Ceiling heights are varied and manipulated to define living spaces without having to erect walls that cut up the space. In Susanka’s designs, rooms do double-duty. What she has been writing about, with 1.2 million 'Not So Big' volumes sold, is the idea that you can live large in less space, so long as the house is smartly designed.

'I want people to feel what I’ve been writing about.' 'I think of it as a walk-in book,' the North Carolina architect said as she walked through the 2,450-square-foot structure before it opened for a six-month run of public tours on Nov. She lives in Minneapolis.Devotees of the 'Not So Big' school of architecture now have a brick-and-mortar place of their own - at least for awhile.Īrchitect Sarah Susanka, who has developed something of an anti-McMansion cult following with her popular series of eight ' Not So Big House' coffee table books, recently opened a showcase home in Libertyville, Ill., that will function as what she calls her 3-D thesis. She has received a number of writing awards and fellowships, including the Kesselring Prize and a Guggenheim fellowship. Kira's book, 'Garage, was published in 2001. She co-authored Sarah Susanka's national bestseller, 'The Not So Big House. Susanka has been invited to share her insights on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Charlie Rose, and HGTV she is regularly profiled in leading shelter magazines and newspapers, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.Kira Obolensky has written for print, film, and stage. She has shared her insights in many best-selling books, including The Not So Big House, the revolutionary title that started it all. Sarah Susanka is known far and wide as the leader of a movement that has redefined the American home. She is a former principal and founding partner of Mulfinger, Susanka, Mahady and Partners, Inc., the firm chosen by LIFE magazine to design its 1999 Dream House. Susanka has appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Charlie Rose Show, and NPR's Diane Rehm Show. Her first book, 'The Not So Big House,' topped best-seller charts in Home and Garden categories in its first year of publication. Sarah Susanka is one of the leading residential architects in the United States.

The not so big house