Increasingly, domestic architecture has sought to enhance everyday life by providing resonant settings that reflect the human need for comfort, safety and connection. A house has walls and ceilings, and perhaps a garden, but beyond that, there is always that one part of a home that becomes a place of belonging, around which people gather. Architecture at the Heart of the Home showcases those special places and features that make a residence unique. Of course, there are kitchen and dining areas, but a home's heart can also be the physical link between the interior and the exterior, a view, a particular room, or even an architectural feature: a pool that reflects the sky overhead, windows that frame a panoramic vista, or a building's position in the landscape. The projects in this book are not necessarily grand in scale, but all reveal extraordinary settings that fill the heart with joy and the soul with happiness - the places where memories are made.
'A charming account of a daughter, a house and a fastidious dad' Sunday Times Shelley Klein grew up in the Scottish Borders, in a house designed on a modernist open-plan grid. With colourful glass panels set against a forest of trees, it was like living in a work of art. Her father, Bernat Klein, was a textile designer whose pioneering colours and textures were a major contribution to 1960s and 70s style. Thirty years on, Shelley moves back home to care for her father, now in his eighties: the house has not changed and neither has his uncompromising vision - or his distinctive way of looking at the world. Told with great tenderness and humour, this is Shelley's account of looking after an adored yet maddening parent and a piercing portrait of the grief that followed his death. 'A sad, funny, utterly fascinating book about families, home and how to say goodbye' Mark Haddon 'Original, moving and bracingly honest... often hilarious' Blake Morrison, Guardian 'It is strange that grief should produce such a life-affirming book, but it has. Read it for the solace it contains, or for its captivating descriptions. Either way, it's a delight' Telegraph
With an emphasis on simple preparation and fresh foods, the author offers seasonal recipes for Forth of July picnics, Valentine's Day treats, and warming winter meals.
Dana Cuff delves into the architect's everyday world in "Architecture" to uncover an intricate social art of design, resulting in a new portrait of the profession that sheds light on what it means to become an architect.
One man's quest to seek out--and be inspired by--the great historic kitchens of Canada and the USA. John Ota was a man on a mission--to put together the perfect kitchen. He and his wife had been making do with a room that was frankly no great advertisement for John's architectural expertise. It just about did the job but for a room that's supposed to be the beating heart of a home and a joy to cook in, the Otas' left a lot to be desired. And so John set out on a quest across North America, exploring examples of excellent designs throughout history, to learn from them and apply their lessons to his own restoration. Along the way, he learned about the origins and evolution of the kitchen, its architecture and its appliances. He cooked, with expert instruction. And he learned too about the homes and their occupants, who range from pilgrims to President Thomas Jefferson, from turn of the century tenement dwellers to 21st century Vancouver idealists, from Julia Child to Georgia O'Keeffe, and from Elvis Presley to Louis Armstrong. John Ota has a refreshingly upbeat approach and a hunger for knowledge (and indeed for food). His energy and enthusiasm are contagious, and his insights of lasting value. Illustrated throughout, with photographs and also with drawings by the author, this is a book for homeowners, home makers, interior designers, cooks, armchair historians, and for anyone who--like John Ota before them--is looking for inspiration for a renovation.
An argument against the ideology of domesticity that separates work from home; lavishly illustrated, with architectural proposals for alternate approaches to working and living. Despite the increasing numbers of people who now work from home, in the popular imagination the home is still understood as the sanctuary of privacy and intimacy. Living is conceptually and definitively separated from work. This book argues against such a separation, countering the prevailing ideology of domesticity with a series of architectural projects that illustrate alternative approaches. Less a monograph than a treatise, richly illustrated, the book combines historical research and design proposals to reenvision home as a cooperative structure in which it is possible to live and work and in which labor is socialized beyond the family—freeing inhabitants from the sense of property and the burden of domestic labor. The projects aim to move the house beyond the dichotomous logic of male/female, husband/wife, breadwinner/housewife, and private/public. They include the reinvention of single-room occupancy as a new model for affordable housing; the reimagining of the simple tower-and-plinth prototype as host to a multiplicity of work activities and enlivening street life; and a plan for a modular, adaptable structure meant to house a temporary dweller. All of these design projects conceive of the house not as a commodity, the form of which is determined by its exchange value, but as an infrastructure defined by its use value.
"Geometry in Architecture, a revised edition of Pioneer Texas Buildings, juxtaposes the historic structures with works by twenty contemporary architects who are inspired by the pioneer tradition to show how seamlessly the basic geometries translate from one era to another. As in the earlier book, sketches and brief commentary by Clovis Heimsath explain how squares, triangles, and circles take shape in the cylindrical forms that comprise houses and other buildings. Then black and white photographs, the heart of the book, illustrate these geometric forms in historic and modern buildings."--BOOK JACKET.
A study of historic architectural styles of New Orleans homes. This presentation of nineteenth-century gouache and watercolor archival paintings from the New Orleans Notarial Archives offers a glimpse at what old, renovated, restored, and new buildings in New Orleans neighborhoods not only might look like, but how they should look. Including examples of each New Orleans house type, ranging from the French colonial plantation home to the Creole cottage, this volume offers historic plans for each house along with contemporary adaptive-use alternatives to suit modern needs. An architectural pattern book, educational tool, city planner’s handbook, and stunning visual presentation, this gorgeous resource is intended for all interested in historic preservation and architectural history as well as those wishing to build a modern home in an authentic New Orleans style. Praise for A Pattern Book of New Orleans Architecture “An enchanting waltz through the heart of the Crescent City choreographed by the doyenne of New Orleans’ preservationists. [Toledano] presents two centuries of colored renderings from the New Orleans Notarial Archives in a stunning visual portrait of the city’s built heritage, while architect Gate Pratt’s pattern book of new homes designed in authentic styles provides an indispensable resource for rebuilding efforts. This work is destined to become the quintessential bible for historians, preservationists, architects, and all those interested in the true story of the architectural traditions that have shaped the ‘real’ New Orleans.” —Russell Versaci, AIA, traditional architect and author of Creating a New Old House and Roots of Home “For architects, builders, and developers working in the Crescent City, Roulhac B. Toledano’s A Pattern Book of New Orleans Architecture reveals an extraordinary new design resource. Toledano describes in detail the evolution of the city and the building types that have given the city a character unique in the world. Modern floor plans designed by local architects for historic house types demonstrate that the traditional architectural patterns of New Orleans are as accommodating today as in the past. For local practitioners and visitors wishing to build in New Orleans, Toledano’s pattern book is essential for sensitive and thoughtful design in this most exotic and precious city.” —Paul Ostergaard, AIA, Urban Design Associates, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
