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Category: Architecture

Home-design guru Sarah Susanka to visit Detroit

Sarah Susanka, the architect who wrote the marvelous "Not So Big House" series of books, will be signing her newest title starting at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the grand opening of the new Marvin Design Gallery in Bloomfield Hills at 2350 Franklin Rd.

The new book is "Not-So-Big Remodeling: Tailoring Your Home for the Way You Really Live." Click here for a quick trip to her website.

The Raleigh-based designer writes as clearly and amusingly on architecture and design as anyone. Boiled down to its essentials, Susanka argues that anyone contemplating building a new house ought to consider taking the money from extra square footage and putting it into personalized built-ins, like bookshelves and breakfast nooks.

It's those details, she argues, that form the strongest and most-enduring bond between people and their home.

ArchBlogger caught up with Susanka for a chat, shortly before her arrival in Detroit.

ArchBlogger: Define the philosophy behind the "not-so-big house."

Susanka: Basically, a not-so-big house is one that re-apportions dollars out of square footage that's rarely used, and puts those into quality and character. I noticed when people came to my office to remodel or build a house, they almost always they defined things in terms of square footage and room names. And the first rooms out of their mouths were the ones they never used - formal entry, formal living room, and formal dining room.

In an informal poll, 85 percent of my clients admitted they never used their living room. It's just an idea they thought they should have.

A.B: So what's wrong with newer houses?

Susanka: One of things that makes people buy an older house, rather than new, is that they love those built-ins - the little wall inset by the front door for vase of flowers, etc. Those little special features are what make us feel at home. Both because of the efficiencies of construction after World War II - and getting into this house-on-steroids idea - we've forgotten that those small things make a difference.

In photos, a McMansion can look okay. But when you walk in, you realize it was made for giants. Most of us feel dwarfed. I tell people the two-story gallery and Palladian window are perfect for state capitols, not a house.

A.B: What options do people have for building charm into, say, a boxy little 1950s ranch?

Susanka: There are examples in the book of ranch houses that have been improved tremendously. A tip: One of the problems with a lot of ranches is that the ceilings are unrelievedly 8-feet tall. In many cases, you can't go higher without incurring real cost. I suggest dropping part of the ceiling at the end of the living room -- architects call this a soffit - two to three feet out from the wall.

It creates a little place for a computer desk or a couple seats. But more importantly, it shapes the space, so you begin to read the contrast between the ceiling heights. That way, your eye sees the 8-foot ceiling as taller than it really is. Plus, then you can add recessed lights to bring purpose to that wall. You can also add a light cove along the edge of the soffit to bounce light off the higher ceilng.

A.B: You've got a light, lovely accent. Where did you grow up?

Susanka: I grew up just outside London, in a little village called Knockholt. My family emigrated to Los Angeles in 1971 when I as 14 when my dad, who was kind of an inventor, got a job with the Mattel Toy Co. And my parents just loved LA. It's so funny. It's the antithesis of what they grew up with.

A.B: Who are your favorite architects?

Susanka: Frank Lloyd Wright. He coauthored a book in 1901 called "A House Beautiful," and it was all about how people don't use the parlor, so why build it? Additionally, I actually studied Japanese design - the same source Wright used.

I also love Louis Kahn. I think his work is sculptural and extraordinarily beautiful in how he uses space and light. I love Arthur Erickson,and I'm a big fan of (Spanish architect) Santiago Calatrava.

A.B: What are your favorite American cities?

Susanka: I very much like the smaller cities. I love Boulder. I like Asheville. In big cities, probably my favorite is Seattle. But I also love San Francisco and Boston - cities that have both terrain and history. Oh -- and Santa Barbara.