Unlike Susanka's "Not So Big" books, this book looks at the fundamental principles of good home design without taking a particular angle such as "Not So Big". This is both a strength and a weakness.

It is a strength because you get the principles in distilled form. This makes it a lot easier to go back to the book when you want to remember what Susanka said about something like "light". In the "Not So Big" books, these principles tended to be more scattered. However, it's also a weakness because it is harder to see how the principles work together. However, the book strikes a good balance overall.

One feature of this book that I enjoyed was the use of modified pictures. The book would present a room and, to illustrate a point, compare it with a modified version which made only a small change (e.g., changing a color, removing a detail). The small change made a big difference in the feel of the room and really helps to illustrate the importance of details.

This book reminds me of the wonderful Patterns of Home: The Ten Essentials of Enduring Design (my review). If I did not already own that book, I would probably buy this one. And if I owned this one, I probably would not buy that one. (Note: I eventually ended up with both.) ( )

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Fundamental design book. ( )