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

by Azby Brown

Small Spaces is about living comfortably and using space wisely, and where better to find ideas on that subject than Japan, one of the world's most urban and densely populated countries? Tokyo resident Azby Brown, a distinguished architect and designer, has assembled dozens of creative solutions to space and storage problems, illustrating them with photographs and plans of actual living environments in contemporary homes. The key to his approach is what might be called "The Three Cs "--compact, comfortable, and convenient. Use of space is reconsidered, with easy living always the uppermost goal. A living room is opened up by creating level changes or "joining it with the exterior." A staircase can double as a chest of drawers, a space beneath the floor can serve as a kitchen pantry or hiding place for a disappearing an adjustable table can serve different purposes at different heights. From top to bottom, in bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and hall, Azby Brown presents solutions to the problems of inner space, illustrated with dozens of full-color photographs, drawings, and architectural plans. Small Spaces will be a lifesaver for all those with growing families, shrinking resources, and limited room to grow--or indeed anyone who wants to transform a disorganized, cluttered environment into an orderly, attractive living area.

Genres: Architecture, Nonfiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. This book was printed in 1993, and it holds up well after 30 years. Some of the furniture designs reflect a different time, but the design elements are still valuable.

I love to visit an Ikea store. I think they sell cheap garbage that will be in landfills rather than handed down to future generations, but I love to see the "living large in small spaces" concepts. This books reminds me of those mini apartments you see in an Ikea store.

Great ideas for living large in small spaces if you have the money for custom work.

[Marcella · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting. I felt that most of the high impact suggestions were only feasible for people who own their space, but there were enough little details I felt I could appreciate. I liked poring over the diagrams. Wish my library copy had fewer pages torn out.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, and easy to breeze through. I enjoyed the pictures, and took some notes about under stair storage...

[Viki Sonntag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great understanding of the principles of small space living.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Azby Brown's Japanaese-inspired Small Spaces features residential designs that may be as compact as the Tokyo airport traveler's pod or as spacious as a Japanese urban palace.

Almost all of the designs feature open spaces and clear surfaces that become possible with built-ins - cabinets, shelves, bedding, kitchens and even a bathroom. Many are not practical or needed in American homes, but do stimulate a minimalist perspective. The chapter Odd Corners and Dead Space, is particularly helpful to find and conceptualize small spaces that can be re-engineered for a big space gain.

The chapter Japanese Housing Past Present Future comments on design for the coming decades, that is both comical and sort of prophetic: "In the coming decades, more and more people will be able to move to the countryside and commute to work 'telectronically' with increasing use of faxes, modems and the telephone. But for those of us who need to live in modern cities, either by necessity or inclination, and will want to live beautifully and wisely, there will be more and more reason to learn from the Japanese - not the elite, who can still occupy urban villas, but the common people who live within limits and the designers who struggle to answer their needs." Reviewing my planned reading for this week, I'm finding plenty of American designers to learn from.

--Ashland Mystery

[Koeeoaddi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fine if you like spare. I don't.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to this book, I cannot stop thinking about building secret hiding places into the stairs and floor of my house. Hmm...although now that I've told you, now it's not a secret anymore...