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Small Spaces: Stylish Ideas for Making More of Less in the Home

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Manufacturer: Kodansha International

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Small Spaces is about living comfortably and using space wisely, and where better to find ideas on that subject than Japan, one of the world's most urban and densely populated countries? Tokyo resident Azby Brown, a distinguished architect and designer, has assembled dozens of creative solutions to space and storage problems, illustrating them with photographs and plans of actual living environments in contemporary homes.
The key to his approach is what might be called "The Three Cs "-compact, comfortable, and convenient. Use of space is reconsidered, with easy living always the uppermost goal. A living room is opened up by creating level changes or "joining it with the exterior." A staircase can double as a chest of drawers, a space beneath the floor can serve as a kitchen pantry or hiding place for a disappearing bed: an adjustable table can serve different purposes at different heights. From top to bottom, in bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and hall, Azby Brown presents solutions to the problems of inner space, illustrated with dozens of full-color photographs, drawings, and architectural plans.
Small Spaces will be a lifesaver for all those with growing families, shrinking resources, and limited room to grow-or indeed anyone who wants to transform a disorganized, cluttered environment into an orderly, attractive living area.


PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS:

Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 728.370952
EAN: 9784770020840
ISBN: 4770020848
Label: Kodansha International
Manufacturer: Kodansha International
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 96
Publication Date: 1996-09-15
Publisher: Kodansha International
Studio: Kodansha International


SIMILAR ITEMS:

• The Very Small Home: Japanese Ideas for Living Well in Limited Space
• Little House on a Small Planet: Simple Homes, Cozy Retreats, and Energy Efficient Possibilities
• Space: Japanese Design Solutions
• 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


CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

small spaces with hugh ideas -
This book is so ingenious that it inspired me to change careers, and make a few changes around the house myself.

title should be changed to "Build built-in furniture" -
The title should be "build built-in furniture to get rid of your space problems."

I think the ideas are worth considering: sure, if you have chairs for desks and vanities that slide right in, you can save a lot of space. Yes, build little drawers out of the stair case, and nifty pull out cabinets everywhere. Certainly having less furniture and more built -ins is the best way to reduce clutter. Yes, build underground "closets" in your floorboards and crawl space.

However, for most young people and for renters, the solutions are not practical because of lack of investment capital or long term plan for a space. Hiring carpenters to construct these designs would be of prohibitive cost for most, except for the wealthy.

I see from this book that Schindler and Neutra and all the modernists got lots of their ideas from the Japanese built-in solution.

Ranked #6 out of 7 "small decor" books -
I ranked this next to the bottom of 7 "decorating small spaces" books I bought. This author is a contradiction in terms: a minimalist who loves complexity! If you like Asian, bare-bones, neutral-hued decor & have construction skills, you may like the extensively detailed drawings of intricate building projects (i.e, a nine-part modular table-seating-storage unit with more uses than anyone would possibly give it) & the helpful photos. But you'll still be irked that sq. footage is never given. If you're like me (American condo owner), you'll find this book, written for and featuring Japanese homeowners, not adaptable to your needs in any way.

An indoctrination in organization -
As someone whose prospective first house is likely to be small--and even smaller inside--I've been looking around for useful ideas that will help me choose a home into which my Stuff will fit. (That's not just stuff; that's George Carlin-type STUFF, and it requires serious storage.) We're not just talking a smaller McMansion, but homes where the master bedroom is, on average, 10'x9' with badly placed doorways.

Azby Brown's book was an education in understanding the options even a small or oddly shaped space can afford. Though most of the actual implementations discussed would certainly work better in a Japanese home than in a '50s era raised ranch, the *ideas* are the thing. And these ideas are outstanding. Every inch of space is used to beautiful effect. Every opportunity is considered.

Especially choose this book if you're planning to remodel, as expert contractors and cabinetmakers will benefit from these pages; nevertheless, _Small Spaces_ is for anyone who still thinks that light neutrals and pint-sized furnishings are the only way to manage.

Deserves space on your underfloor shelf -
Azby Brown lives in Japan, and has written a number of books about Japanese design, or carpentry, from the perspective of a close observer.

This book deals with design and product approaches to living in small spaces without clutter. The premise is that the smaller a space is, the more it needs to appear empty if living in it is to be fully comfortable and satisfying. This isn't a book on how to load more gear into more "storage solutions", though some unusual solutions like underfloor storage are elaborated.

Granted a lot of this stuff is not going to be transferable to American houses, and some of the details, like miraculously small appliances are not even well illustrated (most ilustration are very good). But then there is a huge market for books covering professionally created 25 000 square foot spaces in Carmel by the Sea, or whatever, and I am not likely to fully implement ideas from those books either. Frankly adapting the spirit of this book is much more likely

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