Nice House

About this book

This handsome collection of 30 congenial livable houses will be an invaluable resource for those considering building a house and an inspiration to all who admire good design. Whites project descriptions are lucid brief and hype-free and they come stocked with floor plans. He describes terrain contours materials and palette choices and circulation patternsThis is a practical yet mouthwatering and aspirational study of architects helping people honor the streetscape keep properties saleable and upgrade their home life by several respectable notches. - Period Homes What makes a house nice? Architect Samuel G. White tells us: Nice houses arent too big or too formal. They are neighborly with harmonious proportions. They have inviting spots in which to read a book take a nap or cook. - New York Newsday This is a book of houses where we all would like to live. The locations are diverse - New England Long Island Pennsylvania California - and the architecture encompasses both traditional and contemporary vocabulary. What links them is their livable scale and the architects commitment to creating congenial spaces with a handsome and functional design. They are unassuming dwellings whose architecture moves easily to the background supporting comfortable furniture works of art from a variety of periods and styles and the plantings and outdoor spaces that are essential to the composition. These houses display grace and style inside and out. They invite a full range of activities from formal to informal from celebration to repose from a solitary existence to a house full of children or guests. These houses have good places to read a book or write a letter to take a nap and to cook and eat with family and friends.