House Rules: An Architect's Guide to Modern Life

by Deborah Berke, Rick Moody (Foreword)

Drawing on examples of her own distinctive, humane modern design, celebrated architect Deborah Berke demonstrates how to create a serene haven for contemporary living. House Rules documents the beauty and relevance of Deborah Berke’s vision by articulating eight guiding principles to achieve an enriching domestic space. Her rules range from how to design a meaningful sequence from indoors to out, to the need for abundant storage to live an uncluttered life. House Rules delves deep into Berke’s working process and her thoughtful approach to design, showcasing more than fifty residences. An inspiring guide for home owners and those aspiring to build a house, House Rules also addresses such timely factors as environmental sustainability and innovative construction techniques. Drawing on these examples of her user-friendly contemporary designs, House Rules demonstrates how to craft a serene space for modern living. Photographs of compelling details richly illustrate her principles, underscoring both the poetry and practicality of her ideas.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

First published March 22, 2016

Reviews

[Mike Violano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author, architect and Yale Dean of Architecture Deborah Berke has assembled a work that is striking but difficult to describe. It contains countless photographs of Berke's residential assignments but you could not call it a catalog. Photography delights with each turn of the page but it is not an art book.

The eight rules offered relate to the structures, design choices, and living conditions both inside a house and in the setting and views through windows and from the outside in. Each photograph is accompanied by a caption with an explanation: stage the landscape; engage the senses; afford discovery; rhyme linear elements to create sequence and connection; convenient storage need not announce its presence.
There is much mid-century modern in Berke's tenets and design palette. From wood walls and stone floors and abundant interior light to the aim of bringing a home in harmony with its surroundings and using materials that improve with age.
Highly recommended for anyone with a yen for architecture, design and armchair travel through tranquil spaces to enjoy and bring home.

[Siyu Liu · Rating 2 out of 5]

I spent a weekend on this book because i want to find an inspiration for my self-designed house. But the content listed here in this book is not very...exciting. Maybe the author wants to convey his idea to pick up the simplest examples？

Or maybe the knowledge of design is hard to pass down. It is a sense of beauty, more than a rational calculation.