Speaking on design

One of my favorite things to do at the IBS is to go to seminars. This is such a big show that the speakers are usually utterly fab. My favorite speaker this year was the acclaimed architect and author of the 'Not So Big House' books,  Sarah Susanka. She spoke with clarity and proficiency (and in an accent I am familiar with--she is from a village close to my own birthplace) about the 'Not So Big' theory. Her principle is clear: create living spaces that are focused more on the quality of the space than the size.  Decondtion our need for 'more stuff, more space, more more'  and find efficiency and joy in things well planned and executed. Sarah pointed out that we usually need about 1/3 less space than we have been conditioned to believe we need. That, as ever good designer knows, porportion is critical--especially to the human scale. Thinking and designing in the third dimension.

I find her ideas so inspiring and reassuring. I grew up in a small, crooked 400+ year old cottage. Yet it 'felt' wonderful. It was 'comfy'--as were most of the other homes in my village. Sarah defines the essence of what it is I have always instinctively known about architecture, but have not known how to articulate. We have been avid readers and collectors of Sarah's books since she published her first book in 2001. They are still invauble tools in our office. I recommend them to everyone who is considering either building from scratch or remodeling.