Book Description
Following the success of Harper Design's Mini House, Mini House Style continues to show that size doesn't matter.Or rather, size only matters when you know what to do with it.
Featuring elegant and imaginative homes no larger than 900 square feet, Mini House Style features a variety of projects that incorporate innovative ways to make a small space more livable. It may be a clever storage area, or an unexpected flow to the room's use, or maximizing the impact of window placement or special architectural features to create the illusion of space. Also included is a discussion of foldable, mobile, and multifunctional furniture especially suited to small spaces. Featuring the work of today's most talented designers, this captivating guide is provides endless inspiration for your own small home, be it single-family house or individual apartment.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointed.......2007-03-14
The projects covered are (from my perspective) very interesting. I like modern, minimilistic elevations.
As someone who is considering building a 'mini' house project I have been inspired.
However, it was extremely disappointing to have so few photographs of relevence or to have those photographs plastered over the floor plan. Perhaps the editor is concerned we readers might infringe copyright? I don't think so...
no practical advice - weird intellectual detachment from real life concerns.......2006-04-10
There is no author for this book, only a design/editorial group (ricorico), and that is the problem. That is why there is an impersonality to the approach, a studied, purposeful detachment from the subjects..
Yes the houses are really small (unlike Susanka's huge houses) but almost all of these are these modern boxes or domes built in the middle of nowhere.
Maybe it's supposed to be a highly conceptual, intellectual study. It's about if the whole world got destroyed in a nuclear meltdown, how would you rebuild. It's not about making do with what you have, which was built eighty years ago.
As a layperson, I got little enjoyment or real life, real-budget advice out of it. There are hardly any people, no magazine piles, no food, no messes in this book.
You do get lots of blueprints and plans.
The text is also not fun to read. I think the whole thing was written in Japanese, then translated into English. There's something that is too much of a literal translation and does not jibe well. A lack of editing, I think, a lack of interest.
Lastly, the photographers use weird wideangle photographs - there is a very noticeable distortion - they should have invested in a better architectural lens. Using the extreme wideangle creates a false illusion of greater space, which contravenes the interest in a small space.
Decently done book, but only if you really have to like minimalism.......2005-11-29
The houses profiled in this book are of the minimalist modern style, and sited in Europe or Japan. You know the type: futuristic boxes that are basically a glass cube, or strange triangular shapes, or an experimental modular house that's meant to be connected to other modular houses. There's even a spherical house.
This book is great -- if you're into that type of thing. But to me, they looked largely unlivable. Furnishings inside were minimal, as if they were there for show. It appeared as if the occupants never so much as boiled an egg or read a newspaper. The bathrooms look like airplane bathrooms. One building had a rusted metal grate draped over the roof and windows. I'm sure the authors thought it was an architectural wonder, but it looked like a prison to me.
If you can get past the style, the pictures are very pretty and the layout is okay. The architects seemed very passionate about their work. Their articles had a lot of substance about form and function and natural light. However, the busy line-drawing blueprints, which I'm sure is all the rage, are very hard to follow.
Book Description
As the success of MINI HOUSE proved, bigger is not necessarily better, certainly not where your home is concerned. MINI HOUSE NOW demonstrates this point, showcasing dozens of homes that ingeniously make the most out of a small amount of space. For anyone living in or building small–scale home, this is the perfect source of inspiration.
Customer Reviews:
McMansion Antithesis.......2007-01-12
Made me feel like a glutton after buying an 1200 sq. foot condo... what a waste of space! An excellent book showing you don't need an 8,000 square foot mansion to live comfortably. The book is also great for anyone interested in minimalism interior design as many of the homes don't allow for much clutter or adornment.
Customer Reviews:
Micro fun at Christmas time.......2007-01-09
Low temp glue gun, is the only thing missing from this!
A great all in one craft book and supplies surprise!
Great for a 9 year old who loves to create!
My Mini Review on the Mini Toy.......2006-01-30
If you want to be an architect, then this is gonna be your favorite toy ever! But if you want to bulldoze buildings, then I don't really think you should buy this awesome toy. But I want to be neither those things so, I play with this toy for fun, not to learn about what I would like to become.
You can design little teeny tiny rooms on your own or make rooms from the instructions.
It's awesome!
BEST BOOK.......2005-12-21
If you think this book is bad,
then I believe that you've gone mad.
If you think this book is great,
it's good to know that you don't hate.
This book's great for little girls,
for biggies too its a thrill.
It boosts your creativity and fun,
I dont think you'll ever be done
when you do the exciting projects...
This book's cool,
it's not cruel,
has lots of ideas and things.
Teaches you how
to make kings,
rooms and studios too!
Book Description
This book describes the philosophy and methods of a holistic approach to limited space gardening that produces so much food that, within three years, you will be able to produce 85% of the food needs for a family of four on less than a quarter-acre, plus earn over $10,000 in cash annually - and you will be able to do this in less time than an equivalent job would require, netting the equivalent of $50/hour for your labor. Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started: buying seeds, saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, dealing with pest and disease problems, farm planning and much more. Since self sufficiency is the objective, subjects such as raising backyard chickens and home canning are also covered along with numerous methods for keeping costs down and production high.
Customer Reviews:
The Edible is Political.......2007-03-04
If you are new to mini-farming, this is the book to get. Markham grows a tremendous amount of food in a postage stamp piece of land, and he tells how to do it in this book. From planting the seeds to processing the harvest to a lesson on soil chemistry in between, this book covers it all in a folksy, easy to read style.
It is a very practical book, for people who need to grow gardens to save money and to provide their children with better diets. America is dividing along class lines, and one of the major class differences is food. The poor eat junk food and suffer obesity, diabetes, arteriosclerosis and heart disease; while the wealthier class eats real food -- that stuff that EVERYONE ate back in the old days.
The fact that junk food exists at all is a great injustice; junk food is "feed" for us "human cattle," if only it were as nutritious as what we give livestock! The fact is, you'd be better off eating alfalfa pellets and cracked corn with a bowl of water, than Doritos and Pepsi. That's right -- livestock feed has more nutritional value than so-called "fun foods," which are becoming more and more a staple of the American diet.
How many square feet of cropland is necessary to feed one person? John Jeavons put the number at 1250 square feet. Brett Markham puts the number at 700 square feet, based on his experience. If Markham is right, that means the average suburbanite can supply most of the food for their family. I think it's worth getting this book and giving it a try. I got the book, and I'm going to try it this year.
And if you have children, for heaven's sake, feed them right! I work in a health care related field, and I can tell you that we are seeing an American pandemic of diet-related diseases, all because we gave up our gardens and turned out food supply over to ConAgra and Archer Daniels Midland. Most of our food is basically the corn surplus in fancy packages. Partially hydrogenated corn syrup will KILL YOU! The next time you go shopping, read the labels of all packaged foods, and think twice!
Book Description
The increased demand for space has created a shortage of unused land to build on. This book represents a fascinating look at 25 small houses belonging to international architects who've demonstrated their ability to take full advantage of every square foot available. Projects range in size and include work like the Keenan Tower house, a home-office in New York city, the Phillips House in Chicago, the Moore Honey House in North Carolina and more.
Customer Reviews:
Strangely inaccurate.......2007-08-13
I would agree with most reviewers that this book gives good food for thought in the "less is more" aesthetic that is so lacking in modern America; however, it is very puzzling that the Mt. Fuji house is listed at elevation 15,064 ft, when the mountain itself is only 12,388. Ditto for the Wenger House, which is listed as sited at an impossible 21,520 ft elevation in the Swiss Alps (22,500 ft being commonly known as the oxygen deprivation "death zone" for Everest). Sloppy editing and copy detract from the book's basic good ideas.
Commendable reading.......2005-08-02
I wouldn't describe this book as the "IT" book regarding Mini House. However, presentation-wise, it is a tad superior than the one offered by Azby Brown. Anyhow, whilst Azby Brown's book concentrated solely in Japan, this Mini House book concentrates mainly in Europe. Whereas Azby Brown's book is leaning more towards the techno-edge offerings, Mini House has a propensity for magnificent natural setting with emphasis on natural materials to complement or to blend in with the environment. Talking about reading two books on the same subject and yet, seeing from very different perspective. At times, it's difficult for author to locate ALL fabulous mini houses and truth to be told, he's got quite a balanced selections here in this instance. Afterall, there are many other great mini houses that are under radar screen where owners opt to maintain their privacy and confidentiality of their house plans. Still, this book does bring forward one point, that is if we put our heart and mind into it, we can erect house that is devoid of wasted space and a house that is enjoyable to live in. One of the reviewers said it appropriately that those house might be more suitable for the non-attached individuals who don't have much wordly belongings or that they don't have many family members or that they are strictly used for holidaying or contemplation purposes. Once again, an idealistic and novel notion of building and living in a mini houses indefinitely but still, a notion that pushes the architectural language forward. Commendable reading.
Some Mini, Some Not!.......2004-12-23
I bought this book to help give me some better ideas on how to build a small as house as possible, while still keeping it livable. This book does show some good examples for small houses. It also adds in houses that are up to 1,291 sq/ft, which for most people is not a mini house, in fact it would be classed as a normal size house. As I said it did give a few examples that I could imagine living in, but lots of the homes pictured, look cold and lifeless.
Also, there are not enough photos of each house to give you an idea what it would feel like to be in. And lots of the photos show the interiors as completely barren looking, as if no one actually lived in them!
Get it from your library first before you decide to buy. I won't be adding this book to my listmania list.
Half & Half.......2004-08-09
Indeed, this is no lifestyle book, but an architectural piece, one that gives some real inspiration and wonderful examples of living large in small spaces.
Inconsistently though, some houses are only shown in exterior photos and one longs to see what's inside, such as the gorgeously crafted NSW Tree House. A number of the house interiors are empty or nearly so, and any house looks spacious when it's completely unfurnished! The fortress-like Ithaca House in New York State gets 8 pages of coverage: the somber exterior is shot from every conceivable angle, but only the only interior room shown is the kitchen. The starkly simple but deceptively ingenious House In Zachary stars on the cover and gets 10 pages inside. 12 photos are devoted to its exterior, but only two to the interior, and those are more or less just vignettes.
Bottom line, people need to LIVE in these small houses and we need to see what the interiors look like. A small house is only successful if the interior works as a home. This book left me impressed but feeling very unsatisfied. Larger, better-labeled floor plans would have been welcome as well.
This book is an excellent source for inspiration.......2004-03-09
I am in the planning phase of my new home building project. This book has served as an excellent tool for me during the phase of my project. I loved the sheer creativity of the architects and amazing photography. I highly recommend this book for folks who are looking for small home design options.
Book Description
By starting small, Decorative Mini-Murals You Can Paint makes it easy for anyone to experience the joy of mural painting.
Kerry Trout guides readers through 12 step-by-step projects, including country vistas, gardens, flowers, a grandfather clock, trompe l'oeil objects and more! Readers can choose the project and surface size that matches their ability and comfort level, making this book perfect for beginners and advanced artists alike.
Customer Reviews:
They're Gorgeous !.......2004-12-18
Here are the projects shown in the book:
*a bunny triptych
*trompe l'oeil window shade
*schoolhouse notebook
*goldfinch frame
*covered bridge box
*mountain view lodge
*Tuscany hatbox
*trompe l'oeil cat
*Shaker clock
*trompe l'oeil wall shelf
The designs demonstrated in the book could be applied to many different situations, not just the projects listed. The art is exquisite and she really does tell you how to do the different brushstrokes for everything from blades of grass to chimney smoke. She tells exactly what color to use for each, and what kind of brush.
As a beginner, I just don't have the confidence to tackle these. I think I'll try stenciling first and maybe build up my comfort level. The artist has a website where you can see her portfolio and get an idea of the kind of painting this book covers.
Unique subject matter.......2003-06-24
I have many books on murals, decorative painting, and trompe l'oeil. This book provides info not seen in others. It is a good companion to the Donna Dewberry One-Stroke method of decorative painting. It is perhaps a little too advanced for the brand new beginner.
Book Description
Vast decorative possibilities spring from each of these pages, presenting everything from traditional white and rainbow strings to large gleaming, flickering orbs. Brighten display shelves; bring the garden in with a star-kissed bower of glimmering plants; give a young girl a princess canopy over her bed; or go through the year with seasonal and holiday sensations.
Book Description
Colorful, chunky, irresistible. Peter Lippman's 2.2-million-copy-bestselling Mini-House series is a hit with kids and adults alike. You pick one up. You hold it. You turn it around. You peer inside the windows, and then you pop the latch, opening the door to the story-and to a child's imagination.
Here is the story of Sleeping Beauty, delightfully retold for a somewhat younger audience and cast with cats, dogs, and other animals instead of people. The Enchanted Castle provides all of the delight of the Grimm story-without quite all the grimness.
Selection of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club. 291,000 copies in print.
Customer Reviews:
The enchanted castle.......2007-03-15
This book seemed like a good idea but my 17 mos. daughter ended up not liking it at all. I think the pictures are just not bold and colorful enough for toddlers and babies. The pictures are kind of busy and bunched together. Hard for a child to see what's going on. Really cute design but not much good as a book. More of a toy. Better for maybe 3 and up.
A castle to enchant your little one........2002-12-10
I bought this book for my three year old daughter because like all little girls she loves castles and princesses. Th book itself is very cute. It is shaped like a castle with different levels and characters popping up such as a fairy kitty at the top. The story itself is okay. It is a very pared down telling of the story of sleeping beauty using cats as the characters. The real star is the shape of the book itself. My daughter never tires of looking through it on her own. Best of all it is very sturdy and well made. I recommend this book to all
A gem.......2002-04-13
To call the little castle a book is not doing justice to this original work of art. The pictures, the rhymes and the typography combine to make it one of the most charming objects available for small children.
Book Description
For many years customers have requested smaller, less expensive editions of our most popular gift titles and we are happy to announce that we have obliged. A small book has a special charm; it may be slipped into a pocket or a purse with ease. Small Blessings will make welcome gifts for those occasions when a small but lovely token is appropriate. They would also be charming used as an elaborate form of gift-tag, included in a gift basket, or even slipped among the stems of a floral bouquet. A Baby Blessing welcomes a new baby to the world. A Birthday Blessing performs the same function as a birthday card but with much more depth. A House Blessing is intended as a gift for those who have purchased a new home. This is My Wish for You -- long our bestselling title -- bestows the best of everything to its recipient.
Customer Reviews:
A Nice New House Gift.......2007-01-04
This is a fun book to give to new homeowners.
Sweet Gift.......2002-03-08
I gave this book as a housewarming to my boyfriend, just after he moved in to his first house. It communicated all my hopes for his life in this house, and served as an expression of faith in the future of our relationship. I have since joined him in this home, and the book resides on the mantle. It provides a touchstone for us when we become distracted by various and sundry stresses.
Perfect gift for new or first home........2001-06-03
This is a perfect gift to give someone moving into a new home, or first home. It is beautifully illustrated on every page. The end papers are also decorated in a lovely, floral design. The blessings are simple and aptly stated.
A House Blessing.......2000-06-13
It is a timeless gift to give a friend or yourself and your family
A Timeless Treasure.......2000-04-15
We received this book from some dear friends upon the purchase of our very special home. The illustrations and the beautifully executed text are simply unbelievable. I make it a point to buy this book for anyone I know who has recently moved into a new home because it is an honor to own such a treasure.
Books:
- New Choices in Natural Healing for Women: From Aromatherapy and Herbs to Massage and Vitamin Therapy--Drug-Free Remedies from the World of Alternative Medicine
- No Sheep for You: Knit Happy with Cotton, Silk, Linen, Hemp, Bamboo & Other Delights
- Nursing Home Administration
- Oxford Textbook of Medicine: 3-Volume Set (Oxford Textbook)
- Plagues and Peoples
- Practical Ophthalmology: A Manual for Beginning Residents
- Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements ... A-To-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies)
- Scientific Farm Animal Production (8th Edition)
- Seasons of Delight
- Seasons of Delight
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- History: Fiction or Science
- Dragon Sea: A True Tale of Treasure, Archeology, and Greed off the Coast of Vietnam
- Vibrational & Rotational Spectrometry of Diatomic Molecules
- A New Leaf
- Ancient Egyptian Costumes Paper Dolls
- Biological Wastewater Treatment
- Brain Is Born: Exploring the Birth and Development of the Central Nervous System
- Manet's Modernism: or, The Face of Painting in the 1860s
- Wild: Fashion Untamed
- Wildflowers of the Tallgrass Prairie: The Upper Midwest
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
The Very Small Home: Japanese Ideas for Living Well in Limited Space
The Big Book of Small House Designs: 75 Award-Winning Plans for Your Dream House, All 1,250 Square Feet or Less
Compact Houses: Architecture for the Environment
25 Houses Under 1500 Square Feet
Small Houses: Contemporary Residential Architecture
