Simpler lifestyles, higher quality leisure time with family and friends - these and other trends in society lay the foundation for this important, thought-provoking design and architecture book. In it, Sarah Susanka, LIFE Magazine's Architect of the Year, offers thoughtful guidelines for designing homes that more accurately reflect our lifestyles and personalities. The Not So Big House proposes clear, workable guidelines for creating modern homes that serve both our spiritual needs and our material requirements, whether for a couple with no children, a family, a retired couple or someone living alone.

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Architect Susanka believes that the large homes being built today place too much emphasis on square footage rather than on current lifestyles. Here she shows how homes can be designed to feature "adaptable spaces open to one another, designed for everyday use." 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. This thought-provoking book will be a good addition to architectural and interior design collections.