A Richer Life In 'Not-So-Big' Homes

Architect and best-selling author Sarah Susanka published her first book, "The Not So Big House," in 1998, shining a light on the uncomfortable mismatch between Americans and their houses. Recently Susanka talked about that mismatch in an interview with The Town Paper and shared her ideas for a better fit that are spreading like wildfire through the American housing market.In the fable, "The Emperor's New Clothes," the open mind and clear vision of a little boy enabled him to say something none of the other royal subjects had been able to articulate. The pompous emperor and his new clothes were not the "match" everyone was saying they were."The emperor is naked," said the boy.In the same way as the emperor and his "new" clothing were not suited to each other, many Americans are living in homes that are unsuited to the lives of their inhabitants. As clearly as the boy in the fable, in a way that people who do not practice architecture can embrace, Sarah Susanka has pointed this out.We have been round pegs living in square holes.

Thanks to The Town Paper