Patterns of Home: The Ten Essentials of Enduring Design

From Publishers Weekly
Coauthors (along with several other writers) of the landmark design guide A Pattern Language, Jacobson and Silverstein join with their architectural partner, Winslow, to further simplify building design by distilling the principles they previously set forth as ten essentials for residential homes. These fundamentals cover such subjects as making the best use of light; keeping all parts of the house from windows to walls to rooms in proportion; and including “in-between” places like porches, window seats, alcoves and sunrooms in the design of the home. Some of their concepts are fairly abstract; for example, they suggest imagining the home as not just a building but a “site” that contains both indoor and outdoor rooms, and they counsel readers to “let the overall form of the house grow naturally out of the forms of its various parts, rather than being superimposed from the outside.” These theories are complemented by more concrete advice about how to measure out a human-sized room, balance private and common spaces and much more. The authors include diagrams and color photographs of 33 actual homes with detailed explanatory captions. While it is aimed predominately at professional designers, this guide is useful for anyone contemplating a new home or making renovations to an existing one; certainly it will change the way readers think about the architectural spaces around them.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal
Why are some houses such a pleasure to visit or inhabit? This spin-off from A Pattern Language, which has been a design resource for decades, successfully answers that question. California architects Jacobson and Murray Silverstein helped coauthor A Pattern Language, and with partner Barbara Winslow they have chosen ten principles or patterns of house design that they consider most important (and which serve as chapter heads): “Inhabiting the Site,” “Creating Rooms,” “Sheltering Roof,” “Capturing Light,” “Parts in Proportion,” “Flow Through Rooms,” “Private Edges, Common Core,” “Refuge and Outlook,” “Places in Between,” and “Composing with Materials.” Each pattern is illustrated with sketches and photographs, as the authors provide beautiful examples of 33 homes by various U.S. architects or designers, mostly in the western United States. The well-organized text and layout combine with the 410 outstanding color photographs and 155 black-and-white illustrations to help the reader visualize these patterns in practice. Highly recommended for public libraries and libraries supporting architecture courses.
David R. Conn, Surrey P.L., BC
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. –This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

3 Responses to “Patterns of Home: The Ten Essentials of Enduring Design”

admin
04月 29th, 2008 at 11:47 am

By Steven M. Rayle “Srayle” (Tucson)
I am a HUGE fan of ‘A Pattern Language’, and found this book in the local library. It took me a while to realize that this book is a far cry from its predecessor. I found the patterns themselves interesting, but over-distilled from the quirky things that made ‘Pattern Language’ so wonderful…that book is full of the HUMANITY of places that people can create, and the effects on how places feel to us, how we interact, and how we live our lives in the context of these places.
My big problem with this book is with the photographs. I actually had a hard time seeing and feeling the point of the patterns. These are all, for the most part, big, expensive architect showcase homes of the west coast. How about showing these patterns in more modest or ‘hand made’ type houses? How about showing some of these patterns in desert homes, or old european homes? Homes in Mexico or in Greece? How about the patterns shown in other world homes? All these homes are fancy and expensive…it’s ok to show some of those of course, but if the book is about PATTERNS, then the best illustration of a PATTERN is to show it in a wide variety of disparate settings.

This book, which I sat down to relish, was actually dull. It didn’t stir my imagination and get the desire flowing the way ‘Pattern Language’ did. It’s probably worth a look, but do as I did and request it from your library, and read it. Then decide if you really want it. I didn’t.
admin
04月 29th, 2008 at 11:48 am

By K. Parsons “Hailing from the mountaintop!” (Idyllwild, CA USA)
“Patterns of Home” simply is a wonderful book. It contains some of the most beautiful residences anywhere, gorgeously photographed and described. The book also makes a lot of sense. In a time when so many “design” books are self-serving treatises on a particular style or philosophy, “Patterns of Home” steers clear of jargon and techno-babble. The book delivers ten distinct, yet complementary studies (patterns) that serve to wonderfully illustrate how a house can truly be a home. I am an architect in private practice and I design several custom homes or estates per year along with my commercial, institutional and other commissions. While this in no way makes me an expert, it does allow me to highly recommend this book to those seeking to improve the livability of their home, or design meaning into a home. Even if one is not involved in, or contemplating such a project, this book is a great source of ideas and… well, it has a great deal of tremendous pictures!
I am heartened to see Jacobson, Silverstein and Winslow put forth such an accessible, readable and pleasant book on a subject that has been dangerously worn out recently. The material in “Patterns of Home” is not necessarily new, but the presentation of it in such a thoughtful manner is valuable and meaningful. The arrangement of the material is logical, starting with site planning, spatial relationships, and the basics of shelter, light and proportion. The transition into feeling, perception and texture is seamless and rewarding to experience.

The chapter (pattern) on “Refuge and Outlook” addresses a concept dear to my heart. My own home high in the Southern California mountains embodies much of this concept. The presentation of this concept gave words to things I’ve often struggled to explain. I was very moved by the elegant, yet simple language used to present this and the nine other patterns. The ability to crisply and efficiently write about ideas and concepts that can easily become mired in technical or philosophical discourse is not common. It is precisely this skill that the authors bring to this work, and which makes “Patterns of Home” so useful. The authors clearly appear to practice what they preach, and the honesty that I sense in this book is refreshing. I commend the authors on producing a book that is highly informative in a very sensible way.

This book is a companion to Lawler’s “A Home for the Soul” on my display table. I heartily give “Patterns of Home” five stars.
admin
04月 29th, 2008 at 11:49 am

By misterbeets “misterbeets” (Safe Harbor, MD USA)
I’m seeing again some of the architect-designed houses featured in other Taunton Press books, here assembled under another pretext: timeless design…. Their succesful formula: some catchy premise (Not So Big, etc.) to serve as a backdrop for the true heart of the book–the pictures. As always, expensive, contemporary designs carefully and beautifully photographed, all intended to satisfy readers’ endless appetites for novelty in their escapist fantasies involving houses and furniture.

On the other hand, it’s very reasonably priced :-)

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