New Small Homes

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful spaces, mostly urban context, good ideas
Review: As a dyed-in-the-wool modernist, I really liked the majority of these spaces. Several architects who are little known in the USA (Claesson Koivisto Rune from Stockholm, Sweden for example) are well represented. Many of the homes presented had usable ideas that I will consider in my personal renovation plans. In addition, there are several attractive attic conversions for those of you looking to remodel an attic space. All in all, a very usable book of modest sized contemporary spaces.

Rating:
Summary: Wallpaper* Spatial Sensibility
Review: Beautiful jewel-box like architectural projects by young emerging architects around the world. Their youthful enthusiasm is reflected in the clever spatial manipulation, as well as in the detail refinement-all within tight budgetary constraints. Generous photographs & informative drawings, combined with 'design solution' commentary, make this book a valuable source of inspiration.

Rating:
Summary: Not your mother's dream home...
Review: If you're a fan of minimalist spaces or Euro-Industrial-Tech type houses you're probably love this book (or if you're an architectural student, you'll probably love this book). If you're primarily interest in small homes of a more traditional design however, this is definitely not the book for you. I don't think the description listed with the book does a good job of stating that (nor the photo on the cover). My only real comments about the book itself is that it seems oddly dated, even though the book was published in 2001 ('high-design' houses have a short life-span of being avant-garde I'm guessing), and that it is a well-designed and interesting book for the right audience.