Outside the Not So Big House: Creating the Landscape of Home (Hardcover)

by Julie Moir Messervy (Author), Sarah Susanka (Author)
Key Phrases: entertainment terrace, lawn panel, framed openings, Landscape of Stone, Parallel Paths, Terraces of Grass (more...)

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" by Sarah Susanka and Julie Moir Messervy.
-- NINA A. KOZIOL, The Chicago Tribune


This beautiful book combines the best qualities of coffee-table attractiveness and excellent advice. It pairs Susanka - author of previous "Not So Big House" books, which emphasize the trend toward smaller homes - and noted landscape and garden designer Julie Moir Messervy. They label their landscaping concept "opening up the relationship of indoors and out," and encourage readers to make the most of each.
--JUDY LOWE, Christian Science Monitor


"Outside the Not So Big House" by Julie Moir Messervy and Sarah Susanka deals with landscaping, planting and hard-scaping everything from entrances to pathways, arbors, patios and streetscapes to make the most of tight spaces. Planting sketches, lush photographs and specific problem-solving advice make it a handy reference, complete with plant names and diagrams. It's a pretty coffee-table topper, too.
--JOY CRAFT, Cincinnati Enquirer


The premise of this book is that home landscaping should be special to bring out the residence's best features (or hide its drawbacks). On my scale of one to 10, this outstanding new book rates a solid 10.
--ROBERT J. BRUSS, Miami Herald


With its plentiful photos and plans, this beautiful book is a useful tool for learning to look at the familiar in new ways.
- JARRETT SMITH Minneapolis Star Tribune


In ''Outside the Not So Big House,'' the authors describe many ways, both large and small, of connecting a house intimately to its land.
--ANNE RAVER, The New York Times

"This perfect collaboration between the talented and articulate Julie Moir Messervy and Sarah Susanka proves what a huge pleasure the landscape of a 'not so big' house can be. A must read..."
--Tom Christopher, columnist, House & Garden magazine

"Sarah Susanka and Julie Moir Messervy's clearly written text offers practical advice for designing indoor-outdoor spaces that respond to modern lifestyles. They reveal secrets for achieving the ideal combination of architecture and nature in the home and in the garden."
--James A. van Sweden, Fellow, American Society of Landscape Architects and author of Architecture in the Garden

Product Description
In this groundbreaking book, noted landscape designer and award-winning writer Julie Moir Messervy and bestselling author Sarah Susanka reveal how to bring house and garden into perfect harmony. After all, who doesn't yearn for a landscape that is as well designed as the interior of their home? In Outside the Not So Big House, Julie and Sarah teach you everything you need to know about the design concepts essential to extending your home beyond its four walls.

Lushly photographed and illustrated with vivid drawings, Outside the Not So Big House explores how to build pathways and journeys in your gardens; how to make the most of your site; how to use details to bring it all together. Twenty homes from across the country aptly illustrate these easy-to-grasp design ideas. Fans of Sarah's previous Not So Big books will be pleased to discover not only Julie's clear, concise prose but also a new vision for creating home.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Taunton (February 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561587346
• ISBN-13: 978-1561587346
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,302 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #28 in	Books > Arts & Photography > Architecture > Landscape
  #55 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > Landscape
  #63 in	Books > Home & Garden > Gardening & Horticulture > Garden Design

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 59 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)

(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.

67 of 74 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

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.

52 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and useful, March 22, 2006

By	M Reilly - See all my reviews

I think the previous reviewer missed the point of this book. The authors are not trying to show "how to place landscaping for the greatest impact" but how to connect the house to its surrounding landscape, and how to use the concepts outlined in the other Not So Big books to shape the garden and landscape. The examples used ARE beautiful, as they should be - they inspire me to do something equally beautiful and extraordinary with my own space, with or without spending a large chunk of cash.

If you understand that it's not about the content, but the underlying principles that are being used to shape the space, you can appreciate the beauty, form, and creativity of the spaces shown.