Wednesday, August 28, 2013

What We're Reading Wednesday: Not So Big House

Joining Housewife Spice for my first What We're Reading Wednesday!

I am not a great reader of non-fiction, mainly because I need a story line to keep my interest, and because I have a horrible knack for not forcing myself to do something that doesn't bring immediate rewards, you know, like a really dark novel does!

But...overcoming all my hang-ups, a few days ago I  picked up The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live by Sarah Susanka out of Obi's architecture books collection. And read it, didn't just look at the pictures.


Why? Well. Something about how we keep moving furniture around in this place and keep feeling like it isn't really conducive to the way we live and I needed inspiration and a reminder of why we moved to this little house or I would go insane.

And I think it did the trick! The first half of the book is basically an extremely repetitive persuasive essay in which Susanka begs on hands and knees that her very limited audience would so much better enjoy living in a well designed 2400 sq ft Not So Big House (her caps, not mine) than the 4500 sq ft McMansion they think they want. Which was not at all useful or informative for me because I am not her audience. And it was a bit frustrating because I believe Susanka is trying to make it seem like this is the normal human experience, and that if we had all just designed a "receiving space" into our home where coats and muddy shoes go (complete with the space angled just so to show off some work of art or other architectural feature) then our homes would not require the triple story marbled and vacuous 400 sq ft foyer to make you feel welcome (but it would still cost the same.) Her point is basically this: 

"Tailoring is a basic ingredient to the Not So Big House. If you just make a house smaller, but still generic, it won't have any more appeal than its larger cousins. What makes the Not So Big concept work is that superfluous square footage is traded for tangible but more meaningful aspects of design that are about beauty, self-expression, and the enhancement of life."  
But that is basically the crux of it, and there is a breaking point, because we all aren't sitting around planning our McMansion, so people like me and Obi with our six kids could basically afford a heavily tailored and beautiful 300 sq ft cube. Come on over!

The second half was much more palpable, and I loved her well thought out ideas about living simply, designing the use of rooms based on purpose and beauty, and manipulating atmosphere within rooms to promote intimacy of space. Lovely!

here i am feigning successful "intimacy of space" at our old big house.
in this brilliant panorama by annemarie, we are half moved out, most belongings
gone, yet somehow the place was still a mess, the baby escaping, momo half dressed, and the mother still neglectful (i faintly remember i was trying to
figure out what the heck was wrong with amanda bynes at that point.)


Feeling a little more inspired by our small house choice, what I am most looking forward to is having the house in an order conducive to me sitting there and reading an actual book. Not non-fiction.




14 comments:

  1. I remember my mother-in-law using that book and another of Susanka's a about Capes when trying to lay out her current house. Glad it was helpful!

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  2. I have not yet heard of this...now I m curious! Thanks for sharing, friend!

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  3. I feel like you and Obi are already masters of creating beauty and simplicity in every space you have. So glad it helped...I may check it out. After a year we still haven't figured out how to live in our living room and feel like it "works".

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  4. I would happily trade a large house for a smaller, more charming one. Our house is a 1960s New England oddity, and while not a McMansion by any means, sure feels like it could easily shed 500 sq. feet when it comes to cleaning day.

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  5. This has been on my want-to-read list! As the owner and lover of a not-so-big house, I firmly believe character and soul are more important than cavernous bathrooms and closets. I love the intimate spaces where my children have to be with us and each other. My front porch arches, my leaded glass windows, the girls' room under the eaves are not found in modern architecture. I would love a second or first floor laundry room though. ;)

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    1. Yes to all of the above! And Susanka specifically states that she loves designing for children best of all because they are the greatest discoverers of all the beautiful and hidden spaces.

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  6. Interesting. We have a triple duty "welcoming space"/ dining area / "command center" in our 1500 sq ft Not So Big House. This area doesn't perform any of its duties v. well and it's been a thorn in my side the whole time we've been here. Maybe this book will give me some pointers.

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  7. We went from a teeny little apartment to a country home complete with dining area, living room, den, two bathrooms, four bedrooms, and large laundry room. What I wouldn't give to have that teeny little apartment back with us all piled on top of each other, overhearing whispered secrets between siblings from a shared closet and sitting on top of each other on one sofa after dinner. I hate the dining table that I pile with clean laundry and we never gather around as a family, that den with the large fireplace that only the kids use when they want to watch something on TV that the adults have no interest in and all those separate bedrooms that drive wedges between shared experiences. Sigh. And Cari's so right about how much work there is on cleaning day. Who needs a mansion when you have family? And the bonus to a small house...when the kids need space, they seek it OUTSIDE! :)

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  8. Love this review! I'm currently living in a teeny little apartment with my husband, and we'll probably be in this little space for at least another year or two, so I've been working on "curating" it, if you will, to make a pretty and well-thought-out functional living space. This book sounds like it would be right up my alley! Thanks for sharing it.

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  9. Ooo a well designed 2400 sq foot house is my dream! Right now we're at about 1200? And really, the only thing that makes me want a bit more space is a more functional entry/mudroom, bedrooms for kids, and just a little more room for....well...space. I'd like to have just a little more space to just be able to get away from people a little, teeny, bit!

    I'm curious, is Susanka an architect or designer?

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    1. She is an architect! She has written extensively about home design, and this book was originally written in 1998, and was the lone architectural voice crying in the wilderness that homeowners were taking quantity over quality.

      And you are spot on about wanting space for "getting away from people." In the homes Susanka designs, she designates an "away room" for adults, or even for an individual to be able to go off someplace in retreat within their own home.

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  10. The entryway thing is interesting because I had never considered it until we started going to houses that had them and living in a place that require coats and I said "no matter how small a house is, if we are to live in it, we will have an entry way!" No more of this walking straight onto the living room carpet business, no ma'am.

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  11. I love that panoramic shot. Way to go, AnneMarie! I prefer small spaces too, and just having downsized quite a bit, I may benefit from reading this. The second half at least.

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  12. That treehouse looks awesome..wow. My kids would love it..and if we still lived in Naples, I would totally be knocking on your door.

    And the bottom of your kids' feet looks like the bottom of my kids feet. They run around barefoot outside all the time. Their feet are so rough and calloused that they don't need shoes, and really can't feel whatever they step on. LOL

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