Small Spaces: Stylish Ideas for Making More of Less in the Home [Paperback]

Azby Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1996

Small Spaces is about living comfortably and using space wisely, and where better to find ideas on that subject than Japan, one of the world's most urban and densely populated countries? Tokyo resident Azby Brown, a distinguished architect and designer, has assembled dozens of creative solutions to space and storage problems, illustrating them with photographs and plans of actual living environments in contemporary homes.

The key to his approach is what might be called "The Three Cs "-compact, comfortable, and convenient. Use of space is reconsidered, with easy living always the uppermost goal. A living room is opened up by creating level changes or "joining it with the exterior." A staircase can double as a chest of drawers, a space beneath the floor can serve as a kitchen pantry or hiding place for a disappearing bed: an adjustable table can serve different purposes at different heights. From top to bottom, in bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and hall, Azby Brown presents solutions to the problems of inner space, illustrated with dozens of full-color photographs, drawings, and architectural plans.

Small Spaces will be a lifesaver for all those with growing families, shrinking resources, and limited room to grow-or indeed anyone who wants to transform a disorganized, cluttered environment into an orderly, attractive living area.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Drawing upon the sparse tranquility of Japanese design, architect and Tokyo resident Azby Brown explains how to live comfortably in limited or overcrowded domains. By rethinking our approach to space, utilizing seemingly dead areas (under-floor or under-stairs storage, for example), creating multipurpose or convertible areas, and reconsidering layout, we can make the most of what we have. Some of these homes carry Eastern minimalism to an extreme that clutter-prone Westerners may not be comfortable with, but there are plenty of ingenious furniture, storage, and planning solutions nevertheless. --Amy Handy

From Library Journal

The Japanese have the ability to live in small spaces yet make them appear roomy and tranquil. Brown, a New Orleans native and Ph.D. candidate in architecture who has lived in Japan for more than a decade, examines their homes and lifestyles to find ideas that can be adapted to Western homes. This book is geared to the professional, although amateurs will find useful ideas such as closets with shelves in the doors, under-the-floor storage, and even a bed that retracts into the ceiling. For space-saving ideas in traditional Western styles, Anoop Parikh's Making the Most of Small Spaces (Rizzoli, 1994) will be more useful, but this book should find a place in professional and urban-area libraries.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha USA (September 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770020848
• ISBN-13: 978-4770020840
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,782 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Small Homes & Cottages

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An indoctrination in organization, January 10, 2003

By 

V. Landau (Chicagoland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Small Spaces: Stylish Ideas for Making More of Less in the Home (Paperback)

As someone whose prospective first house is likely to be small--and even smaller inside--I've been looking around for useful ideas that will help me choose a home into which my Stuff will fit. (That's not just stuff; that's George Carlin-type STUFF, and it requires serious storage.) We're not just talking a smaller McMansion, but homes where the master bedroom is, on average, 10'x9' with badly placed doorways.

Azby Brown's book was an education in understanding the options even a small or oddly shaped space can afford. Though most of the actual implementations discussed would certainly work better in a Japanese home than in a '50s era raised ranch, the *ideas* are the thing. And these ideas are outstanding. Every inch of space is used to beautiful effect. Every opportunity is considered.

Especially choose this book if you're planning to remodel, as expert contractors and cabinetmakers will benefit from these pages; nevertheless, _Small Spaces_ is for anyone who still thinks that light neutrals and pint-sized furnishings are the only way to manage.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating topic, October 4, 2001

By 

Li Xiuqi (Singapore, Singapore Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Small Spaces: Stylish Ideas for Making More of Less in the Home (Paperback)

The title is a bit too vague-- this book is specifically on *Japanese* methods of minimizing clutter, which may or may not be useful to westerners. But what a fascinating topic it is. Only the Japanese could have thought of storing things below the floor, futons that can be rolled up and put away when they aren't in use, "borrowing the view" of your neighbour's garden, and so on. The photography isn't dazzling, and many of the homes aren't very stylish, but it's worth reading just to appreciate the ingenious ideas the Japanese have.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deserves space on your underfloor shelf, December 26, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Small Spaces: Stylish Ideas for Making More of Less in the Home (Paperback)

Azby Brown lives in Japan, and has written a number of books about Japanese design, or carpentry, from the perspective of a close observer.

This book deals with design and product approaches to living in small spaces without clutter. The premise is that the smaller a space is, the more it needs to appear empty if living in it is to be fully comfortable and satisfying. This isn't a book on how to load more gear into more "storage solutions", though some unusual solutions like underfloor storage are elaborated.

Granted a lot of this stuff is not going to be transferable to American houses, and some of the details, like miraculously small appliances are not even well illustrated (most ilustration are very good). But then there is a huge market for books covering professionally created 25 000 square foot spaces in Carmel by the Sea, or whatever, and I am not likely to fully implement ideas from those books either. Frankly adapting the spirit of this book is much more likely