Holiday Reading: The Simple Home
My wife has been reading this book and raving about it. I’ve picked it up about 9-10 times in the past week, but have not yet finished it: The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough (American Institute Architects)
As our lives become more complex, commodified and overstimulated, we end up seeking out ways to make sense of the overload. One reaction is the buy even more things to help us organize or more space to help contain.
There is another answer to this problem.
“The road to a simpler more satisfying life begins with a clear-eyed examination of the choices we are making for our time–and that includes choices about where we want to live.”
What does The Simple Home offer?
The Simple Home presents six paths to simplicity, each illustrated by human-scaled, unadorned homes with straightforward floor plans and forms. These are open, light-filled homes (with rooms or spaces that are often multipurpose) that express their beauty in their utility and practicality. Simple homes are low maintenance and often green, designed for homeowners who wish to embody a different set of values in their housing choices than the run-of-the-mill starter castles littering the landscape.
The 6 paths to Simplicity:
1. Simple is Enough
2. Simple is Thrifty
3. Simple is Flexible
4. Simple is Timeless
5. Simple is Sustainable
6. Simple is Refined
The one that currently captures me is ‘Simple is Timeless’. We live in a town full of homes, including our own, that were built pre-1950. With the exceptions of those who have “upgraded” theirs, these houses are similar in one way: generally on the smaller side. Three bedrooms maximum.
In fact, I like to think that our 2 bedroom, 1 bath (plus basement) home fits the thought that “Simple Is Enough”.
The Simple Home: The Luxury of Enough (American Institute Architects)
