"The Not So Big House"

Non-fiction reading takes up alot of my time. I read alot of biography and non-fiction in areas that interest me. Alot of my interest in the last few years has been decorating and architecture. One of my favorite authors is Sarah Susanka. She has been greatly influenced by a time she spent in Japan and the small homes that are built in that country. And since I have a 60 year old small home...her concepts interested me. Her first book was: "The not so big house : a blueprint for the way we really live ." Architect Susanka believes that the large homes being built today place too much emphasis on square footage rather than on current lifestyles. 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.

"Inside the not so big house : discovering the details that bring a home to life" by Sarah Susanka and Marc Vassallo continues on how to utilize wasted space in a home. Readers of the first books wanted to know how to create for themselves some of the things they'd observed as they read and looked at the photos--things like the plate rail. Or the ship's ladder allowing access to the tiny attic at the top of the same house.Readers had written, wanting to know how to incorporate a similar detail into their own home. How steep was the stair, how wide, and how big were the cutouts for hands to grip properly?

There were a lot of people looking for solutions to personalize their homes and make them more functional who, up until now, hadn't understood that this could be accomplished with features that are literally built in, rather than brought to the house after construction (or remodeling) is complete.

Creating the not so big house : insights and ideas for the new American home and Outside the not so big house : creating the landscape of home by Julie Moir Messervy and Sarah Susanka are also available at the library. The not so big life [sound recording] : making room for what really matters by Sarah Susanka. Explains how to make small shifts in one's daily life in order to be more present, less harried, and more "awake" without giving up loved activities.

Check out this books by Sarah Susanka and tell me how you liked them. Do you have any fovorite decorating, remodeling, architecture books you would like to share with us. Add a comment.

Sue