More Design Books

What I love about design books is that they are both inspiring and informational.

Below are 2 recent discoveries:

The first is "the not so big house: A Blueprint for the Way We really Live".
What love about this book is that it goes against the trend to build McMansions, instead favoring good design and efficient use of space to build a comfortable usable home that has character.

The book is full of practical ideas for all range of budgets.
Although the "not so big" homes it showcases would be considered castles here in Japan, it gives plenty of interesting design details to warmth to rooms.

There are few good Japanese Home Design books out there in English, but this is the best book I've found that matches a more western aesthetic with a "just big enough" Japanese sensibility.
Highly recommended.



Below is a photo of an integrated Living, Dining, Kitchen. LDK.


The second discovery is a resource on general design concepts and materials:
It's a good resources for understanding natural light, diagonal lines, etc.
The materials are given a rating for decorative suitability, costs, and maintenance.
As opposed to other books which show 100 different designs. This one focuses on about 12 and goes into the details that makes them special.