"Effortless" and "inevitable" are architect Steven Harris's two favorite words. With sensitivity to the surrounding landscape, Steven Harris Architects designs spaces that are custom-tailored to their clients' daily lives and experiences. His dining rooms are not aggrandizements of tradition, they are places to eat, to gather, or even work; his entry halls are not the primary places of arrival, but rather the final segments of a long trajectory that begins when the resident turns off the main road or exits the elevator. True Life, the firm's first monograph, showcases an exceptional range of residential work from the past twenty-five years. Organized by the activities that propel their designsdine, lounge, study, play, sleep, and so onit focuses on people rather than objects. The firms spaces are not meant to set lifestyle changes into motion, but rather cater to those routines already in progress. Herein lies the genius of the work: they let the client speak for the house, not the house for the client. A foreword by writer A.M. Homes places Steven Harris Architects in the context of contemporary architecture and speaks to the understated elegance of the firm's designs.
| ||||||||||||
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"What distinguishes [True Life ] and makes it rise high above shelter-magazine fare, besides the beauty and creativity of the architecture, is the way it's structured: not project by project but by the thing that propels residential architecture and design, or should- the way people actually live." -- The Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2010
"True Life: Steven Harris Architects is organized around daily routines (Dine, Sleep, Lounge, etc.)- fitting for a firm devoted to creating effortlessly functional spaces. Spanning 25 years, the projects range from crisp modern to rustic to coolly traditional." --ELLE DECOR, December 2010
"This weighty, satisfying look at the New York firm's quarter century is comfort food for garden-hungry readers." --Garden Design, March 2011
"True Life: Steven Harris Architects is organized around daily routines (Dine, Sleep, Lounge, etc.)- fitting for a firm devoted to creating effortlessly functional spaces. Spanning 25 years, the projects range from crisp modern to rustic to coolly traditional." --ELLE DECOR, December 2010
"This weighty, satisfying look at the New York firm's quarter century is comfort food for garden-hungry readers." --Garden Design, March 2011
About the Author
Steven Harris is the founding partner of Steven Harris Architects and professor of Architecture at Yale where he has taught for twenty-five years. He is the co-editor of Architecture of the Everyday and in 2008 was inducted into the Interior Design Magazine Hall of Fame.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
True Life conveys the essense of Steven Harris' renowned architectural creations
November 17, 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is a masterpiece that belongs in every library of residential design volumes or prominently displayed on a coffee table. Steven Harris Architects has a true gift for creating structures and spaces that are both beautiful and function flawlessly on a day-to-day basis. Steven is a true innovator with the keenest eye around. To live in a Steven Harris residence, is to exist within an artistic creation that conveys beauty and order - but which is also very enjoyable and livable. The book is beautifully photographed and really captures the essence of their work. Buy this book!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By tatu120
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Filled with big beautiful images and luscious photography, this book is truly stunning. I found the organization to be fresh and exciting, and was impressed to see such an intriguing range of styles and moods. This would be the perfect book for anyone looking for inspiration for their next space, or for anyone who loves to get lost in gorgeous photos of amazing spaces. So glad I purchased this book - it is worth every penny!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By B.G.H.
Format:Hardcover
I purchased a copy of True Life for a friend and one for myself. The gift was enthusiastically received- my friend said she found her fantasy home within its pages. I have to agree with her. The work of Steven Harris is a beautifully unified vision of house, interiors and landscape. It's inviting, elegant, even glamorous, without being cold. This book is a real treat!
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
What a disappointment. Incredibly thin on text! No project information at all. Some beautiful photos, but many so painfully large that I had to step back to allow my eyes time to refocus. Sadly, it will not find a permanent home in my library.
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
