If you love the look of Georgian, Federal, Victorian, French, or Mediterranean style this book will leave you cold.
It's obvious that all the houses/rooms shown are done by the same architectural firm. After reading the entire book, you will come to see a sameness to the designs. They look to my eye to be variations on the theme of craftsman/prairie style.
The openness gets boring, as does the constant use of light walls with light wood trims. There is a lack of color in these rooms that breaks my heart.
You'll also notice a squareness to rooms, staircases, windows, fireplaces, kitchen islands -- everywhere you look there is a rectangle or a square. Very seldom (you can count them on one hand) will you see the use of curves or circles.
And where is the practicality in having kitchens opening into family rooms, living rooms, and eating spaces? Doesn't anyone in these homes ever cook?
Even with the best exhaust systems, cooking emits odors, deposits grease and oils into the air, mucks surfaces, and requires constant upkeep. That's one of the reasons kitchens used to be separated from the living spaces of the home. (OK, fire was another reason)
Privacy is another issue. Loft bedrooms that open to family room spaces offer none, even though the author shows and suggests 'away spaces' where one can close a door and go to be alone and quiet.
There is such a thing as too much togetherness and houses like these have few places for family members to get away from each other.
As a practical person I feel the owners of these houses will constantly be cleaning because the very openness doesn't allow for clutter or a mere closing of doors (since there aren't very many!).
I suppose I was expecting more of a 'how to' book. I want to know how to put storage under stairs, eke an extra few inches out of a powder room, make use every inch of space in a kitchen, design bedrooms with plenty of windows without giving up wall space.
As with most things design, it's all a matter of individual taste. This style isn't mine.
