Review of Home by Design: Transforming Your House Into Home (Hardcover)

This book is divided into three parts (space, light, order) and 27 chapters. Each chapter has a two-page spread introducing the topic (e.g. Changes in Level), with one full-page and several smaller photos, followed by a two-page spread giving examples of the concepts (e.g. Stairs as Sculpture, Lowered Room, Raised Room, Platforms, Over Under), with one or two illustrating photos or sketches and a couple of paragraphs for each. Following is about 4 pages profiling how the concept is used in one house. Some chapters include a half-page feature on the concept as used in public architecture, or using doctored photos to show how a space looks with and without the concept (e.g. show a space with a lowered soffit and without).
I found Susanka's first book, The Not So Big House, a helpful reference when buying my current quite-small house 4 years ago. It's far from architecturally designed, but allows light on two sides of major rooms, and I arranged furniture and art to use diagonal views and create window-seat-like spots on the edge of the living and dining rooms. The lack of visual connection between the living room and kitchen/dining area does, as predicted, make that room less used.
Her second book, Creating the Not So Big House, I found a helpful continuation of the theme, and I expect to use concepts I learned in both in five years or so when I hope to be looking for a slightly larger house in the same school district--land prices here would preclude building new. I'm trying to train my eye to figure out what is fixable with minor remodeling, or even a paint/drapery/furniture change, and what is intractable or very costly to fix, a skill I don't yet have a natural instinct for.
So I bought this book hoping to add to my toolkit. Many themes are well-illustrated, but I miss the focus on individual houses from Creating--the featured home sections show a couple of striking highlights, but I really wanted to see how it all worked together. There's no scale on the floorplans, so you can't tell how big a huge-seeming space really is. If you have read books from the Taunton Press, or Inspired Home magazine, you've seen some of these homes before. And by and large these are million dollar homes, including a truly beautiful two-story pool-house/gymnasium. It's stunning, but since you don't need to furnish it or lay it out to work like you do a home, how useful is this example? Of course, if you're thinking of building an elaborate two-story poolhouse, buy this book...
The doctored photos are an inspired idea, useful in identifying patterns that matter to you and those that don't. I confirmed that changes in ceiling height often irritate me, while aligning views is important. The two photos of the same space are a much better comparison than two photos of different rooms, since the only difference is the ceiling height, open view, trim line, etc.
Overall, the book is useful but not as strong as the others by the author. If you have those, you may not need this. I wish I'd gotten it from the library, and perhaps bought the paperback version in a year.
I would buy a book about Estes Twombley's architecture--in this and Creating they showcase comparably modest homes, made special by attention to detail. I'd like to see more of that, and fewer mansions--even if not mcmansions, they still aren't something I ever plan to buy or build.



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Review of Feng Shui: Arranging Your Home to Change Your Life [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

I should have known!The feng shui just wasn't right for an art gallery in that little Victorian house by the sea on the coast of Maine!!!Thechi--or life energy--flew down the staircase and out the front doorwhenever it opened, and the large gallery rooms lacked accessibility fromthe front of the house--customers had to wind their way through the hall toget there. Now that that little unsuccessful venture is over, I'll useKirsten Lagatree's Feng Shui to design my new house to maximize happinessand abundance in my new life in the DC area.Little water fountains willkeep the chi, or life energy flowing, and yellow flowers in the southeastcorner will keep my marriage harmonious.A mirror will face the front doorto deflect any poison arrows that might shoot directly in from the street,and my many little animal sculptures will find their optimum positions tobring their benevolent energies into my home. It may sound like hocuspocus--but who cares?It can't hurt, and it could really help, and in anycase, I'm sure I'll find great enjoyment in bringing the principles of fengshui into my interior design.

Product Description
Emphasizing balance--between yin and yang, as well as comfort and style--in every environment, the ancient Chinese art of feng shui demonstrates how to arrange your home to enhance your fortune, health, and happiness. This room-by-room handbook provides tips for good feng shui and easy fixes for problems in every part of the home, from the kitchen to the study. Line art, charts, & 2-color text throughout.



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Review of Vastu: Transcendental Home Design in Harmony with Nature (Hardcover)

This book is stunningly beautiful! I want to move right into the rooms, homes, and gardens featured in this book. The photographs alone would make this book worth owning. But on top of the great beauty, the book is filled with helpful information on how to improve our homes so we can feel more grounded, serene, and joyful. I have used some feng shui techniques in the past, which is why I was interested in this title. I made a few changes recommended in the book and have experienced an enhanced feeling of well being. The biggest change has been in our bedroom. My husband, who has historically been a poor sleeper, and I changed the direction of our bed. He is now sleeping much better and sometimes even sleeps through the night, rather than waking up 3 or 4 times as he used to. I also moved the extra books out of our bedside table, which makes the bedroom feel more peaceful even though the books could not be seen where they were. Next, I plan to investigate "yantras," which the author recommends for making our homes more sacred and correcting problems that we cannot correct because of the limitations of our homes or budgets. In summary, I highly recommend this book and recommend that you use some of the Vatsu principles. You will definitely feel the benefits!

Product Description
The notion of designing and respecting sacred space has been around for centuries, recognized in such current culture trends as Feng Shui, Wabi Sabi, and even the push to make homes greener. Vastu-India's ancient science of architecture and design for buildings and gardens-is the origin of traditions like Feng Shui, and finally gets a proper introduction in Vastu: Transcendental Home Design In Harmony with Nature ($29.95; Hardcover; Gibbs Smith, Publisher, October 2007) by Vastu sacred space design consultant Sherri Silverman.




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Review of At Home in Hudson Valley (Hardcover)

At Home in the Hudson Valley is a beautiful book packed with brilliant photographs. The houses in the book are distinctive and original, the pictures capture the spaces as well as the ideas and personalities of the people who made them. Allison Serrell and the photographer Meredith Heuer pull the vitality and creativity of the Hudson Valley through the pages of the book.

Product Description
It has been called America's Loire Valley, the Napa Valley of the East, and the new Hamptons. Deemed by the US Congress "the landscape that defined America," New York's Hudson River Valley is a region rich in history, boasting exceptional architecture, celebrity residents, lush landscapes, and a burgeoning art and cultural scene. Each year, 50 million visitors flock to the counties along the river to escape the frenzy of city living and to rejuvenate in quiet, idyllic surroundings. Many stay and buy second homes, and many more dream about it. At Home in the Hudson Valley takes an intimate tour of 20 exceptional dwellings, including Karim Rashid's Carl Koch Tech Built house in Croton on Hudson, an original Marcel Breuer home in Salt Point, and architect Peter Franck's celebrated residence with its breathtaking views of the Catskills. Magnificent color photographs (250 in all), an extensive resource list, and map of the region make this a gorgeous visual excursion and valuable resource for residents and tourists alike.



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Review of Modern Color: New Palettes for Painted Rooms (Paperback)

Lots of great ideas for those who love color and modern design. I got ideas for every room of my home.If you love bright colors but aren't sure how to use them, this book will give you confidence and inspiration.

Product Description
Throw away swatch books, interior design book, and rule books. This color guidebook is not for the faint of heart: it packed full of eye-popping bold colors and how to use them. Now in paperback, Modern Color: New Palettes for Painted Rooms, features advice, inspiration, and ideas for all who crave the excitement and energy of pure, bold color in an interior design scheme.

To succeed with bold color, readers are encouraged to forget about the rules what we?ve known as polite d?cor and instead, put the strength of color to work. Author Sarah Lynch shows how to use color to set the mood, hide or highlight architecture, transform dull rooms and drag hallways, and add depth, height, and light to any room.

Get ready for a new universe of color ideas and solutions. Mix, match, and go all out with colors you love. See your rooms as you?ve never seen them before.

About the Author
Sarah Lynch is an editor on staff at Metropolitan Home. Her column, called Colorways appears in every issue and gives advice and information about one chosen color. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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Review of Bedrooms: Creating and Decorating the Room of Your Dreams (The Small Book of Home Ideas series) (Hardcover)

I got so many ideas from this book it's driving my husband crazy. This woman has put together a really useful and practical book. Of course the pictures are nice! I have already adapted one of her ideas for the closet in our guest room, I am so glad I found it because the doors are absolutely wonderful and I never would have thought of it alone.



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Review of Home: A Short History of an Idea (Paperback)

This book is an exploration into the meaning of the word "comfort" and its place in the home.Rybczynski begins the volume with an examination of the Sixteenth Century painting by Durer "Saint Jerome in His Study".He describes each of the objects and furnishings visible in the paining in turn, noting that they are not particularly conducive to comfort or reflective of individuality.Rybczynski goes on to describe how this painting may be representative of the era in which it was painted, how houses at the time had many occupants and were spaces where people lived communally, but not necessarily as a family in the present sense of the term.He argues that in the Sixteenth Century, the nuclear family as a residential unit was non-existent, since children were sent away to live and work with others at a young age, and households always included many unrelated servants or apprentices.It was only later, as the concept of the nuclear family became more established that the need for privacy came to the fore, and private and public spaces began to be differentiated within the house.Later developments in technology, especially plumbing, ventilation, and lighting also came to influence housing design.One of the themes of the book is how the field of interior design has often been faced with the conflict between what looks good and what feels good.Rybcynski stresses that often the style of a design wins out, leaving the residents with the very least in comfort (to the point of having to carry their toothbrushes to and from the bathroom for lack of proper storage there, for instance).

Some of Rybcynski's discussion is quite interesting, particularly that concerning the influences French, Dutch, and British cultures have had on the development of houses and homes over the centuries, especially in North America.It would have been interesting to consider some of the influences of other world cultures on housing styles as well.For example, certainly Spanish and Arabic cultures have had a strong impact on house design and interiors of North American homes.However, considering such topics for the sake of completeness might have taken the book too far afield.In order to explore the concept of comfort with respect to design, Rybcynski has selected only a few examples of cultures and designers to explicate his points.

The book is academic in style, although quite accessible and engaging for the general reader.Sources are listed in the extensive endnotes, and there is an index.



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