Home by Design: Transforming a House Into Your Home

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.

"Acclaimed architect Susanka, who spawned a virtual cottage industry of home books favoring quality over quantity (The Not So Big House; Not So Big Solutions for Your Home; etc.), now turns her eye to 30 key design principles that produce a home. Seeking to capture the 'elusive quality of home,' Susanka uses beautiful photographs and helpful floor plans to discuss how 'the interrelationships between spaces, walls and ceilings, and windows... shape our experience.' It isn't the external architecture that matters, she says, but the interior. All homes provide shelter and footage; the goal is to enhance the quality of living. To do that, Susanka employs important tricks of her trade, explaining the rationale behind everything from window positioning and reflective ceilings to achieving symmetry, keeping in mind the overarching themes of space, light and order. Blessedly free of complex jargon, the book stresses that size doesn't matter, but construction does. Susanka's philosophy is simple: good architectural design is as important as good nutrition, and a savvy understanding of your surroundings lets you craft a better place to live. To illustrate her points, the author cites 28 of the best-designed homes in the U.S., from a tiny California cottage to a lavish Minnesota manse and a remodeled Kansas City abode. Susanka's generosity with tips (e.g., a bold use of color can add depth and solidity; aligning a doorway with a window directly across brightens the area) will be a boon to readers, who will wind up getting an architectural education in the process. 60 b&w line drawings. (Mar.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

"It would be hard to think of a more important thinker in residential design than Sarah Susanka. 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 building or remodeling your home." Russ Morash, creator, executive producer, and director of "This Old House"

"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

"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

"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

"We featured Sarah Susanka on two seasons of The Christopher Lowell Show. Hundreds of requests flooded in. Sarah obviously understands that living better is not about living large. Homes with bigger footprints aren't better homes, they're just bigger. Sarah makes that point clearly." Christopher Lowell, host of "The Christopher Lowell Show"

Extending her innovative way of thinking about residential design, the author of The Not So Big House and Not So Big Solutions frames her "architect's toolbox" for creating user- friendly homes in 150 examples with color photos and floor plans. Susanka treats the quality as well as quantity of space and light.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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.

Transforming a House into Your Home. In this groundbreaking book, the author looks at the key design concepts behind all well-designed homes.

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.

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