The Not So Big House

The Not So Big House
Author: Sarah Susanka
Publisher: Taunton Press
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2001
Genre: Architecture, Domestic
ISBN: 1561583766

Provides a review of social trends and their effect on architecture and design.

The Not So Big Life

The Not So Big Life
Author: Sarah Susanka
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2007-05-01
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 158836612X

Have you ever found yourself asking, “Is this all there is to life?” Or wondering if this bigger life you have created is actually a better life? And do you wonder how it all got so out of control? In her groundbreaking bestseller The Not So Big House, architect Sarah Susanka showed us a new way to inhabit our houses by creating homes that were better–not bigger. Now, in The Not So Big Life, Susanka takes her revolutionary philosophy to another dimension by showing us a new way to inhabit our lives. Most of us have lives that are as cluttered with unwanted obligations as our attics are cluttered with things. The bigger-is-better idea that triggered the explosion of McMansions has spilled over to give us McLives. For many of us, our ability to find the time to do what we want to do has come to a grinding halt. Now we barely have time to take a breath before making the next call on our cell phone, while at the same time messaging someone else on our Blackberry. Our schedules are chaotic and overcommitted, leaving us so stressed that we are numb, yet we wonder why we cannot fall asleep at night. In The Not So Big Life, Susanka shows us that it is possible to take our finger off the fast-forward button, and to our surprise we find how effortless and rewarding this change can be. We do not have to lead a monastic life or give up the things we love. In fact, the real joy of leading a not so big life is discovering that the life we love has been there the entire time. Through simple exercises and inspiring stories, Susanka shows us that all we need to do is make small shifts in our day–subtle movements that open our minds as if we were finally opening the windows to let in fresh air. The Not So Big Life reveals that form and function serve not only architectural aims but life goals as well. Just as we can tear down interior walls to reveal space, we can tear down our fears and assumptions to open up new possibilities. The result is that we quickly discover we have all the space and time we need for the things in our lives that really matter. But perhaps the greatest reward is the discovery that small changes can yield enormous results. In her elegant, clear style, Susanka convinces us that less truly is more–much more.

Inside the Not So Big House

Inside the Not So Big House
Author: Sarah Susanka
Publisher: Taunton Press
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2005
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 9781561586813

One of the leading residential architects in the country takes an up-close look at the well-crafted details that can personalize any home. Examples from 24 homes show how paying attention to detail brings an otherwise ordinary home to life.

Creating the Not So Big House

Creating the Not So Big House
Author: Sarah Susanka
Publisher: Taunton Press
Total Pages: 274
Release: 2000
Genre: House & Home
ISBN: 1561586056

Offers a look at twenty-five examples of small designs to show readers what they need to know to plan the home that best fits their goals and lifestyles.

Outside the Not So Big House

Outside the Not So Big House
Author: Julie Moir Messervy
Publisher: Taunton Press
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2008
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1600850200

... how to bring house and garden into perfect harmony.

Home by Design

Home by Design
Author: Sarah Susanka
Publisher: Taunton Press
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2004
Genre: House & Home
ISBN: 1561586188

Ideas to empower homeowners to transform their shelters into real homes.

The Big House

The Big House
Author: George Howe Colt
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2012-08-07
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1439124914

Faced with the sale of the century-old family summer house on Cape Cod where he had spent forty-two summers, George Howe Colt recounts returning for one last stay with his wife and children in this stunning memoir that was a National Book Award Finalist and a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. This poignant tribute to the eleven-bedroom jumble of gables, bays, and dormers that watched over weddings, divorces, deaths, anniversaries, birthdays, breakdowns, and love affairs for five generations interweaves Colt’s final visit with memories of a lifetime of summers. Run-down yet romantic, The Big House stands not only as a cherished reminder of summer’s ephemeral pleasures but also as a powerful symbol of a vanishing way of life.

Pocket Neighborhoods

Pocket Neighborhoods
Author: Ross Chapin
Publisher: Taunton Press
Total Pages: 229
Release: 2011
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 160085107X

Architect and author Chapin describes existing pocket neighborhoods and co-housing communities while providing inspiration for creating new ones.

More Not So Big Solutions for Your Home

More Not So Big Solutions for Your Home
Author: Sarah Susanka
Publisher: Taunton Press
Total Pages: 165
Release: 2010
Genre: House & Home
ISBN: 1600851487

A collection of home improvement projects designed for resolving everyday challenges, from desigining a laundry room or breakfast nook to fixing a room that is too tall, installing a half bath, and more.

A Very Big House in the Country

A Very Big House in the Country
Author: Claire Sandy
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Total Pages: 433
Release: 2015-07-30
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1447276248

Holidays are about surviving the gaps between one meal and another.' For one long hot summer in Devon, three families are sharing one very big house in the country. The Herreras: made up of two tired parents, three grumbling children and one promiscuous dog; the Littles: he's loaded (despite two divorces and five kids), she's gorgeous, but maybe the equation for a truly happy marriage is a bit more complicated than that; and the Browns, who seem oddly jumpy around people, but especially each other. By the pool, new friendships blossom; at the Aga door, resentments begin to simmer. Secret crushes are formed and secret cigarettes cadged by the teens, as the adults loosen their inhibitions with litres of white wine and start to get perhaps a little too honest . . . Mother hen to all, Evie Herreras has a life-changing announcement to make, one that could rock the foundations of her family. But will someone else beat her to it?