"Ever since Thomas Jefferson built Monticello, American architects have used their own houses as laboratories, testing new ideas and putting a fresh spin on the old. To select the best of our own era, Michael Webb traveled coast to coast, talking with 150 architects, and looking for houses and apartments that respond creatively to the challenge of site, context, and budget. He chose 41 recent examples, and six modern classics. Together they demonstrate how rich is the idea of "house."" "Pioneers like Schindler, Neutra, Wright, Gropius, Charles and Ray Eames, and Philip Johnson explored new ways of enclosing space and relating buildings to nature. They shocked their contemporaries and inspired their successors. The latest work shown here ranges even more widely - from a tree house in Berkeley to a playful weekend cottage on Lake Michigan, from a cluster of wooden towers in a Florida palm grove to a Toronto house that fuses craft and technology. Sophisticated New York apartments, daring hillside houses in Los Angeles, and witty variations on the New England vernacular reflect America's regional diversity. Houses are grouped by type. Over 200 color and vintage black and white photos, plans, and sections are woven together with lively descriptions of what each architect built - and why." "These architectural adventures offer new ways of satisfying practical and emotional needs, and write another chapter in the history of the American house. They demonstrate the timeless virtues of light and space, openness and privacy, fine craftsmanship and economical construction. Everyone who has dreamed of building a unique house or is planning piecemeal improvements can find inspiration is this eclectic anthology."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

What does an architect's dream house look like? Explore the homes of thirty of the world's most talented architects. Inventive and imaginative homes in 17 different countries. Spacious or frugal, ambitious or modest, refined or rough-edged, daring or reductive, the inspiring buildings in Architects' Houses are unique in design concepts, details, and materials, and how they interact with their landscape. A treasure trove of ideas for homeowners, practitioners, and interior designers. Architects' Houses is richly illustrated with photographs, sketches, and plans. Learn how established architects design their own homes' design. Explore the creative process and influence of architects' houses over the past two hundred years. From Jefferson's Monticello to the creations of Charles and Ray Eames, Toyo Ito to Frank Gehry. This generously illustrated book brims with ideas and inspiration as these architects' houses show different answers to the question: how can a house enrich lives and its natural surroundings?

A #1 best seller for years, Bill Hirsch's Designing Your Perfect House: Lessons from an Architect has been called an essential read for Homeowners as well as Professionals. Bill's flowing style of writing makes you feel like you are sitting with him having a chat about your project. The philosophy behind design decisions is explained with stories, photos, sketches, and checklists. The book is divided into Twelve Lessons, with an additional Bonus Lesson ," Building Green, Naturally". You will learn how to evaluate your needs and work towards creating a suitable design, perfect for you and your family. The experience of home design and construction should be controllable, gratifying and enjoyable. With the valuable advice that Designing Your Perfect House: Lessons from an Architect provides, it can be.

"The 100 houses presented here not only show a broad spectrum of building styles and interior designs, but also tell 100 individual stories of architects and their own four walls, opening a new window on the history of twentieth-century European architecture."--Jacket.

Through hundreds of inspiring photos and engaging text, the author describes what gives traditional homes their enduring appeal, and illustrates the creative work of builders who are forging the movement toward building new homes that capture old-home sensibility.

• More than 120 of today's architecturally significant homes, selected by a panel of international consultants • A written and visual journey through the homes of different times and cultures-from Mayan thatched huts to the grand palaces of Europe and Asia • Includes an "Architects A-Z" feature--an easy-reference historical guide to the architects who have shaped architectural trends and design From inner-city living and outer-city sprawl to spectacular country retreats and glimpses to the future, the architectural solutions used by today's architects can be found in Home. The book offers an insider's perspective, drawing on examples from history through to current trends. Home features easy to read floor plans and section views, stunning photography and perspectives from the architects themselves. Home is a beautifully rich and inspiring visual reference book for anyone interested in designing, creating, and expanding their knowledge of architecture and home design.