Amazon.com
When describing a favorite room in the house, do you find yourself using terms such as "expansive," "formal," and "spacious"--a marble foyer or a formal dining room perhaps? Or do the words "cozy," "intimate," and "warm" come to mind--a cheery little breakfast nook or a window seat complete with plenty of pillows and a breathtaking view? More than likely, you--like thousands of other homeowners--are drawn to the more personal spaces in your home, where comfort, beauty, and efficiency meet. In The Not So Big House, respected architect Sarah Susanka and coauthor Kira Obolensky address our affinity for the "smaller, more personal spaces" and propose "clear, workable guidelines for creating homes that serve both our spiritual needs and our material requirements." The heart of the not-so-big house--which is not "just a small house ... [but] a smaller house," that uses "less space to give greater quality of life," and is designed to not only "accommodate the lifestyles of its occupants" but also to express "our values and our personalities," is discussed in chapter 1, entitled "Bigger Isn't Better." Susanka's urging for homeowners to get creative with their space as well as loads of ideas to encourage that creativity are covered in "Rethinking the House" and "Making Not So Big Work." Discussions of specific needs, such as a home for one and designing for kids, can be found in "Lifestyles of the Not So Rich and Famous," while "Dreams, Details, and Dollars" gets down to the nuts and bolts of the operation, looking at quality versus quantity, budgeting, and what "low end," "middle ground," and "high end" really mean in home design and construction. Lastly, the authors look at the home of the future, which involves simplifying, recycling, reducing waste, and using energy-efficient construction. With more than 200 color photographs, as well as floor plans and Susanka and Obolensky's intelligent and lively dialogue, The Not So Big House is perfect for homeowners ready to rethink their space. --Stefanie Hargreaves
Book Description
Sarah Susanka contends that people are naturally drawn to intimate spaces. Large structures inspired by outdated patterns tend to result in houses that just don't work. In The Not So Big House, she proposes clear guidelines for creating homes that serve spiritual needs as well as material requirements. Topics covered include designing for specific lifestyles, budgeting, building a home from scratch, and using energy-efficient construction. With more than 200 color photographs as well as floor plans, the book is perfect for homeowners ready to rethink their space. “Susanka says to evaluate what makes you feel at home and let your activities define your rooms.” — San Francisco Chronicle
Customer Reviews:
Great concepts, middling design.......2007-09-25
I've found this book to be an invaluable resource and appreciate the philosophy and information contained within it. I also found the numerous photos and illustrations to be helpful to convey Susanka's ideas.
The only problem is that I found the actual design and decor of the homes in the book somehow dated and uninspiring. This is definitely a personal reaction, and I'm sure others would disagree. Despite my issues with the actual look of the homes, I'd recommend this as an essential resource along with John Wheatman's books (whose design does resonate for me).
Inspiration & ideas for rethinking your living space.......2007-09-02
The ideas in this book encourage you to think about how you would like use your home space and how to accomplish this marriage of functionality with comfort and aesthetics. Almost every photo has some new little idea to think about. It gives me hope that I'll finally be able to create a comfortable home that integrates everyone's interests & needs. It's inspirational for those of us who have to adapt living spaces to growing families & to those like me who are now empty nesters (but who still need bed space for visiting family members).
A must Have If You Plan To Build.......2007-06-27
Useful, practical, creative. Anyone can gain something from this book even if you aren't building.
Reviewed by Amy Lignor.......2007-06-21
Have you ever found yourself asking, "Is this all there is to life?" We are running in a world of cell phone and blackberry technology, where life is so fast that we never have time to do what we truly want: sit back and enjoy our lives while we have one. This author, with a background in architecture, has put together a fantastic psychological blueprint, if you will, to make changes that will offer you a more rewarding life. This is not like the usual "schlock" that says close your eyes and all good things will come. No, this author takes the time to reveal that things like form and function are not only useful in building a house, they can be translated into building a better life. In a house, you can tear down interior walls to make more space and bring in more light; in your life, you can tear down your fears and open new possibilities.
This is a lovely read filled with wise advice. The author has successfully interwoven her extensive architectural background into well-compiled thoughts on how each and every one of us can make small changes in our lives that will allow us to treasure the time we have.
My advice? If you wish to begin taking time out to enjoy your life - begin by reading this book.
Insightful book with great ideas.......2007-05-26
I was starting to think I was crazy for wanting to build a small house, but this book perfectly articulates the thoughts I was having so much conveying. It is a wonderful basis for discussion and offers many practical, well thought out ideas for implementation.
Book Description
In her latest book, best-selling author of The Not So Big House Sarah Susanka teams up with architectural design writer Marc Vassallo to expand upon the message that has resonated with over a million homeowners and builders across the country: opting for personalized, well-crafted, thoughtfully designed spaces over superfluous square footage results in a home that comforts and nourishes those who live there.
In Inside The Not So Big House, Susanka and Vassallo focus their lens on the tangible and sometimes intangible details that bring an otherwise ordinary home to life. Incorporating such details as dropped ceilings, built-in shelves, pocket doors, window seats, and well-placed alcoves infuses a home with the character of its owners and conveys a uniqueness that's mising in many homes built or remodeled today. From Rhode Island to San Diego, the 23 homes featured here illustrate exceptional attention to detail. Each offers inspiration for those building or remodeling to transform their home into an expression of all that is important to them. "Detail is everything in design. Sarah Susanka proves it again with this, her latest book."
--John Wheatman, author, Meditations on Design and A Good House Is Never Done
Customer Reviews:
For those who want to dig a little deeper.......2007-09-02
Susanka's attention to detail is awe-inspiring, and probably more information than the average person wants, but the book has great photos and some wonderful ideas that anyone can use. If you've been able to acquire the perfect furniture, best use of space and light, but you're still missing the ingredient to really pull it all together -- balance, aesthetics, personality, etc -- this book may help you.
Full of inspiring ideas!.......2007-03-08
I have been devouring the pages of ideas in this book. I think I have looked all through it a dozen times, because many of the concepts and ideas seem to improve and become more usable as I think them over. We live in a ca. 1970's "split-ranch" house and this book has me thinking creatively about using the space in our house in ways I haven't done before.
Great Ideas.......2006-11-03
Read the book cover to cover and enjoyed a fresh look at residential design. As an architect myself, it made me rethink some of my own design processes. Bigger isn't always necessarily better!
Less is most definitely more.......2006-03-22
In this astonishing book, which is filled with wonderful ideas, as well as being a beautiful coffee table book, we are granted an inside look at a truly new concept in home design in our age of teardowns and mega-mansions, a concept that smaller can be more satisfying than larger, if properly done. Here we are presented with something seldom viewed these days, how to make a house a home. There is something for every taste herein, and it is even multi-cultural, with oriental viewpoints as well on both furniture and flow of the home. Spend some time with this excellent book to see how every size home can be made more personal and beautiful, no matter what the budget.
Great as always!.......2006-03-20
Sarah books are a staple in my books of design collection. I refer to them frequently. She has a wonderful sense of design as it relates to organization, usefullness,and asthetically pleasing. I wish more designers and architects would use her sensibility and we would not be over run with all the hideous, vapid,mac mansions everywhere. I would reccommend all of her books without hesitation.
Book Description
In this groundbreaking book, noted landscape designer and award-winning writer Julie Moir Messervy and bestselling author Sarah Susanka reveal how to bring house and garden into perfect harmony. After all, who doesn't yearn for a landscape that is as well designed as the interior of their home? In Outside the Not So Big House, Julie and Sarah teach you everything you need to know about the design concepts essential to extending your home beyond its four walls.
Lushly photographed and illustrated with vivid drawings, Outside the Not So Big House explores how to build pathways and journeys in your gardens; how to make the most of your site; how to use details to bring it all together. Twenty homes from across the country aptly illustrate these easy-to-grasp design ideas. Fans of Sarah's previous Not So Big books will be pleased to discover not only Julie's clear, concise prose but also a new vision for creating home.
Customer Reviews:
The Rather Big 'Not So Big".......2007-03-29
I come away with the feeling that Sarah was lead astray when this book was in development.
Many of the houses in previous books in the 'Not So Big' series have been rather expensive even if they have not been that big. At least these books have provided me with ideas in redoing our moderate sized/priced house.
In this book I find a 'Not So Big' house with a library, a sitting room, and a sunroom on the first floor in addition to a mudroom, kitchen with eating area, formal dining room and living room. The next house in the book sits on a 4 acre lot. Almost every house in the book has grounds that require hired maintenance professionals.
I would imagine that one of the first chapters in Sarah's new book, 'The Not So Big Life', will recommend reducing the square footage of your house and the maintenance required for your grounds. Reducing the square footage of your house will substantially reduce the work needed for upkeep. The 'grounds' could be turned into a native prairie for which God will provide the maintenance. Half of our 1.3 acre lot is native forest looked after by God.
The subtitle of the new book is 'Making Room For What Matters'. One of the things that matters for me is making time for things I enjoy by spending as little time as possible 'mowing the lawn'.
pretty much only covers enormous houses.......2007-01-11
I find the title of this book incredibly misleading. For her, "not so big" means "integrated with nature" as opposed to, well, "not so big"! Almost all of the houses in here are enormous (without counting I'd say maybe 38 of the 40 she talks about), so it's not very helpful for someone like me with a smaller house. Granted, she says her "starter home" was a large Victorian in Boston with a wrap-around porch and stained glass windows, so her perspective is bound to be different from the average American's! But unfortunately I had a hard time applying her concepts to my smaller home (on a 1/4 acre lot), and found myself heartily annoyed because the title had promised something that perhaps might be more useful to someone like me.
Landscaping 101.......2006-09-14
This is a grand book with homes in differing sites in differing parts of the US. One can glean many ideas from the great photographs and text. Julie Moir Messervy's designs are elegantly simple and reflect her studies in Japan. This book is a real addition to the library of anyone interested in designing their landscape.
Wonderful Book- Susanka is the best!.......2006-08-22
Susanka is a great architect! Love it all and look forward to generating a whole new look for my entire property!
Many ideas for designing small areas near small houses.......2006-07-15
(4.5 Stars) I can see from the other reviews that there exist a wide range of opinions about this book. I fall on the high side, I suppose. I enjoyed the large number of photos and ideas for landscaping small areas - spots even - in the yard around a smaller home.
One, rather unreal aspect was that, most of the homes pictured are modern homes with interesting custom architecture. Some of us live in simple ranch-styles (boxes).
Julie's training and interest in architecture does come through, but I did not find it distracting. In fact, I found the emphasis on the relationship between the interior design of the home and landscape as seen from inside very useful. Most landscaping books present only the view TOWARD the house, not FROM it.
I got several good ideas from this book and learned a bit about design.
Book Description
Sarah Susanka's best-selling books, The Not So Big House and Creating the Not So Big House, are available for the first time in one slipcase set. These two volumes offer all of Sarah Susanka's trendsetting architectural ideas in one handsome package. "The rooms pictured in the book are both practical and lovely." -- San Francisco Chronicle
Customer Reviews:
McMansions No More.......2007-05-15
Susanka's series demonstrates that bigger is NOT better. Her focus on livable details to enhance the home environment are valuable to anyone who's considering remodeling.
Grandiose over-development of some homes in our older neighborhood encouraged me to consider another solution.
I recommend this collection.
Live better not bigger........2007-01-13
Sarah Susanka has managed to give us an understanding of why so many modern homes do not "feel right". Forcing us to think about how we really live on a daily basis she looks at what we need to feel really comfortable and how best to achieve it. This is not a one solution fits all but the thinking persons guide to pesonal solutions. Her ideas are based on a lifetime of dealing with different people and their wants and needs even looking at some time in England as a child. Forcing us to change the commercial idea of "bang for bucks" into lifestyle comfort, she has made me look at what I really need in my home.
If only we could find mass produced houses that really suit the masses.
The Not So Big House Collection.......2006-07-18
Quick and easy transaction. Fast to get it shipped out. Very satisfied with condition and entire sales process!
Good Reference.......2006-06-28
Nice reference and will hopefully be useful on our next project. Good photo ideas.
Unique Slant.......2005-08-04
It's evident Ms Susanka has fashioned a niche for sleek, tasteful and refined living. She seperates style from fashion with a keen eye set for timeless architecture. She stresses quality over quantity in square footage. I was pleased with the quality of these books.
Book Description
To have a home that’s more in touch with the earth, you don’t have to start from the ground up! It’s possible—and more environmentally friendly—to go green by renovating an existing home. With the help of Carol Venolia, an award-winning architect and bestselling author, and Kelly Lerner, a world-famous innovator in the field of sustainable development, even the least mechanically inclined person can make a difference in his or her dwelling…and to the planet. The two have produced a remarkable book—packed with information and photos, and the first ever in full color to cover the subject. It’s lush and exquisite to look at, filled with motivational case studies and informative graphics, and completely user-friendly.
“Some of us would like to become more Earth-Friendly, but we don’t have 10,00 acres in Montana or the passive solar ATM machine to get us the cash to buy the above. Breathe! Center! There is help. Groundbreaking architects, Kelly Lerner and Carol Venolia have just completed a book (to help you). There are plenty of checklists and resource guides to go with all the glossy photos.” -- Kevin Taylor, The Pacific Northwest Inlander
“You don't have to build a new home to have a green home. The book builds on the construction wisdom our forebears used to design homes that capitalized on nature's light, warmth, coolness and other benefits. Venolia and Lerner cover everything from simple changes to complex systems that make a home more ecologically sensitive, comfortable and livable. The book is dense with ideas and information for homeowners considering renovations.” --Akron Beacon Journal
Kelly Lerner is an innovative architect who spearheaded a project responsible for building more than 600 passive-solar-heated straw-bale houses in China. Her designs have been featured in Landscape Architecture Magazine, Metropolis Magazine, The Straw Bale House, and Green by Design.
Carol Venolia specializes in the field of eco-healthy building. Her first book, Healing Environments, has enjoyed international success, and her home designs have been featured in The Natural House Catalog, Earth to Spirit, The Healthy House, and Environ magazine. Carol currently writes the "Design for Life" column for Natural Home & Garden magazine.
Customer Reviews:
good ideas.......2007-10-01
There were many good ideas in this book. Some more expensive than the average person could afford. I read Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods Earth Plaster * Straw Bale * Cordwood * Cob * Living Roofs; By: Clarke Snell (Author), Tim Callahan (Author). Which was very comprehensive and enjoyable. While Snell and Callahan focus on building from scratch I was more interested at this moment in remodeling. I wouldn't dismiss this book, but I would identify what your needs are first.
Go get it! You will love it!.......2007-09-10
And I am glad I did! I am even gladder to know that more people are waking up to the idea of natural remodeling. I am not sure whether it alone will save our earth but it's a good start. If enough people do it, it will certainly raise the level of our appreciation of nature to a higher level.
We're in the process of buying a house. Having been brainwashed by the mainstream culture and the media, I had grand dreams of huge expansion with piles of the latest and the biggest "goods" we're all programmed to consume - things like an all powerful over sized profession stainless oven even though I would never use it. But I now have a completely different mind set after reading this book.
We've decided to go small and practical and recycle, reuse as much as possible. Let mother Nature live so that we can too!
PERFECTION!.......2007-07-06
I could not put this book down. It answers all of my questions and concerns as I begin to contemplate the large undertaking of creating a healthy, eco-friendly home for our family. Very thorough, creative and well-written... I only wish I could hire these women directly. Just enough information to cover all of the key considerations, with plenty of guidance on how to dig deeper if necessary. Should be required reading for every builder on the planet!
Unconventional remodeling.......2007-06-27
If you are prepared to surround your house with hay bales and hire an expert plasterer from Germany to cover it all up, this may be the book for you. I found it amusing. It is a bit short on the details of how to do more conventional modifications. However, it has a refreshing focus on houses of modest size and provides guidance in rethinking the use of your existing space to get more out of it. There is a lot of attention to the relation of the house to the surrounding environment, sun at various times of day and times of year, and views and so on.
The book did explain what type of new window to buy if you want to continue to benefit from passive solar heat in the winter -- information that may be worth the price of the book to me.
Some good stuff - Some questionable.......2007-06-26
Some of the stuff in this book is good. Much of it is a no brainer such as trees etc. If you are brand new it'll give you some ideas. Some of it is questionable. I've worked on a lot of houses in a variety of jobs. I'm very skeptical about new types of building, for example hay bales. Contractors build homes a certain way because they are tried and true and proven to work WITHOUT GIANT HEADACHES. Hay bales make me nervous. Take it for what it is but then think it out.
Amazon.com
Sarah Susanka has a not-so-insignificant idea in Creating the Not So Big House. She contrasts the glamorous, glossy-photo house plans of vaulted ceilings and palatial living rooms with the livable, day-to-day pleasure of cozy window seats and comfortable breakfast nooks, and her conclusion is resonating with families across the country: bigger but shoddier isn't better than smaller and well made. Descriptors like "spacious" and "expansive" fill the real-estate promos, but Susanka seeks the elusive yet affordable qualities that turn a house into a home. And she provides more than mere ideals around which to rally. She selected 25 house designs, from a southwestern adobe to a Minnesota farmhouse to a New York apartment to a Rhode Island summer cottage, and she profiles each home in great and well-illustrated detail.
Her ideas for interior as well as exterior views, airy stairways, diagonal views, and framed openings translate well in an array of different houses appropriate to childless couples and large families, as well as hot climes in Texas and cooler regions in Vermont. There are traditional designs to fit in with Massachusetts styling and contemporary designs to adapt to California cliffs, and they range from country spaces to suburban homes to city apartments.
Susanka selected house plans that are available for sale, because her purpose is to make affordable quality housing accessible to the general public, but they're also presented as catalysts for your own designs, because the house that worked for one person might inspire the plan that would work best for you. Whether you're in the market for a new house, want pragmatic renovation ideas, or are interested in the concept of space-saving abodes from a city-planning, philosophical perspective, Susanka's book is an eye-opener and a mind-expander, providing conceptual and practical tools to assist you in planning your own livable home. --Stephanie Gold
Book Description
Sarah Susanka's The Not So Big House spoke to millions of disenchanted homeowners who want to downsize their dream home without diminishing the dream. By evaluating what makes them feel at home and letting their activities define their rooms, homeowners end up with cozy areas they like and use rather than oversize formal rooms they never enter. Creating the Not So Big House explains what homeowners and potential homeowners need to know to get the home that fits their dreams and their lifestyles. Featuring 20 new houses and five remodels of the best Not So Big House designs, Creating the Not So Big House gives readers insight into successful home design.
Customer Reviews:
The not so big house is more of a Not so inexpensive house.......2007-06-20
We have read both books and did find some things interesting, there was only one or two houses in either of the books about the Not So Big House that would have worked for us. One thing we did find that the cost of the "not so big house"; because of many of the materials used; it is really more than what a number of people might find too expensive for their budget.
A must when designing your home.......2007-06-09
We are remodeling our house and my daughter and husband are about to build a new house. A friend of us got many great ideas from this book when they built their home, so they recommended it to me. I had purchased it as a gift for my daughter who, along with her husband, have been reading it since then word by word, and studying the pictures. They are so excited by the concept of a great home and the excellent ideas found in the book. It gave them the direction that they will definitely take when designing their new home.
MORE NOT SO BIG.......2007-05-04
A FURTHER EXPLORATION OF THE NOT SO BIG PHILOSOPHY, QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. INTERESTING AND INFORMATIVE, GOOD COMMON SENSE.
What a Great Idea Book.......2007-03-11
Creative ideas for the practical person. No cute gismos and such, just solid ideas and ways to make them work. Highly recommended.
Good Idea, But . . ........2006-12-29
Her premise that quality beats quantity is a good one. Unfortunately, her taste in architecture (or at least interior design) leaves a lot to be desired -- most of her examples are visually cluttered and will seem dated very quickly, as some indeed already do.
Amazon.com
"Do more with less space" is the key concept of this down-to-earth design guide for both new home builders and remodelers. Not So Big Solutions for Your Home provides simplified design principles in jargon-free language for the nonprofessional contemplating a residential building project. Architect and author Sarah Susanka, well-known for 1998's The Not So Big House: A Blueprint for the Way We Really Live, offers advice on how to redefine space to create happier living areas that function more efficiently. For example, analyzing the family's television habits and planning set placement in advance may avert future squabbles and smooth out daily living. Thinking of each exterior door as the location of a sequence of common events (such as hauling in the groceries or taking off muddy boots) will help the planner create a neater entryway adapted to the family's specific needs. Throughout, plentiful drawings and photos illustrate simple solutions to such common problems as unused living rooms, dark bedrooms, and crowded kitchens. Readers seeking to remodel on a budget will be heartened by Susanka's contention that it is often best to stay within existing walls and avoid building out. All in all, the book provides a lot of theoretical food for thought for lay people preparing to begin the daunting task of either building a new home or remodeling an old one. --Judy Fireman
Book Description
Sarah Susanka's Not So Big Solutions for Your Home explores practical design ideas that can transform any house into a great house that looks, works and feels right for the owner. Sarah Susanka, whose previous best-selling books showed homeowners how to appreciate and create a house that is beautiful, visually expansive and reflective of how families really live, now offers readers practical, everyday design ideas on everything from selecting a site for a new home to designing a mail-sorting space. 30 color photographs, along with over 150 drawings from Sarah Susanka's own sketchbook, illustrate practical home design ideas for everyday living. Not So Big Solutions for Your Home is a compilation of over 30 columns written by Sarah Susanka for Fine Homebuilding magazine.
Customer Reviews:
Love this concept!.......2007-07-25
I now am a HUGE fan of Sara Susanka. I went to the library and read ALL her books. The pictures are very helpful if planning a remodel or building new. Finding an architect that is in-tune is a challenge, most are men and do not think this way.
Not So Complete Ideas.......2007-03-11
Nice book of concepts. Albeit incomplete and some what frustrating.
The Author presents concepts in text, images, sketches and floor plans.
Problem is the floor plans and text lack any measurements to put the
plans in perspective. There are no size minimums or guide lines.
A textbook for design details.......2007-01-25
This book is best read *before* one even selects the lot for their home, but it does contain a few good ideas for those who want to remodel.
In the beginning, she talks about site selection and designing the house to take advantage of and to fit in with the site. She also talks about window placement and roof lines to make sure the outside of the house looks "right."
The bulk of the book talks about things such as designing a mudroom, a mail-sorting place, where to place a tv - in other words, how to design real-life living spaces for real-life tasks and habits.
The book also includes thoughts about details, both aesthetic and practical - varying ceiling heights, skylight considerations, where to place outlets and light switches, and window placement.
The last part of the book talks about simple floor plan changes to existing homes, how to make an addition blend seamlessly into the exisiting struction, a smart solution on how to add a window seat, etc.
Where the Not So Big House dealt with the concept of smart design, this book give more specific applications of smart design. If you're in the planning stages of home-building, I highly recommend this book.
Solutions for the real world.......2007-01-13
This is the ideal continuation to Sarah Susankas earlier books. Well written and full of ideas for many different lifestyles. Although repeating some of the earlier real life projects, she has developed the themes and showed us how to live better not bigger. If I have any criticism at all, it is that she has based most of her ideas around her cold climate environment and there is very little written about the warmer climates. The theories however are sound and using our own imagination, can be extrapolated to any environment.
Fine Homebuilding Reprints.......2006-08-05
This is typical Susanka style, but looking at individual details, and helping to solve specific problems.
Definitely a good book, but if you subscribe to Fine Homebuilding, you'll find that you've already read this.
Book Description
With slogans such as "Life over Style" and "Real life is gorgeous, makeovers not allowed," Dan Ho plans to save the DIY audience from home-improvement magazines and home makeover shows by emphasizing self-expression and individualism--not a prescripted formula for a showroom-perfect dwelling.Ho's easy, humorous tone makes the advice accessible and fun to read. Every aspect of domestic life is addressed--cooking, entertaining, decorating, cleaning, organizing, gardening, and maintenance, and, of course, simply being.
Customer Reviews:
Ho's history is interesting, but that's should be for another book..........2007-07-06
Aside from Ho's interesting history, this book offers a lot of sound and logical advice. He makes you think and reflect on why you use time and energy to transfer that rice already bundled in a beautiful and user-friendly package into glass jars that match the rest of the glass jars in the pantry. I have to admit he makes sense...unless you have this innate insatiable need to match everything and have your kitchen look like the candy store downtown.
On the other hand, Ho's sound and logical advice is lost due to his holier-than-thou opiniated nuances that exude throughout the book. It's like if you do not conform to his school of thoughts, you have no "gai" and having no "gai" has been put across as the 8th deadly sin. That's off-putting, considering the useful subject content of this book.
Follow the spirit not the letter of advice.......2007-05-27
While I found the concept Dan is selling--"gai" as true style--refreshing and compelling, I was puzzled by several sections in the book where he spent much time/effort/space trying to tell his readers what they should or should not be doing in order to have authentic style...my understanding of his philosophy was that we should do what resonates for us, yet he felt compelled to make sure that we understood that kitchen canisters (among other things) are terrible things that are not "gai." While I agree that buying something just because it is "in style" is not the way to be authentically stylish, it does not mean that any one product can't be part of a person's authentic style if they have a personal motivation behind using it.
Bottom line--if you are looking for an alternative to the "style" magazines and TV shows that will help you make your house a home and your life more authentic, check out this book, but remember to absorb the spirit of what he is saying, ignore the declarations about various items, and make up your own mind about what is "gai" for you.
I love him! .......2007-05-12
Dan Ho breathes new life into the style/decorating/DIY/self help genre. He pumps you up, giving readers permission to enjoy the important things in life, rather than waste valuable time creating the perfect craft room or hunting down useless kitchen gadgets at culinary boutiques. I appreciate his positive, no nonsense approach and value his humourous, helpful insights!
You go Gai!
Incredibly Presumptuous.......2007-01-28
The title of this book should be something like, "Only I am qualified to tell you what constitutes good taste."
Consumerism Is Not The Answer.......2006-11-14
For a habitual HGTV watcher like myself, Dan Ho is a bit of a shock. He advocates against painting your walls red and lining up all your pictures, just so, above the sofa. Personally he minimized his possessions, moved into a smaller space and says we all work too hard trying to be in style.
His book tells us how to let go of the idea that possessions lead to perfection. I'd think we would all realize by now that having-it-all leads instead to messiness. If you own a book on clutter or getting organized, then you know what I'm talking about.
I haven't seen his new show yet, but after having my eyes opened by his book, I want to hear more from this man. He says we just need to relax and tap into who we really are and that's style.
Customer Reviews:
A must read for "collectors".......2006-07-14
I LOVE this book. So much I read it twice and am currently reading another of his books. So far this one is my favorite. Some of it is "fluff" but he makes you see that it is a joke keeping all the stuff you probably should throw out. It makes you laugh and say yep I do that! Since reading this book, I haven't been able to totally dejunk my home; however, before purchasing anything - I really think about the item and where I would put it in our home.
"Everything you get takes looking after.".......2006-05-30
Don Aslett has done more than anyone else I know of to help us clear up the clutter. I read his book, Clutter's Last Stand" many years ago.I dig it out every once in a while and thumb through it to help me "Get Back on the Wagon".You'll find a review on it amongst my reviews dated December 29,2005. By the way ,a good decluttering principle is followed here;Amazon keeps and stores these reviews---not me!
This book is pretty much like his others in principles;but I never tire of reading the reasons for and the suggestions given for de-junking.
Even if you are not a junk ammasser;you'll really love this book,because it will show you that you have been right all along--by natural instinct.
Then there are the rest of us who are junk collectors by instinct reinforced by yeard of dedication ,practice and our own finely honed instincts.
Even if you have the will power to ignore all of Don's reasons,suggestions ,insinuations,you'll still enjoy the book for the excuses for keeping junk;as he'll have some even you have never heard or used. Keeping junk is a fine art and you can utilize all the help you can get. From Don,you'll be learning from the master himself,as he has devoted his life to this subject. You've probably seen numerous little newspaper and magazine articles over the years on this subject;but none can hold a candle to what you will find in this gem of a book.This book of 214 pages is loaded with humor,a zillion illustrations and every excuse imaginable and will give you hours of side-splitting laughter. If you really want to drive someone nuts;put a 'brown wrapper' on it and let the belly-laughs roll.On second thought ,try a cover from a True Crime Stories.
I really enjoyed Chapter 16,"Dear but Not Departed"
Don gives us great lines like;
"Your junk and clutter will survive you,count on it."
"She was so young. She had so much (stuff) to live for."
"The funeral is over;many mourners paid tribute and now will
pay dearly for what you left behind."
"Suddenly your death isn't a sweet sorrow,it's a sorry mess."
"You wanted your good stuff to carry on in life,to live on,and
now it's being carried off."
"If you're the kind of person who says."Big deal,it won't be
my worry," you're not only a packrat.you're a dirty rat."
As to shopping sales,bargains ,free offers,etc. "Don't go to
the Devil's workshop,if you don't want to do business with
him."
So how do you get rid of all your junk? Simple;get rid of everything that hasn't moved in the last 6 months and read a
chapter of this book every month.
Have I been successful? well hardly.I just got rid of 10 books.Problem is;I've over 700 to go. However; I've got the best of intentions.
Good Luck!!
Amusing fluff.......2001-06-20
I bought this book before moving to another house. It *IS* a funny, easy-to read diatribe about how to bring yourself to throw things away. It *IS NOT* a comprehensive method about how to organize your space and house. If you want to get organized, have a practical, functional and nice-to-live-in home, buy Julie Morgenstern's "Organizing from the Inside Out". However, if you want to have a laugh and gain confidence about dumping the dusty junk in your cellar or attic, this is the book for you.
Excellent book!.......2000-10-13
I was so inspired to declutter my house, I couldn't even wait till I had finished reading the whole book, I started right in on some overflowing drawers. I like his writing style; it's very down-to-earth and funny, especially when he mentions some of the things he himself had accumulated before he "saw the light." I laughed out loud several times while reading it. He really gets into the nitty-gritty details of decluttering too, like how to identify clutter, why you've saved it, excuses and reasons for cluttering/saving, how to get rid of it, and even how to spot potential clutter before you even acquire it. There was no aspect of clutter that he didn't cover. I loved the cartoons too; they really hit home and lightened up the whole prospect of the task ahead. I highly recommend this book. After decluttering my own areas, my husband (who said he didn't have any clutter) starting reading the book and amazingly found some things he could part with too. Yippee! I plan on re-reading parts of it whenever I start backsliding. (Yes, he covers that too.)
Life changing advice!.......2000-08-08
I highly recommend this book for anyone swimming in junk and wanting to make their life less "cluttered". My husband and I are both long-time pack-rats and this book has helped us get started on sifting through the mounds of stuff. When I get stuck I pick up and read the book just for inspiration on how to get started again. Mr. Aslett recognizes that pack-rats are emotionally involved with their stuff and counsels you through how to overcome that problem. We have managed to get rid of huge amounts of things that we really didn't need to keep and I don't know if we would have gotten this far without his advice and "counseling". I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting to simplify their life with less "stuff".
Customer Reviews:
Painfully Boring! .......2006-08-01
I must agree with the reviews of Perri Litton, Kevin Lee, and P. Wilson. This book is extremely boring. I'm halfway through the book. It's painful to try to finish. I paid money for this book. That is the only reason I haven't put the book back on the book shelf. This book is 232 pages. I can normally read such a short book in one day but I've been struggling for 8 days to finish.
I've read 3 of James Earl Hardy's previous novels; "B-Boy Blues", "2nd Time Around" and "If Only For One Nite". "A House Is Not A Home" is by far the worst.
I was hoping that it would get better as I go along. I lost hope when I read the reviews. If you MUST read this book, check it out from the library.
What was I thinking .......2006-01-16
I am glad that a friend brought the book and gave it to me a gift (which I regifted). For one I wish the author would learn to keep a consistent writing style or learn how to keep his in a range. I cannot compare this book to ealier writings. I can be truthful and say this B-Boys blues was the best and Love the one your with was good, Everything else was horrible. James Earl Hardy was very sloppy with the other three books not mention (for your own sake), I actually started reading this book in a book store and realized it was not good enough to buy. Thank goodness for amazon's discounts because you would be wasting some serious money on this.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz.......2006-01-12
The "B" in B-Boy Blues must stand for BORING. I gave it 1 star because zero stars are not permitted.
A Jood Mess.......2005-10-26
I'm sorry, but did I read the same book as the other reviewers? I purchased this book just knowing it was going to be off da chain just based on the reviews from this site. Damn I was wrong. I own every book in the B-boy Blues series and I must say that this maybe the worst of them all. What about going out with a bang? I gave this book 2 stars just because he caught us up pretty well with everyone. I consider the rest a jood mess.
A Sweet and Simple Swan Song.......2005-09-01
James Earl Hardy ends his ground-breaking B-Boy Blues series with a sweet, simple, and constantly affirming tale of black same gender-loving life and love, with particular and powerful focus on the diverse black family.
The sometimes stormy romance, first introduced in 1992, involving buppie journalist Mitchell and Harlem homeboy Raheim, has come full circle when we encounter them in the 2003-set "A House Is Not A Home."
After more than a decade together, they have separated, but have not fully parted, though both re-explore past sexual connections.
Raheim, who has had some Hollywood success and continues to battle certain addictions, must consider the ramifications of coming out to the whole world when he is offered a plum lead in a film about an openly gay athlete.
Mitchell is pretty much a stay-at-home dad. He has a five year old daughter adopted as a new-born from blood relatives. He is also rearing his live-in godson, Erroll, Raheim's 15 year old son we have gotten to know as "Junior" in the 5 previous installments.
Though Mitchell's parenting skills are noteworthy and productive, and are fully supported on both sides of the sexual orientation spectrum, Mitchell, a gifted literary and journalistic artist, wants more out of life.
'House' explores Mitchell, 37, and Raheim, 30, facing life's crossroads, as well as confronting the truths about their mutual relationship.
Told in an easy, dialogue-rich manner (Hardy's ace), 'House' is marvelously deceptive in its unadorned but diamond-class celebration of 'real' family values and the 'it-takes-a-village-credo.
This gentle, unassuming, and heartwarming story, spanning a 4 day Spring weekend in the Big Apple, is filled with universal themes that at once transcend and embrace the sexual and humanitarian natures of our two appealing protagonist. Black or white, gay or straight, "A House Is Not a Home" is a lovely family portrait worthy of being in that honored place on the mantle, above the soothing fireplace.
The fell-good novel of the year.
Books:
- The Photographer's Eye
- The Photoshop Elements 5 Restoration and Retouching Book
- The Ralph Nader Reader
- The Rapture: Truth or Consequences
- The Transfiguration of the Commonplace: A Philosophy of Art
- Thomas Jefferson on Wine
- Trail Guide to the Body: How to Locate Muscles, Bones, and More (3rd Edition)
- Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear
- Video Shooter: Storytelling with DV, HD, and HDV Cameras (DV Expert Series) (DV Expert Series)
- White Trash Cooking (Jargon)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Story the Soldiers Wouldn't Tell: Sex in the Civil War
- Roswell High Series 1 Through 10: The Outsider; The Wild One; The Seeker; The Watcher; The Intruder;
- Malvinas: La Ultima Batalla De La Tercera Guerra Mundial/The Last Battle of the Third World War
- My Family and Other Animals
- MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit
- Planetary Herbology
- Neuro-Fuzzy and Soft Computing: A Computational Approach to Learning and Machine Intelligence
- Toward a Unified Ecology
- Letters to Diana, Princess of Wales
- William H. Emory: Soldier-Scientist
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Creating the Not So Big House: Insights and Ideas for the New American Home
Inside the Not So Big House: Discovering the Details that Bring a Home to Life (Susanka)
Not So Big Solutions for Your Home (Susanka)
Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home
The Not So Big Life: Making Room for What Really Matters
