Sarah Susanka facts for kids
Sarah Susanka is an architect, author, and speaker. She was born in England on March 21, 1957, and later moved to the United States. Sarah Susanka is famous for her "Not So Big" idea about homes. This idea means building houses that are better designed, not just bigger. Many people say she helped start the tiny-house movement.
About Sarah Susanka
Sarah Susanka was born in a place called Knockholt in Kent, England. In 1971, she moved to the USA. She studied at the University of Oregon and then settled in Minneapolis, Minnesota. While working at architecture firms, she also earned a master's degree in architecture from the University of Minnesota.
Her ideas for her "Not So Big" books came from her master's project. She helped start an architecture firm in Minneapolis called Mulfinger, Susanka, Mahady & Partners. This firm is now known as SALA Architects. Later, she left the firm to focus on writing books and giving talks full-time. Her own company is called Susanka Studios.
Sarah Susanka has been on popular TV shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show and the Charlie Rose Show. She has also been on NPR's Diane Rehm Show. Her ideas have been shared in many newspapers, including USA Today and The Wall Street Journal.
In 1998, U.S. News & World Report called her "one of 18 innovators in American culture." This means she was seen as someone who brought new and important ideas to American life. In 2004, Builder Magazine named her one of the top "Power Brokers" in the building world. That same year, Organic Style magazine put her on their "Environmental Power List." In 2007, she received the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Award. This award honors people who show great effort and make good changes in the world.
Sarah Susanka is a registered architect and a certified interior designer. She is also a member of important groups like the American Institute of Architects.
Her Design Ideas
Sarah Susanka believes that when building homes, quality is more important than size. She teaches homeowners, builders, and architects how to design houses that feel comfortable and spacious, even if they are not huge.
She uses special design elements to do this. These include:
- Framed openings: These are windows, doors, or doorways that are framed in special ways.
- Spatial layering: This means creating different layers of space within a room.
- Visual weight: This refers to how heavy or light parts of a room feel to the eye.
- Diagonal views: These are views that go across a room, making it feel larger.
- Variations in ceiling height: Changing how high the ceiling is in different areas.
All these tools help make the inside of a house feel cozy and private, but still connected to other parts of the home.
Sarah Susanka was inspired by the ideas of Christopher Alexander. He wrote a book called A Pattern Language. She has said that his book was a big inspiration for her own work and for many architects.
Her Books
Sarah Susanka's main idea is "build better, not bigger." She explains this in detail in her first book, The Not So Big House. This book shares her main ideas about design. She has written seven more books that build on this philosophy. These include:
- Creating the Not So Big House
- Not So Big Solutions for Your Home
- Home By Design
- Inside the Not So Big House
- Outside the Not So Big House
- Not So Big Remodeling
- More Not So Big Solutions for Your Home
In her seventh book, The Not So Big Life, she talks about applying her "quality, not quantity" idea to daily life. This book focuses on making the most of your time and experiences.
Personal Life
Sarah Susanka lives in North Carolina.
See also
- Small house movement
- Tumbleweed Tiny House Company
