The not so big house 10th anniversary edition : a blueprint for the way we really live

Ten years ago, Sarah Susanka started a revolution in home design with a deceptively simple message: quality should always come before quantity. Now, the book that celebrated that bold declaration is back in this special 10th anniversary edition featuring a new introduction and 16 additional pages that explore three new homes. Nearly a quarter-million people bought this ground-breaking book when it was published in Fall 1998. Since then, the book's simple message ― that quality should come before quantity ― has started a movement in home design. Homeowners now know to expect more. And the people responsible for building our homes have also gotten the message. Architects and builders around the country report clients showing up with dog-eared copies of The Not So Big House, pages marked to a favorite section. Why are we drawn more to smaller, more personal spaces than to larger, more expansive ones? Why do we spend more time in the kitchen than we do in the formal dining room? The Not So Big House proposes clear, workable guidelines for creating homes that serve both our spiritual needs and our material requirements, whether for a couple with no children, a family, empty nesters, or one person alone. In 1999, Sarah Susanka was then architect and principal with Mulfinger, Susanka, Mahady & Partners, the firm selected to design the 1999 Life Dream House brought Frank Lloyd Wright's same common-sense, human-scale design principles to our generation. Consider which rooms in your house you use and enjoy most, and you have a sense of the essential principles of The Not So Big House. Whether you seek comfort and calm or activity and energy at home, The Not So Big House offers a place for every mood. "Nearly a quarter-million people bought this ground-breaking book when it was published in Fall 1998. Since then, the book's simple message -- that quality should come before quantity -- has started a movement in home design. Homeowners now know to expect more. And the people responsible for building our homes have also gotten the message. Architects and builders around the country report clients showing up with dog-eared copies of The Not So Big House, pages marked to a favorite section. Why are we drawn more to smaller, more personal spaces than to larger, more expansive ones? Why do we spend more time in the kitchen than we do in the formal dining room? The Not So Big House proposes clear, workable guidelines for creating homes that serve both our spiritual needs and our material requirements, whether for a couple with no children, a family, empty nesters, or one person alone. In 1999, Sarah Susanka was then architect and principal with Mulfinger, Susanka, Mahady & Partners, the firm selected to design the 1999 Life Dream House brought Frank Lloyd Wright's same common-sense, human-scale design principles to our generation. Consider which rooms in your house you use and enjoy most, and you have a sense of the essential principles of The Not So Big House. Whether you seek comfort and calm or activity and energy at home, The Not So Big House offers a place for every mood"--Page 4 of cover

Now in paperback, "The Not So Big House" proposes clear guidelines for creating homes that serve spiritual needs as well as material requirements. Topics include designing for specific lifestyles, budgeting, building a home from scratch, and using energy-efficient construction. 200 color photos. Floor plans.

Library Journal

Architect Susanka believes that the large homes being built today place too much emphasis on square footage rather than on current lifestyles. Here she shows how homes can be designed to feature "adaptable spaces open to one another, designed for everyday use." She describes how to examine occupants' lifestyles, how to incorporate the kitchen as the focal point of the home, how to give the illusion of space, and how, with storage, lighting, and furniture arrangement, a smaller home can be comfortably livable. Photographs of contemporary homes as well as those by Frank Lloyd Wright and other modern architects illustrate Susanka's ideas and show the timelessness of the style she advocates. This thought-provoking book will be a good addition to architectural and interior design collections.

This title offers an inspiration for homeowners and builders from a leading architect. "The Not So Big House" has sold over 500,000 copies since 1998. It features clear guidance that emphasises the use of quality not quantity. This anniversary edition includes 32 extra pages and a new introduction. Now available in paperback, the expanded 10th anniversary edition of Sarah Susanka's "The Not So Big House" is ready to inspire a whole new generation of homeowners and builders. Though a decade has passed, her deceptively simple message remains as powerful as ever: when it comes to our homes, quality should always come before quantity. With comforting guidance and clear language, America's favourite home architect shows how to create a house that emphasises comfort, beauty and a high level of detail. This anniversary edition of a contemporary classic features a new introduction by the author and 32 bonus pages that explore three additional not so big houses The Not So Big House proposes clear, workable guidelines for creating homes that serve both our spiritual needs and our material requirements, whether for a couple with no children, a family, empty nesters, or one person alone. In 1938, LIFE magazine commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a dream home for America. The result was the Usonian house, an enduring model of modest-sized residential architecture. Now, Sarah Susanka, brings Wright's same commonsense, human-scale design principles to our generation. Consider which rooms in your house you use and enjoy most, and you have a sense of the essential principles of The Not So Big House. Whether you seek comfort and calm or activity and energy at home, The Not So Big House offers a place for every mood. Simpler lifestyles, higher quality leisure time with family and friends - these and other trends in society lay the foundation for this important, thought-provoking design and architecture book. In it, Sarah Susanka, LIFE Magazine's Architect of the Year, offers thoughtful guidelines for designing homes that more accurately reflect our lifestyles and personalities. The Not So Big House proposes clear, workable guidelines for creating modern homes that serve both our spiritual needs and our material requirements, whether for a couple with no children, a family, a retired couple or someone living alone A Beautifully Illustrated Home Design Reference Provides A Thoughtful Review Of Social Trends And Its Effects On Architecture And Design In Relation To Building And Decorating Simpler, More Affordable, And Practical Homes To Fit A Simpler Lifestyle, In A Tenth Anniversary Edition That Includes Additional Profiles Of Three Sample Homes. Introduction to the second edition Introduction Bigger isn't better Rethinking the house Making not so big work Lifestyles of the not so rich and famous Dreams, details, and dollars The house of the future The not so big house :10 years on Afterword Bibliography Credits Index. Suitable for homeowners and builders, this title features guidance that emphasises the use of quality not quantity. It shows how to create a house that emphasises comfort, beauty and a high level of detail. FrontCover 1 FrontCoverFlap 2 FOB 3 CH01 20 CH02 42 CH03 74 CH04 114 CH05 146 CH06 188 CH07 208 BOB 233 Blank Page 234 Blank Page 236 BackCoverFlap 242 BackCover 243