The not so big house
a blueprint for the way we really live
by Sarah Susanka · first published 1998
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Practical design ideas for building or remodeling a home, including light from multiple sides and cozy sleeping nooks. Illustrated with photographs, it suits anyone planning their own house.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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
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This book (and others in the author's series) is a beautiful exploration of that concept: https://www.amazon.com/Not-So-Big-House-Blueprint/dp/1561583...
on “Small World: The Tiny House Trend” ↗I’ll throw in Sarah Susanka’s “Not So Big House” as a homage to old wisdoms in more contemporary form: https://susanka.com/not-so-big-house/ An architect who focuses on more traditional sizes in new form: https://rosschapin.com/plans/
on “Designing a New Old Home: Part 1” ↗If you are building your own home, read The Not So Big House: https://susanka.com/not-so-big-house/ It is full of good ideas and is a beautiful book in its own right.
on “The shrinking American home: As demand rises, builders go smaller” ↗There's a small distillation of his principles in The Not So Big House, (bonus, it has photos). From what I remember, you want to design space so people move from dark toward light, light rooms from two sides, sleep area should be like covered nooks for feeling of security,…
on “Christopher Alexander has died” ↗I learned about his work through reading The Not So Big House. I've also asked Architects and Builders I've met if they are familiar with his work or the related Not So Big House movement, I haven't met a single one that have heard of either. It seems so strange…
on “Christopher Alexander has died” ↗Interesting. Looks like a more nitty-gritty complement to the Not So Big House movement that had a moment around the turn of the century. https://susanka.com/not-so-big-house/
on “Pretty Good House” ↗