In this new book, the bestselling architectural design author Sarah Susanka expands her familiar and popular message once again: personalised well-crafted small spaces result in a home that comforts and nourishes those who live there. This book concentrates on the tangible and sometimes intangible details that bring an otherwise ordinary home to life: suspended ceilings; built-in shelves and cabinets; pocket doors; window seats; well-placed alcoves; and see-through lines and spaces.

Bestselling author Susanka ("The Not So Big House") teams up with architectural design writer Vassallo to expand upon the message that has resonated with over a million homeowners: opting for personalized, well-crafted, thoughtfully designed spaces over superfluous square footage results in a home that comforts and nourishes those who live there.

"Outside the Not So Big House" extends the principles from "The Not So Big House" to offer a unified source of design advice about making the indoors and outdoors work together. Through the unique pairing of bestselling author and residential architect Sarah Susanka and landscape designer and award-winning writer Julie Moir Messervy, two highly qualified experts teach us how to think in a new way about designing our outdoor spaces--so they are in keeping with our interior ones.
"Outside the Not So Big House "gives language to design concepts that unify home and landscape. Two major concepts--make building decisions in the context of the land and make landscape decisions that draw the inside toward the outside--inspire homeowners to attune their homes and property to fit the way we live today.

Further full colour design ideas to appeal to homeowners, interior designers, DIY enthusiasts and self-builders who are eager to use the Not So Big House House concepts to build or remodel a home which avoids wasted space and material and which works for them. Sarah Susanka's first book The Not So Big House created a movement which has redefined the way we think about the space we live in, It spoke to millions of disenchanted homeowners who wanted to downsize their dream home ideas without diminishing the dream or the style. The secret lies in a better use of space: let your activities and lifestyle define your rooms.

Ten years ago, Sarah Susanka started a revolution in home design with a deceptively simple message: quality should always come before quantity. Now, the book that celebrated that bold declaration is back in a special anniversary edition. In this landmark home design book, America's superstar residential architect provides homeowners the guidance and language to get what they want: a house that is better not bigger and one that emphasizes comfort, beauty, and a high level of detail no matter how small it is. Featuring a new package and introduction by Susanka as well as 16 additional pages that explore three new Not So Big Houses, this 10th anniversary edition is very big news.

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.

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 tolet 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. From the Hardcover edition.