Synopses & Reviews
In "Home by Design," Sarah Susanka presents the 30 key design concepts that can be applied to any home - no matter what the style or size. Using 28 of the best designed homes from around the country, Susanka brings these concepts to life with 150 powerful and inspirational examples: from something as simple as placing a rug under a table to renovating a whole second floor. "Home by Design" shows homeowners a new way to look at their spaces and provides ideas for how to make each home reach its full potential.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPACE
THE PROCESS OF ENTERING, SHELTER AROUND ACTIVITY, SEQUENCES OF PLACES, CEILING HEIGHT VARIETY, INTERIOR VIEWS, INSIDE OUTSIDE, CHANGES IN LEVEL, PUBLIC TO PRIVATE, OPENABILITY, ENCLOSURE, DIFFERNTIATION OF PARTS, DEPTH AND THICKNESS
LIGHT
LIGHT TO WALK TOWARD, LIGHT INTESITY VARIED, REFLECTING SURFACES, WINDOW POSITIONING, VISUAL WEIGHT, VIEW AND NONVIEW
ORDER
PATTERN AND GEOMETRY, ALIGNMENTS, RHYTHYM, THEME AND VARIATIONS, COMPOSTION, EXPRESSED STRUCTURE, POINT OF FOCUS, ORGANIZING STRATEGY
Review
"It would be hard to think of a more important thinker in residential design than Sarah Susanka. Sarahs not only a gifted writer who can tell a good story, she has thought carefully about what makes you feel good about being in a well-designed house. Armed with her insights you march more confidently into your own build or remodel. She deserves a wider audience and this book may do just that." Russ Morash, creator, executive producer, and director, This Old House
Review
"Read [Susanka's] words carefully, because she teaches how to think about what you really want in a home, the difference between wishes and needs, and how to articulate what you want when talking to architects and builders." St. Petersburg Times
Review
"Think a bigger house would make everything perfect? Don't bet on it. [Sarah Susanka's] rearranging and 're-imagining' strategies are brilliant, simple, and beautiful." Reader's Digest
Review
"Sarah Susanka not only created a best-selling book but literally revolutionized the way we look at our homes. Susanka communicated her expertise in a way that's easily understood and not only offers the 'do's and don'ts' but the 'whys and how-tos.'" Natural Home
Synopsis
Sarah Susanka's first three books have launched a revolution in residential architecture with the message that it's not the size of the house that matters, but the quality of its design and details. Her books strike a chord in homeowners, who are finding that bigger doesn't necessarily mean better. Now, in Home by Design, Susanka presents 30 design concepts that can transform any house into a welcoming home filled with character, beauty, and comfort. Opening readers' eyes to what's possible, she makes spatial design accessible to the layperson. Each of the design concepts here, from entryways to public/private space to window positioning, is illustrated with examples from houses by leading architects. Homeowners will learn how to assess their environment to discover what works or doesn't, and find the necessary tools to create the homes they really want.
Synopsis
Susanka presents 30 design concepts that can transform any house into a welcoming home filled with character, beauty, and comfort. Opening readers' eyes to what's possible, she makes spatial design accessible to the layperson.
Synopsis
In Home by Design, Sarah Susanka presents the 30 key design concepts that can be applied to any home - no matter what the style or size. Using 28 of the best designed homes from around the country, Susanka brings these concepts to life with 150 powerful and inspirational examples: from something as simple as placing a rug under a table to renovating a whole second floor. Home by Design shows homeowners a new way to look at their spaces and provides ideas for how to make each home reach its full potential.
About the Author
Sarah Susanka's first book, The Not So Big House, launched a revolution in residential architecture and changed the way we think about our homes. The Not So Big House and her next two books, Creating the Not So Big House and Not So Big Solutions, have inspired over 750,000 readers and received national media attention from The Oprah Winfrey Show to USA Today. Fast Company named Susanka to their debut list of "Fast 50" innovators whose achievements have helped change society, an honor preceded by her selection as a Newsweek top newsmaker in 2000 and a U.S. News & World Report innovator in American culture in 1998.
Table of Contents
Introduction
From House to Home
Part 1: SPACE
1. The Process of Entering
Path and Place
Receiving Place
Gateways
Entry Courtyard
Covered Entry
Front Porch
2. Shelter around Activity
Alcoves
Window Seats
Soffits
Ceiling Shape
Rug-Defined Place
3. Sequence of Places
Alcoves off a Central Space
Alcoves off Circulation
Nooks and Crannies
Connecting Views
4. Ceiling Height Variety
Dropped Soffits
Alcove with Lowered Ceiling
Floating Shelf
Lowered Hallway
Ceiling as Sculpture
Ceiling Height Hierarchy
5. Interior Views
Diagonal Views
Connecting Views
Partially Hidden View
Long Views Through
Surprise Views
6. Layering
Framed Openings
Framed Openings in Series
Connecting Pass-Throughs
Implied Walls
Sliding Partitions
Arcade
7. Inside Outside
Continuous Surfaces
Almost Frameless Windows
Outdoor Focus
Outdoor Room
8. Changes in Level
Stairs as Sculpture
Lowered Room
Raised Room
Platforms
Over Under
9. Public to Private
Focal Gathering Place
Alcoves off Focal Gathering Place
Away Room
Place of Quiet Remove
Place of Your Own
10. Openability
Sliding Doors
Sliding Screens
Sliding Panels
Movable Window Walls
11. Enclosure
Containment
Partially Hidden Room
Implied Walls
12. Differentiation of Parts
Exterior Beltlines
Interior Beltlines
Headbands
Floating Surfaces
Separate Components
Pod of Space
13. Depth and Thickness
Thick Walls
Deep-Set Windows
Library Walls
Wide Windowsills
Wall Insets
Interior Sculpture
Part 2: LIGHT
14. Light to Walk Toward
Light at the End of the Tunnel
Window at the End of a Hallway
Window at the End of a Main Axis
Lighted Picture at the End of a Vista
15. Light Intensity Variation
Layers of Light and Shade
Light Defines Form
Deep-Set Windows
Brilliance in a Dark Place
16. Reflecting Surfaces
Wall Washing
Reflective Ceiling
Hidden Light Source
Light Coves
Doubling the Space
17. Window Positioning
Daylight Fixture
Centered on the Middle
Corner Windows
Light from Above
Windowsill Height
18. Visual Weight
Colored Wall
Dark-Colored Ceiling
Textured Wall or Ceiling
Subtle Color Difference
Colored Alcove
Lipstick
19. View and Nonview
Light but Not View
Obscuring View in While Still Seeing Out
Art-Glass Focus
Small Panes
Part 3: ORDER
20. Pattern and Geometry
Simple Pattern Overlay
Grilles and Lattices
Geometric Feature
Pattern Feature
21. Alignments
Perfect Symmetry
Partial Symmetry
Asymmetry
Right or Left Justified
When in Doubt, Line It Up
Half a Bubble Off
View along a Main Axis
22. Rhythm
The March
The Triad
The Waltz
Rhythmic Refrain
23. Theme and Variations
Signature Form
Signature Pattern
Repeated Material
Repeated Relationship
Repeated Color
24. Composition
Balance
Window Composition
Surface Composition
3D Composition
4D Composition
Interruption of Order
Chapter 25: Expressed Structure
Exposed Joists and Rafters
Exposed Beams
Columns Define Spaces
Brackets
Artful Structure
Chapter 26: Point of Focus
Focal Wall Surface
Room Focus
Focus at the End of an Axis
Something Place
Attention Grabber
Chapter 27: Organizing Strategy
Simple Square or Rectangle
Long Thin House
Circulation Spine
Around a Courtyard
Assemblage of Structures
Afterword
Architects and Designers
Index