Rethinking square footage

Brown has given us rare access into the homes of Japanese architectural trendsetters. The footprints of these houses may be small but what they lack in floor space is compensated by an airy ambiance. There are translucent walls that fill spaces with light, walls that open like huge shoji screens to merge the inside living space with the outdoors. Clever storage units tuck everything away, leaving clean uncluttered expanses that seem spacious even by Mac Mansion standards. The book definitively illustrates that less is indeed more.

Homes of magic and wonder

Did you ever have a tree house as a child? I did. It was set in a weeping willow tree. The play of light from the leaves over the canvas cover was magical. The Very Small Home by Azby Brown evokes the same feelings in me... feelings of magic and wonder. Brown explores modern the fascinating world of modern Japanese architecture with a seasoned sense of style and design.

The book is beautiful. The images are gorgeous.It is truly fascinating the way these modern Japanese architects have used light among other techniques to create small homes with that appear so open... so roomy. Yet, at the same time they have a coziness that can not be matched by their larger Western counterparts.

Brown gives all the details architect buffs want - floor plans, elevations, coding, etc. without boring the casual reader. The photography is first class - a work of art in itself.

The second part of the book is filled with practical applications of design elements gleaned from these amazing homes.

Whether you are an architect buff, an aficionado of Japanese culture or just someone who wants ideas for creating more space in your home, this book is a must-buy. (It looks great on your coffee table too.)

Architecture book celebrating the Japanese Modern Mini

Japan is a country with a large population and very limited living space. Due to its mountainous geography, there is a tradition going back centuries for comfortable living in small areas.A classic of Japanese literature is Kamo no Chomei's "Account of a 10-Foot-Square Hut." Traditional Japanese homes are built to be convertible, to maximise space with collapsible furniture that can be stored and multipurpose rooms that can have walls removed to create bigger spaces when necessary.

Building on this need and tradition is the current architectural Small House movement, where new homes are built on miniature lots, maximizing the space with a surprising efficiency. There are TV shows and books galore on the topic in Japan, and the ideas are starting to creep over in to the US as well, with book such as "The Very Small Home: Japanese Ideas For Living Well In Limited Space."

"The Very Small Home" is a showcase for some of these architectural marvels, eighteen of them to be precise. Each building begins with a different problem to be solved; an ancient tree that must be accommodated by law, a tiny lot in Tokyo that needs to fit two houses. My favorite is the family who each inherited a portion of their parents home. One child inherited the driveway, and needed a long, thin house where he could live in on his section of the land. Going for a traditional feel, the architect created one of the most beautiful homes in the book, complete with tiny garden and a luxurious traditional bath. Many of the solutions are quite ingenious, and the photographs of the homes are beautiful to look at.

What the book is not is a guide to better utilizing existing small-space homes. These are definitely architectural solutions, not interior design or decorating solutions. A lot of money went into these houses, and unless you are willing to completely tear down and rebuild your little living space, there won't be much here for you.

For what it is, however, the books succeeds very well, and those interested in architecture as well as those looking to build a small home of their own will probably be amazed at the creativity and beauty of these buildings. The homes are much more modern than traditional, featuring the sparsity of modern Japanese design. I can't help but think of a master-crafted piece of sushi, reverently sitting on a pristine white plate. Small, but incredible.