The New Moderns: Architecture and Design for Living

Rating:
Summary: Room for improvement
Review: Various aspects of contemporary living are discussed here such as the mastery of space & light; functionalism of kitchen & bathroom; the usage of stair as a piece of art, decorative tool & as a functional equipment to get people from one place to the other; the significance of furniture & fitting; the usage of colour & texture rather than resorting to white colour all the time (the book even went into such a trouble of elaborating to the readers why white is still rendered as the timeless colour in a modern living setting); modern house as a gallery & how it's transformed into a jewel piece in the nite time; how to blend past with the present; outdoor assimilating with indoor. I would not categorise this book as a must have in understanding the concept of modern living but it's indeed a valuable book to reinforce our view of what modern living is all about. The authors could have used MORE examples of prominent architects from diverse background & cultures but more emphasis is put upon modern living in England, USA, & Japan. In other words, when discussing modern living, we should discuss it in context of its universal appeal which this book fails to address. Many quality pictures are included in this offering but I couldn't help noticing the pictures are taken from the same setting but simply from different angles, something like selling sizzles but no steak. Otherwise, this is a user friendly reading book to have especially on a cold & wet nite. Some readers might find the directory of architects, shops, galleries, & suppliers at the end of the book handy for their usage though.

Rating:
Summary: Room for improvement
Review: Various aspects of contemporary living are discussed here such as the mastery of space & light; functionalism of kitchen & bathroom; the usage of stair as a piece of art, decorative tool & as a functional equipment to get people from one place to the other; the significance of furniture & fitting; the usage of colour & texture rather than resorting to white colour all the time (the book even went into such a trouble of elaborating to the readers why white is still rendered as the timeless colour in a modern living setting); modern house as a gallery & how it's transformed into a jewel piece in the nite time; how to blend past with the present; outdoor assimilating with indoor. I would not categorise this book as a must have in understanding the concept of modern living but it's indeed a valuable book to reinforce our view of what modern living is all about. The authors could have used MORE examples of prominent architects from diverse background & cultures but more emphasis is put upon modern living in England, USA, & Japan. In other words, when discussing modern living, we should discuss it in context of its universal appeal which this book fails to address. Many quality pictures are included in this offering but I couldn't help noticing the pictures are taken from the same setting but simply from different angles, something like selling sizzles but no steak. Otherwise, this is a user friendly reading book to have especially on a cold & wet nite. Some readers might find the directory of architects, shops, galleries, & suppliers at the end of the book handy for their usage though.