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

Rating:
Summary: An indoctrination in organization
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Deserves space on your underfloor shelf
Review: 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

Rating:
Summary: Scary stuff for a North American!
Review: Great book on how to store, and organize stuff like only the Japanese can do. For us North American's, applying these principles may be impossible because of the way our culture has brought us up. Still there are lots of great ideas, and it is quite interesting to what can be done with limited space with a little imagination.

Rating:
Summary: They Do What We Will Not.
Review: I had always wondered how the Japanese can live in tiny spaces with all the normal human needs and technology. I was impressed that they do it without clutter. By walking on storage space and planning multi-use spaces, they achieve peace and harmony. My only regret is that I do not have ready access to the boxes/drawers that they use for raised floors. The lower ratings given by the others were more a disparity of expectations that a critique of this book. This is a beautifully done book on a rare topic. It's like no other book on small spaces.

Rating:
Summary: Creative and beautiful.
Review: I have always known that I wanted to have a garden "inside" my home. Now, I understand how it can be done. This book is full of wonderful ideas for all who see the beauty in simplicity.

Rating:
Summary: Ranked #6 out of 7 "small decor" books
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: More like: Large spaces with small amount of things
Review: I was disappointed in this book. I had hoped that it would have stylish ideas for small spaces. I had gotten it for my parents who are moving to an apartment and will move from large to small spaces. It does have some nice construction ideas if that is was you're looking for - I was not. The photography is fabulous. The very stark designs just don't fit me, my parents, or anyone I know.

Rating:
Summary: Good book but with a misleading title
Review: Overall, Brown does a good job, but he should've titled it, "Modern Japanese Small Spaces," as much of the text explains present day Japanese layout and architecture as an evolution of previous tradition and history. As an example, there's a chapter titled, "Japanese Housing: Past, Present and Future," something the title would have never suggested. More than simply a pretty picture book to put on your coffee table because it truly has well thought out text, the book falls short of being a *true* rehab book, with its lack of a planning section, grid page or index of products, commonly found in the DK books from the UK. In the end, the photography is quite good, and some of the ideas are very stunning in execution.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating topic
Review: The title is a bit too vague-- this book is specifically on *Japanese* methods of minimizing clutter, which may or may not be useful to westerners. But what a fascinating topic it is. Only the Japanese could have thought of storing things below the floor, futons that can be rolled up and put away when they aren't in use, "borrowing the view" of your neighbour's garden, and so on. The photography isn't dazzling, and many of the homes aren't very stylish, but it's worth reading just to appreciate the ingenious ideas the Japanese have.

Rating:
Summary: Impractical and inappropriate solutions to space problems
Review: With all due respect to the minimalist Japanese way of life, this book is completely inappropriate for a small apartment dweller. I found almost no useful suggestions on how to maximize the use of space in small living quarters. This is not an interior design book, but rather is more of a "construction/rehab" book, because most solutions offered require major rehabbing of an existing space in order to accomplish anything close to the desired design. Overall, a pretty lame choice for interior design of small living spaces.