The Very Small Home: Japanese Ideas for Living Well in Limited Space |  | Author: Azby Brown
Creator: Kengo Kuma
Publisher: Kodansha International
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
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Rating:  23 reviews
Sales Rank: 104,841
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 112
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 12.4 x 9.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 4770029993
Dewey Decimal Number: 728.37095209051
EAN: 9784770029997
ASIN: 4770029993
Publication Date: April 1, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Building small can be a sign of higher ambitions, and those who take the time to peruse these pages will undoubtedly grow to appreciate that creating a small home can be an amazingly positive and creative act, one which can enhance life in surprising ways. THE VERY SMALL HOME presents stunning design advances in Japan. Eighteen recent houses, from ultramodern to Japanese rustic, are explored in depth. Particular emphasis is given to what the author call the Big Idea—the overarching concept that does the most to make the house feel more spacious than it actually is. Among the Big Ideas introduced here are ingenious sources of natural light, well-thought-out atriums, snug but functional kitchens, unobtrusive partitions, and free-flowing circulation paths. An introduction by the author puts the house designs in the context of lifestyle trends, and highlights their shared characteristics. For each project, the intentions of the designers and occupants are examined. The result is a very human sensibility that runs through the book. a glimpse of the dreams and aspirations that these unique homes represent and that belies their apparent modesty. The second half of the book is devoted to illustrating the special features in the homes, from clever storage and kitchen designs, to ingenious skylights and nooks. As with his earlier SMALL SPACES, Azby Brown has given home owners, designers, and architects a fascinating new collection of thought-provoking ideas.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
 Rethinking square footage June 13, 2005
Gaylon Emerzian (Evanston, IL USA)
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
Brown has given us rare access into the homes of Japanese architectural trendsetters. The footprints of these houses may be small but what they lack in floor space is compensated by an airy ambiance. There are translucent walls that fill spaces with light, walls that open like huge shoji screens to merge the inside living space with the outdoors. Clever storage units tuck everything away, leaving clean uncluttered expanses that seem spacious even by Mac Mansion standards. The book definitively illustrates that less is indeed more.
The Spiritual Home August 9, 2005
John Viveiros (Las Vegas, NV USA)
30 out of 33 found this review helpful
Azby Brown's skills just might finally be realized in his native country. What a breath of fresh air he brings to housing! This country needs less of the expensive mega-residences and over-priced, dysfunctional condos and townhouses. We need more "small communities" of creative villages consisting of Brown's beautiful and functional little houses that could be afforded by the first-time buyer and appreciated for its simplicity by the retired. I loved his Small Spaces, love The Very Small Home more, for the perceptive color photos and exceptionally detailed drawings.
Although the Engawa House is the perfect home, ranch style, and the Home in Kyodo the ultimate family home, my favorite remains Koizumi's Sumire-Aoi House. As a retiree, I'd love to own this house with one modification, a disappearing bed, Murphy style. There is a deeply spiritual quality to Brown's houses that bring a sense of peace and contentment just looking at them, over and over. To live in one of the houses in this book would be to live on a spiritual plane far above the mega-millionaire!
John Viveiros
Las Vegas, NV
Homes of magic and wonder June 3, 2005
Camille LeDoux (Memphis, TN USA)
29 out of 33 found this review helpful
Did you ever have a tree house as a child? I did. It was set in a weeping willow tree. The play of light from the leaves over the canvas cover was magical. The Very Small Home by Azby Brown evokes the same feelings in me... feelings of magic and wonder. Brown explores modern the fascinating world of modern Japanese architecture with a seasoned sense of style and design.
The book is beautiful. The images are gorgeous. It is truly fascinating the way these modern Japanese architects have used light among other techniques to create small homes with that appear so open... so roomy. Yet, at the same time they have a coziness that can not be matched by their larger Western counterparts.
Brown gives all the details architect buffs want - floor plans, elevations, coding, etc. without boring the casual reader. The photography is first class - a work of art in itself.
The second part of the book is filled with practical applications of design elements gleaned from these amazing homes.
Whether you are an architect buff, an aficionado of Japanese culture or just someone who wants ideas for creating more space in your home, this book is a must-buy. (It looks great on your coffee table too.)
Origami you can live in, or at least marvel at... May 29, 2008
Chipper (Boise, ID)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I LOVE this book! I don't think I could live in most of these houses... But, oh wow, would I love to spend a weekend.
In the truest Japanese tradition, these very, very small homes are morsels of perfection. No detail is too small; no corner neglected.
Somehow, ancient Japanese design seems modern. So these "modern" homes, in the Japanese context, carry on tradition.
My favorite house may be the little gem squeezed into what was a long, narrow driveway. It manages to be private, spacious, light filled and warm, AND incorporate a charming courtyard between the kitchen and traditional bathhouse.
There are so many ingenious ideas packed between the covers of this book. If you love architecture or small houses or big houses or live in a house or apartment or refrigerator box (especially the box--it's roughly the size of some of these houses) you may enjoy this book.
My main objection to these designs, is that I would require more privacy for the master bedroom. Many of them were open loft types, many of them barely segmented from the children's space. But, I still marveled at these tiny wonders. Some had the aura of cathedrals.
Highly recommended.
Exceptional insights December 14, 2008
Jan (DC)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
As I work through the major renovation of my 750 sqft loft I've bought and closely reviewed the design strategies and tricks from about 20 books on small apartments and lofts. Beyond a doubt this book has provided more practical, cost effective insights than any other (also see "Small Lofts"). In particular, this book contains engaged descriptions that go far beyond the typical coffee table book of merely impressive photographs.
This book is about the specific challenges found in Japanese home design including air rights issues that I doubt exist in most of the USA, but the solutions to these foreign problems are just as useful here (for solving other challenges) as they are in Japan. I strongly recommend this book!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 23
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