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We ultimately bought a home that we did not design, but this book helped us to develop values that would assist us in finding a home that would nurture us and our environment. This book provided very valuable insight into the type of home that we wanted to build.
Everyone in the design field should be required to read this book. Lent it to a client and of course, never got it back. Bought it originally back in college.
To my sorrow, the book is no longer relevant to the way most people now live. The serenity of the human soul was the overriding value. I first read it nearly thirty years ago and used its principles to create a garden that delights to this day.
I hope that, as with other lost arts, a new generation will be fascinated by the old ways people used to live, and will adopt the good and reinvent human spaces. It is easy to see the world today is organized more like a bandit's trap than a serene living arena. Big box stores, super highways, multiplex cinemas, malls, security-driven barriers and other structures such as looping airport approaches and chaotic store layout, fractured product placement in retail outlets: all were not thought of in this work.
This classic architecture work contains abundant wisdom and practical direction for living for every thinking person. If you want to be overwhelmed by how much we have lost, or changed, since this was written, I highly recommend it. Definitely a deep and thought-provoking read.
When I found it again, I was eager to read the parts I had skipped over the first time. There is barely any nod to electronic communication or entertainment.
Recently we designed a small cottage and found it invaluable as we worked to create the most livable and economical space. I love to have this book on hand to refer to when I am thinking about making changes to my living space or when I just want to let my imagine roam.
An excellent book to peruse before sleeping, as its great wellspring of clear and concise ideas and examples consistently inspire dreams about how - in concrete, practical terms - we can improve the tenor of our daily lives at home and in community.
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