The new American dream Living well in small homes

This is more than a basic how-to book on designing for small living spaces. Gauer, a practicing designer, explains how basic design principles can be used to create a comfortable home. Using examples of contemporary architect-design dwellings, including his own, he describes the principles, such as space and lighting, and shows how specific details were used to achieve a more spacious effect. Plans are included for each of these principles. Detached homes, apartments, and row houses are depicted in color photographs showing a modern, uncluttered style. Gauer has designed this book for the lay reader and succeeds in showing how homes under 2000 square feet can be attractive living spaces. Unfortunately, the lack of captions for the photographs and the modern design style might discourage novices from learning the concepts. Recommended for large interior design collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.