Home, Women's Day, Sunset Magazine, Sunset Books, California Home & Design, Marin At Home, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, and the Marin Independent Journal.
Featured in the Italian design magazines Gioia Casa, La Mia Casa, BRAVACASA, Bagno e Accessori, and House & Garden Thailand.
Linda's design projects are frequently seen on Home and Garden Television's (HGTV) Sensible Chic and Curb Appeal, and on Food TV's Ultimate Kitchens.
Customer Reviews:
I had hoped for more............2007-07-16
I gave three stars to this book since I am a fan of the author through her previous appearances on the cancelled HGTV show, "Sensible Chic." I was expecting more from her book however and was surprised at some of the odd image qualities of the photographs. In an attempt to emphasize the "glowy" quality of her design style the photos were overly bright and un-natural and looked overexposed and just odd at times. Applewhite's style can best be described as a very unique, bright, and ecclectic version of California Wine Country style which takes inspiration from a wide variety of sources such as Spanish Colonial, French Country, Tuscan and Asian as well as others. And...make no mistake about it - Applewhite's style is great...very unique, inspired and things seems to just glow. This book does not even come close to doing her talents justice and actually makes her style look outright garish in certain photographs. I looked through my book wanting to feel more but in the end I returned it. I hope the author's future books will be a better reflection of her talents.
Books:
- Interior Construction & Detailing for Designers and Architects, Third Edition
- Interior Lighting, Fourth Edition
- Investing in Duplexes, Triplexes, and Quads: The Fastest and Safest Way to Real Estate Wealth
- Jesus in the Margins: Finding God in the Places We Ignore
- Koala Lou
- Lace Style: Traditional to Innovative, 21 Inspired Designs to Knit
- Living Large in Small Spaces: Expressing Personal Style in 100 to 1,000 Square Feet
- Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall: An Artist's Country Estate (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications)
- Materials and Components of Interior Architecture (6th Edition)
- Mexican Muralists: Orozco, Rivera, Siqueiros
Books Index
Books Home
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General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home
The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live
Not So Big Solutions for Your Home (Susanka)
Creating the Not So Big House: Insights and Ideas for the New American Home
Home by Design: Transforming Your House into Home (Susanka)
