Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home (Susanka) [Paperback]

Julie Moir Messervy (Author), Sarah Susanka (Author), Grey Crawford (Photographer)

Book Description

Series: Susanka | Publication Date: January 1, 2008

"Outside the Not So Big House" extends the principles from "The Not So Big House" to offer a unified source of design advice about making the indoors and outdoors work together. Through the unique pairing of bestselling author and residential architect Sarah Susanka and landscape designer and award-winning writer Julie Moir Messervy, two highly qualified experts teach us how to think in a new way about designing our outdoor spaces--so they are in keeping with our interior ones.
"Outside the Not So Big House "gives language to design concepts that unify home and landscape. Two major concepts--make building decisions in the context of the land and make landscape decisions that draw the inside toward the outside--inspire homeowners to attune their homes and property to fit the way we live today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"There are gardening books that tell us what to plant and where. And there are architectural design books that tell us how our homes should look. But never the twain seem to meet. At least not until recently, when the two spaces -- home and garden -- wed harmoniously in the new book, "Outside the Not So Big House." "The Chicago Tribune"

"This beautiful book combines the best qualities of coffee-table attractiveness and excellent advice."
"-Christian Science Monitor"

"On my scale of one to 10, this outstanding new book rates a solid 10."
"-Miami Herald"

"A must read"
"-House & Garden magazine"

About the Author

Julie Moir Messervy is a noted landscape and garden designer, author, lecturer, and principal of Julie Moir Messervy Associates in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Messervy designed the Toronto Music Garden in collaboration with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and gardens for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Garden, Columbus, Ohio. She is a columnist for Fine Gardening magazine and author of three previous books.

She received her BA from Wellesley College and attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's School of Architecture, where she received her Master of Architecture and Master in City Planning degrees. She trained with the eminent Japanese garden master Kinsaku Nakane in Kyoto, Japan.

Sarah Susanka has become one of the best known and most highly regarded architects in the United States, and is a leading advocate for the popularization of residential architecture. Her first book, The Not So Big House, topped best-seller charts across the country

Product Details

• Paperback: 210 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press (January 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600850200
• ISBN-13: 978-1600850202
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 10 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #308,360 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

75 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Many ideas for designing small areas near small houses, July 14, 2006

By 

Michael Bond (Shawnee, OK United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home (Hardcover)

(4.5 Stars) I can see from the other reviews that there exist a wide range of opinions about this book. I fall on the high side, I suppose. I enjoyed the large number of photos and ideas for landscaping small areas - spots even - in the yard around a smaller home.

One, rather unreal aspect was that, most of the homes pictured are modern homes with interesting custom architecture. Some of us live in simple ranch-styles (boxes).

Julie's training and interest in architecture does come through, but I did not find it distracting. In fact, I found the emphasis on the relationship between the interior design of the home and landscape as seen from inside very useful. Most landscaping books present only the view TOWARD the house, not FROM it.

I got several good ideas from this book and learned a bit about design.

74 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An in-depth guide to creating harmony in one's house and garden, February 9, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home (Hardcover)

The collaboration of gardening expert and award-winning writer Julie Moir Messervy and residential architecture expert Sarah Susanka, Outside The Not So Big House: Creating The Landscape Of Home is an in-depth guide to creating harmony in one's house and garden. Detailed diagrams and full-color photography illustrate this highly accessible introduction to design concepts; chapters cover how to play off the habitat of the home, how to instill elements of smooth flow and pleasing aesthetics, working elements of nature into personal design, and much more. Outside The Not So Big House is not written as a handyman's how-to book, and does not delve extensively into the mechanics of how to construct and install garden furnishings, or how to plant, grow, water, and protect vegetation; it focuses on learning and applying elements of style to home and garden landscapes, with a wealth of examples for vivid illustration. An excellent inspirational source for gardeners and landscapers seeking to broaden their grasp of appealing designs, Outside The Not So Big House is very strongly recommended reading.

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars pretty much only covers enormous houses, January 10, 2007

By 

bored99 (Hamden, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home (Hardcover)

I find the title of this book incredibly misleading. For her, "not so big" means "integrated with nature" as opposed to, well, "not so big"! Almost all of the houses in here are enormous (without counting I'd say maybe 38 of the 40 she talks about), so it's not very helpful for someone like me with a smaller house. Granted, she says her "starter home" was a large Victorian in Boston with a wrap-around porch and stained glass windows, so her perspective is bound to be different from the average American's! But unfortunately I had a hard time applying her concepts to my smaller home (on a 1/4 acre lot), and found myself heartily annoyed because the title had promised something that perhaps might be more useful to someone like me.